For the first time we’re starting this week ahead by taking a look back in the form of this brief editorial.
The past two weekends, Abington voters made a couple tough decisions — new zoning regulations for the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station and funding for a new $38.5 million fire station and public works complex. But in our opinion they were the correct decisions and Abington residents should be congratulated.
In regards to the air base/mega-mall/ movie studio/ Southfield/ Union Point, it strains our Yankee pragmatism (some say cynicism) to turn over control of more than 100 acres of land to the guardianship and managememt of a regional for-profit master development team. Abington voters were asked to work in blind faith and trust that the group will find the best investors to develop to Abington’s chunk of land, with permitting review left to a board with only one seat out of nine directly representing Abington’s interests. But Southfield has never had a master developer with a proven track record like Brookfield Properties and New England Development. When you think about successful large-scale redevelopment projects that both look nice and add to the community, Plymouth’s Pine Hills and Westwood Junction are top of mind – and both were built by New England Development.
We appreciate the argument that the space should be returned to nature after decades of military use. However, doing so would ignore the sizeable environmental cleanup that’s ongoing and still needed. Voting no wouldn’t have created a Disney meadow with bluebirds. It would have created, at best, an overgrown brownfield with a crumbling tarmac and piles of God-knows-what strewn about. In the battle of nothing vs. something, something was the better choice.
The key – in our opinion – is what comes next. The master developer asked for, and received, near total control over site layout, architectural and landscaping design, density, and land use. They presented binders full of preferred stylistic choices with more stringent design guidelines to come. However, we also know that developers have never found a regulation or guideline they haven’t tried to waive. We hope whoever is chosen as the site’s Land Use Administrator/ Zoning Enforcement Officer has the backbone, vision, and energy to push back against the lazy, uninspired, short-sighted, and creatively bankrupt proposals that will soon come their way. We hope they holdfast in helping create a development our children and grandchildren will see as a credit to Abington.
The fire station/DPW project was a classic spoonful of medicine vote. Even us tax- and-spend pinko media liberals took a hard look at that $38.5 million pricetag. But at the end of the day, it’s like needing a new transmission or a new roof: you can only put it off for so long before you create even costlier problems. At some point, fixes need to happen. Both fire stations are older than the average Abington resident. The public works buildings are even older than that.
We genuinely feel for those who struggle to make ends meet, or seniors who are house rich and cash poor. Who woulda thunk that modest Cape bought in 1972 would today be worth more than $500,000 and come with a proportionate property tax bill? And the 60-40 vote this past Saturday shows that many people in town had/have financial concerns. But ultimately, voters, in our opinion, made the right decision for the long-term benefit of Abington.
Hopefully the Legislature will recognize the financial pressures being placed on seniors by the booming housing market, and increase the cap for municipal tax abatements for seniors, or grow the senior tax work-off program. Or maybe a successful Abington High alum will feel moved to pick up the tab, like the wealthy philanthropists of days past.
Meanwhile we think back to what our mother said when putting a heaping of cooked spinach in front of us as a child: “Eat it, it’s good for you, you’ll thank me later.”
There’s nothing fun about voting to raise our own taxes. Even people who like cooked spinach would rather eat something more decadent. But we don’t have to look far to see what happens when towns stop investing in themselves. Other people stop investing in that community as well. And frayed seams quickly turn to rough edges.
The residents of Abington showed over the past two weekends that the town is still willing to invest in itself, to keep that “Open For Business” sign lit up, to believe our best days remain ahead.
Well done. You’ve earned some ice cream.
WASHINGTON STREET SIDEWALK WORK CONTINUES
Delays are possible this week for traffic along Washington Street between Central Street and Shaw Avenue as work continues on a sidewalk replacement project. Abington received a $495,000 state grant to replace about 1,800 linear feet of sidewalk and granite curbing from the southern entrance to the Beaver Brook Elementary School up to Lantern Lane. Traffic lanes through the area will be shifted sometimes but lanes will remain open both ways, said Public Works Director John Stone. The project also includes installing a 9,900-linear-foot shared walking/bike lane along Washington Street
HYDRANT FLUSHING CONTINUES ALSO
The Abington/Rockland Joint Water Works is continuing its fall hydrant flushing schedule this week. The department is sending out anticipated locations through town email alerts, and posting updates on the town website. Why do they need to flush out the hydrants and water mains? Here’s some info.
GREEN WAVE ATHLETICS
CROSS COUNTRY
Varsity Boys
Tuesday, 4 pm, @ East Bridgewater Jr./Sr. High School
Friday, 3:30 pm, @ East Bridgewater Jr./Sr. High School
Varsity Girls
Tuesday, 4 pm, @ East Bridgewater Jr./Sr. High School
GOLF
Varsity
No Games
Junior Varsity
No Games
FOOTBALL
Varsity
Friday, 7 pm, vs Middleborough High School
Junior Varsity
Monday, 4 pm, vs East Bridgewater Jr./Sr. High School
Freshman
Thursday, 3:45 pm, @ Middleborough High School
BOYS SOCCER
Varsity
Monday, 6 pm, vs Hull High School
Wednesday, 6 pm, @ Cohasset High School
Thursday, 3:30 pm vs West Bridgewater Jr./Sr. High School
Junior Varsity
Tuesday, 4 pm, @ Sandwich Middle/High School
Wednesday, 4 pm, @ Cohasset High School
Thursday, 3:30 pm vs West Bridgewater Jr./Sr. High School
GIRLS SOCCER
Varsity
Monday, 5:30 pm, @ Hull High School
Wednesday, 4 pm, vs Cohasset High School
Friday, 4 pm, @ Rockland High School
Junior Varsity
Monday, 4 pm, @ Hull High School
Wednesday, 4 pm, vs Cohasset High School
Friday, 4 pm, @ Rockland High School
VOLLEYBALL
Varsity
Tuesday, 6 pm, vs Cohasset High School
Wednesday, 4:45 pm vs Cardinal Spellman High School
Friday, 4:45 pm, @ Whitman – Hanson Regional High School
Junior Varsity
Tuesday, 4:30 pm, vs Cohasset High School
Wednesday, 3:30 pm vs Cardinal Spellman High School
Friday, 3:30 pm, @ Whitman – Hanson Regional High School
Freshman
Tuesday, 4:30 pm, vs Cohasset High School
Wednesday, 3:30 pm vs Cardinal Spellman High School
Friday, 3:30 pm, @ Whitman – Hanson Regional High School
(FOR THE MOST UPDATED GAMES AND SCORES, PLEASE CHECK ARBITER LIVE SPORTS)
MEETING SCHEDULE
MONDAY
Board of Selectmen, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall. Agenda includes accepting resignations from the Board of Assessors and Zoning Board of Appeals, liquor license transfer for Abington Country Store, and a vote to complete the taking of 199 Central Street.
TUESDAY
Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., Town Hall. Agenda includes 0 Summer Street, 154 Brockton Avenue, 95 Niles Street, and 267 North Quincy Street.
WEDNESDAY
Parks & Recreation Commission, 7 p.m., 350 Summer Street. Agenda includes discussion on CPA articles.