Tom Beals

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Select Board Notes: January 13, 2025

January 17, 2025
Opening remarks A resident appreciated the presence of the Finance Committee (FinCom) at the opening of the January 13, 2025 Select Board meeting, and praised the FinCom for their listening session at the Memorial library. She recounted the steep increase in her properties’ appraised value and said that…
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Select Board Notes: 16 December 2024

December 21, 2024
Opening remarks: A resident made detailed comments concerning the proposed Department of Public Works (DPW) building, pursuant to a request for sidewalk construction on Forest Road. Select Board Chair Fran Arsenault noted the pinning and swearing in of three new, and the promotion of four, Acton firefighters. Town…
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Select Board Notes: November 4, 2024

November 9, 2024
Residents were quiescent, offering no concerns to the November 4, 2024 Select Board meeting. Board Chair Fran Arsenault echoed earlier announcements regarding assessors’ inspections and announced a November 13, 7:00 p.m. Housing Production Plan webinar. Board member Alissa Nicol noted higher water bills and recommended the Watersmart monitoring…
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Select Board Notes, October 21, 2024: tidying up, finishing up

October 26, 2024
A plea for regulating chicken-keeping opened the October 21 Select Board meeting. A resident described noise from a neighbors’ rooster and chickens, and he proposed regulations governing chicken numbers, chicken housing, and related issues. Town manager John Mangiaratti noted additional operating hours for the Council on Aging shuttle,…

Select Board Notes: October 7, 2024

October 12, 2024
A resident with concerns for school gun safety opened the October 7, 2024 Select Board meeting, mentioning a petition. Board Chair Fran Arsenault offered her assistance in directing the resident to the appropriate resources. Board Member Dean Charter noted the adoption of the 2025 Community Preservation Plan, saying…
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Select Board Notes: September 23, 2024

September 27, 2024
Select Board Chair Fran Arsenault opened the September 23 Select Board meeting with Board Updates, as there were no residents’ concerns. Ms. Arsenault said that volunteers were needed for several committees, specifically mentioning the Agricultural Commission and the Planning Board. Board member Alissa Nicol added that she and…
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Select Board notes 26 August 2024: Low key, no drama

August 30, 2024
No resident concerns were voiced at the August 26, 2024 Acton Select Board meeting. Board and management announcements included new hires at the library, fire department, and a new public health nurse. Plans for the town’s annual commemoration of the September 11, 2001 tragedy will be announced soon.…
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Select Board Notes, 8 July 2024: Dogs, Guns, Dollars, and Goals

July 12, 2024
Resident concerns Mr. Marty Benson thanked then-outgoing Chair Jim Snyder-Grant for his closing remarks as Chair at the May 20, 2024 Select Board Meeting, and reminded the Board of as-yet-unfulfilled records requests. Select Board member minutes Dangerous dog hearing On April 1, 2024 the Acton Exchange reported on…
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Select Board Notes 20 May 2024: Changing of the Guard

June 1, 2024
Residents concerns: The May 20, 2024 meeting of the Acton Select Board began as usual with resident concerns. A resident described his attempt, via internet search, at finding bus service in Acton; he found references to Acton Rides, Cross-town Connect, and others; and he likened his search to…
a pie chart with colored segments; the segments are labeled with town department names

Acton Town Meeting: Town Budget articles pass with ease

May 7, 2024
Article 4: Town Operating Budget The Town Operating Budget, as its name suggests, pays the town’s expenses for the upcoming Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. Those expenses include familiar town services such as the Fire Department, Police, and libraries; those services, and their proportions, are shown in the ‘pie’…

Other Town Meeting articles

Article 1 – Choose town officers On the first night of Town Meeting, the Town Moderator split choosing town officers into two parts, to ensure that the budget articles were discussed and voted on in a timely manner. Part one included all of the uncontested positions, which was…
Graph of spending projects from FinCom for the next several years. The projected shortfall goes from 0 in the FY 2025 to $3.38M in FY 2029 (projected).

April 29, 2024 Select Board meeting: Longer than a marathon

April 30, 2024
At the November 6, 2023 Select Board meeting, the Board approved a reorganization that created a Health and Human Services Department. At the April 29, 2024 Board meeting, Town Manager John Mangiaratti introduced Penny (Penelope) Funaiole, Director of Health and Human Services. Ms. Funaiole, who assumed her role…
Photo of an Acton Select Board meeting.

Select Board Notes, April 1, 2024: Sewer Setback Distresses Dog Park

April 12, 2024
Residents’ concerns with pedestrian safety and traffic issues led off the April 1, 2024 Select Board meeting. Mr. James Walter, Board Chair of the Infant Toddler Children’s Center on Central Street, described potentially hazardous conditions at pedestrian crosswalks adjacent to the Center, detailing those conditions in a handout.…

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