March 2008 - Bulletin

Dear Members,

The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts asked us to letter our membership know that the LWV is opposed to casino gambling. If you are interested on the issue, you may want to read the position paper on casino gambling and help in the lobby efforts as this issue is coming before the legislature soon. (To get a convenient, one-page pdf of the position paper, please click here.)

Day on the Hill. This important LWV event is on Wednesday, March 19, beginning at 9:30 am in Boston. If you would like to attend, please check the information on the state website (http://www.lwvma.org/). Steering Committee members Joyce Zeiner and Arline Broberg hope to be there.

State of the City Meeting. We are having our annual State of the City meeting with Mayor Robert Dolan on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. at the Highlands Congregational Church, 355 Franklin Street, in the first floor parlor.

The evening is open to all members and their guests. It’s always a pleasant evening, and it’s our chance to speak with the mayor in an informal setting. We always learn a lot from this meeting, and the Mayor is very interested in our questions, concerns, and comments. Join us for an informative and enjoyable hour April 2.

All members are also welcome to come to the next meeting of the Steering Committee that will be held at 7:00 that evening, just for one-half hour before the Mayor’s talk.

We hope to begin planning our annual meeting for June, at which time we’ll be celebrating the Melrose League’s 60th birthday! We would love members to get involved with the preparations. The party/meeting is planned for June; and we hope to create a retrospective of the League and its history in Melrose. Contact anyone on the steering committee if you can help in any way in the planning for this end-of-year celebration. (We are all listed on the website.) Anyone with audio-visual equipment skills, or computer proficiency, is especially welcome.

Finally, you may be interested in the new zoning that is proposed for the lower Washington Street area near Oak Grove and Marty’s Furniture. An overlay district called the Smart Growth District is proposed to allow more residential and commercial uses in that area in addition to the industrial uses that are the only uses allowed at present. The Planning Board and the Aldermen had a public hearing on the proposal last night, March 10, and it has been sent to the Planning Board for review and report back to the Aldermen. At that point, the Aldermen will decide whether to enact it, enact it with amendments, or reject it entirely. The proposal can be read on the website for the City (www.cityofmelrose.org), under Smart Growth District Zoning Amendment, and questions may be directed to the Planning Department. Members of the public will have another chance to make comments after the Planning Board’s review when the amendment is back before the Aldermen for deliberations. Check it out, and make your voice heard if you like.

Thanks for your support,

Anna, Anne, Arline, Katinka, Louise, Sally and Joyce

League of Women Voters of Melrose Steering Committee