Abington officials, frustrated at the lack of progress fixing chronically glitching grade crossing gates, are demanding MBTA officials appear at the Sept. 9 Select Board meeting to explain what’s going on and how it’s going to be fixed.
“The Board of Selectmen, led by Chairman [Kevin] Donovan, shares deep concerns over the continued malfunctions and the imminent risks they present,” Town Manager Scott Lambiase wrote in an email sent to the MBTA Monday morning.
The safety gates that block traffic at MBTA grade crossings in town have malfunctioned and become stuck down more than two dozen times over the past year, according to town data. The problem has become particularly acute this summer, with the gates glitching on a weekly basis, causing lengthy backups on some of the town’s busiest thoroughfares.
The MBTA told Abington News back in July that Keolis, the company that operates the commuter rail line, had a fix in place. But since then, the gates have continued to malfunction, including twice over this past weekend.
Now, the town has had enough.
“These malfunctions, where the gates descend even in the absence of an approaching train and remain down for extraordinary lengths of time, have understandably led to significant frustration among our residents,” Lambiase wrote. “Unfortunately, the repeated nature of these incidents has fostered a dangerous complacency among motorists, who are now bypassing the gates altogether. This behavior poses a severe risk, not only to the drivers themselves but also to public safety at large.”
He said Abington emergency responders are being regularly pulled away from their duties to manage traffic and “prevent catastrophes,” a situation he called “unsustainable.”
A spokesperson for the MBTA told Abington News Monday that Keolis continues to troubleshoot the problem, and that the blockages are the result of the safety systems reverting to its default safe mode.
“The Keolis team believes replacing the crossing rails, ties, and substrate will resolve the issue,” the spokesperson said. “Keolis is currently sourcing those materials in order to schedule the repair work as soon as possible.”
NEW POLICE CHIEF TO BE ANNOUNCED TUESDAY NIGHT
Town Manager Scott Lambiase has settled on a new Police Chief and it will be discussed at a special Select Board meeting Tuesday night. Under the town’s charter, the power to hire and fire department heads rests with the Town Manager. The Select Board, however, can veto those hires with a 2/3 votes of the board within 15 days of being notified of the hiring. The board can also vote to waive its veto right, allowing the appointment to take effect immediately. The posted agenda says the board could take a vote Tuesday night. The agenda also says the Select Board will enter into executive session to conduct contract negotiations regarding the police chief. Lambiase has said it was his intention to have a police chief onboard before Labor Day, and that current acting chief David Majenski wouldn’t be a candidate.
Back in 2021, Lambiase chose Truro Police Chief Jamie Calise to replace Majenksi. Despite accepting the offer, and meeting with the then-Abington Select Board, Calise ultimately backed out and returned to Truro. Lambiase then chose Braintree Police Lt. David DelPapa, who took over in October 2021. Del Papa and the town “parted ways” in May of this year.
SELECT BOARD SPECIAL ELECTION BALLOT FINALIZED
Four candidates have returned their nomination papers and qualified for September’s special election to fill the vacant Select Board seat.
The candidates are Amanda Zompetti, of Pilgrim Street, William Cormier, of Olson Street, Abigail Gendreau, of Pearl Street, and Matthew Lynch, of Orange Street.
Abington News will be conducting questions of the week with the candidates in the leadup to the election.
The Special Election is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 21. Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
SIX APD OFFICERS PROMOTED
Abington Police has six new members of its leadership team., despite not yet having a new chief in place. During a small ceremony earlier this month, the police department swore in two new lieutenants — Justin Simmons and Justin Canada — and four new sergeants — Henry Calice, Ryan Gillan, Nick Sullivan, and Ryan Doherty.
WAIVER GRANTED FOR 8th GRADERS FOR GIRLS SOCCER, VOLLEYBALL, CROSS COUNTRY
Abington Middle School 8th graders interested in a spot on the Green Wave girls soccer, volleyball, and cross country teams this fall can sign up online here. The Abington High School Athletic Department received waivers to have 8th graders fill out spots on those teams. Grade 8 student cannot displace grade 9-12 students on a team. Tryouts start on August 19. Please contact the head coach or Athletic Director Peter Serino (peterserino@abingtonps.org) with any questions.