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6 WEEKLYNEWS.NET - 978-532-5880 JUNE 17, 2021 Town Meeting raises school spending concerns BY ANNE MARIE TOBIN LYNNFIELD — There may not have been any real surprises at last Saturday's Town Meeting, but there certainly were a few residents who expressed concerns about the town's spending when it came to schools. Meeting highlights included the approval of $1.75 million in additional funds for the $17 million elementary school project (Article 13), approval of the fiscal year 2022 $60.84 million operating budget (Article 6), approval of an FY22 $1.04 million capital budget (Article 7) and approval of a $5.7 million bond for energy improvements (Article 15). "It's always a pleasure to have a fair and open Town Meeting," said Town Moderator Joe Markey, presiding over his seventh meeting. "This is the purest form of democracy, and you saw that today. Town Meeting is a process that is great when it works like it does here every year." As expected, Article 13, recommended by both the Finance Committee and Select Board and endorsed by the School Committee, generated the most discussion. The article proposed adding $1.75 million to the elementary school expansion project for drainage ($700,000), sidewalks ($70,000), security ($110,000), additional parking lot improvements ($100,000) and contingency reserve ($770,000). "If this isn't passed, the school expansion plan will be in serious jeopardy," said Town Administrator Rob Dolan. "There will be no additional taxation to pay for this, and there needs to be this contingency to remain on budget." According to Dolan, the cost of building materials has been "a massive roller coaster over the last few months. "We need to protect this project in such an unstable economic environment. This was unforeseen and is not in our control," he said. Pat Campbell questioned the number of classrooms in the project, saying "the town approved the building project but didn't know how much it would cost. "We only need 48 classrooms, but they put in 52," she said. "They are building more classrooms than they actually need." Kenneth Peterson said that the project should be revisited. "The need for that contingency indicates that the original budget was rushed to judgement," he said. Jack Dalhstedt and Paige Wilkins disagreed with Campbell and Peterson, with each receiving loud applause. Dahlstedt urged residents to "reaffirm our commitment to our community. "Rob Dolan talked about this. A contingency between 5 and 10 percent is common and a contingency of 3 percent is prudent," he said. "I'm a newcomer to Lynnfield, but the town did not rush to judgement," Wilkins said. "There was a clear mandate at Town Meeting. This is a big problem and we need to fix it." After Campbell's motion to vote by ballot failed, the article passed by an overwhelming margin of 98-14. Article 15, which sought approval for funding a $5.7 million project to upgrade energy efficiency at town buildings, passed unanimously. Dolan said the estimated energy savings over the next 20 years will pay for Phase 1 of the project. "This is an incredible way to do this work without spending any operating funds," Dolan said. "Savings are guaranteed. If the savings come up short, we get reimbursed by the contractor." Other articles passing muster included Article 10, imposing spending limits on revolving funds expenditures of $50,000 (Council on Aging), $15,000 (Board of Health), $10,000 (Library), $325,000 (Recreation), $75,000 (Public Works - fields), and $10,000 (Public Works - Merritt Center); Article 11, an $811,371 appropriation from the Emergency Medical Services Enterprise; Article 12, a $1,008,300 appropriation from the Golf Enterprise Fund; Article 14, a rescission of unused borrowing authority for several initiatives including the Reedy Meadow and Centre Farm purchases, septic loans and the Senior Center van; and Article 16, which dealt with fee changes. Articles 17 and 18 were unanimously approved; Article 17 increases the number of senior service hours to obtain real-estate tax reductions to 125, while Article 18 doubled state exemption amounts for seniors, disabled veterans and 100 percent disabled veterans to $1,500, $800 and $2,000, respectively. Article 19 (acceptance of Zepaj Lane as a public way) and Article 20 (the method by which Stormwater Management bylaw changes are noted) passed. Article 3, which proposed modest increases in compensation for elected officials, also passed, which Campbell questioned. "It used to be called a stipend and is now called salary," she said. "Do they get health insurance, life insurance and retirement benefits?" Assistant Town Administrator Bob Curtin corrected Campbell, saying the compensation has been referred to as "salary" for the past 36 years. "Since 1985, it's always been called salary, and if it's a salary, you pay into retirement based upon the amount of the salary," he said. Introducing Blu Haven, the newest active adult community offering forty-five luxury townhomes in Middleton. Schedule Your Tour Today! BLUHAVEN.COM • 207.252.6771 Compass is a licensed real estate broker and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. No statement is made as to the accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Nothing herein shall be construed as legal, accounting or other professional advice outside the realm of real estate brokerage.
