My regular monthly selectman office hours are at The Center on the first Friday of every month from 9:00 to 10:00 AM (this Friday).
Residents are welcome to stop by to talk in person about any town matters. Residents can also have coffee and see the Council on Aging in action (a vibrant organization with lots going on).
I can be reached via my cell phone at 508-359-9190 or my blog about Medfield matters, where any schedule changes will be posted.
I just learned last month that the Medfield Transfer Station and Recycling Committee (TSARC) has its own monthly newsletter, when my neighbor, Dick Scullary, mentioned it and shared with me his newsletter from December.
I emailed TSARC to ask to join, and today I had an exchange of emails with Annette Wells. In addition to putting me on their distribution list, she said it was OK to post about the TSARC monthly newsletter.
One can get on the distribution list by emailing to medfieldtsarc@gmail.com. Annette said that they add people from the transfer station sticker sign up list – Deb has been getting our stickers.
Below is part of what the December newsletter looked like –
TSARC Members NeededAre you interested in recycling in Medfield?The Committee is looking for some new members to join us in our quest to serve the town while making good environmental choices.The Committee typically meets on the 2nd Monday of each month. Currently the meetings are via Zoom.Please reply to this email if you are interested (or email medfieldtsarc@gmail.com)
Medfield’s COVID-19 Data Dashboard has been updated with case and testing data as of 1/14/2021. Medfield remains in the yellow category and has a case count of 74… Read on
From Laurel Scotti, President, Friends of the Dwight-Derby House –
Date: January 14, 2020
Friends of the Dwight-Derby House Announce New Website
The Friends of the Dwight-Derby House announces the launching of a new website at dwightderbyhouse.org.
The Dwight-Derby House is the story of two Medfield families who lived in the house that still stands at 7 Frairy Street dating back to 1651.
Some of the new features of this new site include George Horatio Derby Artifacts and Satirical Writing collections. George Horatio Derby was America’s first satirical writer, an explorer and a Captain who served in the U.S. Army of Topographical Engineers. His childhood home was the Dwight-Derby House, of Medfield.
Added to the site are a family timeline, restoration photos from the 1996 renovation when the house was purchased by the town of Medfield, online events, site rental information, and online shopping at The 1651 Shoppe.
A special thanks to Medfield Photographer Mark Hickey for his time and talent invested in the must-see interior room photography shown on the new website as well as editors Claire Shaw and Jo Ellen Heck.
For the safety of our visitors the museum is currently closed due to COVID-19. We look forward to seeing you as soon as we reopen.
We welcome feedback after you tour the upstairs rooms for the first time!
Email from Town Administrator Kristine Trierweiler today –
From: Chris Podgurski <cpodgurski@masscoastal.com> Date: Wed, Jan 13, 2021 at 6:06 PM Subject: FRAMINGHAM SECONDARY UPGRADES
To those it may concern:
As you may be aware, the Mass Coastal Railroad (MCRR) has been implementing a MASSDOT-Rail Capital Project whereas certain safety and compliance work was done between Mansfield and Framingham. After being acquired from CSX, MCRR and the owner MASSDOT immediately placed certain speed restrictions on these lines until such time as a Capital Project could be done.
Please be advised that Mass Coastal Railroad will be operating a rail-profiling machine along the Secondary. The equipment is loud and emits sparks from the grinding operations. It has it’s own ability to put out any incidental fires that may occur. This work will begin sometime this weekend and take about a week to traverse the 22 miles. Work will be 10-12 Hrs a day.
MCRR will be accompanying this operation and will be stationed at every grade crossing as they are approached.
Following the Rail Grinding Operation the Temporary Speed Restrictions will be lifted along the Framingham Secondary.
Should you need to contact the MCRR please call me directly. or reply to this email.
From Susan Maritan, Medfield Food Cupboard Publicist –
Dear Friends of the Medfield Food Cupboard,
We are starting off the New Year with a big THANK YOU to the Medfield community for its overwhelming support during this most unsettling year. The outpouring of generosity this holiday season will be remembered as the one with the biggest impact in our 29-year history.
The entire town – individuals, businesses, faith-based organizations, schools, town departments, and community service groups – pitched in with monetary donations, food, and volunteer hours to ensure we remained open and that our shelves, refrigerator, and freezer were filled. Your efforts continue to make a difference every day in the lives of over 200 residents who rely on us for emergency and supplemental food.
We served more households and children than ever before, a significant accomplishment given Covid restrictions. Your support provided needed relief to individuals and families facing financial hardships and created a happy holiday for many children, seniors, and parents. Community groups provided presents, stockings, blankets, hand-knitted gloves and hats, pies and breads, Christmas trees, gingerbread house kits, and passes to the Winter Light Show, to those who otherwise may have gone without.
We look forward to working together in 2021 as we continue to operate under the challenges of this pandemic and strive to meet increased demand for our services. Your meaningful gifts of money, food, and time are helping to alleviate food insecurity for our neighbors in need. Gratitude from clients, smiles on children’s faces, dinners on tables, and food in the cupboard for tomorrow’s meals are the best start to a New Year for one and all. Thank you, dear neighbors, for making this possible.
Susan Gorog and Tracey Rogers Co-Presidents, Medfield Food Cupboard
The Massachusetts Municipal Association has made The Beacon, its monthly magazine, a PDF and now distribute it digitally. This month I especially took note of:
the discussion of the new police reform legislation
that the “Department of Revenue projects a drop in tax collections of about 6%”
the housing and transportation bills enacted this week
Hello Members!
Here’s the January 2021 issue of The Beacon – packed with the latest budget and COVID-related news, updates about the MMA Annual Meeting & Trade Show, information about local and state pandemic response efforts, and details about late-session legislative activity and member group webinars.
By publishing The Beacon as a PDF, we can ensure that we get you the very latest information that you need ASAP. (If you did not receive this email directly, please share your email address with us – along with name, title and city/town – at database@mma.org.)
Best wishes to all of you during this challenging time.
John Ouellette
MMA Manager of Publications and Digital Communications
Jennifer Kavanaugh
Associate Editor
Meredith Gabrilska Digital Communications Coordinator
Wheelock Neighborhood Traffic Questionnaire Open until Monday, Jan. 11 at noon.
The School Building Committee has released a traffic questionnaire intended, but not limited to, the Wheelock School Neighborhood. The data from this questionnaire is anticipated to be used to fine tune existing traffic calculations and adjustments, to understand additional concerns other than traffic increases, and to most importantly focus on developing mitigation strategies that would best serve the neighborhood and the future school development.
This month the first Friday was New Years Day, so the office hours were postponed one week to 1/8/21, however I was already scheduled that day at 9AM to attend the Massachusetts Select Board Association’s annual meeting, so I am holding the office hours from 8-9AM on Friday, January 8, 2021.
I can be reached via 508-359-9190 or this blog about Medfield matters https://medfield02052.wordpress.com, where any schedule changes will be posted.
I hold regular monthly office hours related to my work as a Select Board member, and this month my office hours will be conducted this Friday, January 8, 2021 from 8-9 AM via telephone by residents calling 508-359-9190.
After COVID-19 I will return to The Center on the first Friday of every month from 9:00 to 10:00 AM.
I started this blog to share the interesting and useful information that I saw while doing my job as a Medfield select board member. I thought that my fellow Medfield residents would also find that information interesting and useful as well. This blog is my effort to assist in creating a system to push the information out from the Town House to residents. Let me know if you have any thoughts on how it can be done better.
For information on my other job as an attorney (personal injury, civil litigation, estate planning and administration, and real estate), please feel free to contact me at 617-969-1500 or Osler.Peterson@OslerPeterson.com.