Table Of Content

T O TOWN OF ACTON W N 2019 ANNUAL TOWN REPORT O F A C T O N 2 0 1 9 A N N U A L T O W N R E P O Celebrating 20 Years of NARA Park R T Town of Acton Incorporated as a Town: July 3, 1735 Type of Government: Open Town Meeting - Board of Selectmen/Town Manager Location: Eastern Massachusetts, Middlesex County, bordered on the east by Carlisle and Concord, on the west by Boxborough, on the north by Westford and Littleton, on the south by Sudbury, and on the southwest by Stow and Maynard. Elevation at Town Hall: 268’ above mean sea level Land Area: Approximately 20 square miles Population: Year Persons 1950 3,510 1960 7.238 1970 14,770 1980 19,000 1990 18,144 2000 20,331 2010 21,936 2011 22,012 2012 21,650 2013 21,584 2014 21,597 2015 21,386 2016 22,204 2017 21,511 2018 21,463 2019 21,674 Front Cover: NARA Park Beach and Picnic Pavilion. Photo courtesy: Maura Haberman, Recreation Division 2019 Annual Reports Town of Acton, Massachusetts Two Hundred and Eighty Fourth Municipal Year For the year ending December 31, 2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Administrative Services Economic D evelopment Committee 80 Board of Selectmen 7 K elley’s Corner Committee 81 Town Manager 8 Land Stewardship Committee 83 N atural R esources D ivision 84 2. Financial Management Services Open Space Committee 85 Board of Assessors 11 P lanning D ivision 85 H ouse Sales 12 R ecreation D epartment 86 Eliza beth White F und 18 Acton D og P ark Committee 97 F inance Committee 18 Town Accountant 19 8. Public Works D P W/H ighway 90 3. Human Services G reen Advisory Board 91 H ousing Authority 30 P ublic F acilities 93 Acton N ursing Services 31 Commission on D isabilities 33 9. Community Safety Community H ousing Corporation 34 Animal Control Officer 94 Community Services 36 Emergency Management Agency 94 Council on Aging 36 Explorer P ost/Crew 7 Search and R escue 94 Council on Aging Board 38 F ire D epartment 95 H ealth I nsurance Trust 39 Auxiliary F ire D epartment 101 V eterans’ Services 39 P olice D epartment 101 V olunteer Coordinating Committee 40 10. Legislative 4. Education and Libraries Annual Town Meeting, April 1, 2019 108 Acton Boxborough R egional Special Town Meeting, D ecember 3, 2019 136 Schools R eport 41 Special Town Meeting, D ecember 10, 2019.136 Minuteman R egional V ocational Technical School 60 11. Town Elections and Statistics Acton Memorial Library 62 Annual Town Election, March 26, 2019 140 West Acton Citize ns’ Library 66 Special Town Election, D ecember 17, 2019..142 5. Cultural and Historical Activities 12. Other Information Acton-Boxborough Cultural Council 67 R egistered V oter Statistics 144 H istoric D istrict Commission 69 D og Statistics 144 H istorical Commission 70 V ital Statistics 144 6. Community Development 13. Acton Information Cable Advisory Committee 71 National, State, and County Officials 148 P ublic Ceremonies and Celebrations........... 72 Elected Town Officials 149 Transportation Advisory Committee 73 Board by Selectmen Appointments 150 Official Appointments by Moderator 155 7. Land Use and Economic Development Appointments by Town Manager 155 Land U se D epartment 74 Street/P recinct List 158 Board of H ealth 74 Map of Acton 161 Building D ivision 76 E-mail D istribution G roups 163 Cemetery Commission 77 V olunteer Application 165 Community P reservation Committee 78 Town of Acton Official Website 167 D esign R eview Board 79 At Y our Service 168 CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF NARA PARK The N athaniel Allen R ecreation Area ( N AR A) is twenty years old this year. F or some our spectacular park has always been there, but long-time residents, who voted the funds for its transformation, well remember the vacant quarry pit, a route to the Town’s honey-pots, a site once considered suitable for a landfill. The complete transformation of the abandoned area where N AR A now stands is a tribute to those who saw an opportunity, who worke d for shared consensus to invest in Acton’s future, and who enlisted the volunteer force to make it a reality. N AR A represents the epitome of a cooperative effort between essential volunteers, Town staff and a future vision shared by the entire Amphitheater Hill community. P rior to N AR A Acton had no suitable place for outdoor swimming. I n the early 1970s children were bussed to Walden P ond for swim lessons, but the cold water caused many to drop out. The “ pond” behind the Auto Auction was found to be fed by leachate from the Town dump. While the high school pool provided an indoor facility for children to learn to swim, residents still wanted a source of clean, fresh water not beholden to school hours and schedules. People knew the North Acton site was filled with gravel that could be applied for other purposes. Bruce Stamski gathered information from consultants and developed a plan for removal of the gravel and maki ng of a park. Although there was frustration at the length of time it took to commence the project, it culminated in a boon. G ravel mined from the N AR A land was sold to Boston’s Big