According to the Census numbers released today by the Sec. of State Dracut has not yet hit the 30,000 mark in population and will not be eligible for an additional seat on the Greater Lowell Technical School Board.
It also means that Lowell will not be getting another Representative. Some other local census numbers

Tyngsborough: 11,081 in 2000 – 11,292 in 2010 Plus 1.90 %

cnag fund raiser vendor flyer

CNAG FUND RAISER FLYER new

I was unable to make it to last nights CNAG meeting but Thanks to Jack Mitchell and recording secratary Steve Albert here is a recap along with a an outlook of what the NEW DCU Credit Union / Dunkin Donuts Complex which will be going in where the old Paul’s Shell Station (Paul Allen and then Paul Demers Owners) on the corner of Bridge and West Sixth st. will look like.

FUNDRAISER : “Parties of all Parties”, Sun. March 27th, 1-4pm Dom Polski Club, corner of Lakeview Ave. & Coburn St. (SEE ATTACHED)

March 21, 2011.

Police Captain Kelley Richardson reported that a group of thieves were caught in Belvidere after several breakins. This same group stopped burglarizing in Centralville after one house.Vehicular break-ins continue to be an issue in various parts of the neighborhood even in the middle of the day. LPD is addressing this with added coverage during hours of increased activity.Lower Bridge St is doing well overall, one hold-up at Tedeschi’s. B&E motor vehicles continue to be attributable to people leaving their cars unlocked.

Latest scam is people claiming to be from the cable company checking doors. Report any cable installers who can’t seem to read house numbers or walk around yards away from where cable actually enters house. Some of them have official-looking uniforms.

Overall not a bad month, crime wise, but the warm weather will likely cause an uptick. Communication is the key, don’t wait for CNAG meetings to bring up issues, call the PD.

There was a brief discussion of absentee landlords and squatter issues. Tied into Broken Windows Theory. And a discussion of keeping kids off streets and potential programs involving CTI.

Lu Richards (VP):
Membership drive: Sent out 100 letters inviting neighbors to meeting, got one response. Other related efforts being made. Info cards available.

Community Volunteer Opportunities: There are plenty of ways to make your neighborhood better. You can read to kids at schools (the schools require a CORI). Traffic islands are available for adoption. Merrimac Valley Food Drive is looking for volunteers to drop off and pick up bags for food donations. Adopt an area to pick up litter (20-30 minutes a week). Help an elderly or disabled neighbor with yardwork.

Video Project: looking for input for what people would want to see in a commercial for Centralville (outdoor video shooting will wait until spring).

Ann Marie Page(Prez):

If anybody has any friends or family in military please make us aware of any request.

Lowell is 175 years old. Birthday Celebration will feature a lot of events. Kick-off reception April 11th, 430pm.

CNAG Fundraiser on Sunday, 3/27: Sponsors include many neighborhood businesses. Please support them. Sponsor letters available if you think there’s a business that may be interested in donating.

CBA is no longer interested in the Varnum School. All other major neighborhood projects are proceeding without major issues.

Allegra Williams (Lowell Neighborhood Planner): Over the coming year the planning dept will update their Plan. Looking for feedback from neighborhood groups. Upcoming surveys will touch on subjects including transportation, public safety and overall sustainability. Watch for fliers. Survey should be out by mid-spring.

Developer Hank Blake: Discussing the gas station lot (Bridge and West 6th):
Previous involvement in projects in the neighborhood include CVS. Current plan is for a bank, Digital Credit Union (DCU) with a drive-thru combined with a Dunkin Donuts without a drive-thru. Architectural style will be similar to CVS with the towers.

Q: What wil the seating capacity be in Dunks? A: Dunks will be 1200 sf, don’t know how many seats. Co-branding will involve an internet cafe in a shared area.

Q: What will happen to the current Dunks down by 2nd Street? A: That has yet to be determined.

Q: How many parking spaces? A: 54 total

DCU: Excited to come into the neighborhood. This will be their 19th branch. This will be coming before the planning board soon. Neighbors in support of the project would be greatly appreciated.

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AT the risk of stating the obvious, the decision by School Committeeman John Leahy to run for the City Council and leave the School Committee certainly changes both races.

With the retirement of Bud Caulfield and the open seat it created Mr. Leahy see’s the opportunity to move. With only Paul Belley and Marty Lorrey announced to date as legitimate candidates (Fred Doyle has also announced along with Matt Vieria a ULowell Student who is also a first time candidate) John Leahy certainly has the advantage of name recognition and a very large active family who will be out working for him.

What will be interesting to watch is whether any of the other challengers will make an attempt to make the Supt. leaving an issue in the council race. Can they use his judgement and the school committee’s decision to not offer a contract to a popular Supt. has an example of his poor management skills while on the school committee? They could also point out he never voted for Dr. Scott so it could question his ability to be able to make good choices. Do you want a councilor who can’t or didn’t recognize talent?

On the school committee side it leaves 1 seat definitely open and rumors abound that another member may choose not to run because of work commitments (They are welcomed to make an announcement here anytime, one way or another).

So far there have been 2 candidates who have announced an intent to run Mario Boiardi and Robert Gignac both who are young first time candidates and Michael Hayden the former Greater Lowell Technical School Committee member is considering a run. Like Mike or not he received over 5,000 votes a year ago and has a solid base to get an open seat. Mike’s drawback is he would have to (and I’m sure will without reservation) justify the contract given to the last Technical Supt. that saw him retire making more than the Lowell School Supt. or the Lowell City Manager. Mike may instead run for the Technical School Committee if Dave Laferriere retires.

Mr. Leahy’s announcement might make Mike Hayden’s decision easier and it could bring Victoria Fahlberg or others into the race as name recognition usually helps. It should at the very least make people who are interested in running give some serious thought because of the open seat.

Any way you look at it the Council and School Committee races just got more exciting and may cause more people to seriously think of running.