L-R Select Board Member Karen Gately Herrick, Senator Jason Lewis, Select Board Chair Mark Dockser, Community Garden member Cathy Zeek, State Representatives Richard Haggerty and Brad Jones, Select Board Member Chris Haley, Town Manager Fidel Maltez |
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“This is a project that is born out of love.” |
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With these words, Town Manager Fidel Maltez welcomed residents, gardeners, and state and town officials to the grand opening of the new community garden at the Mattera Cabin on Main Street, which borders the Bare Meadow Conservation Area. Maltez continued highlighting the effort, community input, and teamwork needed to get the garden to this point. Community Garden member Cathy Zeek, who served as master of ceremonies for the event, shared how the initial idea was generated in the Climate Advisory Committee and that it developed into an earmark request submitted by former Town Manager Robert LeLacheur to Reading’s legislative delegation. “It is a story of collaboration,” Zeek declared.
Select Board chair Mark Dockser praised all who were involved in the effort, “Reading is a community that has a lot to offer and this is an example of what we can do when we work together.” Senator Jason Lewis extolled the virtues of the space, noting that it will not only be a community gathering place, but one that will be used to support education in the Reading Public Schools. “This is a great example of a partnership between the state delegation and the Town of Reading, as well as many dedicated volunteers,” Lewis added. [Read More]
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The Community Planning and Development Commission (CPDC) opened a public hearing on Monday to consider a proposed new mixed-use 40R development at 25 Haven Street. The property currently has a single-story building that previously contained a Rite-Aid Pharmacy and has been vacant since 2018. The building on the site is considered historic as it once housed the Reading Municipal Light Department and, according to Historical Commission chair Samantha Couture “is the only ‘art deco’ style building in town.”
The developer, Walderi Lima, proposes a four-story mixed-use building with two retail spaces and parking on the first floor and owner-occupied residential units on the top three floors. A total of twenty-five residential units are proposed for a density of 58.1 per acre. The residential units would be a mixture of one and two-bedroom apartments. Five of the proposed residential units would be considered affordable.
Both retail spaces are proposed to face Haven Street and be separated by a recessed residential entrance to the building. According to project architect Donnie Garrity, this would create a “barbell effect” on the Haven Street facade. The first retail space would be 1,485 square feet and have an adjacent 500 square foot outdoor patio area. The plan calls for the second retail space to be 1,218 square feet. Garrity indicated that the developer intends to preserve the historic facade of the current building and to use it as an inspiration for the exterior of the first floor on the entire building. [Read More]
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By a vote of 5-0, the School Committee approved Superintendent Thomas Milaschewski’s annual summative review on Thursday night. School Committee chair Thomas Wise reminded the committee that the review, Milaschewski’s first in Reading, was based on focused indicators regarding Milaschewski’s transition into the position previously agreed upon by the members.
Wise shared that the committee commended Milaschewski in a number of areas, including educational leadership, communication, shift in culture, and collaboration. Wise also commented that Milaschewski has a strong aptitude in “willingness to let your leaders fly.” Wise continued, noting that “even those [committee members] who graded more conservatively, all had positive comments.” Wise noted that this is the strongest School Committee review of a superintendent since the early 2000s.
“You’ve had an extraordinarily strong start,” Wise added. “This is just the beginning of a long road.”
Milaschewski thanked the committee for his review and for the individual conversations with committee members regarding it. He was also quick to praise his administrative team as well as all the educational leaders at the building level. “I am truly humbled by this,” Milaschewski stated.[Read More]
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By a vote of 5-0, the Select Board voted to authorize Town Manager Fidel Maltez to support the work needed to transfer Camp Rice Moody to the Girls Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts. This property has been used by Girl Scouts and others for passive recreation opportunities for the past fifty years and is owned by the Reading Council for Girls, which will soon be dissolved. Select Board member Karen Herrick said that in a conversation, Camp Director Renée Doucette shared with her that, in effect, the Girls Scout has been managing the property since 1980.
The Girl Scouts will continue to use the property for recreational purposes, and the camp directors are looking forward to the upcoming camp season. The transfer document also outlines a provision for the town to obtain the camp in the unlikely event that the Girl Scouts are unable or unwilling to maintain the property.
The Board spent considerable time reviewing a proposal to establish an exploratory committee for using the former Zanni property on Symonds Way. Chair Mark Dockser recommended several changes to the charge document, including the committee should be presenting several options to the Select Board, not just one, and that the committee’s work needs to dovetail with that of the Reading Center for Active Living Committee (ReCALC), and that the primary consideration for the committee needs to be how best to serve the community. There was general agreement on these changes [Read More]
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Starting Friday, June 17th through Sunday, June 19th, Main Street and Ash Street MBTA railroad crossing will be under construction. This will cause serious delays, please avoid the area and plan alternate travel routes.
The construction times are planned as follows:
Main Street Railroad Crossing-
- Friday, June 17th, 9pm-Saturday, June 18th, 4pm
Ash Street Railroad Crossing:
- Saturday, June 18th, 9pm-Sunday, June 19th, 4pm
This project is for infrastructure and roadway improvements. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding. [Read More]
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The line-up for this year’s Reading PorchFest is now set. At ReadingPorchFest.com, you can find a detailed schedule laying out all 52 of the day’s musical acts by time and location. At the site’s Gallery 2022 are photos of the bands and solo acts with music samples. Participants are urged to check back often for the latest updates.
Reading PorchFest grew out of the town’s 375th-anniversary celebration in 2019 and has grown. This year’s event is the largest to date.
Later today, the interactive map will go online. Click on a venue to see the line-up at a particular site, including music genre.
Reading PorchFest 2022 is slated for the afternoon of Saturday, June 25th.
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Starting Friday, June 17th through Sunday, June 19th, Main Street and Ash Street MBTA railroad crossing will be under construction. This will cause serious delays, please avoid the area and plan alternate travel routes. |
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Highlights from the Reading Police & Fire Logs
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