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Community Spirit is Alive and Well
By Gregory T. Federspiel
The successful COVID vaccination clinic held this past Saturday in the Parish Hall of Sacred Heart Church was a terrific example of the community coming together to help our seniors. A strong showing from community members volunteering to assist combined with the generosity of the Church to make the Parish Hall available, the organizational skills of Nancy Hammond, our Council on Aging Director, and Ellen Lufkin, Our Board of Health Administrator, and the partnership with Conley’s Drug Store made it possible to vaccinate nearly 300 residents, including some of our neighbors in Essex. A repeat of the event will take place on March 6 for people to receive their second dose. I was pleased with how smoothly the event went thanks to the many helping hands and humbled by the many words of thanks recipients expressed. It was great to be a part of an event that successfully served our seniors over 75.
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COVID Vaccinations
By Gregory T. Federspiel
We are all anxiously waiting for the opportunity to get our COVID vaccination. The roll-out of the vaccines have not been particularly smooth at the federal and state levels given the limited supplies of the vaccines and the logistical challenges of handling the vaccine and administering shots. But progress is being made and slowly people are receiving their shots.
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Open Letter from The Board of Selectmen on the 40B Process
February 8, 2021
Late last fall, the Town received a Local Initiative Project (LIP, or ‘friendly’ 40B) application from Strategic Land Ventures for the proposed development of a 157unit project on School Street at Shingle Hill. Massachusetts general law, under Chapter 40B, allows a developer to pursue development of projects with little restriction by local zoning and wetland ordinance in municipalities that do not meet certain minimum criteria for affordable housing. Manchester does not meet those requirements, so is vulnerable to a chapter 40B development. In either a ‘friendly’ or ‘unfriendly’ 40B project, the state ultimately authorizes a comprehensive permit application to be laid before the municipality’s Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), which holds formal public hearings on the application.
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