Former board officials remember the 'mayor'

At the Nov. 7 Select Board meeting, former board members expressed their fond memories of Arlington’s former “mayor,” Marie Krepelka, as she was affectionately called, who died Oct. 26. 

Steven Byrne, a former member of the board from 2012 to 2017: “I considered Marie family, and loved her very much. Her dedication to the town cannot be understated. If not for Marie, I probably wouldn’t have served on the Select Board. Her wealth of knowledge, understanding of the town, and a long history of knowing and respecting―and being loving and kind to―people was super special. I’m going to miss her.”

Joe Curro, a former member of the board from 2012 to 2021: “We lost an institution. There’ll never be another one like her. Marie knew who she was, and was kind. She personally knew all the election workers, and brought in teams across the political spectrum, both newcomers and old-timers. She was a mother to us all.”

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Ex-owner of E. Arlington insurer sentenced in theft of U.S. benefits

Quinn

The former owner and operator of an East Arlington-based insurance agency was sentenced Nov. 8 after he was convicted of fraudulently receiving disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Social Security Administration.   

Patrick Quinn, 50, of Arlington, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to one year and one day in prison followed by one year of supervised release, a news release from the office of U.S. Attorney Rachel Rollins says. Quinn was also ordered to pay restitution of $98,940 to the VA. Quinn already paid restitution of $281,439 to SSA.

On April 12, Quinn was convicted by a federal jury of two counts of theft of public funds and two counts of making false statements.

Quinn, until the federal government brought its case against him, was active in local civic life as a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals. 

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Parking spot at Town Hall crosswalk removed; walk added at Summer/Sunset

The Select Board has unanimously agreed to remove one parking spot directly across from Town Hall and to add a crosswalk at the Summer Street/Sunset Road intersection, as recommended by Arlington’s Transportation Advisory Commission (TAC).

TAC presented at the board's Oct. 24 meeting the following two recommendations, which the board unanimously approved:

• Eliminate the parking spot across from Town Hall to increase pedestrian visibility in the crosswalk. This parking spot abuts the Mass. Ave. crosswalk in front of Town Hall and the driveway exit from the Citizens Bank drive-through teller. To see the report, click here >> 
• Add a crosswalk across from Summer Street at Sunset Road for Peirce Elementary School. Sunset Road has the highest demand for pedestrian crossing, as it is where many parents and children cross Summer Street. This new crosswalk recommendation on the west side of Sunset Road at Summer has been endorsed by many neighbors and the school. To see the report, click here >> 

TAC also presented the following two reports for which they recommended, and the board approved, no action:

• An Overlook Road resident requested that the Arlington Police Department (APD) perform periodic speed enforcement, and install speed bumps and 20 mph speed signs, because Overlook Road between Washington Street and Summer Street is now a major pass-through, with many drivers speeding. However, no speeding complaints on this stretch of Overlook Road have been reported to the APD. The request to lower the speed limit to 20 mph cannot be justified because this stretch of roadway does not meet the standards for a school zone or safety zone, and so adding a speed bump or other infrastructure is not warranted. To see the report, click here >> 
• (a) Install do-not-block markings and signing at the intersection of Mill Street and Millbrook Drive. Observation during the morning peak period (approximately 8:15 a.m.) revealed no substantial queues for the left turn from Mill northbound to Millbrook, nor for exiting Millbrook, and this recommendation could potentially increase delays. 

(b) At the signalized pedestrian crosswalk on Mass. Ave. directly in front of Arlington High School, install a semipermeable barrier in the parking lane on Mass. Ave. upstream of the crosswalk. Studies determine that it is inappropriate to have parking, or even drop-off activity, immediately upstream of the crosswalk.

(c) Add bike parking to the southeast corner of the high school, by Mass. Ave. However, as of late September, four temporary bike racks had been provided near the school entrance, in addition to the permanent rack installed on the school’s front west side.

To see the report, click here >> 

The board unanimously approved receipt of all four reports and to have them be recorded by the board administrator.

Oct. 26, 2022: Town forecast signals $4.5m deficit for fiscal '25

  

This news summary by YourArlington freelance writer Susan Gilbert was published Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.

This reporting demonstrates your donations at work to support democracy here. YourArlington is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.Your contributions are tax-deductible. Donate here >> 

 

Donut Villa Diner headed to Common Ground space

The long-closed space at 319 Broadway, where Common Ground offered gastropub fare from 2014 to 2019, is expected to open soon with Donut Villa Diner.