D ig --- a wonderful outlet for over 180,000 cubic yards and major offset to excavation costs. Bathhouse Site Under Construction However, there was still another problem: Fill was needed to finish the site. Several years prior, the Town had dredged the Ice House Pond, and under direction of DPW director, Dickie Howe, the fill was put in storage. This provided the necessary dirt at a huge savings. F inally, after nearly 20 years of planning, hoping, and diligent work, the Town voted $ 1.6m for excavating the pond, building the bathhouse and paving the parki ng lots. N AR A P ark was brought to fruition under the guidance of N atural R esources director, Tom Tidman. N AR A is unique in other ways: I t is self-sustaining under a 53D revolving fund with fees from N AR A Beach, N AR A Summer Camp and the concert and special events series maki ng the whole a user-based enterprise. The R ecreation D epartment obtains donations and sponsorships to cover expenses for N AR A’s concerts and special events. Swimming Pond and Beach Under Construction 3 Summer Concert Event at the Amphitheater I n the intervening years, N AR A has grown through the F or Acton residents as well as people from all over the R ecreation D epartment’s innovative programs and with MetroWest region, N AR A is the destination for outdoor assistance from CP A grants. The P icnic P avilion has recreation and family fun. The addition of the Bruce become a popular site for private parties and weddings. F reeman R ail Trail has opened N AR A to the cycling Concerts are held for every musical taste along with community. N AR A is more than a listing of its parts special events such as Winter Carnival. Walke rs and a compilation of the activities. N AR A is a beautiful frequent the one-mile perimeter trail. The extensive place. P erennial gardens surrounding the bathhouse fields are heavily employed for a variety of sports. The are stunning spring through fall; flowering trees and Town’s annual July 4th Celebration is held at N AR A wildflowers grace the grounds. Wetland areas provide hosting thousands of regional visitors. I t is home to homes for amphibians and turtles. R egardless of the N AR A Summer Camp for ages 4-15 and a place where season, there is always something to appreciate and families view the night sky , as well as being a haven enjoy. Acton is lucky to have N AR A P ark! for birders. F estivals celebrate Acton’s ethnic diversity and the accessible Joseph Lalli Miracle F ield. N AR A R espectfully submitted, serves a wide population of children and families with Ann Chang special needs. 4 ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES BOARD OF SELECTMEN • D evelop measurable goals in relation to the sustainability policy This year there were significant changes to the Board • Adopt a policy of Board communication with of Selectmen. Both K atie G reen and Janet Adachi did residents not seek re-election. Both have served the Town for • I dentify suitable sites for solar including evaluating many years in various positions and we are grateful the proposal for the commuter lot for their many contributions. D ean Charter and D avid • Work with the Town Manager to implement Martin were elected to the Board March. There were participation improvements for the 2020 Annual staff changes as some left, and new personnel joined Town Meeting us. Town Manager John S. Mangiaratti and Executive • Change the name of the Board of Selectmen to Assistant Lisa Tomyl supported the Board in many the Select Board ways.Town Meetings, the annual and two more Special Town Meetings in D ecember took up much of our Long term goals included: attention. • Evaluate and support organiza tion improvements for effectiveness and efficiency • I mprove intersections at Acton Center, H ayward and Main, and Central Street • I nitiate tree planting of 30 trees per year for F iscal Y ear 2021 • R eview the status of the W.R . G race property and plan for future re-use DECEMBER TOWN MEETINGS D ecember was the highlight of the year with a citize n petition Town Meeting held on D ecember 3rd, a Special Town Meeting held on D ecember 10th and an election on D ecember 17th. At the D ecember 10th Special Town Pictured L to R: Peter J. Berry, Dean A. Charter, Joan Gardner, Jon Benson, and David Martin Meeting there were three articles; Acton-Boxborough R egional School D istrict – School D esign & Construction BOARD MEMBERSHIP CHANGES ( Twin Schools) , N orth Acton F ire Station D esign & Construction, and Sewer D istrict Expansion – West I n April, the Board of Selectmen reorganize d and Acton. Both the Twin School D esign & Construction welcomed D ean Charter and D avid Martin as new and N orth Acton F ire Station D esign & Construction members. Joan G ardner was elected Chair, John were approved, and the Sewer Article was defeated. Benson as V ice-Chair, and D ean Charter as Clerk. At the election, Q uestion 1 regarding the paying costs associated with the design and construction of the new ANNUAL GOAL SETTING twin elementary schools, Q uestion 2 regarding costs for the