Fidelity House awarded $100k, 5th Cummings grant to town nonprofits

Fidelity House youths spread the news.

Fidelity House has been awarded a $100,000 grant, to be given in two installments, earmarked for its youth transportation feeds for this year and beyond.

It is the among 140 local nonprofits -- and the fifth in Arlington -- to receive a 2022 award through the Cummings Foundation’s $25 Million Grant program. The others are Visiting Nurses & Community Care, AYCC, Food Link and the bIRch House.

Fidelity House, serving the youth of Arlington since 1955, is dedicated to meeting community needs by providing affordable, diverse and quality services for all ages. Youth participate in its summer day camps, school-age child-care program, preschool as well as children and teen services.

Fidelity House has been dealing with the impact of regulation on transportation affecting both the school year and summer programming. That was further complicated by the disruption of services during Covid-19, resulting in the lack of available vehicles.

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Diversity director updates public about DEI guide

Watch ACMi's video of Jillian Harvey providing an update:

Jillian Harvey, town director of diversity, equity and inclusion, reports that the town's new community-engagement coordinator has come on board and the Mass. Coalition DEI Guide she co-authored is available.

She also provides recaps on recent DEI events, plus looks forward to future ones.

View the Mass Coalition DEI Guide >> 

This news announcement was published Saturday, June 18, 2022.

Visiting Nurse & Community Care awarded $500k Cummings grant

Arlington VNCC staff celebrates Cummings gran

Visiting Nurse & Community Care,  in East Arlington, is the fourth nonprofit in town to announce it has been awarded a Cummngs grant. It will receive $500,000 over 10 years.

Others in town receiving awards through Cummings Foundation’s $25 Million Grant Program are AYCC, Food Link and the bIRch House.

Visiting Nurse & Community Care, at 37 Broadway, is among the few remaining independent, nonprofit home health-care agencies in Massachusetts providing quality community and home nursing, personal care and hospice services.

The Cummings grant will allow Visiting Nurse & Community Care to provide technology to families and our home health and nursing staff so that there can be ongoing video communication to enhance care. 

PacSana technology, which encompasses wearable devices aimed at improving care while facilitating independent living, will be provided to families. The technology allows users to monitor the activity levels of loved ones via an app.

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State OKs town's 5-year housing plan

The state Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has approved the town's five-year housing plan.

Town planning announced that the new plan replaces the town’s 2016 housing effort, which expired last fall. Informed by data, research and community engagement, the plan shares a vision and specific ways that Arlington can lead on providing housing options for a range of people.

The plan includes a comprehensive housing needs assessment, affordable housing goals and outlines strategies for how to achieve those goals through policy and zoning changes, new programs and funding sources. 

Read the plan here >>

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State housing organization honors Raitt with Housing Hero Award

Raitt holding her award.

The Massachusetts Housing Partnership has honored Jennifer Raitt with one of its Housing Hero Awards for her dedication to affordable and fair housing during her many years of public service and for the last six years with the Town of Arlington.

Raitt received the award June 8 in a virtual awards ceremony at MHP’s 15th Housing Institute, a two-day training conference for local officials and volunteers. MHP is a state organization that uses bank funds and other capital sources to support and finance affordable housing. Each year, it recognizes communities and individuals for excellence in affordable housing.

“Your expertise in both housing policy and planning are key to move housing forward in ways that strive to repair past and present harms,” said Laura Shufelt, MHP’s community assistance director, in a June 15 news release

“We have always seen you as a leading voice on fair housing, and people like you are crucial as we move forward efforts to build homes for people in Massachusetts and around the country.”

Raitt has spent most of her career in planning and community development, including six years for the Town of Amesbury, nine years at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and her most recent stint as Arlington’s planning and community development director.

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Longtime resident recalls how Red Sox gave her hits she needed

Marianne Comeau: Her heart bleeds Red Sox.

UPDATED May 14: You may have seen Marianne Comeau doling out oars for canoes at Spy Pond in summers past. Or at the Ed Burns rec center working with kids. Or simply jogging around town, something she has done since 1979.

The affable friend to police officers who knows when house fires hit shows up all over town.

When Wally the Green Monster visited for the ribbon-cutting Saturday, May 14, at Del's Lemonade, in Brattle Square, Marianne was there -- in body and in spirit. She helped cut the ribbon, welcoming Del's, here since August.

The longtime resident has a real connection with Wally, the Red Sox mascot.

"I remember the day in April of 1997 when Wally came out the left-field door at Fenway," she told YourArlington. At the time, she was doing game promotions for the Sox. "Weeks later, I was asked to be Wally's escort around the park and on special appearances."

That included working with Wally and all the Major League Baseball mascots during the 1999 All-Star Game. She took them in an open trolley for appearances throughout Boston.

Comeau worked for the Red Sox in the mid-to-late '90s, earning credit as an intern while attending UMass/Amherst.

Another thrill: She was chosen to audition to be the public-address announcer and was honored in a pregame ceremony as an outstanding employee.

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Public schools restore indoor-mask rule; DEI job on hold

 'Our No. 1 priority is to make sure we stay open for in-person learning.'

-- Superintendent Homan

Teens and those who work with them now must wear masks indoors at public schools as the Town of Arlington rides the wave of Covid-19 cases, the School Committee learned at its regular meeting Thursday, May 12.

This is the situation even though some 90 percent of students in grades seven through 12 are vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus, according to the Arlington Public Schools’ “dashboard,” or specialized website that displays current and historical data related to the ongoing pandemic.

“The rates are high enough” that returning to required masking at several campuses is needed to ensure that in-person classes continue, Superintendent Elizabeth Homan told the six members present. Jeff Thielman was absent.

“Our No. 1 priority is to make sure we stay open for in-person learning,” Homan said.

Ottoson Middle School and Arlington High School, comprising grades seven through 12, now have mandatory masking. Those on campus at Dallin, grades K-5, continue to have to wear masks indoors, as does Menotomy Preschool, which has never yet lifted the mandate due to the age of the pupils, who are not yet eligible for vaccination. Bishop School, grades K-5, is now under mandate. On the other hand, Gibbs School, serving grade 6, no longer must wear masks -- but they are strongly recommended there and at the other five elementary schools.

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Session 6 picks up pace, addressing 6 articles, budgets

Moderator offers new rules aimed at meeting June deadline

UPDATED May 14: Rule No. 1: Show up. The elected representatives from more than half the town’s 21 precincts -- or 132 members -- were 100-percent present for the Special Town Meeting, held Wednesday, May 11, in session six. The citizen-powered legislative branch of Arlington is made up of 252 representatives, and meets annually each spring.

 The three-hour meeting, which is embedded within the annual town meeting, tabled one and moved five articles for consideration in the first two hours, leaving enough time to reopen the annual meeting for initial consideration of the extensive Article 50 (appropriation/town budgets).

The quicker turnaround was driven by Moderator Greg Christiana, who said, “We’re behind the pace that we’re going to need to finish by June 20, which is the deadline for us to have a budget in time for the new fiscal year.”

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