Andrew Czazasty for Dedham Town Meeting, Precinct 7

Save the Date - The Select Board and local officials will be hosting a Community Update re: Emergency Assistance in on Thursday, January 18th as the second half of the Select Board's public meeting.

This meeting will be held via hybrid format - at Town Hall (O'Brien Room on 3rd Floor) and via Zoom.

Note: A final agenda will be posted when finalized and made available at Town Hall and via the Town website calendar that will include times and Zoom links. Please check back or subscribe for future email notifications at www.dedham-ma.gov/subscribe

The Dedham Public Schools is having a community forum about adding solar panel canopies over open parking areas at DHS, DMS, Avery, and ECEC! Meeting is January 8 at 7 PM at the Middle School Auditorium. I think this is a good move for clean energy efficiency (not to mention puts us in compliance with new state mandates), and I gladly voted for it when the issue came before Town Meeting last fall.

For context, I’m also posting a memo Town Meeting Members got to review before voting on the project. I hope to see some of you on Monday!

Busy week this week. I made public comments at three meetings. One of them is in support of an SBRC vote (I’m not all negative!), the other two, not so much.

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MONDAY DECEMBER 11 (School Building Rehabilitation Committee):

I want to express my full support for a geothermal system. It’s cheaper, greener, and more energy efficient. I don’t know what more you could ask for. Hopefully this new school will last until 2090 or 2100. I would hope that by 2100, we have the cleanest energy possible, and taking advantage of that now will be great not only for long-term maintenance and the costs, but also reducing our carbon footprint for decades. If I were an engineer, I’d personally want to build geothermal systems as much as possible.

Even if this school doesn’t work out this time around, I’d hope the committee considers geothermal options for all the schools down the line. Hopkins Academy in Hadley is replacing their oil-burning boiler with geothermal heat pumps. The School Committee there noted the state and federal incentives for doing so, and that the town wouldn’t have to pay for regular oil bills anymore. Lots of benefits there.

New Bedford is doing the same with their new elementary school. The superintendent in New Bedford said that it would normally cost $14 million, but with rebates, it’s going down to $6.1 million.

This is the best option financially and environmentally, and I hope the committee will support geothermal displacement ventilation.

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TUESDAY DECEMBER 12 (Select Board/School Committee/School Building Rehabilitation Committee):

I would like to preface my remarks by noting that every person at this table serves with honor. All members of the School Committee, SBRC, and Select Board come to this project with the best of intentions. Similarly, supporters of the project are not out to destroy the town, and opponents do not hate kids. I hope we can all work to tone down the rhetoric. My hands are not clean in that regard, nor or those of many in this room on all sides. I hope that we can all aim to do better.

I’ve heard many times through the past few months that the plan isn’t perfect, but we shouldn’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Usually I share that sentiment, but this is a project that will forever alter who we are as a town. This will be the decision that determines if we are a town based on distinct neighborhoods, and what those neighborhoods will be. In that sense, we must take every effort to make this project as good as possible. This isn’t a time to say “well, it’s an OK plan.” ‘Just OK’ isn’t enough for an endeavor on this scale.

We’re looking at a building multiple new schools that will hopefully last until 2100. That’s a long time. In the long-run, will it truly make a huge difference to the town’s planning whether it opens in 2026 or 2028 or 2030? If you have kids that will be entering elementary school in the near future, I’m sure it will, and I understand the frustration of not having a new school right away. But we need to look beyond the next few years and look at what we will be as a town in 2040, 2050, and beyond with this project. The Greenlodge neighborhood will cease to exist. You’ll have a section of town with two elementary schools, a middle school, and high school all within walking distance of each other, while people looking to invest the Manor will have nothing. And make no mistake: the neighborhood will falter without a school. When was the last time you heard someone say “I’m from the Dexter neighborhood”, or “I’m from the Ames neighborhood?” On that subject, how long did it take for this building, the old Ames School, to be rehabilitated? Over 30 years. Same with the Dexter School. Capen is going through the same fate right now. So please understand why many of us are skeptical when boards say that they will reinvest in Greenlodge in a timely manner. The town doesn’t exactly have the best reputation for maintaining defunct school properties.

As for taxes. As we saw at last week’s Select Board meeting, taxes are going up. Building a new school, whether now or in a few years, is going to be another increase. Maybe not as much because the Middle School debt is coming off the books, but still, things will be expensive no matter what happens. If we’re going to ask taxpayers for a giant increase again, let’s at least make it worth their while and invest in schools to better our individual districts and neighborhoods. That is how we build a better Dedham. Thank you.

