Table of Contents
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What experiences and perspectives would you contribute to Town Meeting?
· Town Meeting Member for 10 years.
· My professional background as a Special Education Reading Specialist and union officer has given me experience and perspective to understand how a municipality operates.
· Lived in our town for over 30 years, and I understand many of the values Winchester residents cherish that often drive decisions.
· Past member of the League of Women Voters Steering Committee.
· Currently serving on the Committee on Government Regulations for our precinct. This past year, I participated in the town's decennial bylaw review committee.
· Advocated for retaining 160 Forest Street, a single-family home, for affordable housing rather than demolishing it for a multi-unit property to be built in its place.
What are two or three issues facing Winchester that you think are most important and what are your positions on them?
Meeting the needs of all readers. I support the selection of a unified mainstream reading program spanning the elementary grades and the use of DIBELS for progress monitoring. However, I believe it is important to provide students with specific language-based reading disabilities with separate, highly specialized, structured reading instruction as well.
Affordable Housing: Massachusetts mandates that our town contribute to statewide affordable low-income housing. I would like to see Winchester use innovative ways to meet the mandate. Some communities have open land to build large developments, while others have purchased existing homes. Arlington Housing Corporation, for example, a non-profit, has purchased at least 14 two-family homes for the affordable market. I would like to see renovating older homes, as is occurring at 160 Forest Street, as a way to add to our affordable housing and still preserve the character of our neighborhoods, rather than give way to demolition and building of large multi-unit buildings on small lots.
Recently, the Planning Board endorsed a five-story building at 10 Converse Place, a reduction in size in response to community opposition to a sixth floor. The trade-off means eliminating four or five on-site affordable units and accepting payments to place affordable units elsewhere in Winchester; this is an innovative approach. These funds could be used to acquire and renovate more small single-family homes for the affordable housing market.
What is a special challenge in your precinct that might not be faced in other precincts?
New Muraco School Precinct 1 is the last precinct to have its public school rebuilt. I support the continued efforts toward a new Muraco School.
Preserving Open Space. Our precinct has very little designated open space, other than Leonard Field and Davidson Park. Leonard Field was the subject of a full renovation plan. I would like to see more of this full plan implemented, and all of Davidson Park maintained for public use. Recently, Forest Ridge, an area off Forest Street, has also been discussed as a potential property for the town to acquire or to designate as conservation land. I support this effort as well.
High level of traffic. Washington and Forest Streets are major gateways into town. I would like to see more RRFB: Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons, and pedestrian crosswalks along these streets to improve safety.
Why should voters elect you to represent them?
I will continue to advocate for our schools, neighborhoods, and affordable housing.Meredith A Mason-Crowley
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