The Wrentham Times

Vacancy on the Wrentham Zoning Board of Appeals

There is presently one associate member vacancy on the Wrentham Zoning Board of Appeals. The Board meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month. Please contact the Board of Selectman’s assistant at lpacella@wrentham.ma.us if you are interested in volunteering for the position. Should you have any questions, please contact the Zoning Board assistant at pmcgill@wrentham.ma.us or by calling the office at 508-384-5441.

Senator Rausch File Legislation in Response to MBTA Fare Hike

Starting July 1, it will cost commuters $311 month for a rail pass into Boston from Norfolk. This is up from $291.50.

In light of this increase, Senator Becca Rausch and Representative Maria Robinson filed legislation to add two members to the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) who will specifically represent the perspective and needs of riders. The bill, SD.2333, is a targeted response to the FMCB vote on March 11 to increase subway and commuter rail fares by six percent, despite significant opposition from state and local lawmakers and MBTA ridership.

“The needs of riders, and particularly the needs of commuter rail riders, have been ignored for too long,” Rausch said Tuesday. “Representative Robinson and I agree; this legislation is an important first step to building a reliable and equitable public transit system. Increasing fares drives riders away when we should be encouraging usage. Supporting and improving ridership should decrease traffic congestion and reduce environmental impacts. When it is more expensive and less reliable to take the commuter rail into Boston than it is to drive, we all lose.”

By current statue, the FMCB is made up of 5 members, 3 of whom serve on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), one of whom has experience in transportation finance and one of whom has experience in mass transit operation. None of the current board members are statutorily designated to represent riders. The legislation increases the size of the FMCB from five (5) to seven (7) members. One new FMCB member would represent greater Boston subway and bus riders, and the other new member would represent commuter rail riders.

When the fare hike takes effect, Attleboro-area commuters will pay $360 for a monthly MBTA commuter rail pass into Boston. A roundtrip monthly pass from Franklin will cost $340, from Natick $281, from Wellesley $261, and from Needham $232.

Voter Registration

The town will hold a voter registration on Tuesday, March 12, 2019 for the Annual Town Election of Monday, April 1, 2019. The registration will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Town Clerk’s office, and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Public Safety Building located at 89 South St. Any Wrentham resident who is not registered or will become 16 years of age on or before April 1, 2019 may pre-register/register to vote. Please call the Town Clerk’s office at 508-384-5415 for questions.

Northeastern University Students Develop Wrentham Town Center Redesign

From left: Northeastern University Capstone Design Team members James Ceal, Project Manager Jessica O’Neil, Josephine Rosenthal, Cameron Parker and Odera Cole are working on a redesign of Wrentham Center. (Photo Courtesy Northeastern University)

A group of Northeastern University civil engineering seniors are studying the layout of Wrentham Center and developing a new design that will better serve pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists alike.

The five seniors, Jessica O'Neil, James Ceal, Cameron Parker, Josephine Rosenthal, and Odera Cole, began studying Wrentham Center - near the intersection of Route 1A and Route 140 as well as the surrounding streets - when their capstone design class kicked off in January.

The students are the first to use drones to survey their area of study as part of the design capstone class at Northeastern. With the images they collect with the drones, the students will be able to generate a map that will be used for the basis of their design.

"It's so exciting to have these students here in Wrentham, using their civil engineering skills to take a fresh look at Wrentham Center," said Town Administrator Kevin Sweet. "It's a great project, because they're full of exciting, new ideas to improve the area, and it also gives them a chance to see what it's like to design something for a community, with real residents passing through that area daily who could benefit from their ideas and input."

As they craft a new design for the area, the students are searching for ways to improve bike and pedestrian safety, and are also looking to connect the available green space near the downtown. The group is also examining how the roadways could be used most effectively and safely by motorists.

Their design will embrace and promote a "complete streets" approach, where all users are considered equal, while considering the potential for future economic development.

"The class is a culmination of students' academic, real-world and cooperative experience," said Northeastern University Professor Daniel Dulaski, who is overseeing the students' project.

The design capstone class encourages students to think of their favorite cities and the elements of those places they are fond of, and to try to integrate those into their design. Dulaski also asks students to think about all of the transportation users and commuters that may pass through an area as they develop their designs.

The five students working on the Wrentham Center redesign have also created a survey for residents to share their input.

"We have this survey put in place, ensuring that we are taking into account what the community feels they want and are incorporating that into the design as well," said Jessica O'Neil, the student project leader. "We are listening to the community, not just designing what we think is best."