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THURSDAY DECEMBER 15 (Select Board):

I’m here to ask the Select Board to advocate for a pause of the current state of the Greenlodge/Oakdale Elementary Building Project. At last Tuesday’s meeting, Vice Chair Teehan said he likes compromise, Ms. Boles Welsh said she’d be open to new information, and Ms. Sullivan said she needs time to digest some of the information.
As a reminder, last Tuesday the MSBA indicated that their enrollment projections have changed. The state agency originally projected a standalone Oakdale would accommodate 235 students, now they project 300. They used to think a consolidated Greenlodge/Oakdale would be 550 students, now that number is 615. The MSBA’s projected enrollment is now 12% higher than what the School Committee and SBRC have been pushing for the last six months.
First, let’s talk about the new enrollment projections for a standalone Oakdale. Last September, the SBRC Chair published a list of 63 MSBA-funded elementary school projects, and noted that none of them were for a projected enrollment as low as 235 students, with the argument that the MSBA wouldn’t help fund such a small school. Well, that argument no longer holds since the MSBA is projecting 300 now. Now a standalone Oakdale would be bigger than or on par with many of those school districts from last September’s list – including South Hadley, Northborough, Foxborough, Manchester Essex Regional, and Randolph. A 300-student standalone Oakdale would not be an outlier for MSBA funding.
Now let’s look at the combined school, which the MSBA now estimates at 615 students. Last year, the Middle School had 540 students. The Town is now being asked to build something that can accommodate 75 more students than that. And the Middle School has fewer students, but it’s situated between three streets that are equipped for heavy traffic and high pedestrian volume. As for this new combined Oakdale, do we really believe that Madison St, a glorified side road, is capable of handling more vehicle and foot traffic than Whiting Ave? And as for the school population itself, as some of us have previously mentioned, 550 students would already be bigger than 80% of elementary schools across the state. Now what percent of Massachusetts elementary schools have a population above 615? And as one School Committee Member said last summer, “if we build it, they will come.” I don’t even know if the MSBA’s analysis accounts for student population booms when a new school is built, like what happened when Avery was built. With 65 more students (and counting) than the initial projection, how will that affect the design we saw last Tuesday? We can either (a) build three or four more classrooms, which would affect the amenity spaces the SBRC has been advertising, or (b) increase class sizes, which the SBRC has also advertised that they helped keep low. Either way, it’s a catch-22. As Vice Chair Teehan said, the puzzle pieces don’t all fit.
We can build a new standalone Oakdale at the site, with room to spare to help accommodate kids with special needs (I know that was an issue discussed earlier this week). A standalone will still have enough room to accommodate the overcrowding we’re seeing at Avery. And, for those who are whipping votes, the major opposition disappears. Brian, Mary Ellen, Drew, Carlene, etc. would all become advocates.
We have a real opportunity here to change course and create this new elementary school. I hope others won’t be stubborn for the sake of “not letting them win,” as some might say. As Select Board members, you have the power to influence the timeline of all this, you have the power to advocate for a new direction. More influence than I have. I would ask Board members to please advocate for a better solution. Thank you.

Along with being on Town Meeting, I’m also a member of the Dedham Cultural Council, which provides grant funding for cultural-related events and organizations around town.

We got about $60,000 worth of requests this year (meaning we had to say no to some people; usually when we say no, usually it’s because we don’t feel that the application has enough of a direct connection with Dedham). Through town meeting and state appropriations, we have a little less than $25,000 to divvy up. The amount awarded reflects our deliberations at our most recent meeting last month. Thank you to all applicants, and I’m excited to see these projects come to fruition!

Busy day today, lots of emails about lots of issues.

Two big things: IF the new combo school is built (which I hope it isn’t), I would at least like to see the field put to good use there. I would support a baseball field in that area; I think that’s the best option.

Also I think the water study group proposed by Shaw McDermott for Town Meeting next week is a good idea. The Select Board is issuing their recommendation this Thursday, and I hope they look favorably on it.

After mini town meeting, I’m undecided on how to vote on Article 1 next week. The article looks to reappropriate $700,000 that Town Meeting previously appropriated to Dolan Center (parks & rec building) repairs, and put that money into school repairs. I understand both sides of this issue. On one hand, schools are used by hundreds of kids every day, so facility repair there should naturally take priority over the parks & rec building. However, parks & rec has always historically gotten the shaft when it comes to town funding. I’m not sure how I feel about taking money that Town Meeting previously appropriated, and going ahead and saying “nevermind, this is more important now.”

