Lexington Officials Ink P & S Agreement for Scottish Rite Property

With the Board of Selectmen signing a purchase and sale agreement, the town is a step closer to obtaining about 10 acres of the Scottish Rite property of Marrett Road.

Earlier this year, special Town Meeting authorized officials to make a nearly $11 million bid to purchase a swath of the Scottish Rite property off Marrett Road. The offer was quickly accepted. And now this week the Board of Selectmen has signed a purchase and sale agreement for the property, finalizing some of the details of the transaction. To read the agreement in full, click on the PDF posted to your right. Among the terms of the deal: The approximately 10 acres of property the town is acquiring is located behind the National Heritage Museum, which the Scottish Rite is not selling, and includes the 17,840-square foot “mansion” or main building, a 5,260-square foot carriage house, about 88 parking spaces and additional acreage. Of the $…

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ACCEPTED: Scottish Rite OKs Sale of Marrett Road Property to Town

Scottish Rite has accepted the town's offer of $10.95 million for about 10 acres off Marrett Road, just one day after the bid was approved at special Town Meeting.

The Trustees of the Supreme Council of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Free Masonry have accepted the town's $10.95 million-offer to purchase about 10 acres of the Scottish Rite property off Marrett Road, according to a press release from the town.  This news comes less than 24 hours after a special Town Meeting authorized the Board of Selectmen to make the offer to purchase the parcel many are eyeing as a future home for a community center.  Here's the press release from the town. Check back on Patch for more on this story as it becomes available. The Board of Selectmen is pleased to announce the purchase of property at 33 Marrett Road owned by the Trustees of the Supreme Council of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Free Masonry…

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PHOTOS: Inside the Masons' Mansion

Lexington's Town Meeting is expected to decide tonight whether to authorize the town to purchase about 10 acres of the Scottish Rite property off Marrett Road for nearly $11 million.

Town Meeting members and other interested Lexington residents were invited Sunday to tour the approximately 10 acres of the Scottish Rite property the town in interested in purchasing – a nearly $11 million expense Town Meeting will be asked to approve tonight, March 18. The property in question, located behind the National Heritage Museum at 33 Marrett Road, includes the 17,840-square foot “mansion” or main building, a 5,260-square foot carriage house, about 88 parking spaces and additional acreage. For a “virtual tour” of the mansion, click through the photos above. Potential municipal uses for the property include a senior/community center, town offices and even a public safety campus. There are other bidders for the property, and it’s …

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UPDATE: BOS Will Discuss $10M-Plus Bid for Scottish Rite Property March 14

Meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday evening at Cary Hall.

Less than 48 hours after its negiotiating team made public the town's $10 million-plus third and final bid for 10 acres of the Scottish Rite property off Marrrett Road, the Board of Board of Selectmen will discuss and vote to approve the offer at 6 p.m. tomorrow, March 14, at Cary Hall. The property in question is approximately 10 acres of the Scottish Rite’s land behind the National Heritage Museum, including the carriage house and annex, which the selectmen are identifying as a possible location for a community center. The selectmen's negotiating team publicly announced the bid, which is contingent upon approval by the Board of Selectmen and a special Town Meeting vote, in an email to Town Meeting members Tuesday, March 12, the same day …

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Patch Facts

Five Things: Lexpress Pilot, Tax Classification Hearing Tonight

A quick look at what you need to see, do and know today in Lexington.

1. Selectmen Meet Tonight: The Board of Selectmen is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. tonight at the Town Office Building and its agenda includes a the Lexpress Pilot program, a policy for plowing the Minuteman Bikeway, a tax classification hearing and a presentation on the Community Center Task Force's final report. 2. Lexington Youth Lacrosse Spring Registration: Registration is now open to the general public for Lexington Youth Lacrosse. The spring season runs from March through mid-June, and all Lexington residents in grades 1 through 8 are eligible to play.  Online registration as well as complete program descriptions by grade and gender are posted over at www.lexingtonlax.org. 3. Other Public Meetings: According to the town website, other…

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Patch Facts

Five Things You Need to Know Today: May 25

Night two of the LHS spring pops concert, info on Discovery Day and Memorial Day and more today in Lexington.

1. Lexington High School Spring Pops Concert: Lexington High's annual Spring Pops concerts for 2012 feature different LHS band, choral, and orchestral ensembles performing over the two evenings. Tonight's performance, at 7:30 p.m. at the high school, the Mixed Chorus, Madrigal Singers, Symphony Orchestra, Concert Band, Percussion Ensemble, the combined choral groups, Chamber Orchestra, and the Wind Ensemble. Costs $10. 2. Discovery Day Deets: Lexington's 33rd annual Discovery Day will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Muzzey Street/Waltham Street Municipal parking lot behind Michelson’s Shoes. More than 90 of Lexington's businesses and organizations will come together to offer tasty food, discounted merchandise, interesting displays …

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What Would You Want In a Community Center?

The Community Center Task Force is seeking your input in an online survey that closes June 30.

It’s not exactly true that “there’s nothing to do in Lexington,” but that snippet of suburban hyperbole is uttered often enough that an organized conversation around the mythical community center is kicking into high gear.  The Community Center Task Force was charged with determining the town’s appetite for a community center, someplace that would satisfy the social, intellectual and recreational needs of Lexingtonians of all ages. Earlier this month, a survey went live on the town website that seeks input from locals about what they would want in a community center and whether respondents think such a place would bring value to the community. “This is nothing new,” said Laura Hussong, chairwoman of the Community Center Task Force. “…

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POLL: What Should Be Lexington's Priority in 2012?

Take our poll or let us know in the comments section below.

One of the surest signs of a New Year are the scores of resolutions, the pledges to improve things like health, happiness, eating habits or financial prosperity.  And, as individuals pursue their New Year’s resolutions, it’s also a time to think about and express what they would like their communities to focus on and improve in the coming year. So, with that in mind, we want to know, What do you think should be the main priorities for Lexington in 2012?

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Question of the Day

Question of the Day: Your Community?

Share your opinion in the comments.

As Denise Dube mentioned in this morning’s About Town column, the word “community” carries many meanings.  Whether its people, places or groups united by belief, community can mean many things to many people. A Sept. 27 program “What Does Community Mean” will aim to get it all out on the table. Lexington League of Women Voters organized the event, which is also sponsored by Cary Memorial Library, the Council on Aging, the Recreation Department, Human Services, PTA, the Interfaith Clergy Association and others. With questions about a Lexington Community Center and how building improvements at Muzzey High will impact the Senior Center, now’s a prime time to have this kind of talk. Why not get it started here? We’re sure folks will have …

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