Making and Remaking History

Welcome back!

Here’s what we have for you this week:

1. Select Board Allocates $25,000 For 250th Commemoration

2. Tercentenary Markers May Prove Difficult To Remove

3. Select Board Lightning Round

4. DPW Achieves Accreditation, Looks Ahead To Ambitious Sewer Project

5. Fall Town Meeting: Cancelled SPS Discussion Leads To Controversy

Let’s get into it!

Select Board Allocates $25,000 For 250th Commemoration

By Kevin LaHaise

On Tuesday the Select Board voted unanimously to allocate $25,000 of its remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to Sudbury’s efforts to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the American revolution. The Sudbury 250 Committee will direct the use of the funds. A recent survey distributed by the committee revealed a strong interest in a variety of events, reenactments and marches in and around Sudbury. (Results here.)

The clock is ticking for the Select Board to allocate the remainder of Sudbury’s ARPA funds. There is a December 31, 2024 “obligation” deadline, and there was mention of having a broader conversion about the remaining funds sooner rather than later.

In addition to allocating the ARPA funds, the Select Board voted to send letters to Representative Carmine Gentile and Senator Jamie Eldridge in support of a State budget amendment that would provide $50,000 for Sudbury’s commemoration activities. Representative Gentile successfully introduced the amendment. (Page 32)

Tercentenary Markers May Prove Difficult to Remove

By Kevin LaHaise

On Tuesday, the Sudbury Historical Commission continued their discussions around the tercentenary markers found roadside in Sudbury. Questions have been raised about the historical accuracy of the language on the markers, as well as concerns that some of them may be offensive to Native people.

The Historical Commission conducted an inventory of the markers and members did some additional research. (2:00:00) Chair Chris Hagger informed the commissioners that he had a conversation with a cultural resource officer at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (Mass DOT) and learned that Mass DOT does not have the authority to remove the markers, only to repair and maintain them.

Hagger suggested that the best route to get something done with regard to the markers will likely require legislative action, and that Sudbury may need to engage its State representatives to advance some sort of state-wide action.

There was also discussion about generating a report or materials for the Town website that might explain the one-sided narrative presented by the markers and provide factual corrections. Commissioner Bill Andreas called for a two-part response, including advocacy at the State level and partnership with the Sudbury Historical Society to leverage their website to inform the public about the history of the signs, generate community conversation, and provide a better historical perspective. He also called for fixing another “glaring error” on one of the signs, and threw some historical shade at Henry Ford with regard to the Hop Brook Mill marker (it claims it was owned by Henry Ford):

“...and correct the one glaring error, which is, I don't believe the Hop Brook Mill was ever owned by Henry Ford. He tried to buy it and failed, and had that put on the sign because he was pissed off.” (2:22:17)

Andreas also cautioned the commission not to take the path that nearby Concord recently took when they just removed the markers on their own “for maintenance.” He suggested that it’s not certain that Mass DOT will just look the other way.

Based on Tuesday’s meeting, the Historical Commission is likely to continue discussing the markers in future meetings, with an eye towards engaging more community stakeholders in the process. Any near-term action regarding the markers seems unlikely given the jurisdictional complexity that was raised during the meeting.

Select Board Lightning Round

By Kevin LaHaise

We covered the major items in dedicated stories, but here are some additional noteworthy tidbits from the Select Board meeting.

New Finance Director
Town Manager Andy Sheehan introduced the Town’s new finance director, Victor Garofalo. Garofalo fills a vacancy left by Dennis Keohane, who has taken a position in North Andover after years of service in Sudbury. (3:10)

Zayith Tapas and Bar
The owners of the proposed new tapas restaurant were warmly welcomed to Sudbury by the Select Board. They were granted a license to sell alcohol. No further details were shared about a potential opening date.

Planning Update
Adam Burney, Director of Planning and Community Development, updated the board on a laundry list of major initiatives in Sudbury, ranging from Master Plan implementation to economic development, and the Open Space and Recreation Plan. Burney answered a wide range of questions from members of the Select Board. If you’re interested in any of that, it’s worth a listen. (1:25:00)

DPW Achieves Accreditation, Looks Ahead to Ambitious Sewer Project

By Kevin LaHaise

The Select Board, at its July 16 meeting, celebrated the accreditation of the Sudbury Department of Public Works (DPW) by the American Public Works Association (APWA). During that presentation, we learned that Sudbury’s DPW is the third in Massachusetts to achieve accreditation. (35:00)

DPW Director Dan Nason explained that the accreditation was years in the making. An APWA representative emphasized just how difficult it is to achieve accreditation, in part because the accreditation focuses heavily on sustained, continuous improvement of DPW operations rather than one-time achievements. Nason credited the accreditation to the entire 30+ member DPW team.

The APWA representative also highlighted the communication work that has been done by the Sudbury DPW, including a new quarterly newsletter that informs residents about the work of the department. The APWA felt that was a significant innovation for DPW’s, and would be incorporating it into their “model practices,” with Sudbury being held up as the example to other public works organizations across the country.

