Hearing on antennas

The Planning Board is scheduled to hold a public hearing Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Room 305 at City Hall to discuss a special permit amendment being sought by Sprint Wireless Broadband, LLC. Sprint officials want to remove two of the existing antennas mounted on the rooftop of 5 Admirals Way and replace them with four so-called WiMAX antennas. Local zoning laws dictate that a site plan review is necessary for a project of this type. Interested persons are encouraged to attend the meeting or to provide written comment to the board. A copy of the application and petition is available for review at the city clerk's office. - Katheleen Conti

NEW RECYCLING UNDERWAY - The city's new curbside recycling program got fully underway last week. Everett has contracted with RecycleBank, of Philadelphia, to offer the service. According to city officials, RecycleBank's program includes several features to expand recycling in the city, which in turn would help lower Everett's trash disposal costs. One is a system in which residents can earn reward points based on how much they recycle, as measured by weight. Those points earn them discount coupons that they can use at participating area stores. Also, residents do not need to separate their recyclable items they place at the curb; all of them can be included together in the recycling container. The program began on a trial basis in one neighborhood in March. Last week, it was extended to the entire city. In advance of that city-wide rollout, both the city and the company distributed literature to city households informing them of the new program. - John Laidler

LIQUOR SALES AT ISSUE - The License Commission on Tuesday will hold two public hearings on separate allegations of liquor stores on Commercial Street selling to minors. D & M Market, located at 99 Commercial St., and Held's Liquors, at 12 Commercial St., each allegedly sold beer, wine, or liquor to minors. The commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. in the community room at the Lynn Police Station, 300 Washington St. - Kathy McCabe

SPOTS OPEN FOR RECREATION PROGRAM - There are still spaces available in Lynnfield Recreation Station, the town's summer parks program. About 80 children are enrolled in the program, which meets Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon at the Summer Street School. Activities include arts and crafts; sports such as kickball, dodge ball and four square, and "Fun Fridays," which feature visits by special guests. The program, which runs through Aug. 8, is open to children entering grades 1 through 6. The cost is $100 per child, with a maximum of $175 per family. To register or for more information, call Lynnfield Recreation at 781-334-5814.

- John Laidler

CARTOONIST SELECTED - Malden cartoonist Paul Malden has been selected as one of 12 finalists in a national cartoon contest. The contest, sponsored by the Union of Concerned Scientists, attracted hundreds of entries from across the country. Artists were asked to illustrate "How Government Interferes with Science." The finalists were selected by a panel of well-known cartoonists and editors, including Wiley Miller (author of Non Sequitur), Kevin Kallaugher (The Economist), and Pulitzer prize winner Signe Wilkinson (Philadelphia Daily News). The 12 finalists will be featured on a 2009 calendar. The cartoonist who captures the top prize by receiving the most online votes will receive $500 and win the right to have his or her work featured on the cover of the calendar. To view all the cartoons and vote, visit http://ucsaction.org/campaign/science_idol_2008_vote. - Brenda J. Buote

MAYOR HONORS LOCAL FAMILIES - Three prominent local families, who together have served the city for more than 100 years, were honored earlier this month during a ceremony at City Hall, when Mayor Rob Dolan unveiled a photo from a fire that occurred in downtown Melrose in 1972 and announced that the picture would hang permanently in his office. The image shows former Mayor James Milano, former Fire Chief Francis O'Brien, and former Police Chief Robert Lloyd responding to the scene. The photo will be on display next to another piece of art that was also unveiled by Dolan at the July 7 ceremony: A painting by the late June Lyle, mother of current Police Chief Mike Lyle, that captures City Hall in winter. - Brenda J. Buote

PUBLIC WEIGHS IN ON CAUSEWAY - The deadline for the public comment phase for the Nahant Causeway reconstruction project passed last week, and Town Administrator Mark Cullinan has tried to get residents to dial down some overheated rhetoric. Original plans that called for a crosswalk at the halfway point, removal of the barriers separating inbound and outbound traffic, and narrowing the lanes from two lanes to one have all been revised to remove the crosswalk, put in a barrier, and use two lanes in both directions. However, there has been negative feedback over the design of the outbound lane, which was designed as a single lane for the first 300 feet of the causeway, to provide 8 feet of shoulder and better sightlines. "I'm happy with the process at this point," Cullinan said, noting that the $10-15 million project, which will include a new seawall, better drainage, improved lighting, dune reconstruction, and more, is still at the 25 percent design phase. "We need to make some small adjustments, but by and large we're on the right course. I'm convinced that by the end of the day we'll have a project that is safe and enhances our town." - David Rattigan

