Brookline Town Meeting 2004: Discussion of the Warrant Articles
Submitted by Jon Garfunkel on November 16, 2004
Here are the 25 Warrant Articles for the Annual Town Meeting. Also, here are the Town Meeting Members, which include 240 elected members and 8 at-large.
The articles sure to generate the bulk of the discussion are #7 Underground Utilities, #11 on the cell tower (even though it recommends passing to a committee), and #21, a study to overhaul the 2-hour parking limit. I'm leaning against $7 for the cost. The Griggs Park Neighborhood Association is in favor of it. I'm willing to hear both sides.
I thought I'd list all the amendments below, even though most don't need any debate. I've added some comments to them, but I really can't do justice to most of them, as I'm cramming here. Several of them simply pass a decision onto a committee. Feel free to comment on them or add your viewpoints (that's why I wrote this software). The Town Meeting commences in about 17 hours, but it could well go on to a second evening as it usually does.
Article 11: Cell Tower in Putterham; refer to comm. -- YES
Putterham is the southern portion of the town, where I play golf every so often, and also shop at Allandale Farms. I've never had reception problems on the golf course, but then again I don't usually make calls there.
"The issue is not whther cellular towers are coming to South Brookline just where and how. The Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996 mandates that cellular coverage be permitted and that all carriers are granted equal access. Fderal Court is generally not kind to municipalities in contested cases as Concord andother towns have learned the hard way...."
One of the places the tower could go is the Walnut Hills Cemetary:
The Preservation Commission feels "that the monopine would tower over the cemetary like an ominous sentinel."
But the vote is to refer it to a Moderators' committee. That's the easy way out.