As regular voters know, based on the volume of mailers, emails, text messages, and phone calls they’ve received the past couple weeks, today is State Primary Day.
Polls are open until 8 p.m., with voting taking place at the Beaver Brook Elementary School gymnasium.
There is a new traffic plan in place, as we detailed yesterday. Be nice to the poll workers please; it’s a very long day for them.
FAREWELL TO WOODEN BEAVER BROOK PLAYGROUND ON SATURDAY
The committee building a new Beaver Brook Playground is hosting an official community “farewell” to the old wooden structure this Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Popsicles will be provided but families are encouraged to bring snacks of their choice. The decades-old sprawling play structure is beyond repair and will be replaced with a new structure in the coming weeks. Work was originally scheduled to begin this spring, but was pushed back after delays getting environment permits, followed by conflicts in the contractor’s schedule. The new structure won’t be made of wood, but will reflect some of the features that made the current playground unique, according to the committee
DEADLINE TO REGISTER FOR ABINGTON COPES 5K
Time is running out to register for the inaugural Abington COPES 5K road race on Sept. 18. The course follows the traditional loop used for the Jeff Coombs Memorial 5K: down Chestnut Street, along Randolph Street, up Lincoln, around Hancock and back to the Woodsdale Elementary School.
SUMMER STREET 40B GETS FINAL VOTE SEPT. 15
The Zoning Board of Appeals has taken all needed testimony, closed the public hearing, and appears ready to take a final vote on a 236-unit affordable housing project proposed for Summer Street. At its meeting last week, Fire Chief John Nuttall voiced his concerns with the project, specifically plans to make one building five stories tall with a flat roof. He also firmly opposes the developer’s request to include just one elevator in the second building. “If somebody’s doing CPR on the third floor of the building, that elevator is out of commission, and that doesn’t bode well for the other residents,” he said. “I’m going to want a minimum of two elevators per building.”
The development would also lack any recreational space for families, except for a pool in the courtyard of the larger building. “We are sure this is no place to raise a family,” said Wayne Smith, a former longtime Planning Board member who owns land that abuts the development site. Smith and the developer have also been locked in a stalemate over a purchase price for an easement that Smith’s company owns that runs along the site’s western edge.
Neighbors are also concerned about traffic; the zoning board however did not require updated traffic studies. [Correction: a new traffic study was conducted]
The site is located in the town’s Transit Oriented Development District, which encourages higher density building adjacent to the Abington commuter rail station. A previous 156-unit development proposed for the site was withdrawn in 2020.
The town’s attorney, Amy Kwesell, said she would have a list of possible conditions for the board to consider at is next meeting on Sept. 15.
POLICE INVESTIGATING TWO KNIFE-RELATED EVENTS FROM FRIDAY
Abington Police is spending their time this week looking into a pair of incidents Friday night involving people wielding knives. The first happened around 9 p.m., at Wendy’s on Centre Avenue; the second about 90 minutes later at 28 Randolph Street. Abington Police Chief David Del Papa said nobody was stabbed in either incident, nobody was injured, and the incidents weren’t related. But he declined to go into any more detail saying they’re still under investigation.
ACAM COVERAGE
Here’s a list of municipal meetings (August 29 – September 1) from this pasr week, plus coverage of the Abington Summer Concerts featuring Chicago Total Access. FYI: Abington CAM has teamed up with the Health Department to create two PSAs promoting CodeRED sign up and what to expect when receiving messages via the emergency communication system. All of the content provided is produced by the staff at Abington Community Access & Media Inc.
Abington School Committee (8/31)
Zoning Board of Appeals (9/1)
Abington Summer Concert feat. Chicago Total Access
CodeRED Sign-up PSA
CodeRED receiving messages PSA
GREEN WAVE SPORTS
(Compiled by Charlotte Hernandez)
Golf
Tuesday, Sept. 6 – @ West Bridgwater at West Bridgewater Country Club, 3:00pm (JV) -POSTPONED
Tuesday, Sept. 6 – @ EB at Ridder Country Club, 4:00pm -POSTPONED TO 9/29
Wednesday, Sept. 7 – @ Norwell at Harman Golf, 3:00pm (JV)
Wednesday, Sept. 7 – vs Norwell at Strawberry Valley, 3:30pm
Thursday, Sept 8 – @ Carver, 3:30pm (JV)
Football
Wednesday, Sept. 7 – vs Cohasset 4:40pm (Freshman)
Friday, Sept. 9 – @ Cohasset 7:00pm
Boys Soccer
Wednesday, Sept. 7 – vs Silver Lake Regional 4:00pm (JV) – Postponed
Thursday, Sept. 8 – vs East Bridgewater 4:00pm (JV)
Thursday, Sept. 8 – vs East Bridgewater 4:00pm
Friday, Sept. 9 – vs Holbrook 3:30pm
Girls Soccer
Wednesday, Sept. 7 – vs Holbrook 3:30pm
Friday, Sept 9 – @ East Bridgewater 4:00pm
Friday, Sept. 9 – @ East Bridgwater 4:00pm (JV)
Volleyball
Tuesday, Sept. 6 – vs Whitman-Hanson 4:00pm (JV)
Tuesday, Sept. 6 – vs Whitman-Hanson 4:00pm (Freshman)
Tuesday, Sept. 6 – vs Whitman-Hanson 5:15pm
Thursday, Sept. 8 – vs East Bridgewater 3:15pm (JV)
Thursday, Sept. 8 – vs East Bridgewater 3:15pm (Freshman)
Thursday, Sept. 8 – vs East Bridgewater 4:30pm
Friday, Sept. 9 – @ Hanover 4:00pm (JV)
Friday, Sept. 9 – @ Hanover 4:00pm (Freshman)
Friday, Sept. 9 – @ Hanover 5:30pm
(FOR THE MOST UPDATED GAMES AND SCORES, PLEASE CHECK ARBITER LIVE SPORTS)
MEETING SCHEDULE
TUESDAY
Conservation Commission, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall. Sole agenda item involves 96 Old Farm Road.
WEDNESDAY
Board of Assessors, 11 a.m., Town Hall. Agenda includes reviewing monthly reports and an executive session to consider abatement requests.
Cable Advisory Committee, 7 p.m., Town Hall. Agenda includes reviewing a letter of complaint from a resident; planning board actions for putting lines underground, status review of the Verizon contract; and any citizen complaints on cable service.
Finance Committee, 7 p.m., Town Hall. Agenda includes a review of special town meeting warrant items, an update on the town’s capital plan, discusison about a finance committee handbook, and two open board positions.
Trustees of Veterans Memorials, 3 p.m., American Legion Memorial Building. Agenda includes discussing memorial maintenance and Eagle Scout projects.
THURSDAY
Zoning Board of Appeals, 7 p.m. Town Hall. Agenda includes requests involving 39 Central Street and 700 Bedford Street