JUNE 17, 2021 WEEKLYNEWS.NET - 978-532-5880 7 Lynnfield High Valedictorian Anthony Zhang delivers his speech during commencement ceremonies held June 4 at the high school. PHOTO | SPENSER HASAK STUDENT OF THE WEEK A valedictorian’s vision for greatness BY STEVE KRAUSE LYNNFIELD — More than anything else, Anthony Zhang captured the duality of life as a graduating student in his valedictory address earlier this month on the grounds of Pioneer Field. "Today is a celebration of both unity and uniqueness," he told the Class of 2021. "Whether your passion is in the classroom or on the stage or on this very field, we are all here, in one place. We are all Pioneers." Zhang did not pretend to offer advice to his peers. In fact, he went out of his way not to offer any. "I’m supposed to share with you some advice," he told his class. "My advice? Nothing. That’s right. I don’t have some motivational quote or inspiring advice to give. And that’s not just me being lazy." More to the point, he'd heard his class being called "resilient" for most of the second half of the year. And even now, he's philosophical about the trials and tribulations of the COVID-19 pandemic, its shutdown and the new protocols that resulted. "There isn't much you can do," he said last week. "You deal with all the obstacles as best as you can. It wasn't ideal. But I didn't do anything that nobody else did." Besides, he said, remote learning had its upside — one of them taking a calculus class from his bed early in the morning. And even if he had to get out of that bed about an hour earlier so he could get ready to go to school once it started back up again, that wasn't so bad either. "But I liked going back," he said. "It's better than sitting in your bedroom all day." Zhang, headed to Duke University this fall, doesn't have a problem with being called a "techie." "I guess that would be accurate," he says. "I like math and science," he said, adding that his current plan is to major in aerospace engineering. "I've been interested in rockets and stuff," he said. "We'll see if that pans out. I just like the prospect of exploring, maybe going back to the moon. That's interesting stuff." Even in his spare time, he leaned toward the scientific. One of his favorite movies is the 2014 science-fiction classic "Interstellar," starring Matthew McConaughey, which featured a dystopian plot where Earth is running out of food, "so space explorers have to find another planet so they can feed the human race." But it wasn't all work for Zhang while at the high school. He did play soccer when he was younger, and was on the boys tennis team for all four years. "We did have a season," he said, "and I was very grateful to get out there and play." He also played saxophone for the school band, and plays the violin. "I definitely like playing music," he said. "But I'm not going to pursue it in college." He doesn't have a particular favorite kind of music, "but I just like it in general." And, of course, he appreciates the simpler things in life. "I like hanging out with my friends," he said. "There definitely needs to be a balance between amusement and workload. I love having good friends by my side. "Also," he said, "we had a small graduating class. I enjoyed how close we were as a class." Financial planning is more important than ever… We want to hear from you! Send us a letter at editor@weeklynews.net. Letters should be no more than 300 words. “With AFCNS, we know we have a plan for today and for the future.” Mary, Caregiver to Daughter Amanda • Detailed Life Planning • Education Plans • Longevity Planning • Legacy & Estate Planning • Investment Management • Retirement Planning • Long Term Care Planning • Life Insurance • Sustainable investing • Charitable Giving ANTONIO SORDILLO, CFP®, CRPC®, CPFA Vice President, Investments antonio.sordillo@raymondjames.com 978-281-2612 AdultFosterCareNS.com 20 Burlington Mall Road, Suite 130 // Burlington, MA 01803 781.313.8403 // evergreenfinpartners.com © 2021 Raymond James & Associates, Inc., member New York Stock Exchange/SIPC. 21-BRNAO-0003 TA 1/21
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