design and construction of the proposed N orth The newly constituted Board met in May for the annual Acton F ire Station, and Q uestion 3 regarding costs of goal setting. Both short and long term goals were set. designing and construction associated with the new Short term goals included: Minuteman R egional School D istrict H igh School all • Secure funding and authoriza tion for K elley’s passed. Much effort and the support of many citize ns Corner right of way acquisitions at the 2020 Annual went into these three articles and we congratulate all Town Meeting those who worke d so hard to obtain the successful • Secure funding for the N orth Acton F ire Station outcomes for both the schools and the fire station. • Evaluate sewer feasibility study and determine next steps COLONEL FRANCIS FAULKNER AWARD • R eview of town boards and committees FOR VOLUNTEER SERVICE • Evaluate and adopt recommendations from the commuter parki ng feasibility study I n May, the Board held it’s second annual V olunteer R ecognition Event at N AR A P ark to thank the many 5 volunteers who serve the Town on doze ns of Boards and Committees. At the event, the Selectmen also presented the Colonel F rancil F aulkn er Awards for Exemplary V olunteer Service. Each Selectmen chose a volunteer from one of the Town Boards and Committees to recognize their service to the Town. The 2019 awardees included: • Stephen N oone, F inance Committee and H ealth I nsurance Trust • F lorence R oss, Acton N ursing Services Advisory Committee, F riends of Acton N ursing • R on Beck, Water R esources Advisory Committee • N ancy Tavernier, Acton Community H ousing Association, Board of Selectmen • Ann Chang, Memorial Library Trustee, Economic D evelopment Committee, West Acton Sewer Action Advisory Committee, Acton Leadership G roup transportation efforts. Thank you to Senator Eldridge, The Board of Selectmen relies on the Town Manager R epresentative Benson, and R epresentative G ouveia for his leadership and support as well as Lisa Tomyl for for supporting local priorities. her continued support daily. With all the energy and determination of so many people of the Town, Acton is On April 1, Acton Town Meeting overwhelmingly a wonderful community to both live and work in. supported appropriating town funds for the K elley’s Corner I nfrastructure project, with an 89 percent R espectfully submitted, affirmative vote solidifying Acton’s commitment to seeing Joan G ardner, Chair the project through to completion. Massachusetts D epartment of Transportation ( MassD OT) has TOWN MANAGER’S REPORT committed to funding the remaining design costs for the project. The town funded the cost of the design through the 25% phase. MassD OT committed to expending 2019 was a very active year for the Town Manager’s additional funding to pay for the infrastructure design Office. Several projects and grants have highlighted costs and responsibilities as of July 1. The town will the 2019 calendar year. As always, I continue to be still be responsible for acquisition costs along portions impressed with the professionalism of our staff. One of Main Street and Community Lane, but will no longer of my priorities when I started as Town Manager was bear the remaining design costs. to work with our team to improve the communication from Town H all to help more residents learn about the This year we established a Town Manager monthly exciting and important work that is happening in our community engagement and informational sessions local government. We have made progress using our at the Acton Senior Center called “ Java with John” to website, publishing a monthly newsletter, providing interact on a regular basis with the senior community. information through social media, and participating Below is a photograph from a Java with John that in various other forms of community outreach such also included questions and answers with the Acton- as public forums or events. We also started to use Boxborough R egional School D istrict Superintendent videos in collaboration with ActonTV to help provide P eter Light. information to the public as shown at right. At the April 2019 Annual Town Meeting, Community We appreciate the successful efforts of our legislative P reservation Act funding was approved for phase one delegation for several F Y 2020 State Budget of the rehabilitation of this structure which will include amendments that benefit the Town of Acton’s projects selective demolition of non-historic parts of the building. and services. Amendments such an increase in the As part of this project, the Town has hired a professional match for Community P reservation Act funding to abatement contractor to remove the haza rdous building nearly 30% , project support in the amount of $ 150,000 materials that are inside this structure. for facility improvements at Miracle F ield, and $ 100,000 for the Asa P arlin H ouse project. F inally, $ 100,000 for In May, we hosted our first internship program in the Maynard-Acton-Stow R ail Shuttle to will help our collaboration with Acton-Boxborough R egional H