High School Reporters December 19, 2017
Keeping Up with the Times
Ayer Board of Selectmen Meeting
December 19, 2017
Writer: Nicole Patano, ASRHS Correspondent
As 2017 comes to a close, the town of Ayer is looking to improve itself in lieu of the dramatic rise in social interaction due to technological advances.
The Board of Selectmen began the meeting in holiday spirits, approving several beneficial requests and contracts. Among the first was the contract for the construction of Ayer’s new dog park. The Department of Public Works is confident that the dog park will be open for use by the summer of 2018, and the contract was readily agreed upon.
The meeting became more serious when issues of public safety and public interest were brought to The Board. The Ayer Police Department tentatively requested $200,000 from the Board of Selectmen’s Urban Development Action Grant (UDAG) account. The department received inconsiderable money from a bid to update the police radio transmitter system. A rather disappointing blow for Lieutenant Gill, Chief Pedrazzi, and the entire police department was made right by the Board of Selectmen’s generous funding of the project. Because it is such an important public safety project, all those involved are grateful to see it going underway sooner rather than later.
Ayer and Shirley Police Departments will be combining to form a regional dispatch center, led by the Chief of Police in accordance with new Massachusetts demands. The Ayer Police are prepared to make the change, but all eyes are on Shirley to see if they update their infrastructure.
If you see John Hillier or Officer Jennifer Bigelow around, please be sure to thank them for their involvement in reinstituting the D.A.R.E. program throughout the school district. The program is expected to begin in January of this year, promising drug awareness and a renewed sense of community.
Also new in 2018 will be Ayer’s new economic development website, created by Alan S. Manoian and Cindy Knox. Manoian describes the purpose of the website as “selling the town.” Only the tip of the iceberg for this ambitious program is connecting businesses for expansion, enticing developers and investors, and providing local information, such as planning and zoning. As of the night of the meeting, the website was in the design process, but it is expected to be fully launched on January 2, 2018. All members of Ayer should anticipate a great deal of business and communication to be found on the new website this coming year.
To quote Chairman Christopher Hillman: “There are some good people in this town as I have seen.”
Happy New Year to the Town of Ayer! Keep up the wonderful work in the coming year.