Residents concerns: The May 20, 2024 meeting of the Acton Select Board began as usual with resident concerns. A resident described his attempt, via internet search, at finding bus service in Acton; he found references to Acton Rides, Cross-town Connect, and others; and he likened his search to talking to a health-insurance company. Another resident suggested contacting the Transportation Advisory Committee. This reporter’s perusal of transportation resources on the town’s website confirms the lack of an integrated overview of Acton’s transportation options.
Commenting on the recent election and Town Meeting, resident Scott Smyers noted that passage of the override had the potential to make the town less diverse, and asked whether the board would address that issue. Referring to the “clickers” that are used to vote at Town Meeting, Mr. Smyers asked about clicker security and the possibility of double-voting. Noting one resident’s remote participation at Town Meeting, Mr. Smeyers asked whether that practice would continue. Town Manager John Mangiaratti said that the clickers’ security had been reviewed and that each clicker had a unique ID, suggesting that one vote per clicker ID addressed the double-voting issue. Regarding the first remote participation at Town Meeting, Mr. Mangiaratti said that prior consultation with Town Counsel and the State affirmed the legality of remote participation, and that the remote participant was eligible due to physical or medical status.
Select Board Reorganization: The Select Board chooses new officers (chair, vice-chair, and clerk) annually. Outgoing Chair Jim Snyder-Grant reflected on his year as chair, and mentioned some unfinished matters, including a long-running dialog with Mr. Martin Benson; Mr. Snyder-Grant mentioned that a response to Mr. Benson would be made available in the Extra Information repository for the meeting. Following those remarks, the Board elected Ms. Francesca (Fran) Arsenault as Chair; Mr. Dean Charter as Vice-Chair; and Ms. Alissa Nicol as Clerk.
Planning Board Community Plan update: Massachusetts law (MGL Ch.41 §81D) requires the “… planning board … shall make a master plan… to provide a basis for decision making regarding the long-term physical development of the municipality.” Acton’s current master plan is the Acton 2020 Comprehensive Community Plan document, dated April 2012. That plan lists seven main goals, with each goal having a sub-list of objectives, for example:
GOAL 1: Preserve and Enhance Town Character
Objective 1.1: Strengthen planning tools to manage growth proactively.
Objective 1.2: Preserve and enhance key centers.
At the May 20 meeting, Senior Planner Kaila Sauer presented the Planning Board’s status report, describing a spreadsheet that further divides the objectives into discrete tasks and identifying the town board, committee, or group that is responsible for each task; and finally, included a status report for each task, that ranged from short notes to multi-paragraph descriptions.
Ms. Sauer emphasized that, although the current comprehensive plan is labeled “2020”, the plan had an envisioned applicable timeframe of 15 to 20 years; and she proposed that the creation of a new plan be initiated in Fiscal Year 2028 (FY 2028 starts July 1, 2027); she further proposed that updates on these goals be a twice-yearly presentation to the Select Board.
Extensive discussion followed the presentation. Members appreciated the spreadsheet format of the presentation, noting the ease of navigation, and the listing’s utility in formulating the Board’s upcoming goal-setting process. Board Member Jim Snyder-Grant had been involved with the creation of the 2020 plan; he described a “2020 Implementation Committee” that had “lost steam” as the Kelley’s Corner project began. The Board discussion mentioned various related plans, current and proposed, including Economic Development plan; Commuter Rail Coalition and regional transportation efforts; and the multi-departmental Habitat for All zoning initiative which implements goals of the Housing Production Plan, the Climate Action Plan, Acton 2020, and the Select Board’s 2023 goals; and recognized possible areas of contention – for example, economic development vs. open space preservation.
Election and Town Meeting: The Board noted the exceptional performance of town staff and volunteers in handling the record attendance at the first night of Town Meeting. The circumstances around the late arrival of a shuttle bus was further discussed. The passage of the override by a very narrow margin, and a proposal from the Finance Committee to form a new oversight group, prompted discussion of who might participate in any new group. Board Member David Martin noted the necessity of specifying goals for any new group.
Briefly noted: The Board approved the participation of the CASE collaborative in the Acton fuel depot, approved another step in withdrawal from the Acton Health Insurance Trust, and approved delegation of management of 13 Arlington St. Conservation Land to the Conservation Commission.
Tom Beals is the Select Board beat reporter for the Acton Exchange.