Morning Minutes from Last Night's Town Meeting (PHOTOS)

A rundown of articles taken up at tonight's special Town Meeting in Lexington, with a bit on what they asked, what happened and what it means.

Questions and nay votes were in short supply last night at Cary Hall as a special Town Meeting worked through six articles in less than two hours, supporting a $21.67 million appropriation for a renovation project for the Bridge and Bowman elementary schools and an upgraded fire communications system, among other items. Article 1: Reports of Town Boards, Officers, Committees What it asked: Nothing, really. This is a chance for any town board, officer or committee can report to the Town Meeting. What happened: Committee members filed reports and School Committee Chairwoman Mary Ann Stewart used this time to update Town Meeting members on the Estabrook School project, including why it’s needed, the status with the Massachusetts School …

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ELECTION 2012: Lexington Could Pair Presidential Primaries, Local Elections

Town Clerk Donna Hooper offers suggestions for dealing with "challenging" election year.

They say all politics is local, and that could be the case for Lexington voters in March 2012 if officials act on Town Clerk Donna Hooper's recommendation to hold annual Town Elections and the presidential primaries on the same day. Deciding who to vote for may not be the only challenge for Lexington in 2012, according to Hooper, who said school renovation work, newly drawn precinct boundaries and holidays are other potential factors affecting presidential and state primaries, the annual town election and the big one next November. Due to some of those elements, along with potential for cost savings, Hooper is recommending the town hold its annual election the same day as the presidential primary in March, provided that the latter is not …

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Question of the Day: What Now for Busa Farms?

Share your opinion in the comments.

Yesterday, town officials and others toured the Busa Land in East Lexington, an irregular parcel of town-owned land currently farmed by Dennis Busa, its former owner. It was a site visit for the Board of Selectmen, who were joined by the town’s Busa Land Use Proposal and Recreation committees, as well as other community members. The next step, the selectmen said, is to take an in-depth look at the BLUPC’s report, which recommends the land be used for a community farm and affordable housing, uses in different Community Preservation Act categories. With that in mind, how would you like to see the process play out? What would be your ideal use (or uses) for the Busa Land?

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About Town

Upated: About Town: TV Audience Arrived Late for BOS

Again, the broadcast of the board's meeting began 30 minutes after the meeting itself.

Cyberspace nets Cyberinformation At last night’s Board of Selectmen meeting Town Manager Carl Valente offered special recognition and a big thank you to Chief Bill Middlemiss, Lt. Derek Sancabaugh and firefighters John Daley and Mark Scofield. Springfield suffered a damaging tornado last Wednesday. By Thursday, our guys were helping as part of the Metro Fire Task Force.  Lexington worked on Main Street looking for occupants and determining whether or not a building was safe. Middlemiss acknowledged the professional performance of our firefighters while there. More News from the Fire Department Here’s a commendation from Chief Middlemiss, received through Carl: “On May 27 2011, at 12:54 hours, Engine 4 and Medic 3 were dispatched to a …

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Denise J. Dubé

3:25 pm on Tuesday, June 14, 2011

LexMedia is wonderful and always does a good job. I was just wishing to hear the Town Manager's report. You're right about the missing 30 minutes, because it ran the next day. Thanks for pointing out that LexMedia camera operators (and the staff) are always "on" even if we don't see them. --Denise   more ›

Patch Facts

Five Things You Need to Know Today: June 1

Committee meetings, agricultural education, running celebrations and possible thunderstorms.

1. Today is the first day of June, and it's also National Running Day, an occasion for runners from all walks of life to share their passion. The website Runningday.org has several suggestions for celebrating the day. 2. The Council on Aging Board meets at 3 p.m. today in the Senior Center's dining room and its agenda includes a presentation of goals for 2012/2013, outreach, planning and facilities updates and several reports from committees and liaisons. 3. Lexington's 300th Anniversary Celebration Committee meets at 5 p.m. today at the Town Office Building and its agenda includes a Discovery Day report, website developments, updates from working groups and a report to the selectmen. 4. Jim Laurie, a restoration ecologist, will host a …

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