Friday, January 18, 2013
Official city website features downloadable files for residents.
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Friday, January 18
Interested in the inner workings of City Hall? Did you know you can download meeting minutes, budgets and other documents directly from the city website? From the City Clerk's office: Minutes from July 1, 2012 to present for all City Council Committee meetings, License Commission meetings and Board of Appeals meetings are now posted under “Minutes/Agendas” on the city’s website. You will also find City Council meeting minutes from July 1, 2006 to present and Traffic Commission meeting minutes from April 1, 2005 to present posted on the website. The pages will be updated as new meeting minutes become available. The link to the page on the city’s website is found at http://www.cityofwoburn.com/archive.aspx WOBURN PATCH: Facebook | Twitter…
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Changes to the salaries proposed for future.
It won't go into effect for a year, but the City Council already heard a proposal for a change to the mayor's salary. According to city documents, the council heard a municipal code change that would increase the mayor's salary, along with that of City Council and School Committee members. The salary change would go into effect Jan. 1, 2014. In a statement to the City Council, Mayor Scott Galvin said that this is not the "right time" to recommend the salary increase. "Although I do believe that, at some point, the salary of the City’s Mayor should be reviewed and upgraded to better reflect the increasingly complex range of duties and responsibilities of Woburn’s chief executive officer, I don’t believe now is the right time to do it," …
Friday, January 11, 2013
City failed to receive grant funding for proposed parking.
The Walnut Hill parking expansion has been a topic of discussion at City Hall for over a year. The Woburn Redevelopment Authority has put the downtown parking garage forward, and the city has applied for two grants in the last year. But Woburn has been turned down for both grants. However, the city is not giving up. Mayor Scott Galvin and Planning Director Ed Tarallo told the Boston Globe that the city would explore several state and federal funding opportunities. Tell us: Does the city need more parking in downtown? Do you support the Walnut Hill parking garage project? Or do you think more parking is needed somewhere else in Woburn? WOBURN PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates | Pinterest | Instagram
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Woburn's representative takes oath at State House.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
App will allow residents to report quality of life issues instantly.
Reporting quality of life issues will be just a finger-tap away in the city of Woburn, thanks to a new smart phone app expected to launch in the spring of 2013. The app—Commonwealth Connect—by company SeeClickFix, will give residents the ability to report "quality of life" issues in Woburn by taking photos and submitting them, along with information, through the app. What issues fall under quality of life? With the app, residents will be able to track the progress of the "work order," which is submitted to the appropriate city department. The app has been in use in the city of Boston under the name CitizensConnect since 2009. “I am a strong believer that government is here to help people,” said Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino in a …
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
The City Council is expected to review several permit conditions during tonight's public hearing.
If the City Council accepts its subcommittee recommendation, the North Woburn CVS "ought to pass" tonight. According to documents from the City Clerk's office, the Council is expected to discuss the CVS proposal tonight at 7 p.m. in a public hearing. The aldermen's subcommittee on special permits reviewed the proposal on Dec. 10 and recommended project approval with several conditions. The North Woburn CVS would be more than 15,000 square-feet and include a drive-thru pharmacy. The City Council subcommittee's recommended conditions are: Source: City Clerk's Office.
Monday, December 17, 2012
After Friday's school shooting in Newtown, CT, Woburn's officials will meet to discuss safety measures in public buildings.
As communities across the country grapple with the tragic events at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, Woburn's public officials are using the event as a catalyst to confirm and review safety plans for city buildings. "This event is especially troubling to those of us who have responsibility for keeping children safe," said Mayor Scott Galvin and Superintendent of Schools Mark Donovan in a joint statement issued on Saturday. "Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who has been touched by this tragedy." According to the statement, all of the city's public schools have security measures and plans in place. Officials will meet today "to review the various staff training initiatives and other matters concerning security in our …
Friday, December 7, 2012
City's state legislators chime in on Gov. Deval Patrick's proposed aid cuts.
Gov. Deval Patrick announced plans to close a $540 million state budget deficit this week through a combination of cuts and transfers from the state's "rainy day" fund. The proposed cuts, some of which require the approval of the legislature, would reduce the state's planned aid to Woburn in the current fiscal year, FY2013, by nearly $50,000. City officials rarely cut a single position to make up for a lump sum state aid cut. Normally, officials will take from several accounts or make up the funding by using a "savings" account. Woburn's state legislators react... "Sen. [Ken] Donnelly would not approve these cuts. The senator understands there is a revenue problem in the commonwealth, but would need to see the whole package of cuts in…
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Is it appropriate for Woburn to have a religious display on the city common?
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Wednesday, December 5, 2012
For years, the city of Woburn has decorated the common in December. Along with winter ornaments, a large nativity scene is prominently featured. Earlier this week, Woburn Patch received a complaint from a reader who declined to leave his or her name: "I think it's wrong that we have a religious display on the common. City funds should not be used for religious displays." While there is a nativity scene, there are also: What do you think? Is the nativity scene appropriate? In a city that has three Catholic churches, three Baptist churches, two Congregational churches, a Lutheran parish, a Methodist church and several other Christian parishes—is it OK to have a display depicting the birth of Jesus Christ on the city common?
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Mayor Scott Galvin declared November Hospice Awareness Month.
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Tuesday, December 4, 2012
The following text was provided by Mayor Scott Galvin's office: Woburn Mayor Scott Galvin, along with the Woburn Friends of VNA Hospice Care, pronounced November “Hospice Awareness Month” and encourages community members to increase their understanding and awareness of care at end of life and to discuss end of life planning with friends and family. “Hospice is not brink-of-death care intended for the last days of life only,” explains VNA Hospice Care Executive Director Diane Bergeron. “Hospice care is most effective for patients and families in the final months of life when families can take full advantage of the range of services hospice provides.” VNA Hospice Care is located in Woburn, Mass. and provides a variety of services, …
Carol Youngclaus
8:20 am on Friday, January 18, 2013
I sure would like to see Planning Board and Conservation Commission minutes online, too ... and agendas for all upcoming meetings, not just the City Council! more ›