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Rep. Thomas M. Stanley
9th Middlesex District |
Near the State House
Onlookers wait
Tower at Dusk
Purple Flowers
Autumn Arrives
If you'd like to arrange a State House tour, please call (617) 727-3676.
If you'd like Rep. Stanley to visit your classroom, call
(617) 722-2310. |
Contact Information:
State Representative
Thomas M. Stanley
State House, Room 167
Boston, MA 02133
(617) 722-2810
Thomas.Stanley@state.ma.us | |
Dear Friend,
It is my pleasure to deliver September's edition of The Stanley Report, my monthly update from Beacon Hill. Please feel free to pass this e-mail along to your friends, family and co-workers and let them know they can subscribe to receive my monthly newsletter by emailing me.
Thanks for reading, and for giving me the opportunity to represent you in the legislature. As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office at (617) 722-2310.
Sincerely,
Thomas M. Stanley |
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News from Beacon Hill
Rep. Stanley cosponsors legislation to regulate DCR's pool schedule
Rep. Stanley signed onto legislation that would regulate the Department of Conservation and Recreation's (DCR) schedule for its pools, most of which closed Sunday, August 16th, in spite of the record temperatures being felt across most of the region. The legislation requires the DCR to open all public swimming pools on the same day in the last week of June and close all their pools on the same day in the last week of August each year. The legislation would make budgeting and staffing more uniform for these facilities, as well as provide a more consistent level of service to MA citizens.
Stanley Votes against Interim Appointment Proposal
Rep. Stanley voted against the proposal to change the law to allow for an interim appointment by the Governor to the United States Senate. Rep. Stanley believes that the voters should select the candidate of their choice to provide representation. To read Rep. Stanley's blog about this vote on boston.com, please click here.
Special Election to fill Sen. Kennedy's Seat A special election for senator in Congress for Massachusetts will take place to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Senator Edward M. Kennedy. The state primary will take place on December 8, 2009 and the state election will take place on January 19, 2010. For a calendar of events regarding this special election, please click here.
Belmont, Waltham, Lexington Subarea Study The Belmont, Lexington and Waltham Subarea Study is available on the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) home page under the 'What's New' column. The study was formally approved by the Boston MPO Transportation Planning and Programming Committee (TPPC). The need for a subarea study in sections of Belmont, Lexington and Waltham came to the attention of the TPPC of the Boston MPO during the preparation of the fiscal year 2005 Unified Planning Work Program. MAPC and CTPS held meetings with planners, transportation officials, and other interested parties in each of the three communities to discuss options and opportunities for addressing their concerns. Concerns primarily related to existing and future traffic, the amount of future development under consideration and a need to mitigate project impacts.
Gov Announces Foster Children Bill of Rights
The Patrick Administration announced the creation of the Foster Child Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights, developed by the Department of Children and Families' (DCF) Youth Advisory Board consisting of current and former DCF foster youth who participate on a volunteer basis, was created to ensure that foster children across the state are treated with respect and actively included in the decisions that affect their lives. The Bill of Rights, initiated by the Youth Advisory Board, was a project the youth worked on for several months with DCF Commissioner Angelo McClain. The Bill of Rights includes reasonable access to a caseworker who makes case plan decisions; participation in the development and review of the service plan and input into changes made that affect the permanency, safety, stability or well being of the youth; information about a foster family or program whenever possible; and access to information contained in medical, dental and educational records.
September Workshops at MBHP
The Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership's (MBHP) mission is to ensure that the region's low- and moderate-income individuals and families have choice and mobility in finding and retaining decent affordable housing; all of its programs and initiatives are designed to encourage housing stability, increased economic self-sufficiency, and the enhanced quality of the lives of those it serves. To achieve its mission and to promote efficient service delivery, it works collaboratively with a broad array of service providers and neighborhood-based organizations. MBHP offers a variety of workshops and events for supporters, tenants, and property owners. Please click here to learn more.
