After beta testing various platforms over the past couple months, I’m happy to report that we have finally landed on a new AI (Artificial Intelligence) meeting recap feature! CliffsNotes were all the rage when I was in high school back in the 90’s. Back then, they were intended to help students quickly learn the main points of a longer work. Now, I hope to bring that time-savings to Reading in 2025 and beyond. After-all, Reading Recap has recap in it’s name.
Today, meetings in town can be as short as 5 minutes or surpassing 4+ hours at times for major boards. To help bridge the gap between those that have time to watch meetings after the fact at 1.5x speed to those that religiously watch in-person or on Zoom, we’re introducing AI Meeting Recaps! This way here, you can easily find out what happened in roughly 5 minutes (this article is 6 minutes long but includes this intro) or go directly to the relevant timestamps that matter the most to you. Videos will be linked at the bottom of every recap.
Now, AI is not without fault and all of the meeting recaps we provide should be treated as such. When in doubt, go directly to the video timestamp. Individuals names are the typical culprits (Laura was Lara below) but there may be other quirks here and there we may miss. We hope to cover every meeting in Reading from this point forward and we’re starting things off with the most recent Select Board one, then CPDC next week. Enjoy!
Meeting Overview
- Date: February 18, 2025
- Attendees: Select Board members Mark, Chris, Karen, Carlo (chair), and others including town staff (e.g., Matt, Sharon, Laura) and public participants.
- Duration: Approximately 2 hours and 32 minutes, adjourning at 9:31 PM.
Public Comments
(3:00–11:46)
- Angela Binda: Expressed disappointment over the scrapping of parking kiosks approved in April 2022, costing $110,000. Highlighted the loss of data collection opportunities and requested an accounting of spent funds.
- Taylor Gregory: Criticized board members for alleged conflicts of interest (pickleball funding and commercial tax rates) and lack of transparency, urging accountability.
- David Carrol: Requested restoration of a street light at 33 Great Coach Road, turned off since 1992 for energy conservation, citing safety concerns (e.g., a neighbor’s fall).
Reports
(11:53–24:35)
- Mark: Updated on the Reading Center for Active Living (ReCAL), with cost estimates and financing options to be presented.
- Chris: Noted the charter committee is nearly done with revisions, to be finalized soon.
- Karen: Promoted the Reading Scholarship Foundation application (open until March 7).
- Carlo: A pickleball fundraiser on March 16.
- Matt: Reported staff changes, fire chief search progress, upcoming events (e.g., MBTA forum, Black History Month event), and a 13.5% health insurance cost increase affecting the budget.
Votes and Discussions
- Street Light (24:44–27:10): Approved turning on the street light at 33 Great Coach Road (4-0 vote), noting LED efficiency minimizes energy concerns.
- In-Person Early Voting (27:17–31:25): Approved for March 31–April 3 during normal Town Hall hours for the April election (4-0 vote), costing ~$2,000 for staff.
- Special Election Logistics (31:32–37:46): Discussed a May election (tentatively May 13) for Killam School and ReCAL debt exclusions, with no major logistical issues noted.
Reading Center for Active Living
- (ReCAL) Presentation (38:00–1:47:26)
- Brian (OPM): Presented a $27.9M budget for ReCAL (28,380 sq ft), under the $30M community threshold. Includes contingencies (24% total) and features like triple-pane windows and a propane generator for emergency shelter use.
- Debate on Generator: Karen opposed the propane generator due to climate goals, but Chief Burns supported it for emergency shelter functionality (e.g., outages, gas leaks).
- Sharon (Financials): Outlined borrowing options:
- 15 years: $265.42/year for an $890K median home.
- 20 years: $217.61/year.
- 25 years: $191.80/year.
- 30 years: $183.25/year.
- Discussion: Board members emphasized balancing taxpayer burden with project needs, noting $40M in MSBA grants for Killam could offset costs. A calculator for tax impacts was suggested.
Town Meeting Warrant Preview
- (1:47:49–2:14:49)
- Matt: Reviewed 17 articles for the April town meeting, excluding Killam/ReCAL (on a May 1 special warrant). Key items:
- Capital plan/budget amendments (Articles 4–5).
- New Elder and Human Services revolving fund (Article 8).
- Veterans’ exemptions (Articles 9–10).
- High/Haven Street project scaled to $4M using $2.6M MassWorks grant + $1.4M local funds (Article 13).
- Lead pipe replacement ($1.5M via water fund, 25% grant/75% loan) (Article 15).
- Matt: Reviewed 17 articles for the April town meeting, excluding Killam/ReCAL (on a May 1 special warrant). Key items:
Future Agendas and Minutes
- Future Agendas and Minutes (2:14:55–2:32:48)
- March 4: Pickleball, warrant closure, trust commissioners update, executive session minutes.
- March 18: Master plan, trash disposal contract.
- April/May: Trust funds overview, Reading Ice Arena update, Davenport litigation.
- Minutes: Approved February 4th minutes with amendments (4-0).
Key Recap
- Community Priorities: Focus on infrastructure (ReCAL, Killam School, streets) and safety (street lights, emergency shelters).
- Financial Strategy: Balancing debt terms (15–30 years), interest costs, and resident tax impacts, with flexibility for early payoff or refinancing.
- Public Engagement: Emphasis on transparency and outreach, especially for major projects facing voter approval in May.