I’m not sure what the right answer is on this article. I’m seeking feedback from residents, particularly those in Precinct 7. You can email me at [email protected].

Thank you!

Looking at the warrant for November’s town meeting. I agree with most of the recommendations of the Finance & Warrant Committee and Planning Board (which doesn’t happen too often!). The only recommendation I find questionable is the recommendation to indefinitely postpone Article 19. I’ve had a few emails with Shaw McDermott about this water issue, and I think a study group could be good idea. Especially since one of the most common complaints about Dedham is the water quality. I’ll do more research on the pros and cons on this, because the article seems reasonable to me.

Here’s a more comprehensive report of what the By-Law Review Committee discussed yesterday.

BY-LAW REVIEW COMMITTEE UPDATE:

The BLRC looks at Town Meeting articles that would change the town’s general by-laws. We met tonight to discuss articles that will be voted on at Town Meeting this November (Articles 7, 10, 11, 12, 13).

You can view all the articles coming before Town Meeting at tinyurl.com/DedhamFTMwarrant2023.

I’ll have more to say when I report to the Finance and Warrant Committee next week.

ARTICLE 7: We recommend passage of the article as written.

ARTICLE 10: We recommend passage but insert the word “calendar” in line 2 so that it says “…an Annual Town Report for the calendar year next preceding.”

ARTICLE 11: We recommend passage with quite a few grammatical/numbering changes (I’ll have a full list for FinCom). We also recommend removal of proposed §246-11 with the “blessing” of Town Counsel, because we see it as redundant to proposed §246-6(G).

ARTICLE 12: The Town Planning Director introduced a couple of changes tonight (as opposed to what’s written in the Warrant). We felt that we didn’t have enough time to review the proposed changes, so the BLRC will meet again this coming Monday to make a final recommendation.

ARTICLE 13: We recommend indefinite postponement. Most of our committee sees the article as a solid idea (and it will be emphasized to FinCom that we did not recommend IP’ing because we disagree), but we think the article needs time to be fleshed out and looking at all possible scenarios that could come with hybrid Town Meetings.

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In other business, 2025 is coming up. Every year that ends in “5”, the BLRC personally reviews ALL of the town’s bylaws and recommends changes. We usually meet twice a year, but in 2025, it’s going to be a year-long thing and we’ll probably have a lot to recommend for Fall TM 2025. Something to keep in mind.

www.dedham-ma.gov

Hi everyone,

The By-Law Review Committee (BLRC) will be meeting on September 27 to discuss Articles 7, 10, 11, 12, and 13 on the Warrant for the Fall Town Meeting.

Descriptions of these articles (and all articles) can be found here:

https://tinyurl.com/DedhamFTMwarrant2023

Note that the BLRC is a *recommending* board. We make our suggestions about these articles to the Finance and Warrant Committee, which itself makes recommendations to Town Meeting. Nothing our committee votes to recommend legally binding until Town Meeting approves it in November (and in the case of bylaw changes, also requires approval of the Massachusetts Attorney General).

Here are the descriptions of what we will discuss on Wednesday:

ARTICLE SEVEN (by the Finance Director): Creates a new revolving fund for environmental management. Also increases the annual spending limit for the pool revolving fund from $225,000 to $300,000, and the Recreation Revolving Fund from $190,000 to $300,000.

ARTICLE TEN (by the Town Manager): Renames “Selectmen” to “Select Board” in the Annual Town Report.

ARTICLE ELEVEN (by the Town Manager): Creates the position of Stormwater Manager to oversee the program (NOTE: this article does not impact the stormwater fee. There is a separate article - Article Twenty-One - that deals with that).

ARTICLE TWELVE (by the Town Manager): Overhauls the “Open Space and Recreation Committee” by-laws into a “Conservation Commission” by-laws (NOTE: I caught a typo in this one. The Open Space and Recreation Committee by-laws are established in Chapter 12, Article V, NOT Chapter 12, Article XII, as is printed in the Warrant. I contacted Town Manager Goodwin about this, and he said he would work with Town Counsel to fix this.)

ARTICLE THIRTEEN (by P3 TMM Jason Brogan): To allow for permanent hybrid attendance at Town meetings (such as Zoom).