On Wednesday, the DPW published a new video on Facebook explaining a proposed sewer project starting along Route 20. The video explained why the DPW thinks sewer infrastructure along Route 20 is necessary, and provided a high-level overview of the phasing of such a project.

The project would start with installation of sewers on Route 20 as part of Phase 1. Phase 1A would involve installing sewers on Raymond Road. Wastewater from those two phases would be pumped to a new wastewater treatment facility at the DPW facility on Old Lancaster Road. Finally, that wastewater treatment facility would pump to a groundwater discharge located at Curtis Middle School.

The tentative schedule for the project includes a possible article to fund the design of the system as soon as Annual Town Meeting in 2025. A town meeting article to fund the project (or some portion of it) could arrive as soon as 2026, with a goal of all the sewers being online by 2029 according to the DPW’s dedicated webpage for the project.

Fall Town Meeting: Cancelled SPS Discussion Leads To Controversy

By Kevin LaHaise

During the July 16 meeting of the Sudbury Select Board, the board was set to vote to hold a public hearing on July 30th. That hearing would cover whether or not the Town would call a Fall Town Meeting, in accordance with the Town’s General Bylaws. The board voted to hold that hearing later this month, but during the discussion a letter from Sudbury Public Schools School Committee Member, Mary Stephens, was referenced. In the ensuing discussion, board members voiced disagreements on the role of liaisons. (2:29:00)

The letter, which Stephens wrote as a private citizen, is now available on the Town website.

In the letter, Stephens voices concern that the full school committee has not discussed if they have any pressing warrant articles for a Fall Town Meeting. She claims that a full-committee discussion was originally slated for a July 8 school committee meeting, but was cancelled when the Chair, Nicole Burnard, told the committee that none of the potential warrant articles were time-sensitive enough to warrant a Fall Town Meeting:

Stephens also took issue with the manner in which the decision was made. She alleges that Burnard consulted with Select Board Member Dan Carty, who is the board’s liaison to the school committee, to make her decision.

Stephens asked the Select Board to “have a robust discussion about the role of liaisons and their influence on business outside of their purview.” She also requested that they contact the school committee chair to encourage the committee to have a full discussion in order to provide input to the Select Board by July 30.

Select Board Member Lisa Kouchakdjian voiced a desire to hear from the school committees as part of the process. She also voiced concern about Carty’s conversation with Burnard. (2:38:38)

Member Carty responded there was nothing inappropriate about his conversation with Burnard, and lamented that Stephens hadn’t contacted him directly.

Having heard the explanation, Member Dretler responded that she thought Carty may have gone too far and later requested that the Select Board’s liaison policy be posted to the Town website. She added: “I just want to make sure the community knows what our role is.” Carty reasserted that he did not instruct anyone what to do. (2:41:00)

What’s the Protocol?

At the top of the discussion, Town Manager Andy Sheehan confirmed that SPS Superintendent, Brad Crozier, had already responded to tell the Town that SPS didn’t have a need for a Fall Town Meeting. (2:30:00) Sheehan also noted that the Town was hoping to avoid a Fall Town Meeting during a Presidential Election year. It appeared from the start of the conversation as though the Town depends on department heads, not committees, to make the decision.

However, the SPS School Committee appears to play a significant role with regard to SPS warrant articles, at least recently. Sudbury held a Fall Town Meeting in 2023 and the school committee, not the superintendent, was listed as the sponsor/submitter of the three SPS articles on the warrant.

Select Board Chair, Jennifer Roberts, noted that the Town sends out the request for input to department heads, but the Select Board doesn’t dictate the manner in which department heads should work with their committees. (2:34:00) She did add that there was still time for Sudbury’s two school committees to meet and discuss the matter.

Stephens’ letter raises questions about the role of the chair, the superintendent, and the full committee, particularly with regard to deciding on town meeting articles. A review of the SPS School Committee operating protocols and handbook doesn’t reveal a specific process for how the committee is supposed to engage with the superintendent on these matters. The handbook mentions town meeting articles as an annual agenda topic for the committee, and the “Budget Monitoring” section states:

Sudbury Weekly contacted SPS Chair, Nicole Burnard, for this story. Chair Burnard declined to add further comment.

The SPS School Committee is scheduled to meet on July 22. The agenda does not include Fall Town Meeting. The meeting is in-person at the SPS offices in the Fairbank Community Center. No remote attendance or viewing option is provided. It will be recorded and posted on Sudbury TV’s on-demand service at a later date.

Parting Thoughts

There were a few more meetings and stories this week that we’ll be covering on the main website in the coming days. Keep an eye out!

Next week looks slower, but with some important discussions scheduled for SPS, the Finance Committee, and the Permanent Building Committee.

Until then… enjoy the weekend. The weather looks fantastic!

Onward!