Despite a small turnout of 3.75%, Reading voters, by a vote of 665 to 83, joined eleven other communities to support the construction of a $317,422,620 new building for the Northeast Metro Technical School on Tuesday. Reading Town Meeting voted 165-4 on November 8 to approve the new building.
Superintendent David DiBarri shared, “We are deeply grateful to the voters in our twelve sending communities for their participation in today’s vote, their collective support of a new school building, and for securing a vision for a 21st-century career technical education that will position our students for success after graduation.”
Di Barri continued, “Input from the Northeast community has been an integral part of this process. School officials, construction experts, and School Committee and Building Committee members from all twelve communities worked diligently to create a proposal that reflects that community feedback and respects the cost to taxpayers.” [Read More]
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The public hearing to review plans for a proposed new four-story development at 6-16 Chute Street was reopened by the Community Planning and Development Commission on January 24. The current building on the 17,986 square foot site, built in 1974, is a one-story commercial building that houses several businesses, including the Last Corner Restaurant, The Green Tomato, and a laundromat.
The proposed building would create two commercial spaces on the first floor facing High Street with an enclosed parking garage for residents, also on the first floor. The garage would be accessed via a Chute Street entrance. The upper three floors would house thirty-one apartments. Twenty-five percent of those apartments would be designated as “affordable.” Entrances to the residential portion of the building would also be both on High Street and on Chute Street.
Project Architect Jeffrey Olinger shared changes that have been made to the plan since the December 13 meeting. A transformer has been moved from the High Street side of the building to inside the parking garage, creating space for a small plaza that could be utilized by one of the retail spaces. The upper cornice of the building has been reduced in size to bring the entire building height under forty-five feet. Olinger explained that due to this change, the project would no longer need a height waiver from the CPDC. [Read More]
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The election cycle for the April 5, 2022, the local election is underway, and Town Clerk Laura Gemme has released a list of potential candidates who have pulled nomination papers for the various available town-wide positions that will be on the ballot this year. Nomination papers for town-wide offices require fifty signatures and need to be returned to the clerk by February 15. The last day candidates may pull nomination papers is February 13.
Three persons have pulled nomination papers for the two available seats on the Select Board. Incumbent Mark Dockser of Beaver Road, Nancy Tawadros of Libby Avenue, and Jacqueline McCarthy of Beacon Street have all pulled their papers as of January 11. At this time, incumbent Anne Landry has not pulled nomination papers for reelection. Also, as of January 11, only Tawadros has returned those nomination papers to the Town Clerk’s office for certification. [Read More]
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The path to universal full-day kindergarten (FDK) in Reading was the central focus of the School Committee meeting on January 20. Superintendent of Schools Thomas Milaschewski opened the conversation by stating, “Early childhood [education] is at the foundation of a high-quality district.”
Milaschewski shared concerns about the pandemic’s effects on early childhood education, citing the continual interruptions in the experiences of the youngest learners as they come into kindergarten. “[These children] are coming with fewer skills than in the past,” Milaschewski shared. He then provided four reasons for the committee to pursue FDK.
Milaschewski shared that FDK is foundational for district improvement: FDK improves educational outcomes for students, FDK enhances Reading’s reputation as a top-tier district, and finally, FDK will create a positive impact on the entire community. School Committee member Shawn Brandt added his concern that some families are unable to start their school experience in their neighborhood school under the current system. “We effectively penalize half-day families by only offering that program at two schools,” Brandt declared. Fewer than fifteen percent of kindergarten families in Reading have opted for the half-day program in the 2021-2022 school year. [Read More]
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Mark your calendars!! Join the Reading Trails Committee and Walkable Reading for the Tenth Annual Winter Walk on February 6, 2022. This year’s walk will begin at 1:00 PM at the entrance to the Town Forest across the field from the Wood End School. Come out, get some exercise, and enjoy the fresh air. There will be refreshments and a chance to warm up near the campfire. Learn more about the Reading Trails Committee, their past projects, and how you could support and be involved in future projects.
The walk is suitable for all ages. Be sure to wear appropriate clothing and footwear for walking in the winter woods. If there is enough snow on the ground, then strap on your snowshoes. We might even find tracks of some of the critters that frequent the area. [Read More]
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Highlights from the Reading Police & Fire Logs
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