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I talked with Assistant Town Manager Nancy Baker to allow for Zoom participation so members of the public can tune in without having to come into Town Hall. If you have any questions or comments about these articles, please don’t hesitate to email me at [email protected]. I can also forward any comments to other members of the BLRC.

SOME THOUGHTS I HAVE ON OUR LOCAL LIBRARIES:

To the Members of the Board of Library Trustees:

My name is Andrew Czazasty, and I am a regular patron of Dedham Public Library. I'd just like to share some suggestions I have.

It is very difficult to get a newly released book. I often request a book through the Minuteman system and it can take 3 months for a copy to arrive. However, other libraries (including our neighbors in Westwood and Dover) have a "speed read" section where you can check out newly released books without reservations, renewals, etc. I think this is a great idea; it allows for people to get new books quickly, but it also keeps circulation moving since you can't reserve or renew. I end up going to Westwood or Dover (or even Waltham) to get new books, since I know they are always in stock. I believe circulation would increase if DPL implemented some kind of speed read section.

Additionally, I would like to see more comfortable seating in the study rooms at the Endicott branch. The Endicott branch is closer to where I live, so I like to go there to get work done. Unfortunately, the plastic chairs there are not good for long periods of time. The chairs at the main library tables are excellent. I believe that if you could get more comfortable seats at the Endicott study room, the room will be better utilized.

Thank you for your attention,
Andrew Czazasty

My questions regarding the migrant crisis and how it affects Dedham:

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To the members of the Select Board:

I've heard a lot about the migrant crisis in Massachusetts, and many people in my precinct are concerned about how this affects Dedham. At some point, I'd like the Town Manager's Office to give an update about how the current state of emergency affects Dedham. Some things I'd like to know:

(1) Where are the migrants in Dedham currently being housed? I hear local hotels house them; can you update us on which hotels and how many migrants are there? How long are they expected to stay there? Is this a demand from the State, or are the Town or the individual hotels voluntarily opening their doors?

(2) How will this affect school enrollment long-term? There are already concerns that the new combined school will be over-capacity when it opens. Greenlodge is already at 307 students this year, primarily due to permanent residents. How many migrant families will have school-aged children coming up?

(3) What resources have the state and federal governments provided Dedham? I know there's a lot of disappointment in NYC over the federal government's response (and Mayor Adams is making his disdain no secret). Even on the state level in Massachusetts, State Rep. Mark Cusack (D-Braintree) blasted Governor Healey's lack of communication and called our federal delegation "useless." Has anyone from the state or federal governments contacted municipal leaders here?

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Apologies if the Town Manager's Office has already answered these questions at a previous meeting; if the Select Board addressed these concerns, I'd appreciate a link to where you discussed it. Unfortunately, I'm unavailable to attend meetings on Thursday nights.

