Town Meeting Set for November 20

Fourteen articles are up for vote, at the time of this writing, at the Nov. 20 town meeting, 7 p.m., Ashland High School auditorium, 65 E. Union St. All residents are invited to attend. The last day to register to vote at town meeting is Friday, Nov. 8.
In an interview, Town Manager Michael Herbert reviewed some of the articles on the warrant.
The warrant will contain two articles related to Zero Tri St., on the south side of town. One article will propose buying approximately 9.5 acres for $614,000, and a second, establishing a development restriction on six acres (similar to what the town has for the Valentine Estate). “There is not much undeveloped land on that side of town,” Michael Herbert, town manager, said. “This will help preserve approximately 16 acres for open space.”
The Community Preservation Committee is asking for funds to renovate, or “refresh,” Mill Pond Park on Pine Hill Road and Myrtle Street. The funds will be used to clear invasives, install new fencing for parking, plant shrubs and perennials, and add a formal path to the nearby long-span pedestrian Riverwalk bridge that connects the newly enhanced pathway along Sudbury Road to Mill Pond. Herbert said, “From the north, the park is the gateway to downtown.”
Another article, “Dispose of Real Property,” refers to 433 Chestnut St. (Hall House), part of the Warren District. The town plans to sell the residence to a contractor to restore and place on the National Register. (This is a similar situation to the Clayes House in Framingham.) The Warren District consists of three properties: Hall House, 433 Chestnut St.; the Warren Barn; and 22 Eliot St. The town manager outlines each property and proposed uses in his online blog on the town website (https://bit.ly/2AEo3NZ).
For the past year the Ashland Sustainability Committee has been working on a “Net Zero” initiative. The committee’s resolution presented on Nov. 20 will set a long-term goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions for the town by the year 2040.
Earlier this year, the Ashland Board of Selectmen decided to change its name to Ashland Select Board to be more gender-neutral. A vote at town meeting will make the changed name official.
Other articles will seek to change zoning to restrict storage facilities to industrial zoned areas, reduce demand fees from a $30 to $15, and appropriate $5,000 from the Community Preservation Act (CPA) for completion of Phase 2 of an historic restoration project.
For more information and to see the warrant when it is finalized, visit www.ashlandmass.com/449/Town-Meeting.