COVID NUMBERS DROP SLIGHTLY; BOARD OF HEALTH MEETS MONDAY
After hitting a peak of 602 active COVID-10 cases last Thursday, numbers have dipped a bit over the past four days, with the current case load sitting at 564. What isn’t clear yet is whether this dip represents a flash flood of new infections that are starting to recede, or if the numbers were lower due to a Friday snowstorm followed by the weekend. As of last Friday, more than 210 members of the Abington school community were out of the classroom after testing positive, or about 10 percent of all teachers, students, and support staff. The Board of Health meets Monday virtually, its first meeting since the board adjourned abruptly after a person in the audience started recording the proceedings on his phone despite the board chairman asking him to stop. The board also briefly recessed its previous meeting when the audience became too disruptive. During a training session in November, town boards were advised by town attorneys that they should temporarily recess or even adjourn their meetings if they felt people in the crowd were becoming disruptive.
PLANNING BOARD TO DISCUSS NEW STATE ZONING RULES
In case you missed the article, here it is. Cities and towns with MBTA stations are going to be required to adopt new zoning rules that allow multi-family housing by right. These districts must consist of at least 50 buildable acres, be located within a half-mile of the train station, and allow at least 15 units per acre. Abington’s zoning district has to be big enough to allow more than 1,000 multi-family housing units. What isn’t clear is whether the town gets credit for the multi-family zoning that already exists around its train station.
MIDDLE SCHOOL PTO MEETING MONDAY
The Abington Middle School PTO will meet Monday at 6:30 p.m., via Zoom. Agenda includes discussions about fundraising, enrichment requests, and filling the co-chair position.
MIDDLE SCHOOL WINTER CONCERT MOVED ONLINE
The AMS Winter Concert has been moved virtual. In an email to parents today, Steve Shannon, the Director of Music, announced that Abington Community Access & Media will record the performances for broadcast at a later date.
CHRISTMAS TREE PICKUP THIS SATURDAY
Because of last Friday’s storm, the collection date for Christmas trees has been moved to this Saturday, Jan. 15. All decorations, lights, tinsel, and gifts should be removed from the tree prior to it being tossed on the curb.
AEF LAUNCHES HOT COCOA FUNDRAISER
In advance of National Hot Cocoa Day on January 31st, the Abington Education Foundation is selling Cocoa Grams. Each Cocoa Gram contains enough cocoa for one mug and plentiful marshmallows all container in a glass jar. They can be delivered to friends, family, teachers, or students with a personal message or sent anonymously. Cost of each Cocoa Gram is $3 or 2/$5, and they will be delivered the weekend of Jan 22 & 23rd. Deadline for orders is Jan. 16. The form can be found here:
HEALTH DEPARTMENT COLLECTING BROKEN STRINGS OF CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
The Health Department is also collecting broken or unwanted strings of Christmas lights. The lights will be disposed of in an environementally friendly way, instead of being tossed in a landfill. Lights can be dropped off at the department during business hours.
MEETINGS
MONDAY
Planning Board, 6 p.m., via Zoom. The meeting will start in Executive Session as the board discusses litigation. The public agenda includes a discussion about 89 Robbins Avenue, 714 Bedford Street, and the state’s new guidelines for multi-family zoning around MBTA stations.
Board of Health, 6 p.m., via Zoom. The agenda includes announcements from the health department, discussions about body art regulations, and COVID-19 safety measures.
TUESDAY
Open Space Committee, 5:30 p.m., Town Hall. The agenda includes discussions about an open member seat, a future joint meeting with the Conservation Commission, the existing open space plan, and properties off Linwood Street and Chestnut Street.
WEDNESDAY
Zoning Board of Appeals, 7 p.m., Town Hall/Zoom. The agenda includes discussions about 78 Doris Drive, 75 Dale Street, 75 Niles Street, 47 Colonial Drive, 1097 Washington Street, and 216 Peregrine Road.