Opening remarks:
- A resident noted the difficulty of navigating the town website. Town Manager John Mangiaratti did not disagree, but noted that the website has evolved while maintaining decades of records.
- A resident mentioned attending a Finance Committee meeting and spoke of the need to address fiscal responsibility in Acton. He listed frequently-heard statistics including Acton’s high tax rate, and mentioned building a new school and fire station while closing an existing school and fire station.
- Multiple residents decried the state of Old Village Road (off Nagog Hill Road in Acton center), describing excessive gravel on the road and “divots” missing, with short-lived patches occasionally applied.
- Board Chair Alissa Nicol enthusiastically praised the completed work that made Woodlawn Chapel at Woodlawn Cemetery ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant.
- Ms. Nicol recommended an Emergency Preparedness Workshop, June 16 NARA Park from 5:00 p.m.
- Board and Acton 250 member Dean Charter mentioned an Acton 250 play, Declaring Independence Then & Now, June 14 at Acton Congregational Church, Concord Road, 2:00 p.m., and “When the Declaration of Independence Was News” a talk at the Acton Memorial library, Jun 25, 6:00 p.m.
- Board member Pam Nourse congratulated the 18 Acton graduates of the Minuteman Regional High School.
- Board Vice-chair David Martin drew attention to the upcoming Juneteenth Celebration, June 19, from 1:00–4:00 p.m. at Acton Congregational Church and on the grounds of Acton Memorial Library.
Select Board Goal Setting Listening Session:
The Select Board renews its annual goals list after the Town election, and invites public suggestions for those goals. Letters to the Select Board, made available in the meeting materials, expanded on issues that were mentioned in person at the meeting. Suggestions were made in two broad areas: environment and finances.
Environmental suggestions:
- establish an independent sewer commission;
- reduce salt for winter road treatment;
- establish stormwater management systems;
- bring a private lot tree-protection bylaw to Town Meeting.
Fiscal/financial suggestions: Three members of the Finance Committee, each speaking as residents, cautioned the Board: “… draconian cost reductions … that storm is coming”; “build a sustainable future … in a much more proactive manner in the mid and long term.”
Finally, a resident recalled discussion of police practices with respect to immigration policy, and of surveillance policy, and asked to see those on the agenda for the coming year.
Primrose School Hearing:
Representatives of private childcare provider Primrose Schools appeared before the Select Board to continue their case for a proposed two-story childcare center at 457 Mass. Ave. Board Chair Alissa Nicol opened the hearing by clarifying a legal point: although the hearing notice referred to a “Site Plan Special Permit,” a childcare facility is considered a protected by-right use under state law. As a result, the Board’s authority is limited to site plan review, and the mandatory findings typically required for a special permit do not apply.
Ms. Nicol reviewed the zoning relief sought by the applicant, including relief from the town’s floor area ratio, net floor area, and open space requirements. She also noted that several existing childcare facilities in Acton similarly exceed current zoning limits, citing facilities such as the Infant Toddler Center and Great Brook School.
As at prior hearings, the fate of the existing historic house on the property remained a central issue. Ms. Nicol again raised the possibility of preserving the house — potentially as a residential rental property — citing examples of childcare centers elsewhere that incorporated historic structures into their designs. Primrose representatives responded that the site’s topography, driveway placement, utility routing, and sight-line constraints made retention of the house impractical and potentially unsafe.
Board members repeatedly returned to the project’s scale. Board clerk Fran Arsenault characterized the proposal as “a superimposing corporate model being plunked down on a lot that’s both inappropriate in size and topography for the building,” and urged Primrose to consider a smaller facility. Primrose representatives replied that the project was already based on a model they considered minimally economically viable, and that a substantially smaller center “doesn’t work” financially.
The hearing also featured extended discussion of the changing built environment around the site. Several Board members observed that the proposed facility would sit adjacent to the large RJ Grey school campus, Tavernier Place, nearby apartment buildings, and recent larger-scale development associated with Kelley’s Corner. Board Vice-ChairDavid Martin argued that, in that context, the project was “extremely appropriate for this area,” even while acknowledging concerns about traffic and the loss of the historic home. Another noted that the town has consciously encouraged denser development near Kelley’s Corner, and viewed the project as consistent with that trend.
Traffic safety remained a dominant concern throughout the hearing. Ms. Nicol emphasized that her concern was not simply the number of vehicles, but the increased “points of conflict” among pedestrians, school traffic, cyclists, and turning vehicles near the junior high campus. She questioned whether the traffic study fully reflected existing conditions and expressed concern about driveway grades, winter conditions, and interactions between parents dropping off children at neighboring schools.
Primrose engineer Adam Drake stated that discussions with MassDOT (Department of Transportation) were ongoing and that updated plans or studies would be returned to the town if required. The Board later discussed conditioning any approval on future amendments should MassDOT require changes to the plan.
A newly emphasized operational detail at this hearing was Primrose’s use of staggered arrival and pickup windows. Responding to criticism that the traffic study underestimated trip generation, the applicant explained that parents would be assigned staggered drop-off and pickup times over a period of hours, reducing the likelihood of concentrated traffic surges associated with a conventional school schedule.
Public comment remained sharply divided. Several residents objected to the proposal on grounds of traffic safety, tree removal, the size of the building relative to the lot, and the likely demolition of the historic house. One caller strongly urged the Board either to deny the project outright or to postpone action long enough to prepare a draft denial decision rather than relying solely on a draft approval document. Other residents, in written comments to the Board, were supportive of the proposal.
Further comments focused on the broader impacts of the project, including the cumulative loss of trees around Kelley’s Corner and the increasing commercialization of the area. Ms. Nicol acknowledged those concerns, remarking that “almost half of this site is going to be covered with impervious surface” and lamenting the continued loss of mature trees.
At the same time, Board members and residents also recognized a substantial local demand for childcare. Ms. Nicol stated that she had spoken with local childcare providers, none of whom expressed concern about additional competition, and noted that many existing centers maintain lengthy waiting lists.
Following public comments, Ms. Nicol summarized the Board’s limited legal authority under existing state law and case law concerning childcare facilities. Although several Board members expressed frustration with the project’s scale and the likely demolition of the historic house, she emphasized that “in all case law that exists in the state … it’s always in favor of the applicant for the child care center.” She also acknowledged Primrose’s position that the company had selected a site available at the time and entered into a purchase-and-sale agreement contingent on the outcome of the permitting process.
The Board closed the public hearing on a 4–1 vote, with one member opposed. Discussion then turned to possible conditions for approval, including off-site snow removal, revisions to driveway grading, additional landscaping review by the Design Review Board, operational requirements supporting staggered arrivals and departures, protections against damage to the historic house during any pre-demolition site work, and a requirement that the applicant return to the Board should MassDOT later require modifications to the plan.
Naming the 53 River Street park:
Deputy Town Manager Thom Begin presented the ‘Name the Park’ survey results: 35% for Shoddy Mill Park; 28% for Textile Mill Park, and a variety of other names (yes, Parky McParkface did appear). Board members and residents weighed in with opinions and justifications, but Shoddy Mill Park was unanimously approved. A ribbon cutting is expected this summer.
Briefly noted:
- The Board approved a Letter of Support for a grant for Great Road Corridor Study.
- Mr. Mangiaratti reviewed sidewalk construction and sewer connection details related to the Powdermill apartments, as well as a Kelley’s Corner progress update.
Tom Beals is the Acton Exchange Select Board beat reporter.
