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Health & Fitness

Monday – Vote YES for the Greenway Warrant Articles

We have another important Town Meeting coming up October 21st. Please make sure you come out and vote for the Greenway. I hope to see Town Hall filled to the brim like the photo above from 1952.  Town participation has been critical in helping the Greenway over the last few months and we need your support again. The Greenway will only stay on track with your support!

 

There are three critical Warrant Articles for the Greenway on the agenda this year.    It’s so hard to understand the details of the Warrant when read quickly at the meeting so I am posting here to give you a preview and without the legalese. You may ask questions in the comments or email stonehamgreenway@gmail.com 

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Article 7:  Acquire the last few feet of land

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This is the most important one!  There is a small section of the old Boston & Maine Railroad Right of Way (RR ROW) that is still leased from the MBTA. The line was active for Freight when the Town purchased the other sections. This Warrant Article would transfer the final 911 feet of land from the MBTA to Stoneham.  We already own it – sort of.  We have an 85 year lease with the MBTA but MassDOT wants us to have a 99 year lease or own the land before the project starts.  (Don’t ask – it’s bureaucracy)

 

Also, don’t be scared by the term “purchase”.  Legally we have to put it in the Warrant because it will be a “purchase” but the MBTA has very favorable terms.  It should be around $1.  Why would they sell it to us for $1? This arrangement has a few special terms.  We cannot build permanent structures on the land, we have to use it for open space or public transportation and it allows the MBTA to get the land back if they want to put a train in someday. It is win-win for everyone.

 

Article 8 and 9: Special Fund for the Greenway

Guess what – you already voted yes to this one a few years ago but it was never enacted. What? That is true. Town Meeting voted to create a separate fund for the lease money generated by renting the part of the RR ROW that we already own. The intent of Warrant Articles 7 and 8 is to create a separate account to hold the money and dedicate all lease revenue from 2009 to now into the account for maintenance and improvement of the Greenway. 

 

So what happened to the vote in 2009?  The issue came because a vote for a special fund requires validation by the state legislature.  It appears to have been lost between the town and the statehouse. It was never considered for approval.  Let’s correct that mistake. The Greenway committee has already reviewed this with the state Municipalities Committee and this one should go through smoothly.

 

It is also important to note that along with the state Municipalities Committee all of these warrant articles have been extensively reviewed by the town and the finance committee has unanimously approved them.

 

You can find the warrant text here: http://www.stoneham-ma.gov/home/news/special-town-meeting-october-21-2013-at-7pm  Please come out and vote YES for Articles 7, 8 and 9.  You will be moving the Greenway one step forward!  After 30 years, it will be a reality.

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