By Lizzie Seibert
The Bedford High School Auditorium sat a full house on March 27, the first night of Bedford’s annual town meeting. With 31 articles listed for residents to vote on, 20 were heard at last night’s meeting and voting will continue into tonight.
Bedford residents voted to authorize Bedford’s Council on Aging (COA) to conduct a community needs assessment for $35,000. This will help the COA plan and implement programs that benefit Bedford’s aging population. This article was heavily discussed by residents in attendance. Those in favor of the article said that the COA is already doing a great job, and the $35,000 is an unnecessary expense. Residents in opposition also voiced that an entity rather than UMass Boston should implement the project. Residents in favor of the COA’s project attested that the project is more than just a community needs survey and is essential to the COA’s strategic plan.
Later in the evening, Bedford residents voted to ban plastic bags, with a thickness of 2.5mils or less, by all business establishments. While this law does not have tax implications for Bedford residents, many residents questioned its economic implications.
On the other side of the plastic bag debate, residents commended the Finance Committee for stating that they did not wish for the Bedford government to regulate town businesses. Residents were also concerned that banning plastic bags would cause businesses to dispense paper instead, which has its ownenvironmental impacts. Similarly, residents wondered if restricting the ban to plastics under 2.5mils would be enough, or if Bedford should instead encourage restricting all plastic bags. The plastic bag bylaw passed by a majority vote.
Bedford residents also voted to approve the zoning bylaw that regulates marijuana dispensaries. See: https://thebedfordcitizen.org/2017/02/medical-marijuana-facilities-limited-proposed-zoning/
The meeting closed with consideration of Bedford’s proposed Fiscal Year 2018 Capital Projects Plan. A capital project is defined as costing more than $5,000 and having a useful lifetime of two years or more. Projects may also be bundled together under one project if they exceed $30,000. For Fiscal Year 2018, 40 projects were brought to town meeting for residents to vote upon. Most of these projects are funded by Bedford’s tax levy, except for six projects which are to be funded by bond authorizations and borrowed money.
Last night, Bedford residents voted to approve the following capital projects that will be funded out of the tax levy: Fire Department Air Compressor for Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus ($51,000), Fire Department Rescue System II –Jaws of Life and Airbag Replacement ($55,273), Underground Fuel Tank Rehabilitation and Reinforcement ($75,380), Vehicles and Equipment Replacement ($274,000), Schools Flooring – Carpeting and Base Molding Replacement ($50,000), Fire Department Hose Replacement for Engines ($17,955), Police Department Mobile Radio Replacement ($15,400), Davis School Additions Feasibility Study / Schematic Design ($98,000), Fire Department Air Compressor and Piping ($12,240), Schools Interior Painting ($50,000), Fire Station Electrical Panel Upgrade and Replacement ($8,670), Public Safety Dispatch Logging Recorder Replacement ($13,532) Middle School Interior Auditorium Lighting Replacement ($60,000), Fire Station Washer/Extractor Replacement ($15,300), Police Department Thermal Imager ($16,444) Town IT Equipment & Systems Annual Replacement and Renewal ($111,304), Schools IT Systems Annual Replacement and Renewal ($445,200), GIS Aerial Photography Planimetrics($183,600), Library HVAC Study and Design ($61,200), Police Department Locker Rooms Security Card Reader Installation ($10,000), Davis & Lane Schools Gym Floor Re-Finishing ($40,500), Library Unused Oil Tank and Boiler Removal ($15,300), School Photocopier Replacements ($48,454), Springs Brook Park Asphalt Shingled Roofing Renewal ($27,632), High School Track and Field Pole Vault Mat Replacement ($22,525), DPW Seasonal Storage Site Hardscape Improvements ($170,471), Concord River Boat Landing Dock Replacement ($7,500), Davis and Lane School Gyms Acoustic & PA System Installation ($120,000), Fire Station Exterior Doors Replacement ($25,000), Town Photocopier Replacement ($5,000), Library Entrance Heaters Replacement ($20,910), Athletic Field Fencing ($76,500), Fire Station Copper Gutters and Downspouts Repair ($16,927) and Facilities Sidewalks Snow Removal Tractor ($50,000).
The remaining six items on the Capital Projects list need to be bonded and will be voted on at tonight’s meeting, Tuesday, March 28.
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