For more information about the Executive Office of Transportation & Public Works' efforts to "democratize data" and provide transportation data to developers, please click here.
MBTA Moves toward Environmentally Cleaner Commuter Rail Fleet
As part of its commitment to building a healthier and more reliable public transit system, the MBTA announced it has launched a Request for Proposals to purchase up to 40 new diesel electric passenger locomotives. The majority of funding for the locomotives is expected to come from federal grants. In a move that will improve public health along commuter rail corridors, the procurement permits the MBTA to replace the oldest and least environmentally friendly vehicles with a more reliable and environmentally cleaner fleet. Dedicated to procuring the most technologically advanced, cost-effective commuter rail equipment, transportation officials are encouraging every available manufacturer to competitively bid this work.
Presently, the T commuter rail fleet consists of 410 coaches including 140 bi-level and 270 single coaches, and 80 locomotive units. The fleet ranges in age from 29 to 7 years of age. Commuter rail service carries approximately 74,000 customers each weekday. The MBTA anticipates that 80% of the cost of the locomotives will be funded through Federal Transit Administration grants and a 20% match from the MBTA's Capital Investment Program.Proposal documents are available at the MBTA Materials Management Directorate, Room 2810, Transportation Building, 10 Park Plaza, Boston.
2009 Greater Boston Walk Now for Autism
The 2009 Greater Boston Walk Now for Autism will be held on Sunday, October 18th at Suffolk Downs Racetrack in East Boston. Join more than 20,000 people as they walk to raise funds for autism research, education and family services! To get informed or get involved, please click here.
Weekly Swine Flu Updates
With the flu season approaching, it is important that we do what we can to stay healthy. For more information about protecting yourself and others, please click here for the most up to date information. Food and Nutrition Information
The Office of Health and Human Service's website includes information about programs that offer access to free or low cost food to help eligible people meet their basic needs. Please click here for information on food banks, SNAP benefits (a nutrition program for families and individuals that meet certain income and resource guidelines), breastfeeding initiatives, growth and nutrition programs (makes expert services available to children and their families to ensure that nutrition does not impair the health and development of children in Massachusetts), meals and nutrition assistance for elders, school breakfast and school lunch programs and women, infants and children (WIC) nutrition programs. For complete information, please click here.
United States: Census 2010
The census is a count of everyone residing in the United States in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Island Areas. All residents of the United States must be counted every 10 years. This includes people of all ages, races, ethnic groups, citizens and non-citizens. The next census occurs in 2010. Census questionnaires will be mailed or delivered to every household in the United States in March 2010. The questions ask you to provide information that is accurate for your household as of April 1, 2010. The Census Bureau must count everyone and submit state population totals to the U.S. President by December 31, 2010. The first Census was conducted in 1790 and has been carried out every 10 years since then. For additional information about the 2010 census, please click here.
MA School Building Authority Accepting Statements of Interest for FY2010 Process
State Treasurer Tim Cahill, Chair of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) and Katherine Craven, MSBA Executive Director, announced that the MSBA is accepting Statements of Interest (SOI) electronically through its online web-based SOI System for the FY2010 filing season. The filing season began Friday, July 31, 2009 and will close Friday, October 23, 2009. Submitting a SOI is the first critical step in the MSBA's process for schools building construction and renovation grants. The MSBA program is a non-entitlement competitive grant program, and grants are distributed by the MSBA Board of Directors based on need and urgency, as expressed by the community and validated by the MSBA. Through an SOI, districts are asked to outline any specific school building deficiencies and any resulting negative educational impact. Selection of which school projects get funded in the new program will be a competitive process where grants will be directed to school projects that present the greatest need and urgency for capital improvements. Once projects are selected, the MSBA and the local community will collaborate on a solution that makes educational and financial sense.
To learn more or apply, please click here.