CITY EMPLOYEE RESIDENCY - Councilor George Rotondo called a meeting of the Public Works Subcommittee for tomorrow at 5 p.m. at City Hall to continue discussions of his proposed change to the city's residency requirement ordinance for city employees. Rotondo, who chairs the subcommittee, wants employees who live outside the city and lie about their place of residence to be fired. The proposed amendment is before the city solicitor for review. In a letter he sent to City Clerk John Henry dated Tuesday, Rotondo formally challenged the residency of Department of Public Works employee and union steward Joseph Lake. Lake argues that residency, while a city ordinance, is not a clause in the union's collective bargaining contract, and not a requirement. Before signing a new contract with the city last Monday, the DPW union had been without a contract and in negotiations for the past year, Lake said. The issue of residency did not come up during the negotiations, he said. Lake said his primary residence is Revere, but that his family does not live in the city and that he owns homes elsewhere. Because Rotondo's challenge is through the city, Lake said he plans on filing an unfair labor practice suit against the city. - Katheleen Conti

FARMERS' MARKET RESUMES TUESDAY - The Cliftondale Farmers' Market continues on Tuesday in the Jackson Street parking lot of St. Margaret Church. The market will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Tuesday through Oct. 7. Cider Hill Farm of Amesbury is staffing the market, supplying fresh fruit, vegetables, and flowers grown on the farm.

- Kathy McCabe

WATER-SEWER RATES RISE - The Board of Selectmen recently established water and sewer rates for fiscal 2009. According to Town Administrator Stephen P. Maio, under the new rates, the average homeowner will pay an added $60 a year in combined water and sewer charges, or $1,377. The average bill is based on a household using 12,000 cubic feet, or 89,000 gallons of water. The water rate will rise from $4.06 per cubic foot to $4.45 per cubic foot, while the sewer rate will increase from $8.13 per cubic foot to $8.23 per cubic feet. The increases are slightly lower than those recommended by the Advisory Board of Public Works, which had proposed a water rate of $4.50 per cubic foot, and a sewer rate of $8.25 per cubic foot. Maio said the increases are needed to fund the cost of ongoing water and sewer capital projects.

- John Laidler

RECYCLING MEETING TUESDAY - The Town Council's Health Safety Committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss recycling in town. Expected at the meeting is representation from private company RecycleBank, to talk about the company's incentives-based recycling program already in effect in parts of Everett. Winthrop's recycling numbers have dipped from around 30 percent to around 22 percent.

- Katheleen Conti

HEARING ON CELL TOWER - The Planning Board will hold a public hearing Tuesday on a request to install cell tower antennae in the cupola at the Marriott residences behind Liberty Tree Mall. MetroPCS, the cell tower provider, also proposes to build two equipment cabinets. The hearing will be held as part of the board's meeting at 7 p.m. in the Daniel J. Toomey Hearing Room at Town Hall. - Kathy McCabe

YOUTH WORK REFERRAL - The Parks and Recreation Department has begun a youth employment referral program. The department connects residents looking to hire people for baby sitting, snow-shoveling, lawn mowing, and other work with young people from Manchester and Essex interested in those jobs. Residents will negotiate fees with workers. For information or to be on the list, go to manchester.ma.us/recreation or call 978-526-2019. - John Laidler

ZONING BOARD HAS VACANCY - The town is seeking applicants to fill a vacancy on the Zoning Board of Appeals. The opening resulted from the recent resignation of David Bennet. Anyone who would like to apply should send a letter of interest to the Board of Selectmen by Aug. 6. Selectmen, meanwhile, at their meeting next Wednesday, are set to appoint residents to fill three vacancies on the Council on Aging board. Also that night, selectmen and the Board of Assessors are set to jointly appoint someone to fill a vacancy on the assessors created by the recent resignation of Richard Riess, and selectmen and the Library Trustees are set to jointly appoint someone to fill a vacant trustee position that resulted from the recent resignation of Judy Gates. - John Laidler

CITY TO SEEK GRANT FOR SITE PURCHASE - The City Council recently approved a request from Mayor Michael J. Bonfanti authorizing the city to seek a $450,000 state grant to help cover acquisition and other costs related to the proposed purchase of land at 45 Walnut St. Once the site of a leather factory, New England Sportswear, the site has been vacant for decades. Part of the grant would fund a study into what contaminants exist on the site. The council's 8-3 vote followed lengthy debate. According to City Clerk Timothy Spanos, some councilors said they would rather see the city undertake the environmental study before seeking the grant. But he said other councilors noted that receipt of the grant would not commit the city to purchasing the land. - John Laidler

GRANT FOR WITCH HOUSE - The city-owned Witch House has received a $50,000 state grant that will help pay for renovations. The grant come from the Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund, which helps cities preserve historical sites and artifacts. The city will also contribute $112,500 to the improvements, which call for a new roof and restored chimney. The 17th-century house was formerly owned by Judge Jonathan Corwin, who served on the court that sent 19 people to the gallows. - Steven Rosenberg

SCHOOL LUNCH FEES GOING UP - The School Committee at its most recent meeting July 10 voted to increase school lunch fees effective with the start of the next school year. The fee at the elementary schools will go from $2 to $2.25, while the fee at the middle and high schools will rise from $2.25 to $2.50. The increases, the first in several years, were necessitated by higher food prices, according to the district's business manager, Edward Cronin. Like other districts, Swampscott offers free and reduced lunches for income-eligible students, receiving federal reimbursement for the costs involved. - John Laidler