Select Board Meeting - January 25 at 7:30PM

The Select Board postponed their meeting on Monday, January 23rd due to the weather. You can see the agenda here - https://www.winchester.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01252023-4658

To view the agenda with backup documentation, please click here - https://www.winchester.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01232023-4652

Why are the Select Board agendas posted in two different places? The one on the Town's Government Calendar is the agenda required by law. The agenda posted on the Select Board's webpage contains documentation such as reports, presentations and back-up documents that were sent to the Board before the meeting.

Annual Town Election

Nomination papers are now available for the March 18, 2023 Annual Town Election. Voters interested in pulling papers for public office may stop by the Town Clerk's Office. The deadline to pull nomination papers is Wednesday, January 25th. More information on How to Run for Public Office is available here: https://www.winchester.us/DocumentCenter/View/9387/Annual-Town-Election-Guideline?bidId=.

Offices to be filled include:

Moderator for One Year
One Member Select Board for Three Year
One Member Assessor for Three Years
One Member Assessor for Two Years
One Member Board of Health for Three Years
Two Members of Planning Board for Three Years
One Member of School Committee for Three Years
Two Trustee of the Public Library for Three Years
One Member of Housing Authority for Five Years
Numerous Town Meeting Members in each precinct

Upcoming Government Meetings

January 24 - Affordable Housing Trust Committee, Planning Board, Conservation Commission
January 25 - Select Board, EFPBC
January 26 - Trees Working Group, Board of Appeals, Master Plan Implementation Committee
January 27 - Accessory Dwelling Unit Working Group

Agendas and more information can be found on the Town's Government Calendar.

Annual Town Census

The Annual Town Census is being mailed on January 20th. Keep your eye out for the important mailing in your mailbox!

The census has instructions on how to purchase your Transfer Station permit and dog license online. You may also come into Town Hall to purchase permits and tags in person on Mondays from 8am-7pm, Tuesday through Thursday from 8am-4pm and Friday from 8am – 12 noon. Drop boxes are also available at the front and rear of Town Hall.

Remember to return the census form to stay active on the voter list. The Annual Town Election is just around the corner on Saturday March 18, 2023, at WHS Gymnasium.

Eversource work on Pond Street (Winchester)/Lake Avenue (Woburn)

Eversource construction crews will return to your neighborhood to continue construction activity for the Woburn to Wakefield Line Project. This project is designed to increase reliability of the electric grid in the area to meet growing demands for electricity. Over the past several weeks, crews have conducted soil and water testing as well as roadway mark-outs near Horn Pond in advance of this work. Crews from McCourt Construction, WA Chester, and Midwest Mole will complete a horizontal directional drilling (HDD) method to install an underground transmission line crossing the Horn Pond Brook on Lake Avenue. Once complete, crews intend to connect the remaining sections of duct bank on Lake Avenue.

Hours, Construction Activities and Traffic Management can be found on the Town's website.

Outdoor Dining Applications

The Select Board is accepting applications from those establishments wishing to utilize town property for outdoor dining. Applications must be received on/or before February 16th at 4:00pm. Late applications will not be accepted.

Please print the application and submit it with all the required documentation. There is a fee of $1,000 per parking spot that must be submitted with the application.

If you have questions, please email Jennifer Cafarella in the Town Manager's Office.

Outdoor Dining Application

FEMA Community Rating System (CRS)

Flood Insurance premium discount increased to 20%

The Town of Winchester recently completed our 5-year cycle verification process for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIIP) Community Rating System (CRS) program. The voluntary program provides residents with a discount on their flood insurance premiums as a result of activities undertaking by the Town, specifically the Engineering Department. As part of this recertification process, Winchester increased to a Class 6 community, which provides our residents with a 20-percent discount on their flood insurance premiums for polices issued or renewed on or after April 1, 2023.

What's on the Town's website?

A new weekly segment to highlight the Town's website.

This week is about the newly updated Board of Health page (see picture above). Chair Ruth Trimarchi worked with the Town Manager's Office to edit and add important information to their site. You can find more information on Climate Change and Public Health, Resources and Early History of Public Health in Winchester. You can visit their page here - https://www.winchester.us/230/Board-of-Health.
The Board of Health welcomes feedback regarding user-friendly aspects of the webpage

Do you need the Town's website to translate for you? Click on "Select Language" in the bottom right-hand corner and choose one of the over 100 options.