AARP launches new web tool to help lower drugs costs
AARP launched its new Doughnut Hole Calculator, a free web tool that can help residents "avoid the dreaded coverage gap" which can leave folks stuck with thousands of dollars in unbudgeted spending. Click here to access this calculator. According to the AARP, in 15 minutes visitors can view a graph of their out-of-pocket spending by month, look up lower cost drugs for their conditions, create a Personal Medication Record and print out personalized letters to their doctors to help start a conversation about safely switching prescriptions.
MBA Veterans Legal Hotline
If you are a veteran, or family member of a veteran who needs to appeal a state or federal benefits decision, the Massachusetts Bar Association can help. Please call (617) 338-0572 to be matched with a volunteer attorney - for FREE.
AG and MA Association of Realtors offer consumer publication on foreclosures
In an effort to educate homeowners on how to avoid foreclosure, the AGO and the Massachusetts Association of Realtors have collaborated on a brochure to help educate consumers on financing a home and avoiding foreclosure. The brochure is entitled "Protecting your Investment: Understanding Financing and Avoiding Foreclosure." To download a copy of the new brochure, please click here.
Apply online for Food Stamps or Health Insurance and Health Assistance!
You may be able to complete a Food Stamps or Health Insurance and Health Assistance Programs application online. A simple screening survey asks questions about people in your household and compares your answers with the program rules. For more information, please click here.
Job Opportunities with the Commonwealth of MA
There are a number of job listings posted on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts home page. For more information, click here. |
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Lexington Corner
Liberty Ride Offers Discount
Leaves from National Heritage Museum, 33 Marrett Road, Lexington. Daily, 10:30 a.m., noon, 1:30 and 3 p.m. The Liberty Ride, the town of Lexington's historically narrated tour of the first day of the American Revolution, April 19, 1775, features a colonial guide that takes passengers to the North Bridge in Concord and back, describing the events of the day. Adult fare is $25 and includes admission to all three Lexington Historical houses. Until September 30th, there is a special discount for Lexington residents only--a buy two tickets, get one free. The tickets are for equal or lesser value tickets and must be purchased from Liberty Ride Guides at the National Heritage Museum. Call 781.862.0500, Ext. 702; email info@libertyride.us, or visit libertyride.us for more information.
LCE's fall schedule
Lexington Community Education's (LCE) fall catalogue offers new courses and a new Around Town section. More than 135 classes are available for you to learn more about your community. Courses range from "Special Conversations" with Poet Laureate Donald Hall and renowned poet and Lexington resident XJ Kennedy; to a conversation on "Racial Identity," the spirit of creativity and the effect of life in the suburbs with Danzy Senna, author of Caucasia and Michael Thomas, author of "Man Gone Down;" to learning about field production, digital editing or studio production at LexMedia. A sampling of new classes includes: Zumba, an Acting Workshop with LHS' Steve Bogart; Oil Painting; Web site Planning and Design with Dreamweaver; GRE Prep; Creating Comics for Middle Schoolers; Practice Workshop for String Musicians; Online Social Networking for Small Business Marketing; Introduction to Zen and more. These new topics will complement the array of classes offered in the 15 categories of classes including Exercise and Dance, Computers and Fine and Fabric Arts. LCE catalogs are available online; at Cary Library; and by calling LCE at 781-862-8043. Opportunities at Minuteman Senior Services
Minuteman Senior Services offers seniors and their caregivers over 22 different programs and services. Over 15,000 people each year turn to them for help. Fifteen Commonwealth Corps Members will serve between October 1, 2009 and July 31, 2010 to help Minuteman Senior Services identify, reach, educate, and connect elders and caregivers to services in Minuteman's 16 communities west of Boston (from Arlington to Harvard). Please click here to learn more about these service opportunities. The mission of the Commonwealth Corps is to engage residents of all ages and backgrounds in direct service to rebuild communities and address unmet community needs. The Corps will provide opportunities for skill building, leadership development and will encourage and enhance a lifelong civic vocation for Corps members. Corps members will provide direct service, build capacity, and recruit, organize and mobilize additional volunteers, thus building a grassroots movement of volunteers dedicated to service.