Thank you for your attention to my concerns,
Andrew Czazasty

In Opposition to the Greenlodge-Oakdale Elementary Building Project


To the Editor:
As a Town Meeting Member for the Greenlodge neighborhood, I have closely monitored the project to shut down the Greenlodge Elementary School, led by the School Building Rehabilitation Committee (SBRC). I greatly appreciate all of the feedback from people across Precinct 7. I have gotten a few emails from people in favor, had many conversations with people against, and received valuable information from residents throughout the precinct and across town.
I will vote against the Greenlodge-Oakdale Elementary Building Project (which I will henceforth abbreviate as GOEBP) when the motion comes before the Town Meeting. My opposition comes from the location of the proposed combined school at the Oakdale site. This location constitutes poor planning. It does not make sense to me to have one area of town with a neighborhood school (Riverdale), two schools right next to each other (Avery and the combined Oakdale), and a portion of Dedham without anything. The Greenlodge neighborhood, as it stands, is already the least developed area in town for anything besides housing. There are no parks or commercial development. We have a baseball field in disrepair that Town Meeting shamefully refused to appropriate funds toward fixing in Fall 2022. All we have gotten from the Town is our elementary school, and now the Town even wants to take that away.
Let’s look ahead thirty years if the GOEBP passes. By 2050, we have three elementary schools built in the twenty-first century. Let’s assume you’re a young couple looking to buy a forever home for your new family. Given that all schools are relatively “new” at this point, why would you want to live in the neighborhood furthest away from any of the three schools? Of course, many factors go into choosing where to live. But access to elementary school is a major one. A child living on Trenton Rd in the Manor in 2050 must walk 1.5 miles to get to school.
Meanwhile, a child living on Sanderson Ave by Endicott must only walk 0.3 miles to reach Oakdale. Or if they get redistricted to Avery, it’s only an additional 0.3 miles longer. If I were a young parent in 2050, I would know which neighborhood to move into. The GOEBP will create a long-term hot investment market in the Oakdale area while the Manor falters. Are we to believe that the Town will invest any more resources south of Sprague St once Greenlodge closes?
Mr. Langmead’s letter in last week’s edition of The Dedham Times is compelling. I will concede that Langmead is a good writer. However, there are some points with which I’m afraid I have to disagree. In the letter, Mr. Langmead asks, “Can we simultaneously build a new school and redo the field at Greenlodge to make it a fabric of our vibrant sports community?” That’s an excellent point; we should repair the fields abutting the school. I will remind the editor that there was a vote at the Town Meeting in Fall 2022 to fix that problem. Article 13 would have appropriated $1.1 million to repair the fields at Greenlodge and Riverdale. The motion required 2/3 support but only received 61%. Mr. Langmead - after initially sponsoring the article - ended up voting against it. But now he is once again changing his position.
Mr. Langmead also entertained the possibility of turning the existing Greenlodge site into a pre-K. He is not the only one to suggest that; at least one SBRC member has discussed similar thoughts. Building a pre-K raises an interesting point. Supporters of the GOEBP have talked endlessly about how the air filtration is supposedly poor at Greenlodge, how it’s moldy and rusting, and that there is a lack of safety features. So let me get this straight: supporters believe the conditions at the Greenlodge School are poor for elementary school students, but we should put preschool students there instead? How does that make sense?
“Well, we would renovate Greenlodge,” is what I can imagine GOEBP supporters will say. Interesting. Many are concerned that building a standalone Oakdale would mean foregoing state grants (which is not entirely true, but that’s a letter for another time). But we should create an entirely new school at Greenlodge just for preschoolers? GOEBP supporters will say combining schools is the fiscally prudent option for the town. But how much will it cost to transform the Greenlodge site into something great? We’ve been waiting for years to revitalize the eyesore that is the old Capen school into something. But we are to trust that the Town will refurbish the Greenlodge School in a timely, beautiful, and cost-effective manner while also building a combination school, a new Riverdale School, and all the other capital projects the Town has taken on lately? Pardon my skepticism.
Finally, I would like to refute the following sentence from Mr. Langmead’s letter last week: “Retroactively attacking decisions is dysfunctional and disrespectful to those who volunteer their time to serve.” The opposite of this is true. As Town Meeting Representatives, constituents task us with evaluating the proposals brought forth by various townwide boards, including the SBRC, and deciding if those recommendations are best for the town. I’m sure anyone who has served on the Planning Board, Select Board, etc. can attest to how frustrating it is to work on a project for months, or even years, just for a board of citizens who only meet twice a year to strike it all down. But this is our system of checks and balances in town. Voters should expect their Town Meeting Representatives to question recommendations made by town boards. That is what we are elected to do. Anything less would be derelict of our duties as Town Meeting Representatives.
At this point, I do not see a path forward that would get me to vote yes. This project is not suitable for my district or the town as a whole. Thank you.

Andrew Czazasty
Town Meeting Representative, District 7
Greenlodge Elementary School, Class of 2011

Portion of the lead article in The Dedham Times, 8/25/2023 (I encourage you all to buy a copy or read it at the library for the full article - support local newspapers!):

PREFERRED SCHEMATIC REPORT FOR NEW COMBINED SCHOOL APPROVED

By Scott Heald

On Tuesday evening the School Committee gave its assent to the Preferred Schematic Report being prepared for submission to the Massachusetts School Building Authority for a forthcoming elementary school for up to 550 students to be constructed on the grounds of the current Oakdale Elementary School.

The PSR reflects the prevailing, preliminary design now foremost among the options the district and several municipal boards are considering.

Early in the session the public comment portion occurred. The first such speaker was Andrew Czazasty of Sprague Street, who is a Town Meeting member for Precinct 7. He requested that the committee oppose the PSR submission.

"The new school should hopefully last at least 70 years," he said. "Looking at town planning, 70 years from now, I don't think it makes geographic sense to have one elementary school far away at Riverdale, two schools right next to each other with Avery and Oakdale, and entire neighborhoods with nothing."

He continued, "If we go down to three elementary schools -- which, for the record, I have been willing to negotiate on -- the schools should be spread apart, so that each third of town has something. We're looking at significant inequities in the Manor. That area of Dedham has suffered enough after the Capen ceased to be an elementary school in the 1980s... Thirty years from now, what young families would want to move into the area of town furthest from an elementary school? I've heard over and over during this process that equity is a significant driver in this decision.

