Residents packed the middle school on April 28 to weigh in on 21 warrant articles at the Town Meeting.
That is, when they finally got into the building.
With 10 minutes to go before the 7 p.m. start of the meeting, the line to enter the building stretched all the way back to the Town Common at the intersection of Main Street and South Common Street. Forty minutes later, the line was still backed up, according to Town Moderator Stephen Walsh. He called the turnout “extraordinary” and likely “a Town Meeting record.
“The irony is that normally at this time we are trying to get people in to meet a quorum,” Walsh said.
All told, more than 1,100 residents attended the meeting, forcing town staff to scramble to accommodate the overflow in the gymnasium in addition to the cafeteria, which the town had already planned on using. There were several delays when video and audio feed to the overflow locations temporarily failed. Votes were counted the old-fashioned way by hand count in the gymnasium.
Articles pertaining to the rail trail project (Articles 6, 7, 8) and two motions on Article 9, one on the town’s operating budget and the other on a contingency for a possible $4.65M override vote at the June 4 Special Election, generated the most discussion and were passed, the latter in a voice vote.
Town Administrator Rob Dolan said that “very hard decisions had to be made” with respect to the budget and that the most vulnerable departments were the ‘seniors (Council on Aging) and the library.
“Level funding is not enough to mee the needs of many departments, but I cannot in good conscience cut a single dollar out of the fire department because that’s peoples’ lives,” Dolan said.
School Committee Chair Kristen Elworty spoke about the impact a failed override vote would have on the schools. She noted that the last override was 15 years ago. She said Lynnfield is not the only community looking for overrides and that the override is “necessary.” A failed override will render the district “unrecognizable,” resulting in the loss of 55 positions, class sizes of 30 or more and will have a “direct and immediate impact on our students.”
Select Board Chair Phil Crawford said the town has had “to make drastic cuts just to get by for another year (and) it is very important that we come together on this and pass the override.”
Resident Pat Campbell warned the audience, “If you vote for an override, you better be aware of how much it’s going to cost you in taxes.”
DPW Director John Scenna noted there are many amenities associated with rail trails. An additional benefit in Lynnfield is providing student-athletes the opportunity to train “without having to run on roads through town.”
Scenna said the project is fully funded by MassDOT and will be built by their team of contractors. He said a “majority” of residents have supported the rail trail at previous Town Meetings.
“I am speaking very much in favor of these articles,” Attorney Patrick Curley said. “This will allow the trail to proceed toward bidding in early 2026. Not about whether the town wants a rail trail; that decision was made in 1019. Not asking for a single dollar …it will offer safe recreation.”
He asked everyone to “visualize” themselves on the rail trail.
In voice votes, Article 1 (to accept the annual town report from committees, boards and departments) and Article 2 (appointments to ceremonial offices) easily passed.
Articles 3 and 4 also passed in voice votes. Article 3 approved the annual compensation of the Select Board at $850 for the chair and $700 for members and also approved the annual compensation for the Board of Assessors at $4,100 for the chair and $3,550 for members.
Article 4 approved an appropriation of $1,225,000 of free cash to the Reserve Fund to handle any overages in budgets.
Article 5 passed unanimously. It asked voters to amend the zoning bylaw by replacing C. 260 Town of Lynnfield Zoning Bylaw, Sec. 9 Special Districts, Sub Sec 9.1 Flood Plain District with Flood Plain Overlay District. In essence, the article accepts the FEMA flood maps, which are periodically approved at the federal agency level. Without this action, residents who require flood insurance for their properties would not be able to obtain it.
Article 6 allows the town to enter into easement agreements along the rail trail right-of-way. Two properties located on Summer Street have been identified, one a private residence and the other is St. Paul’s Church.
The article easily passed by a 783-324 vote.
Article 7 passed 595-475. It asked voters to approve acceptance as a public way of a portion of Ford Avenue to allow pedestrian access to the trail from the end of Ford Avenue at the intersection of Perry Avenue.
Alan Dresios noted the “historic flooding on Perry Avenue. The town has done nothing,” and urged voters to vote no.
Campbell was also not in favor.
“I find it quite curious that if the Select Board has no intent of using eminent domain, why are the words there…we are empowering them to use eminent domain.”
Article 8 completed the rail trail trifecta, passing by a margin of 563-481. It asked voters to approve designating an unused portion of the middle school property to the rail trail to the explanation included in the town warrant, “The connection of the middle school playing fields with the high school property is one of the main features of the first phase of the rail trail.”
Following the yes vote on Article 9, many residents headed for the exits. Those who stayed, approved Article 10, the capital budget described by Dolan as “one-time money used for one-time purchases); Article 11, an $868,265 appropriation for the Emergency Medical Service Enterprise to allow the town to operate its ambulance and emergency medical services; Article 12, an appropriation of $1,329,689 from the Golf Enterprise Fund to pay expenses incurred at the two town-owned golf courses; and Article 13, which sets maximum expenditures for revolving funds for the Council on Aging ($175,000), Board of Health ($15,000), Library ($15,000), Recreaton ($475,000), Public Works – fields ($100,000), Public Works – Merritt Center ($10,000), and Tree Replacement Fund ($10,000).