Lexington Food Pantry In November 1990, the Lexington Food Pantry opened its doors to distribute non-perishable food to residents in need of food assistance. Open on Saturday mornings, the Food Pantry is currently distributing food to 60-65 families from Lexington, Lincoln, and Winchester. For more information, please click here.
Lexington Farmers MarketThe Lexington Farmers' Market will take place at the corner of Massachusetts Ave, Woburn St., and Fletcher Ave. in LexingtonCenter every Tuesday from 2pm - 6:30 p.m., rain or shine. The market features locally grown produce, a variety of meats, fish, baked goods and other prepared foods, and artisans tent. Admission is free. For more information or to subscribe to the weekly newsletter, please click here.
Volunteer Drivers Needed One Day per Month
If you are retired, have a flexible work schedule, or have available time during the day, please consider becoming a volunteer one day a month for Lexington's F.I.S.H. (Friendly Independent Sympathetic Help), a community-service organization. F.I.S.H. has been providing free rides to medical appointments for over 30 years for Lexington residents, but our 130 volunteer drivers and phone callers cannot meet the current client demand. Drivers typically volunteer to drive for one day a month and can choose to provide round-trip rides to destinations either in Lexington and vicinity or in the greater-Boston area. "Phone F.I.S.H." volunteers make calls from their homes for a few hours on a given day to assign F.I.S.H. clients needing a ride to the volunteer drivers. Being a F.I.S.H. driver or Phone F.I.S.H. is a very rewarding experience and we hope you will consider helping out your fellow Lexingtonians who have become very dependent on this unique service. For more information about volunteering for F.I.S.H., please call F.I.S.H. President David Horton at 781-862-3293.
Donate Your Books to More than Words Bookstore and Café!
Looking for somewhere to donate your books, CDs and DVDs? Interested in hosting a book drive? More Than Words Bookstore and Café is the place for you! More Than Words is a nonprofit that empowers youth who are in the foster care system, court involved, homeless, or out of school, to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business! By working as a team to manage their own retail and online bookstore and cafe business, our youth develop leadership, employment skills and self confidence as they prepare for their transition to adulthood! Please email Jennifer Stewart or via phone at 781-788-0035 for more information regarding book drives and donations or stop by 376 Moody St, Waltham. Stanley Report to highlight Lexington non-profit orgs
If you'd like your organization highlighted in the Stanley Report, please let Rep. Stanley know! To allow more members of our community to hear about your organization's good work, please submit your upcoming community events, announcements and any other information about your organization. If interested, please email Judy Bromley or via mail to Rep. Tom Stanley, State House, Boston, MA 02133. |
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Upcoming Events & Opportunities
Lexington Calendar & Events (as announced in the Lexington Minuteman)
NATIONAL HERITAGE MUSEUM, Exhibit on time
From waking to the rooster's crow to catching the 8 am train, how Americans judge and value time has changed over the centuries. For All Time: Clocks and Watches from the National Heritage Museum is a new exhibit at the Museum, 33 Marrett Road, Rte. 2A, Lexington, running Aug. 15-Feb. 21. It explores the story of timekeeping through spectacular objects drawn from the Museum's own collection - 95 clocks and 22 watches, ranging in dates from about 1700 to about 1930. For information, contact the Museum at 781-861-6559 or click here.
Historic houses now open all week
The Lexington Historical Society's three house museums, the Buckman Tavern, the Hancock-Clarke House, and Munroe Tavern are open full time, seven days a week. They will remain open until the close of the season Nov. 1. In the houses you may meet knowledgeable, costumed guides who will take you through the fabled midnight ride of Paul Revere, the "First Shot" on the Lexington Green, and the bloody Redcoat retreat back through Lexington. Buckman Tavern, at 1 Bedford St., and the Hancock-Clarke House at 36 Hancock St. are open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Munroe Tavern, at 1332 Massachusetts Ave., is open noon to 4 p.m. Three-house discount "First Shot" tickets, good anytime, are available at any house for $10 per adult and $6 per child. For more information, or to schedule a group tour for 10 or more people, call 781-862-5598. Visit the Society's web site for more detail on the houses and other fun summer programs with the Lexington Historical Society.