"So where's the equity in putting two schools next to each other and effectively making the Manor an undesirable place to live for young families? If you approve the PSR tonight, (you're) ringing the death knell for the town to develop anything south of Sprague Street. The PSR will make the Oakdale neighborhood a hot investment market, while the Manor falters. If you genuinely believe in uplifting all areas in town, then you must vote against the PSR."

Addressing the committee Chair, who is Victor Hebert, Czazasty asked that the vote be done by roll call, such that the record would reflect how each member votes on this matter rather than simply indicating an aggregate tally.

HOW DOES THE STATE'S BUDGET AFFECT DEDHAM? Here are some highlights:

According to this year's "cherry sheet" released by the MA Department of Revenue, the state budget is estimated to be distributed to Dedham in the following ways:

Chapter 70 Funding: $6,992,697
Charter Tuition Reimbursement: $56,167
TOTAL EDUCATION: $7,048,864

Unrestricted General Government Aid: $3,909,311
Veterans Benefits: $39,312
Public Libraries: $56,851
TOTAL GENERAL GOVERNMENT: $4,005,474

TOTAL ESTIMATED RECIPTS TO DEDHAM: $11,054,338

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Throughout the state, here are some things funded by the Fair Share Amendment, approved by voters last year (note that this applies to all of Massachusetts, not just Dedham):

SOURCE: https://www.mma.org/gov-healey-signs-fy24-state-budget/ written by Jackie Lavender Bird

- $100 million to support construction and maintenance of municipal roadways, with at least half of the funding distributed based on each municipality's total share of road mileage and the remainder distributed through the Chapter 90 formula

- $100 million in supplemental grants for school construction projects already approved for financing by the Massachusetts School Building Authority to address significant and unanticipated cost escalations in recent years that are having an adverse impact on previously approved projects

- $69 million to codify the universal school meals program, which would provide free lunches at public schools for all students, regardless of household income

- $50 million for a Green School Works grant program, administered through the DESE, to provide financial support to K-12 districts to install or maintain clean energy infrastructure, which will help to support local climate action and promote energy efficiency

Well it's been quite a long weekend; I emailed all 273 town meeting members to ask where they stand on the elementary school project (well, ~265; I couldn't find an email for everybody). I emailed Precincts 1-4 over the weekend and just did Precincts 5-7 tonight.

Based on the responses I've gotten so far (and I've only received feedback from Precincts 1-4 so far), I think we have a good chance at keeping the vote under 2/3 (the project needs a 2/3 majority to pass; as it should be - a decision as impactful as this should require broad support from all neighborhoods and political ideologies, not just a simple majority). But if the vote were taken tonight, it would be close. Those who are currently undecided would make the difference.

I got some good feedback from those who said they are voting yes, and there were some recurring themes in those responses. My next step is to compile the most common reasons for voting yes, and present a counterargument.

Some of you have been asking what you can do to help. Well, right now the best option is to contact your Town Meeting Representatives. I know it's not the most exciting thing to do, but it's the most effective course of action right now. Unfortunately I can't give out the email addresses of Town Meeting Members (mine is [email protected], feel free to email me any time). But the email addresses of Precinct Officers IS public; you can email them and ask them to forward your messages to all your precinct reps. Contact info can be found here:

tinyurl.com/TownMeetingContact

If you don't know what precinct you live in, check

tinyurl.com/DedhamTownMeetingMap

(The map can be a bit clunky to read; you can also call the Town Clerk's office at 781-751-9200 to find out what precinct you're in and who your representatives are).

You can also email your ideas to [email protected]. A lot of you have already sent in great points and we're working on compiling all that information.

We had a good meeting at Dedham Community House a few weeks ago; great attendance, maybe about 30 or so concerned residents. We will definitely have more coming up. However, unfortunately some of our main members received bad news recently. Out of respect, we'll take a little hiatus from these planning meetings. I'll keep you all updated here when we have more events.

Lastly, it appears there are now social media groups both for and against the project. I was worried that this would happen, because things can easily go awry with misinformation and personal insults in these groups. However, what's done is done; I ask that if you're in these groups, to remember to treat all perspectives with respect. And don't "hijack" a post in the group you disagree with. If you're against the project, make a post in the "Save Greenlodge" group. If you're for the project, make a post in the "Friends of Greenlodge-Oakdale Project" group.