A-town

This is Abbi Matheson’s last episode of A-Town, but maybe not the last for the series. We hear from the Advocate’s editor about where she’s going next and what’s in store for Arlington and A-Town.

We changed up our production schedule to bring you updates on the bus rapid transit (BRT) pilot. On Oct. 9, Arlington launched their BRT pilot running from Lake Street to Alewife Brook Parkway along Massachusetts Avenue. As part of the pilot, five bus shelters along Mass. Ave. were decorated by local designers. Why was public art included in the project? What’s the inspiration behind the installations? We talked with the designers and local officials to find out.   Have a question? Fill out the survey and your question might get featured on an upcoming episode: https://bit.ly/2qmMGZN

We changed up our production schedule to bring you updates on the bus rapid transit (BRT) pilot. On Oct. 9, Arlington launched their BRT pilot running from Lake Street to Alewife Brook Parkway along Massachusetts Avenue. How’s the pilot doing one week in? Plus, hear from local officials at the kick off of the BRT pilot.   Have a question? Fill out the survey and your question might get featured on an upcoming episode: https://bit.ly/2qmMGZN

We changed up our production schedule to bring you updates on the bus rapid transit (BRT) pilot. Oct. 9, 2018 marked the first day of a month-long BRT pilot running from Lake Street to Alewife Brook Parkway along Massachusetts Avenue. We talked to bus riders about what their commutes are like and what they hope the BRT pilot will do. Plus, we checked in with Director of Planning and Community Development Jenny Raitt to see how the first day went.   Have a question? Fill out the survey and your question might get featured on an upcoming episode: https://bit.ly/2qmMGZN

Small-town New England museums are often located inside historic buildings. This presents local historic groups and municipal governments with the challenge of preserving and protecting both the collection and the building they are housed in. In Arlington, places like the Jason Russell House, Old Schwamb Mill and Cyrus Dallin Museum face these challenges. How are these museums being preserved and protected? We sat down with George Parsons of the Arlington Historical Society, Director of Planning and Community Development Jenny Raitt and Cyrus Dallin Museum Curator Heather Leavell to find out.   Have a question? Fill out the survey and your question might get featured on an upcoming episode: https://bit.ly/2qmMGZN

In 2017 Arlington launched Community Choice Aggregation, an energy program that allows communities to bulk purchase green energy, ultimately reducing the cost of renewable energy. Arlington’s energy is supplied by Dynegy, an energy company based out of Texas. But, if Dynegy is located almost 2,000 miles away, where does Arlington’s green energy come from? We sat down with Erin Taylor (ET) from Mass Energy and Anne Wright from Mothers Out Front to find out.   Have a question? Fill out the survey and your question might get featured on an upcoming episode: https://bit.ly/2qmMGZN

Arlington shares its southern border with Belmont. The unofficial marker of this border is Route 2, which separates the two towns. Two neighborhoods in Arlington, one in the Heights, the other in East Arlington, extend below the state highway. Why do these neighborhoods fall outside the unofficial border? We sat down with local historian Richard Duffy to find out.   Have a question? Fill out the survey and your question might get featured on an upcoming episode: https://bit.ly/2qmMGZN  

Patriots Day marks the battle of Lexington and Concord, the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775. Arlington often goes unremembered in this history, despite being the site of the bloodiest encounter of that day’s battles. What’s the true story of Arlington’s role in the war? We sat down with Doris Birmingham, a tour guide at the Jason Russell House and Jim McLean, captain of Menotomy Minutemen, to find out.   Have a question? Fill out the survey and your question might get featured on an upcoming episode: https://bit.ly/2qmMGZN

At the 2017 Town Meeting, Town Meeting and PTO member Kate Leary spoke about the changing role of Arlington's PTOs and their new role of funding "need to have" items rather than "nice to have" items for the town’s public schools. We sat down with Kate and School Committee member Jennifer Susse to find out just how much PTOs spend on “need to have” items.   Have a question? Fill out the survey and your question might get featured on an upcoming episode: https://bit.ly/2qmMGZN

In Arlington, overnight parking is not allowed on public streets. Only residents of private ways are allowed to park there. All other residents must park in a driveway or municipal lot with an overnight parking sticker. Recently, this town bylaw has raised concern from a new tenants rights group, which says the bylaw negatively impacts tenants. We sat down with Town Counsel Doug Heim to get into the nitty-gritty of the bylaw. Plus, we spoke with a tenants rights group who is advocating for residential street parking permits.   Have a question? Fill out the survey and your question might get featured on an upcoming episode: https://bit.ly/2qmMGZN

Zoning. You’ve probably heard of it before. But, what is it? And why is it important for affordable housing? We bring you the answers to another reader question. Plus, what’s the history of zoning in Arlington and what’s next? Have a question? Fill out the survey and your question might get featured on an upcoming episode: https://bit.ly/2qmMGZN

We all know the story; there was an opportunity for the Red Line to extend from Cambridge into Arlington and Lexington along what is now the Minuteman Bikeway. What you might not know is why the Red Line didn’t come to Arlington. We sat down with local historian Richard Duffy to parse truth from fiction. Plus, what would Arlington look like today if the Red Line had extended here?   Have a question? Fill out the survey and your question might get featured on an upcoming episode: https://bit.ly/2qmMGZN  

Here’s another reader question; what’s with the private ways in Arlington? What does it mean for a road to be private? Who owns them? Why can’t the town make them public and why do some residents resist such proposals? We sat down with Director of Public Works Michael Rademacher and Town Council Doug Heim to talk all things private way. Plus, what’s the history of those dirt connector paths?    Have a question? Fill out the survey and your question might get featured on an upcoming episode: https://bit.ly/2qmMGZN  

This week, we're answering one of our first reader-submitted questions. We all know how government works on a state and national level, but what about town governments? With Town Meeting, the Board of Selectmen, the Town Manager’s office and various departments, how does it all come together to form a working government for the town of Arlington? We sat down with Arlington Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine to find out.   Have a question? Fill out the survey and your question might get featured on an upcoming episode: https://bit.ly/2qmMGZN

On April 25, 2018, Arlington Town Meeting voted to approve the name change of the Board of Selectmen to the Select Board. There was a lot of discussion about whether the new name was confusing and if it was the right choice. We sat down with Town Counsel Doug Heim to find out what this change means for Arlington. Plus, what does the “select” in Select Board mean? Have a question? Fill out the survey and your question might get featured on an upcoming episode: https://bit.ly/2qmMGZN

Throughout its history, Arlington has had three names: Menotomy, West Cambridge and finally, Arlington. How did the town earn the name it has today?   This week we sat down with local historian Richard A. Duffy to find out what’s in a name.   Have a question? Fill out the survey and your question might get featured on an upcoming episode: https://bit.ly/2qmMGZN  

If you’ve ever stopped in Arlington to get gas, you know that all the stations are full service. Have you ever wondered why? This week we sat down with Selectman Kevin Greeley and Town Meeting member Carl Wagner to talk about the decades old bylaw that bans self-service stations.   Have a question? Fill out the survey and your question might get featured on an upcoming episode: https://bit.ly/2qmMGZN  

Whether you’ve lived in Arlington your whole life or just for a few years, there’s probably something around town that’s made you wonder. The Advocate’s new Wicked Local podcast, A-Town, seeks to answer these questions.    Every other week, we take a deep dive into a reader question. We’ll interview town officials and local experts to find the wacky, random or informative answers to your questions.   Have a question? Fill out the survey and your question might get featured on an upcoming episode: https://bit.ly/2qmMGZN