Wilmington water customers may see low pressure or discolored water on Monday night, November 9, between about 8 and 10 p.m., when the Water Division runs hydrant flow tests. The Department of Public Works says the effect is like the annual hydrant flushing and should be “minimal and short-lived, if experienced at all.” The tests are the first item in a week that also brings the Select Board’s regular meeting Monday at 7 p.m., a Finance Committee appointing committee session Wednesday, and a letter from Town Moderator Jonathan R. Eaton on how the November 21 Town Meeting will run with electronic voting for the first time.
Monday: hydrants, the Select Board and three other boards
Hydrant flow testing measures how much water the system can deliver at a given point, which matters for fire protection and for sizing new connections. It stirs up sediment the same way flushing does. The DPW’s advice is the usual one for discolored water: run a cold tap until it clears before doing laundry.
The Select Board meets at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall hearing room, carried live on WCTV and wctv.org. Its posted agenda includes recognition of police officers and the Santa parade, a cyber resiliency grant, the launch of the town’s new website, windows at the West Intermediate School and the use of the Wildwood School for police training. Also Monday, the Sarah Carter Lecture Fund Committee meets at 12:30 p.m. at Town Hall, the Wilmington Housing Authority at 4:30 p.m. at Deming Way and the Historical Commission at 7 p.m. at the Town Museum. On Wednesday, November 11, the Finance Committee’s appointing committee meets at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall community room. No other meetings are on the clerk’s calendar for the week, though the clerk’s office notes that boards sometimes post midweek.
Town Meeting, November 21: clickers and a random draw
Town Meeting is Saturday, November 21 at 9 a.m. in the Joanne M. Benton Auditorium at Wilmington High School. Doors open at 8 a.m., and the moderator asks voters to come early to speed check-in. The warrant and other materials are on the town’s Town Meeting page.
For the first time, Eaton writes, the meeting will use electronic clickers for any article that requires a specific vote count or where a voice vote leaves the result in doubt. He expects the devices to cut the time spent waiting for counts, and acknowledges “this is change from prior practice.” WCTV has produced a short tutorial, and a walkthrough will be given at the start of the meeting so voters are comfortable with the devices.
On the order of business, the town’s bylaws govern. Article 1, which deals with capital spending, will be taken first. The remaining six articles will be drawn at random, with two exceptions: Articles 4 and 5 are related and will be taken as a pair, 4 then 5, when either is drawn; Articles 6 and 7 will be handled the same way. Eaton’s letter does not describe the subjects of Articles 2 through 7. The town’s earlier notice for the meeting described a plan for compliance with the state’s MBTA Communities law among the business to be considered; we have not yet seen the posted warrant. Questions about procedure go to moderator@wilmingtonma.gov. Eaton closes by thanking the town employees who organize the meeting, the volunteers who run it and the residents who attend.
A scam call that used the wrong utility’s name
A Wilmington resident reported receiving a call from someone claiming to be National Grid, demanding payment to avoid immediate disconnection. Wilmington’s electricity comes from the Reading Municipal Light Department, not National Grid, which is itself a sign the call was fraudulent. National Grid’s advisory on the calls, issued from Waltham, says the company “will never demand immediate payment through prepaid cards, gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or third-party payment apps,” that callers may spoof the company’s phone number, and that the red flags are threats of immediate shutoff without written notice, requests for personal or account information, demands for payment by prepaid or unusual methods, and callers who cannot verify account details. Customers of any utility who suspect a scam should hang up and call the number on their bill, and may report the call to the utility or to local police.
Bids and legal notices
The town has issued a request for bids for trade contractor services on the elementary school building project and an invitation for bids for work at the Brown’s Crossing wellfield. It has also posted a notice of sale of real estate at 5 Franklin Avenue. The Planning Board has site plan reviews pending for 175 Lowell Street and 33 Upton Drive, and the Board of Appeals has cases 12-26 and 13-26 on its docket. The notices are published through MassPublicNotices.org; the bid documents are available from the town.
Police log note
The Wilmington police log for Saturday, October 31 included a report at 12:23 a.m. of a fight on a train that spilled into the MBTA parking lot on Main Street; police and Transit Police responded but did not find the people involved. A walk-in at 4:16 p.m. asked about a possible identity scam targeting her late son. At 10:33 p.m. a Deming Way resident reported a man looking in her window and what sounded like someone unscrewing her air conditioner; police checked and found no one. The department’s standard disclaimer applies: an arrest is not a conviction.
Town offices are closed Wednesday, November 11 for Veterans Day. The next Select Board meeting after Monday’s, and the posted warrant for the November 21 meeting, will be covered here when the town posts them.
