Town Meeting Articles of the Day-Articles 27-35

In preparation for the Annual Town Meeting on June 15, 2020 at 7pm in the Ayer Shirley Regional High School Auditorium, the Town will be publishing the “Articles of the Day” to provide further information on each of the Town Meeting Warrant Articles.  Each day, the Town will feature 2 or 3 Town Meeting Warrant Articles with a brief summary of each Article.  The complete Town Meeting Warrant can be found here.  For any questions about the Town Meeting or the Town Meeting Warrant, please do not hesitate to contact the Town Manager at 978-772-8220 or at tm@ayer.ma.us  Thank you.

Article 27:  Community Preservation Act:
This Article appropriates the following amounts for the FY 2021 Community Preservation Act Budget as recommended by the Town’s Community Preservation Committee:  $5,000 for administrative expenses; $67,984 for acquisition, creation, preservation of open space; $67,984 for acquisition, preservation, restoration and rehabilitation of historic resources; $67,984 for the acquisition, creation, preservation, restoration, rehabilitation and support of community housing; and the remainder sum of $458,885 for the Community Preservation FY 2021 Budgeted Reserve. 

Article 28:  Community Preservation Fund FY 2021 Transfer of Funds:
This Article transfers the amount of $12,000 from the FY 2021 Community Preservation Fund annual revenues for due diligence of future appropriations by the Community Preservation Committee for general open space purposes.

Article 29:  Historical Resources Inventory Project:
This Article transfers $20,000 from the FY 2021 Community Preservation Fund to support the Ayer Historical Commission’s historical resources inventory project. 

Article 30:  Bylaw Amendment:  Change the Name of Board of Selectmen to Select Board:
This Article would amend the Town’s General Bylaws for the sole purpose of changing the name of Board of Selectmen to that of Select Board for the purposes of modernization and inclusion of the name of the Town’s Chief Executive Body.

Article 31:  Zoning Bylaw Amendment:  Reduction of Off-Street Parking for the Downtown Transit-Orientated Lifestyle District:
This Article would amend the Town’s Zoning Bylaw for the purpose of reducing the parking requirements of new residential units in the most densely developed part of the Downtown/Park Street Form-Based Code District from 1.5 spaces for studio and one-bedroom apartments or 2 spaces for two-bedroom apartments to 1 space per unit so as to encourage new residential development in the downtown core.  Since this is only for the transit-orientated lifestyle district, parking demand is anticipated to be less than for more outlying districts.  Brief presentation at Town Meeting. 

Article 32:  Readopt the Town of Ayer General Bylaws in Their Entirety:
This Article would readopt all of the Town’s General Bylaws in accordance with the numbering, codification, arrangement, sequence and captions and the comprehensive revisions as set forth  in the “Final Draft of the Bylaws and Regulations of the Town of Ayer, Massachusetts” available on the Town’s website at www.ayer.ma.us and on file with the Town Clerk’s Office.  Note, this Article does not make any substantive changes to the Town’s General Bylaws.  Remote public participation forum on June 9, 2020 at 2pm and on June 11, 2020 at 6pm via Zoom (for Zoom meeting info please contact the Town Manager’s Office at atm@ayer.ma.us).  Brief presentation at Town Meeting.

Article 33:  Readopt the Town of Ayer Zoning Bylaw in its Entirety:
This Article would readopt the Town’s Zoning Bylaw in accordance with the numbering, codification, arrangement, sequence and captions and the comprehensive revisions as set forth  in the “Final Draft of the Bylaws and Regulations of the Town of Ayer, Massachusetts” available on the Town’s website at www.ayer.ma.us and on file with the Town Clerk’s Office.  Note, this Article does not make any substantive changes to the Town’s General Bylaws.  Remote public participation forum on June 9, 2020 at 2pm and on June 11, 2020 at 6pm via Zoom (for Zoom meeting info please contact the Town Manager’s Office at atm@ayer.ma.us).  Brief presentation at Town Meeting. 

Article 34:  Street Acceptance:  Haymeadow Lane; Holly Ridge Road; and Appleblossom Drive:
This Article would authorize the acceptance of the portions of Haymeadow Lane, Holly Ridge Road, and Appleblossom Drive as contained in the Article as public ways in the Town of Ayer. 

Article 35:  Grant of Easements to National Grid – Groton Street:
This Article would authorize the Board of Selectmen to grant an easement to National Grid on Groton Street for the purposes of installing an “overhead system” consisting of a utility pole with wires and cables for the purposes of providing utility services to the Ayer Rail Trail Parking Facility located at 3 Groton Street.