Kids technically have two more full weeks of frivolity, hijinks, and sleeping in before classes resume in Abington on Aug. 31. But signs are present around town that it’s back-to-school season.
Stores are filled with deals on rompers, blazers, and slacks, and whatever else the kids are wearing to class these days. The Beaver Brook Elementary School playground has a fresh layer of wood chips. Important crosswalks around town are getting a new coat of green paint. The social media feeds of teachers feature posts begging parents not to buy Rose Art crayons, rulers with popping bubbles, or anything with glitter.
But let’s focus on the positive: 16 more days of summer vacation plus the long Labor Day Weekend.
Wait, what’s this?
TOWNWIDE ‘SKEETER SPRAYING TUESDAY AFTER WEST NILE FOUND
Plymouth County Mosquito Control will be conducting a town-wide spraying for mosquitoes during the early morning hours on Tuesday. State health officials announced Friday they had found mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus in Abington. The spraying, which will take place between 2 a.m. and sunrise, will be done using a truck-based “ultra-low volume” sprayer. The truck will drive up all of Abington’s roadways emitting “very fine aerosol droplets” that will linger in the air and kill adult mosquitoes on contact. The county says, unlike with other types of spraying, residents don’t need to take any special precautions beforehand (covering pools, bringing in animals, etc). Properties registered as an exclusion from spraying will not be sprayed. Additional information is available through plymouthmosquito.org. The Board of Health is expected to briefly discuss the spraying at its meeting tonight.
ISLAND GROVE POOL CLOSES FRIDAY
The last day to enjoy the town’s sandy-bottom pool is this Friday. Games and activities are planned between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The pool typically closes in mid-August as the lifeguards start to head back to college. Day passes are available at the Grove Snack Shack.
SPECIAL TOWN MEETING TO BE CALLED FOR SEPT. 27
Selectmen next Monday are expected to call for a Special Town Meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. Anyone interested in submitting a matter for the warrant/agenda will need to do so by Sept. 12. Town Manager Scott Lambiase and Selectmen Chairman Alex Bezanson says the meeting is needed to allocate additional revenues the town has received since Town Meeting approved the budget back in April. For example, the state budget contains about $50,000 in additional aid above what Abington was expecting. That money can be spent on any town service or program. Town Meeting will also be asked to make a decision on how to spend nearly $300,000 in host community mitigation money from Bud’s Goods & Provisions, the town’s lone retail cannabis shop. Spending this money is trickier. Unlike the local sales tax revenue that Bud’s generates (also about $300,000), which can be lumped in with all other town tax revenue, this pot of mitigation money can only be used to offset costs incrued with the store’s operations. The problem is that the state never clearly defined what constitutes a related expense, which has resulted in some communities just rolling the money into their general fund. The industry has been pushing back saying host communities should have to properly document any actual direct expenses associated with permitting, inspecting, policing, and overseeing the business.
ROUTE 18 OVERNIGHT CLOSURE PLANNED THIS WEEKEND
The state will again be closing Route 18 from Pond Street in South Weymouth to Pond Street in South Weymouth (the road curls back around!) this coming weekend. The first closure takes place Friday, August 19 at 11:30 p.m., until Saturday, August 20 at 4 a.m., and then again from 10:30 p.m., on Sunday, August 21 through 4 a.m., on Monday, August 22. Vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle travel will be detoured using Pond Street during the closure.
ABINGTON SCHOOLS STILL HIRING
The Abington school system is still looking for a few good people to fill positions for the upcoming school year. The positions include a Grade 3 special education teacher, a Middle School special education teacher, and a part time nurse. See below!
ACAM COVERAGE
Here’s a list of Municipal meetings (August 8 – 11) and links that were produced this week by the staff at Abington Community Access & Media Inc….
Affordable Housing Trust (8/9) – https://youtu.be/HoJgQbhhpaU
Cable Advisory (8/9) – https://youtu.be/whNJ3xo3URw
Conservation Commission (8/9) – https://youtu.be/eyDV9s78G6U
Zoning Board of Appeals (8/11) – https://youtu.be/5YRnyVasvGg
MEETINGS
MONDAY
Board of Health, 6 p.m., Town Hall. Agenda includes announcements from the Health Department, and discussions about certificate of occupancy regulations, recycling tips and tricks, and board member trainings.
WEDNESDAY
Finance Committee, 7 p.m., Town Hall. Agenda includes board reorganization, liaison assignments, and review of past meeting minutes.
THURSDAY
Zoning Board of Appeals, 5:30 p.m., Town Hall. Agenda includes discussions about 4 Bayberry Road, and the 40B proposed for Summer Street.
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