igh 6 H ousing and Economic D evelopment to Acton. D eputy Secretary McG ourthy, along with our legislative delegation and additional stake holders, toured the Town of Acton and proposed site development at P owder Mill R oad in our Cross-Acton Transit van, highlighting several projects and the economic development potential in Acton. A photograph from the visit is shown below. I n August, the Board of Selectmen voted to update the parki ng rules and regulations to establish a fee schedule that is consistent with other communities. The Board also set the parki ng fees for the new parki ng lot School. Several D epartments hosted students property that the Town acquired on July 1st located at including the P olice D epartment, P lanning D epartment, 19-21 Maple Street. Engineering D epartment, Building D epartment, and the Town Manager’s Office. In August, the Town of Acton has earned state approval to establish a V eterans’ Services D istrict in partnership with the Town of Boxborough. The new Acton-Boxborough V eterans’ Services D istrict will be overseen by D istrict D irector James MacR ae, who had previously served as Acton’s Veterans’ Services Officer. I n July, Acton Town H all implemented a pilot program to modify the hours of operation to better serve residents. Town H all opened for extended hours on Tuesdays while closing earlier on F ridays starting on July 1. I n September, the Acton Economic D evelopment The new schedule was designed to make Town H all Committee and Middlesex West Chamber of Commerce more accessible to residents who might otherwise are sponsoring Acton’s first-ever “Restaurant Week”. have difficulty visiting department offices during the P opular restaurants such as R apscallion, True West, traditional workd ay. After positive feedback from El H iupil, and many others had participated. residents, volunteers, staff and businesses the pilot program was implemented permanently and the Town On D ecember 10th, more than 900 voters attended Hall hours were officially changed. Acton’s Special Town Meeting at Acton-Boxborough R egional H igh School. V oters approved both the Also in July, we created a D irector of I ntergovermental proposed D ouglas-G ates Twin School and N orth Acton Affairs position and hired Austin Cyganiewicz with a F ire Station projects and did not approve a proposal for focus on transportation services, and the Cross Town P hase 1 of the West Acton Sewer project. The school and Connect celebrated its 5th year anniversary. fire station projects also received approval at the ballot on D ecember 17th. Below is a photograph from Town I n August we welcomed Timothy McG ourthy D eputy Meeting and a rendering of the proposed fire station and Secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of a map that were shown to Town Meeting voters. I n October, the N orth Acton Cemetery was added to the N ational R egister of H istoric P laces. Acton continues to serve as a leading voice in seeki ng changes in the natural gas industry in particular related to how leaks are managed by public utilities in Massachusetts. The Town is a member of I nternational Council for Local Environmental I nitiatives ( I CLEI ) and also works closely with local environmental advocacy groups. Below is an art installation created local 7 • Continued to expand and train staff in Mental H ealth F irst Aid • Expanded town presence on social media to reach a broader audience • Awarded nearly 1.2 million in grants for various projects and initiatives • Celebrated the 20th anniversary of N AR A P ark • Attended the G rand Opening and ribbon cutting advocacy group Mothers Out F ront Acton which was ceremony at I nsulet Corporation with G overnor installed in front of the Acton Memorial Library for a few Bake r in attendance weeks in May. • Established and U ber and Lyft pilot program in conjuction with neighboring communities On D ecember 11, 2019 more than 100 town employees • Entered into a municipal energy aggregation attended a worksh op entitled D iversity, Equity and agreement with Constellation offering more energy I nclusion presented by Marta T. R osa, P resident of choice options commonly kn own as “ Acton P ower MTR Consulting Services. Marta discussed concepts Choice” related to diversity and unconscious bias in the workp lace and beyond. Below is a picture of staff attending this unique and special training. The Town of Acton was elected to serve as member of the Boston R egion MP O representing the Minuteman Advisory G roup on I nterlocal Coordination ( MAG I C) subregion D uring this year we also successfully: • Maintained the Town’s AAA Bond ratings • H osted a statewide worksh op for the Women Leading G overnment Series sponsored by the Massachusetts Municipal Management Association • Established a V eterans’ Service D istrict with Boxborough • F inalize d our acquisition of 19-21 Maple Street for municipally-owned commuter train station parki ng • Achieved state certification from the Massachusetts State P olice • Established a F amily Services position for Acton P olice D epartment 8