La leche league
The La League provides breastfeeding support and information through monthly meetings with accredited leaders and mother-to-mother support. The Lexington group meets the second Thursday of each month at the Cary Memorial Library, 1874 Massachusetts Ave. The Lexington group attracts women from Lexington and surrounding towns. For more information, call Francesca at 781.862.4762, Ann Marie at 781.863.1689, or Shari at 781.270.0944.
Moving On
Church of Our Redeemer, 6 Merriam St., Lexington. Thursdays, 7:30-9 p.m. Moving On is a nondenominational, on-going conversation and social group which provides a comfortable environment for now single adults to re-enter a fuller life after the loss of a partner through death, divorce or relationship termination. A $2 per person donation covers the room rental. For more information about this nonprofit group, contact John, 781.790.1708 (Waltham), moving.on@comcast.net; Marti at 978.256.5872 (Chelmsford); or Phil at 978.922.3690 (Beverly).
Fix It Shop
Lexington Senior Center, 1475 Mass Ave., Lexington. Thursdays, 9 a.m.-noon. A Fix it Shop is held for the repair of small items. Drop-off and pick up only during the above times. Labor is free, repair parts at cost. Donations accepted.
Volunteers sought
Lexington Senior Center, 1475 Mass Ave., Lexington. The Friend to Friend Program at the Lexington Senior Center is looking for volunteers to spend a few hours a month to help isolated seniors keep in touch with everyday activities. Volunteers could help a senior with vision impairment pick up some groceries or a prescription, get a haircut, attend a special luncheon, or just have a cup of coffee and chat. People are carefully matched according to the time they have available and what they would like to do. Currently, there are several seniors looking for a friendly volunteer. Call Charlotte Rodgers, 781.861.0194, for more information.
Newcomers Club
Lexington Newcomers Club welcomes new residents to town. Consider joining the Lexington Newcomer's Club, a non-profit social organization, to meet friends and learn about the town. Visit lexington-newcomers. Org for more information or call Marjoleine, membership chair, 781.274.9822, to join.
Exhibit
National Heritage Museum, 33 Marrett Road, Lexington. Ongoing. The National Heritage Museum opens "Sowing the Seeds of Liberty: Lexington and the American Revolution," its new cornerstone exhibition. The new long-term installation is designed to stimulate new ways of thinking about the battle at Lexington on April 19, 1775. In addition to describing the battle and events that led up to it, the exhibition will explain why members of this small farming community were willing to take arms against their own government to protect a way of life, Through an engaging mix of objects, documents, images, re-creations of historic environments, and interactive elements, people of all ages will be able to learn about the roots of the American Revolutions. "Sowing the Seeds of Liberty" will replace "Lexington Alarm'd," the museum's current exhibition on colonial life that has been on view since April 19, 1995. Free and open to the public. Call 781.861.6559 or visit nationalheritagemuseum.org for further information.
NAMI Support Groups
The Central Middlesex affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Massachusetts, serving Acton, Bedford, Boxborough, Burlington, Carlisle, Concord, Lexington, Lincoln, Littleton, Maynard, and Stow offers daytime and evening support groups for families and friends: Bedford, last Tuesday of each month, 7:30-9:30 pm, First Church of Christ, 25 Great Road, Routes 4, 62 and 225, Bedford; West Concord, first Thursday of each month, 12:30-2:00 pm, West Concord Union Church, 1317 Main Street, West Concord; Stow, -third Saturday of every month, 10:00 am-12:00 pm, Fellowship Hall, First Parish Church in Stow, near the intersection of Rt. 117 and Rt. 62. Call 781.982.3318. | |
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