Hello and welcome back to the Hive Roundup! I skipped last week because #plague, but I’m back with a roundup of the big stories around town.

Before I get into it, I want to share two quick announcements:

• Thanks once more to all of you who converted to a paid membership during the month of November. Your contribution not only helps me keep the wheels on the bus; it also benefits local folks who need a little extra assistance.
• Burlington’s 50th tree lighting will take place tomorrow at 4:00 PM on the Common. There will be entertainment, fireworks, and even a visit from a guy in a red coat.
• Varsity Girls’ Hockey plays Westford Academy this afternoon at 2:20.

This week in the roundup:

• New DPW Director

• DEI Committee holds its last meeting

• Home heating relief

• Celebrating Henry Morin Day and Robert Marrocco Day

• LEGO Robotics team creates a way to harvest energy

• Town Committees move forward with plans for an electronic sign on the Common

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Department of Public Works Names New Director

On Monday, the succession plan to replace Department of Public Works Director, John Sanchez, in his retirement came to fruition when Brian White was appointed to the role. Brian has lived here in Burlington since second grade, and has worked for the town since 2008. He’ll officially start just after the first of the year.

The DPW does a lot of work to keep our town running. Most recently they’ve been working to negotiate waste disposal contracts, as well as to install filters at Mill Pond to remove PFAS from the water, and also facilitating Burlington’s connection to the MWRA. And those are just the high-publicity items. There are many more activities that run in the background. Best wishes to both Brian in his new role and John in his retirement.

Listen to my interview with John about the state of water in Burlington.

DEI Committee Reports to Select Board, Holds Final Meeting

The topic of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has been on many residents’ minds over the last couple of years. From the decision to fund a DEI Director position to the formation of a DEI Committee, from the resignation of that DEI director to the poor reception of the DEI Committee’s first quarterly report to the Select Board, it has been a busy time, during which many of us have asked ourselves what Burlington needs to do—if anything at all—to feel more inclusive to all its residents.

This Monday, the work of this iteration of the DEI Committee came to a close with the presentation of the third quarterly report. The DEIC outlined how they’d met with different Town departments to discuss how they could all make an explicit effort to enhance inclusion in town, and highlighted how several of those departments showed interest in working further with the Committee.

If you would like to share your opinion regarding the DEI Committee and its continued work with the Select Board, please email them.

Listen to an explanation of DEI and why it’s necessary.

Read about the history of DEI in Burlington.

Several Sources for Home Heating Relief During These Expensive Times

Prices for just about any way to heat your home are rising, and electricity cost is set to go up again in January. Here are some resources for Eversource customer assistance. You can also reach out to Veteran Services, the Council on Aging, or Burlington Youth and Family Services, as well as MassSave to help you cut down your energy uses and get assistance to offset the cost of home heating oil, etc.

Celebrating Our Latest Centenarian and Eagle Scout

Seventeen-year-old Henry Morin and 100-year-old Robert Marrocco were honored this week with days all their own. As reported by BCAT, Henry, Burlington’s latest Eagle Scout, had November 26th named in his honor, and Friday, December 2, was named in honor of Robert, Burlington’s latest 100-year-old resident.

Congratulations to both of these Burlington residents for their different but very laudable accomplishments!

LEGO Robotics Team Captures Energy from Water; New Sign Plan Moves Forward

Finally, at the Planning Board meeting on Thursday evening, a group of students presented their energy capture device - a water wheel that could use the kinetic energy of water to crate electricity. They had originally planned to use sewage, but was told the waste would gum up the works and pivoted in true engineer form. They gave a very thoughtful and clear presentation, outlining the experts they’d consulted (including Brian White!), and described their creation (which sadly wasn’t working at the time of the presentation). What a great feel-good way to begin the meeting.

After that, there was a very long, cross-departmental discussion about the Select Board’s proposal to change the zoning bylaws to allow an electronic sign at the corner of Cambridge and Bedford Streets, where the two wooden posts currently hold banners that advertise different events throughout the year. Some questions came up, and the wording/grammar/etc. needs to be massaged a bit, but ultimately the Planning Board voted yes on the spirit of the proposal. The Zoning Bylaw Review Committee will finalize the wording at their next meeting, and the article will go before Town Meeting in January where Town Meeting members will vote on whether or not to approve the bylaw change. I suspect that there then will be another article about actually allocating money to purchase the sign, either at that same Town meeting or in May.

That’s all I’ve got for you for the week. I hope you’re having a great Saturday, spent putting together puzzles or playing battleship or reading a good book. I’ll see you tomorrow!

Nicci