You Ask, Patch Answers

What You Need to Know About Concord's Annual Town Meeting

The warrant, where to park, how to check in and other relevant information.

Concord's annual Town Meeting opens at 7 p.m. next Monday, April 22, at Concord-Carlisle High School. For the uninitiated, Town Meeting is the municipality's major legislative body, making decisions about budgets, bylaws, land use and, in these parts, bottled water bans. The warrant essentially breaks down the meeting's business -- in both legalese and layman's terms. Need a refresher on the warrant? Click on the PDF posted to your right.  Other meeting protocols and information are posted below, courtesy of the town website. PARKING: Town Meeting attendees should enter the high school parking lot via the Walden Street entrance only. On-site parking is limited. Carpooling is encouraged. Parking for people with disabilities is available at …

• Photos (1)
• Documents (2)

Could Concord Have a Bottle Banning Comrade?

This spring, Arlington’s annual Town Meeting will take up an article seeking to adopt water-bottle banning bylaw to Concord’s.

Marco Rubio’s bottled water moment earlier this week probably grabbed more headlines, but there was another bit of bottle-related news that might have caught a Concoridan eye. According to reports from earlier this week, a trio of Arlington High seniors collected enough signatures to get a water bottle bylaw like Concord’s on the warrant for their town’s special Town Meeting this spring. See the full text of Arlington's article below. That move comes as some in Concord are readying their rebuttal to the ban, while others rally in defense of the ground-breaking bylaw. Concord resident Robin Garrison has a petitioner’s article on the Town Meeting warrant seeking to repeal the bottle bylaw. Meanwhile Concord on Tap, a local movement led by …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

Committee Meeting Roundup for the Week Ahead

Here's a rundown of all the governmental and committee meetings going on this week in Concord.

Note: The Wednesday, Aug. 1 7:30 p.m. Comprehensive Sustainable Energy Committee meeting has been cancelled.

• Photos (1)

Selectmen Review Preliminary Proposed CPA Projects

A facelift for the Town House tops the list; selectmen call for more detail in preliminary CPA project presentations.

Monday night, Town Manager Chris Whelan, immediately preceeding a glowing evaluation from the Board of Selectmen, informed the board about possible Community Preservation Act projects that could be taken up for the end of the year. The Community Preservation Act is a piece of legislation signed into law in 2000 by Governor Patrick that allowed more funding for capital improvements to various areas noted as part of overall communal preservation in 148 town and cities across the commonwealth. The preliminary discussion focused on a number of possible projects and their estimated costs including: The total of all potential projects was estimated at $2,195,000. However, there is only $1,100,000 in the projected CPA funds for 2012, with another…

• Photos (1)

Town Meeting Works Through Town, School and Energy Articles

An efficient opening night saw Concord's annual Town Meeting tackle town and school budgets, renovations to the Police/Fire station, the Light Plant expansion and two other energy-related articles

Acting on 30-plus articles one night is no joke, but there were moments that bordered on comedy during the opening night of Concord's annual Town Meeting, which convened Monday night at Concord-Carlisle High School. There was the one retirement-related jest about Selectman Greg Howes' bid for the 3rd Middlesex state senate seat Susan Fargo is vacating after her current term. And School Committee Chairman Peter Fischelis bravely introduced the high school budget with thanks and a line about Concord-Carlisle losing out on the top spot in Boston Magazine's list of best schools over a rumor about outsourcing the entire district. That one was an obvious refrerence to the recent uproar over, and subsequent reversal of, plans to privatize …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (3)

Selectmen Take Positions on Special Town Meeting Articles

Monday night had the selectmen working their way through the eight special Town Meeting warrant articles, labeling a position for all but one.

The Selectmen took a big chunk of time Monday night to affirm their positions on seven of the eight special Town Meeting warrant articles. Article 1 - Land Acquisition – 51 Laws Brook Road The Selectmen will recommend affirmative action to officials and voters. Selectman Greg Howes will provide a statement at Town Meeting detailing the board's choice in the matter. Article 2 - Sale of Conservation Restriction – Former Landfill Site The selectmen will recommend no action. Board members had some things to say about this position Monday night. “We did a lot of work on this, but there are still unanswered questions," said Selectman Jeff Wieand. Howes added, “The timing of the issue has caused problems and it's not coming together as we …

• Photos (1)

Concord’s Upcoming Town Government Meetings

A look at the week ahead.

The following meetings will be held in Concord this week. Tuesday, Feb. 21 Historic Issues Group- 8:30 a.m. Hanscom Field Advisory Committee- 7 p.m. Recreation Commission- 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22 CCHS Building Committee- 6 p.m. Historic Districts Commission- 7:30 p.m. West Concord Advisory Committee- 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23 Historical Commission- 7 p.m. Board of Assessors- 7 p.m.

• Photos (1)

Concord’s Upcoming Town Government Meetings

A look at the week ahead.

  The following meetings will be held in Concord this week. Monday, Feb. 13 CC Adult and Community Ed Advisory Board (A)- 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14 Hugh Cargill Trust- 9 a.m. Council on Aging Board- 5:30 p.m. Concord and Concord-Carlisle School Committees Joint Meeting- 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15 CCHS Building Committee- 6 p.m. Concord-Carlisle School Committee- 6 p.m. Natural Resources Commission- 7 p.m. Concord Board of Health- 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16 Personnel Board- 5 p.m. Historic Districts Commission- 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17 Local Option Local income Tax Committee- 8 a.m.

• Photos (1)