HomeCATNews UpdatesLocal GovernmentTimberlake "Yes," Drew Gardens "No"

Timberlake “Yes,” Drew Gardens “No”

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We’ll have a full three-part transcript from the Oct. 20 Westford Special Town Meeting on Tuesday. The full video will also be up this week at westfordcat.org

In the meantime, here is a quick recap of what happened. More information on Town Meeting is available at the town website.

Voters Move Through First Five Articles Rapidly

After a quorum was reached, it took only 12 minutes to get through the first five warrant articles.

Those articles included a few appropriations, money for two town employee positions that would replace two positions set to be phased out, and one article that Town Manager Jodi Ross says represents the town’s best financial news in over a decade.

Oct. 20, 2014 Special Town Meeting
Oct. 20, 2014 Special Town Meeting

Voters Approve Purchase of Timberlake Property

In a voice vote, voters approved the purchase of a wooded area off Wing Road for $900,000 as well as appropriating $350,000 in Community Preservation funding for that purchase, with more portions of the $900,000 coming from other areas.

Grant money has been requested to reimburse the town for the purchase, but some voters were confused over what account that grant money would go into, or if it was coming at all.

Abutters also had concerns over the impact this purchase would have on accessibility for their properties as well as nearby trails at the MIT Haystack property.

Voters Turn Down Drew Gardens Purchase, But Keep Its Task Force Going

At the recommendation of the Selectmen, voters said no to a potential town purchase of the former Drew Gardens property.

Denali Delmar made a resolution asking the town to try and get an apple orchard there, which failed, but a resolution by Emily Teller to keep a task force specifically related to the property intact did pass.

 

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