Government Archives - Natick Report

Natick applying for racial equity grant, puts focus on housing

August 21, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Natick announced at its Select Board meeting this week that it is submitting an application for a grant designed to help the town come up with a racial equity plan.

The Racial Equity Municipal Action Plan, offered through a collaboration including the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, will only be awarded to three to five municipalities. Natick is already in the midst of forming an equity task force.

The goal of the grant program is to provide cities and towns with “technical assistance to create racial equity action plans and to take meaningful action to advance racial equity,” according to MAPC. Recipients will be announced by Sept. 10.

Deputy Town Administrator James Errickson says Natick’s application will focus on “barriers to housing in regards to equity and the need to make sure that we are not unnecessarily burdening any one population.” Zoning and land use will be examined, he said.

Anything developed through such a grant would need to sync up with the town’s 2030+ master plan.

Natick is partnering with neighboring communities, including Framingham, to support each other’s submissions for this program.

Wellesley has also applied for this grant.

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Natick votes: We’re going to need a bigger box in November

August 21, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Natick voters have three ways to cast ballots for the Sept. 1 state primary election:

By mail using an early voting/absentee ballot (requires an application). You can track your ballot online.
Vote early in person at Town Hall (Aug. 22-23) and the Morse Institute Library (Aug. 24-28). COVID-19 protocols apply.
Vote in person on Election Day. All polling locations will be open from 7:00AM-8:00PM, and note that precincts 1-3 have been moved to the Natick High gym.

The town has received about 10,000 early voting/absentee ballot applications, according to Town Clerk Diane Packer, who spoke during the Aug. 19 Select Board meeting. Some voters in precincts 1-5 and 8 received the wrong ballots and should reach out to Town Hall to get the correct ballot sent (if this applies to you and you already sent in your ballot, your votes will count except in the state senator race).

Packer advises dropping off ballots in the mail slot at Town Hall at this point, rather than mailing them.

Staff has been checking the lockbox that ballots stuck into the mail slot go into numerous times per day because it’s been getting full. “We are looking at a larger solution for that problem for November,” she says.

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Natick issues mandatory water use restriction: Don’t blame us

August 11, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The Town of Natick has announced a mandatory non-essential outdoor water use restriction in light of the light rainfall totals so far this summer. In other words, turn off the sprinklers to help ensure there’s enough water left for public health and safety needs, such as fire protection.

As you can see, we’ve been doing our part, with our two-tone lawn of fading green and crispy brown.

Here are the specific rules:

Watering Schedule

Residents and businesses occupying a building with an odd number street address will limit non-essential water use including lawn and garden watering to Monday and Thursday from the hours of 5:00 pm on the select day until 9:00 am the following day.
Residents and businesses occupying a building with an even number street address will limit non-essential water use including lawn and garden watering to Tuesday and Friday from the hours of 5:00 pm on the select day until 9:00 am the following day.
No non-essential outdoor water use Wednesday, Saturday or Sunday.

Non-Essential Outdoor Water Use Recommendation

Water lawns only when necessary. Please be aware that a healthy lawn only requires a maximum of one (1) inch of water per week.
Maintain your lawn at a height of at least two (2) inches. This practice will protect roots and retain soil moisture.
Water is lost to evaporation when watering during hot days
Visit https://www.epa.gov/watersense/watering-tips for additional watering tips.

Essential Outdoor Water Use Definition

Essential Outdoor Water Use shall mean those uses that are required for the following:

For health or safety reasons;
By regulation;
For the production of food and fiber;
For the maintenance of livestock;
To meet the core functions of a business (for example, irrigation by golf courses as necessary to maintain tees and greens, and limited fairway watering);
Irrigation by Plant nurseries;
Agricultural operations as necessary to maintain stock or establish new plantings;
Pest management;
Wash equipment to prevent damage and/or maintain performance;
Irrigation of parks and recreation fields

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How to be considered for Natick Equity Task Force

August 6, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The Natick Select Board, which recently gave the go-ahead to forming an Equity Task Force, has opened up an application for possible members. The deadline to fill out the application is Sept. 1.

The Equity Task Force will be an 11-member public entity appointed by the Select Board and whose task will be to recommend to the Board “the mission, scope, charge, composition, term of service, and authority of a town entity to advance equity in the Natick community and town government, and to recommend a set of responsibilities for any professional staff needed to help the town pursue this aim.” Natick might bring in a consultant to work with the Task Force.

The Task Force will include the Town Administrator or designee, two Select Board members, the Human Resources Director, the Superintendent of Schools or designee, a member of the School Committee or designee, and five members at large. Preference will be given to those who have professional or life experience with equity issues, background in community engagement, experience in municipal government.

The Select Board will seek to have the at-large spots represent shall “members of historically marginalized communities.”

The Task Force shall research the experience of other municipalities’ equity-related government entities, as well as what the town and community are doing in the equity sphere. It shall recommend a set of responsibilities for any professional staff needed to help the town advance equity.

The Task Force will be dissolved once it issues its report to the Select Board.

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Reopening Natick: Town Hall, DPW & bulky trash pickup!

July 23, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

As if spending all that quality time with those who might live with you isn’t getting better all the time, there’s also that matter of junk piling up around you.

Some good news on that front. The word from Jamie Errickson, Natick deputy town administrator for operations, is that bulky trash pickup by the Department of Public Works could recommence as soon as Aug. 3. The service has been suspended since March 23.

Errickson reported to the Select Board this week that the DPW building could open as soon as Aug. 3, but that date could possibly get bumped a week as logistical issues are worked out. The space is actually a manageable one given that the public generally interfaces with the DPW via one main vestibule and two counters, so visitors can be contained from a safety management perspective. The preference will be for visitors to come in by appointment only.

Natick Town Hall back in action

Natick Town Hall has reopened on an appointment-only basis. This is required per Gov. Baker’s order to keep a log of those coming in and out of such buildings for contact tracing purposes to support public health.

The collector’s office is an exception in that walk-ins are allowed for those paying taxes or other bills, though the town is still encouraging people to handle most transactions online or through drop boxes.

Signage has been added throughout the building to help people follow new rules, and restrooms have been assigned to the public or employees to help with social distancing.

The town could still be at least a couple of months away from opening up meetings, like that of the Select Board, to the public in person. Big challenges include limiting the number of people allowed within spaces (think 1 person per 1,000 sq. ft.) and not wanting to turn the public away from such open meetings.

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