Residents can take the survey by clicking here.

Over the last decade, Northeastern students that have taken the capstone design class have worked on 45 projects in 22 communities. A prior group of Northeastern students provided a similar design proposal for the Town of Mansfield, and that design helped the town to secure a $2.37 million MASSWORKS grant.

"The hope is that the design will look at each of these roads and try to incorporate each of these goals we have to make a cohesive area," O'Neil said. "It has been really interesting. We are using what we have learned in class, and realizing the different tools we have to offer in this real-world application. It's been really good for my education."

O'Neil and her project partners will complete their design this April.

(submitted)

Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Seminars Planned

State Representative Shawn Dooley will host a series of local informational seminars on the Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit. Each seminar is free and open to all:

Tuesday February 26th:

10 a.m. - Norfolk Town Hall, Room 124 (1 Liberty Lane, Norfolk)
11:30 a.m. - The Center at Medfield, Library (1 Ice House Road, Medfield)

Tuesday March 12th:

10 a.m. - Plainville Senior Center (9 School Street, Plainville)
11:30 a.m. - Wrentham Senior Center (400 Taunton Street, Wrentham)

“This is one of my favorite things to do every year. I encourage all residents who think they may be eligible for this tax credit to come on by. I fight every day on Beacon Hill to offer our hardworking citizens some much needed tax relief, and this program is an excellent way to do that for our seniors," said Dooley.

The Senior Circuit Breaker is a tax credit for senior citizens whose property tax payments along with half of their water and sewer payments account for more than 10% of their annual income (or 25% of their rent exceeds 10% of their income). For tax year 2018, seniors may claim up to $1,100 in credits. Additionally, if the taxpayer has not claimed the tax credit in the past, they may claim it for the previous three years.

Wrentham and Plainville to receive reimbursements for early voting expenses

Wrentham and Plainville are among Massachusetts communities receiving reimbursement for the mandated early voting held in November. Wrentham will receive $2,739 while Plainville is owed $1,958. Norfolk is not receiving funds.

Reimbursements were determined by a survey of municipalities conducted by the Office of the State Auditor. Norfolk didn't report any additional expenses in the survey and will not receive any reimbursement.

The payments are part of $1,144,156.33 going back to Massachusetts cities and towns to cover costs with early voting. The funding comes from money allocated to the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

”Early voting has proved to be enormously popular among voters in the last two state elections,” said William Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth. “As we look to expand early voting to increase voter access and convenience in the future, we need to make sure we are providing local election officials with the resources they need in order to hold successful elections."

The early voting law, which passed in 2014, requires that municipalities allow any qualified voters to cast their ballot during a twelve-day early voting period. The Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office reports that more than 584,000 voters cast their ballots early during the 2018 general election cycle.

Voter Registration

A voter registration will take place on Wednesday, August 15, 2018 for the State Primary Election of Tuesday, September 4, 2018. The registration will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Town Clerk’s office, and from 4 to 8 p.m. in the Public Safety Building located at 89 South St. Any Wrentham resident who is not registered or will become 16 years of age on or before September 4, 2018 may pre-register/register to vote. Please call the Town Clerk’s office at 508-384-5415 for questions.

Dooley Pushes For $200,000 For Wrentham Highway Ramp

State Representative Shawn Dooley announced $200,000 is included in the House of Representatives economic development bill for a new ramp from I-495 near the Wrentham Outlets and Route 1A. The hope is a new ramp will help the flow of traffic and decrease congestion. The bill must now go through the Massachusetts Senate for debate and a vote.

“I’m very glad to have had this funding included for Wrentham” said Dooley. “Not only will this money go towards improving the lives of the thousands of drivers that travel in this area every day by eliminating bottlenecks and reducing traffic congestion, but it will also spur economic development in Wrentham and the entire region. From day one I have worked to bring as much money as possible back to the taxpayers of my district; and I am hopeful that the Senate will include this funding in their version of the bill.”

The funding was included as an amendment to H.4714, an economic development bond bill, which has the goal of financing economic development across the Commonwealth. The $200,000 is a part of a larger $116.9 million of authorized spending to fund various local projects. Along with improving local communities and infrastructure, H.4714 creates a sales tax holiday from August 11-12, puts $300 million towards public infrastructure; economic development; and job creation, as well as establishes many grants dedicated to institutes of higher education.