Select Board Begins Municipal Budget Review | CPDC Reviews Birch Meadow Phase One | 1st Annual Town of Reading Menorah Lighting | Holiday Gift Idea

Select Board Begins Municipal Budget Review

By Kevin Vendt

The Select Board opened the Fiscal Year 2024 budget season on Wednesday night by listening to budget request presentations from multiple departments, including public safety, public services, and public works. Each department head shared a review of their department’s activities and then presented a budget request to the board.

The first presenter was Assistant Town Manager Jean Delios with the public services department. Delios presented a level-funded budget through the use of grants, revolving and trust funds, and regionalization of some services. This department has 20.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) salaries and covers services such as development, planning, elder and human services, and veterans services. It is a department undergoing change as Delios will be retiring in February of 2023, and current Director of Administrative Services Matt Kraunelis is set to become the new Assistant Town Manager, overseeing both the Public Services and Administrative Services departments. Delios is requesting a total FY 2024 budget of $1,757,650, which is a $16,550 decrease over FY 2023. [Read More]

Select Board Continues to Review Budget

Library Director Amy Lannon presented her $2,095,025 Fiscal Year 2024 budget request, an increase of 3.75%, to the Select Board on Tuesday by sharing the Reading Public Library’s measurable return to the community. According to Lannon’s calculations, the library returned a value of $8,465,151 to the community in FY 2022.

Lannon also shared that the Library is in year four of a five-year strategic plan which has improved access to collections, engaged the community in learning, and fulfilled the library’s potential as a community asset. “Libraries are becoming spaces of transformative learning,” Lannon shared. She also highlighted the importance of human connections and experiences at the library that cannot be reflected in numbers. [Read More]

CPDC Reviews Birch Meadow Phase One

By Kevin Vendt

The Community Planning and Development Commission (CPDC) reviewed plans for the upcoming Birch Meadow Master Plan Phase One project on Monday night. The proposal, explained by landscape architect Stephen Crisafulli, will create an upgraded parking facility in the location that once hosted the “imagination station” and includes accessible parking, three electric vehicle charging stations, curbed walkways, and path lighting. Crisafulli explained that a second curb cut off of Birch Meadow Drive is also planned to allow for buses from visiting teams to access and use the lot.

CPDC member John Weston indicated concern regarding the second curb cut and its proximity to the crosswalk that gives pedestrian access to Coolidge Middle School. He shared that turning out of the new parking lot at that cut could be hazardous to those utilizing the crosswalk at pick up and drop off times for the school. He requested input on the issue from the police department as well as the Coolidge principal. Weston suggested that the school develop a plan to use the lot during those high traffic times. He did affirm that the plan is “a huge improvement over the [current] gravel parking lot.” CPDC chair Heather Clish also asked questions regarding stormwater mitigation, given the parking lot’s proximity to the Aberjona River. Crisafulli explained that most stormwater runoff would be collected in the middle landscape island, which is designed as a swale. [Read More]

1st Annual Town of Reading Menorah Lighting

Reading, MA – The 1st Annual Town of Reading Public Menorah Lighting will be held on Monday, December 19, 2022, at 5:30pm at Reading Town Common. The entire community is invited to join the Reading Jewish community and Chabad of the North Shore to experience the light and joy of Chanukah, the power of light, goodness, and kindness to counter the darkness.

Music • Crafts for Kids • Chanukah Treats • Glow Dreidels and much more!

Please dress warmly and bring a donation of shelf-stable food for the Reading Food Pantry.

with many thanks to our partners: Reading-North Reading Chamber of Commerce; Reading Rotary Club, the Coalition of US (CATO), Whitelam books, The Reading Clergy Association, and the Chabad of the North Shore. [Read More]

Holiday Gift Idea – History of Reading Book

Still looking for that last-minute holiday gift? – a gift that includes the opportunity to support Reading’s only local history museum – Parker Tavern. Images of America: Reading, written by Everett and Ginny Blodgett and published by Arcadia Publishing, is available by contacting the authors at evblodgett@comcast.net.

Learn a little more about Reading’s past, its many varied industries, farms, and activities. See what has changed and what you recognize that hasn’t changed. The price is $21.99, and profits from the book’s sale go to the Reading Antiquarian Society owners of Parker Tavern.

In coordination with the Reading Historical Commission, there is also a “bundle” available for $45.00, including Images of America: Reading, and At Wood End (published for Reading’s 350th celebration in 1994). All proceeds from the sale of At Wood End will go to the Reading Celebration Trust’s Preservation section.

RPL’s Armchair Explorer Book Club Opens for Registration

Travel the world from the comfort of your armchair in 2023—season two of RPL’s subscription book club is headed abroad!

Does winter bring on wanderlust? Got the urge to explore? Starting in January, the 2023 Armchair Explorer’s Book Club can feed your need to rove, roam, and ramble by bringing you compelling new stories of Americans abroad. On the 15 of each month, a new book carefully selected by our expert librarians will be revealed and available to you—no passport or packing needed. Plus, you will receive an invitation to an online discussion board where you are welcome to start a conversation with fellow travelers by contributing as much or as little as you like. [Read More]

Reading Fire Department Awarded $19,000 State Grant to Purchase Firefighter Safety Equipment

House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading), State Representative Richard M. Haggerty (D-Woburn), State Senator Jason Lewis (D-Winchester) and Reading Fire Chief Gregory Burns joined with the Baker-Polito Administration to announce that the Reading Fire Department has been awarded a $19,000 Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant.

Reading is among 308 fire departments across Massachusetts sharing a combined $5 million in grant funding intended for the purchase of safety gear and equipment, according to Secretary of Public Safety and Security Terrence Reidy and State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey. Reading will use its grant award to purchase a ballistic vest; ballistic helmet; medical equipment (non-consumable); litter; carbon monoxide detector; bunker coat; bunker pants and suspenders; gloves; helmet; tumble dryer unit; individual self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) facepiece; and a rescue saw/chain saw.

“Reading’s firefighters play an essential role in protecting the public but are often subject to hazardous working conditions when performing their duties,” said Representative Jones. “This grant award will provide our local first responders with the necessary tools and protective equipment to help make their jobs safer.” [Read More]

Reading Awarded $250,000 State Grant for Walkers Brook Drive Corridor Intersection Improvements

Funding comes from Housing Choice Community Capital Grant Program

House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading), State Representative Richard M. Haggerty (D-Woburn) and State Senator Jason Lewis (D-Winchester) congratulated the Town of Reading on its receipt of a $250,000 state grant to help fund intersection improvements along the Walkers Brook Drive corridor.

A total of $3,913,384 was awarded to 36 projects under the Housing Choice Community Capital Grant Program administered by the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development (EOHED), with Reading being one of only six communities to receive the maximum grant amount of $250,000. The award recipients were formally recognized at an event held at the Thayer Homestead in Medway on December 14.

According to EOHED, Reading will use this funding to conduct pre-development work for improvements to the Walkers Brook Drive corridor and the intersection at General Way and Walkers Brook Drive. This corridor serves as a primary connection to Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield, and is being eyed for traffic pattern improvements and expanded multi-modal access. [Read More]

2023 RMLD Historical Calendars are Available

By popular demand, the 2023 RMLD Historical Calendars are here! You can pick up your free calendar at RMLD or at any of these locations. We hope you enjoy your calendar!