Kim Kastens

Kim Kastens is a volunteer editor and writer for the Acton Exchange, and serves on the Acton News Initiative Board of Directors.

2025 Acton Water District Annual Meeting

March 22, 2025

by Kim Kastens

Approximately a dozen voters passed judgement on a dozen warrant articles, overseen by about a dozen staff and officials, at the Annual District Meeting of the Acton Water District (AWD) on March 19 at Acton Memorial Library. Voters approved a total budget of $8,030,202 for fiscal year 2026,…

A map of the New England coast. A yellow star shows off the coast of Maine and many little dots show where people reported feeling the quake. The dots extend from north of Portland to south of Providence, RI and west of Springfield, MA.

Earthquake felt in Acton

February 1, 2025

by Kim Kastens

On Monday, Jan. 27, at 10:22am EST, an earthquake shook the seafloor offshore York, Maine, sending out shock waves that were felt throughout New England, including in Acton. For the next two days, I asked every Actonian I met if they had felt the earthquake and I asked…

Treasure hunt book includes clues in Acton

January 17, 2025

by Kim Kastens

In the 1980’s, readers became obsessed with a picture book, Masquerade, in which the text and illustrations concealed clues to the location of a golden treasure that the author had hidden somewhere in Great Britain. Masquerade spawned a whole genre of book-based treasure hunts, with clues based in…

Open House about WR Grace Superfund Site draws large, curious crowd

November 27, 2024

by Kim Kastens

More than 50 townspeople came to Town Hall on November 12 to learn more about the history, status, and future of the W.R. Grace Superfund Site along the southeastern edge of Acton. The timing of the Open House followed upon the recent release of the Sixth Five-yearly report,…

Acton is in “critical drought” and “red flag” fire warning status

November 9, 2024

by Kim Kastens

The northeastern region of Massachusetts is now in a “Level 3: Critical Drought,” according to the Massachusetts Drought Management Task Force. In announcing this designation on November 7, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper called attention to the low streamflow, below average precipitation, and high fire danger…

Invasive aquatic species invade Acton Town Hall

November 2, 2024

by Kim Kastens

On October 22, Town Hall was transformed into a plant identification biology lab, as thirty-five lovers of local ponds and rivers gathered to learn to identify invasive aquatic species. The Workshop on Invasive Aquatic Species attracted environmentalists and municipal staff from seventeen towns throughout the SuAsCo (Sudbury/Assabet/Concord) watershed.…

Low water flow in Nashoba Brook triggers outdoor water use restrictions

September 21, 2024

by Kim Kastens

Effective September 11, the Acton Water District (AWD) has announced more stringent restrictions on water use. The new restrictions were triggered when streamflow in Nashoba Brook dropped below 0.57 cubic feet per second (cfs), an indicator of dry conditions in our region. Each AWD customer is now limited…

Children’s book illustration exhibit opens at Acton Memorial Library

September 14, 2024

by Kim Kastens

A new exhibit, featuring the work of four local picture book illustrators has opened in the Meeting Room of the Acton Memorial Library. The work, by Priscilla Alpaugh, Chris Beatrice, Sarah Brannen and Ioana Hobai, will be on view throughout September and October. According to the exhibition description…

Yoga with kittens raises money for the Lowell Humane Society

August 2, 2024

by Kim Kastens

The soaring loft studio of Revolution Community Yoga and Fitness in West Acton was the site of yoga with kittens on Sunday, July 28. Three curious kittens scampered among the yoga mats, enchanting yogis and yoginis, whose class fees will support the work of the Lowell Humane Society…

Revision to Massport charter includes climate objectives in Hanscom planning

July 26, 2024

by Kim Kastens

In a press release dated July 17, 2024, one of Acton’s state representatives, Simon Cataldo, wrote: “The Massachusetts House of Representatives voted favorably on omnibus energy and climate legislation that incorporates Representative Simon Cataldo’s…amendment to enact a landmark change to Massport’s charter. The amendment, filed with [representatives of…

A cavernouse metal shed (the Acton Water District headquarters) where the audience is seated on the left, and various town officials (Finance Committee, Water District Commission) are seated at the tables on the right.

Voters authorize $2.5 million in additional borrowing at Acton Water District Special Meeting

June 21, 2024

by Kim Kastens

The equipment garage at the Acton Water District (AWD) Headquarters was the setting for the June 13 Special District Meeting, at which voters authorized $2.5 million, above and beyond the $7.82 million authorized at a previous District meeting, to install bedrock wells and a PFAS treatment system at…

A brick building with a large metal silo attached.

UPDATED: Acton Water District calls Special District Meeting to request an additional $2.5M for PFAS treatment

June 1, 2024

by Kim Kastens

At their meeting on the evening of May 28, the Acton Water District (AWD) Board of Commissioners set a Special District Meeting to ask voters to authorize additional borrowing, beyond what was previously appropriated, to design and install PFAS treatment infrastructure and bedrock wells at the Central Acton…

A multi-colored sky shows behind houses and trees.

Eyes on the (solar) storm

May 16, 2024

Franny OsmanandKim Kastens

In the May 11 issue of the Acton Exchange, we asked for your photos and stories about from last weekend’s rare local view of the aurora borealis. Lauren Rosenzweig caught the lights on camera on Marshall Path in north Acton, though her experience was the same as many.…

Map of South Acton Village showing new zoning overlays.

Acton Town Meeting: Zoning articles pass by a wide margin

May 7, 2024

Kim KastensandPeter J. Berry

The Acton Exchange covers three of the four Town Meeting zoning articles this week. The Planning Division’s presentation of the zoning articles to the Planning Board on March 19 as well as an open house on the Powder Mill Corridor project (related to Article 11) were previously reported…

Two people standing next to each other. One is holding an instrument and showing the other person how to use it. A third person is looking over the shoulder of the first person.

Water Quality Volunteers Train at the Acton Canoe Launch

April 30, 2024

by Kim Kastens

On Friday evening April 26, twelve volunteers gathered at the canoe launch on the Assabet River in the southernmost corner of Acton. We were there to learn, or re-learn, how to sample and measure the quality of the water in the river, continuing the program of pollution monitoring…

Concord Town Meeting Warrant Requests Funding for Nagog Pond Treatment Plant

April 27, 2024

by Kim Kastens

Concord Town Meeting Warrant Article 17 requests $50 million debt authorization for “Nagog Pond Improvements and PFAS Mitigation.” This article has three potential impacts for Acton: the possibility that a new water main would be installed under Great Road across the full width of Acton, the possibility that…