“Donut Villa is a retro brunch restaurant that specializes in doughnuts,” said owner Erin Bashllari at the Select Board's Oct. 24 meeting. “The establishment will also serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, and includes vegan options and a full liquor license.”

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MIAA soccer upset: AHS boys undefeated no more

UPDATED Nov. 7: The fifth-seeded Arlington High School boys' soccer team (14-1-3) lost to No. 28 Boston College High (7-8-4) in round 32 of the MIAA Division 1 state tournament. The score was 2-1, the MIAA reported.

BostonGlobe.com reported Nov. 7 that BC High senior captain Matt Studley and junior Elias Novina netted first half goals en route to a first-round win for the Eagles. Sophomore goaltender Jake McConville stopped a penalty kick and recorded eight saves in the victory.

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Outside Court St. Post Office, who's got mail? Thieves might

Mailboxes outside Court Street Post Office. / Bob Sprague photo

UPDATED Nov. 6: Someone is stealing mail from the boxes in front of the Court Street Post Office. Some of that mail contains checks. Some of those checks have been cashed for amounts much larger than the face amounts.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Boston and the police in Arlington are investigating, though they decline to be more specific.

YourArlington has had email exchanges in recent weeks with four residents who report incidents, two of which might mean that a criminal is washing a stolen check -- that is, changing the face amount and recipient before cashing it.

Checking-washing fraud emerged to greater prominence during the start of the pandemic, and recent cases have been reported in Chicago, Philadelphia and Baltimore.

In Arlington, four told their stories, and three agreed to be identified by name.

Pat Howe noted her mailbox experience briefly on the Arlington email list in October. Responding to YourArlington on Oct. 17, she detailed what happened after April 24, when she mailed two checks at one of the three outdoor mailboxes on Court Street.

“One was to my sister,” she wrote, “and she called me a few days later and said it hadn’t arrived, and she was worried it might have been lost.”

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Public schools' hiring tops 200 new employees as more sought

'Students overall are more diverse than our staff.'
   -- Robert Spiegel, human-resources director

The Arlington Public Schools have hired more than 200 new employees in the past 13 months, Human Resources Director Robert Spiegel told the School Committee at its regular meeting Thursday, Oct. 27.

These include 82 educators, 54 paraprofessionals, 23 after-school employees, 14 food-service staff, eight administrators, four custodians, two crossing guards, two registration coordinators -- and even more.

APS is still in hiring mode, seeking special-education teachers, a nurse, an Italian teacher, substitutes, paraprofessionals, crossing guards and food-service workers.

The district especially hopes to find employees of color so staff will better resemble the children they work with. “Students overall are more diverse than our staff,” he said.

Currently, he said, 78 percent of APS employees are considered white , as are 71 percent of the new hires -- although it is not always certain, as some decline to identify their ethnicity, Spiegel said. Diverse employees “have a lens” that others may not and provide “windows and mirrors” for children of color, he said.

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Town forecast signals $4.5m deficit for fiscal '25

'FY24 has no deficit because ... we exercised discipline to keep our commitments to reduce that deficit.'
      -- Steve DeCourcey

UPDATED Oct. 28: Town Manager Sandy Pooler presented Arlington’s current and upcoming bottom-line budget numbers to the Select Board at its Monday, Oct. 24, meeting. The Long-Range Planning Committee recently put in place final numbers for fiscal 2023 and forecasts for fiscal 2024 through '28, he said. 

Arlington has a balanced budget for fiscal '24 -- but a $4.5 million deficit projected for the fiscal year after that. In ensuing years, the forecast deficit grows, to $20 million in fiscal 2026, $25 million the year after and $30 million in fiscal '28, explained Pooler. Download the budget spreadsheet here >>

Pooler said that free cash was very high last year, which gave Arlington a boost for fiscal '25 in the long-range plan. However, he said, “I’m not ready to make a particular override amount or timing.” Download the free-cash report here >> 

The budget glossary on the town website explains “free cash” >>

“We have a structural deficit in town. Things cost more than the limits of Proposition 2½, and we have to ask the town’s residents about an override that they can vote on. We’ll still look forward to Governor Baker’s budget when it comes out in February. That may change some of our numbers, but things are pretty well set now,” said Pooler.

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