Link to Lexington

New Affordable Housing and Transportation Groups Seek Volunteers

The Select Board is looking to fill vacancies on two newly-created boards/committees. They will be appointing the first members of the Board of Trustees to the Lexington Affordable Housing Trust, and members to the Ad Hoc Transportation Committee.

This is a great opportunity for residents that want to make a local impact in the areas of transportation and affordable housing.

The deadline to apply to serve on either board/committee is January 20, 2023.

Affordable Housing

For the Affordable Housing Trust, the Select Board is looking for trustees with interest or experience in:

affordable housing
finance
law
real estate / real estate development

Per the bylaw, the Select Board is looking for a resident with a low- or moderate-income and/or a resident living in an affordable housing unit.

Learn more about the Lexington Affordable Housing Trust, including how to apply to be on the Board of Trustees.

Transportation

For the Ad Hoc Transportation Committee, the Select Board is seeking a resident from the:

Senior community (residents ages 60+)
Business community

The other members of the Ad Hoc Transportation Committee will be representatives from Town staff and other relevant boards/committees.

Learn more about the Ad Hoc Transportation Committee, including how to apply to be on the Committee.

Upcoming Deadlines for 2023 Annual Town Election

The 2023 Annual Town Election will take place on Monday, March 6.

The deadline to register to vote in the 2023 Annual Town Election is Friday, February 24 at 5 PM.

The election will be for candidates running for local elected office, including:

Two Select Board members for a term of three years;
One Moderator for a term of one year;
One School Committee member; for a term of three years;
Two Planning Board members; for a term of three years;
Some Town Meeting Members from each precinct

Town Meeting Members

Incumbent Town Meeting Members have until Monday, January 9 at 5 PM to file paperwork with the Town Clerk.

Any new candidates interested in running for office, the deadline to take out nomination papers is Wednesday, January 11 at 5 PM.

All Candidates

The deadline for ALL candidates to turn in their signed nomination paperwork is Friday, January 13 at 5 PM. The Clerk’s Office will be open on this date to facilitate this deadline.

The deadline to withdraw/object to a candidacy is Wednesday, February 1 at 5 PM.

Early Vote by Mail, Absentee Voting, Other Resources

The Town Clerk's Office has updated information on how to request a ballot to vote early by mail, as well as how to request an absentee ballot.

There also are resources for finding your precinct polling location, voter registration status.

Visit our website for more information.

Volunteers Needed for 10th Annual MLK Day of Service

The Town of Lexington will hold its 30th commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with our 10th Annual MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 16.

We're looking for volunteers to take part in the MLK Day of Service. Our objective is to engage and mobilize people of all ages to participate in events and activities to serve others.

To sign up and volunteer, visit the Lexington MLK website.

There also will be morning and afternoon programming both virtually and in-person on Jan. 16, including the annual community conversation on race, unity walk, free minds poetry, and much more.

For more information, and to register for programs, visit Lexington MLK website.

Upcoming Meeting on Draft Open Space & Recreation Plan; Share Your Thoughts

The draft report of the update to our Open Space and Recreation Plan (OSRP) is complete. The objective of the OSRP is to continue to expand, maintain, and protect open space and recreational assets within the Town of Lexington, while considering equity and stewardship of these assets.

We invite you to join the process and share your thoughts:

Submit comments on the draft report via email by Monday, January 30.
Attend the virtual meeting on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at 6:30 PM.

Visit the Open Space and Recreation webpage for additional details and meeting information for the January 10 meeting.

Staying Safe on the Ice This Winter

With winter in full-swing, it is a good time to be reminded of ice safety on ponds, lakes, and other bodies of water. There are never any guarantees that the ice will be safe, so you should always consider it to be potentially dangerous.

Some things to remember:

New ice is stronger than old ice
Ice doesn't freeze uniformly
Ice formed from over flowing water and currents is often more dangerous

Visit the State's website for additional information on ice strength and safety.

Planning Board Proposing Zoning Amendment for Multi-Family Zoning

The Planning Board has held multiple public work sessions over the fall and winter as they work to develop an amendment to the Town's zoning bylaw for multi-family housing.

The next Planning Board work session on this topic is Thursday, January 12 on Zoom at 6:00 pm.

For more information, visit LexingtonMA.gov/MBTAZoning. You can also subscribe to Planning Board Agenda notifications to learn about opportunities for public input.

The Board is working towards bringing forward a zoning amendment for Annual Town Meeting 2023.

For more information, contact the Planning Office via email, or call 781-698-4565.

FREE Comedy Show on January 14

The Lexington Council for the Arts will present Lexington Laughs 2023, its first and hopefully annual, comedy show. The Council would like to highlight comedy as a performance art.

Mark Scalia, the comic of the evening, headlines nationally, entertaining thousands of people for over 25 years at comedy clubs, colleges, private events, and comedy festivals across the US and Canada.

Admission is FREE at the door, with voluntary donation proceeds going to LexRap. There is limited seating at the Depot: to reserve seats, visit the Lexington Council for the Arts webpage.

Lexington LifeTimes Accepting Submissions for Summer 2023 Edition

Lexington LifeTimes is accepting submissions for the Summer 2023 issue through Friday, April 14.

A bi-annual creative arts journal published by the Friends of the Lexington Council on Aging, Lexington LifeTimes features the literary and visual art of those 60+ who live or work in Lexington, including works of short fiction and non-fiction, poetry, photography, artwork, and craft.

Guidelines, the application, and the past eleven issues can be found at www.friendsofthecoa.org. Printed copies of the Winter 2023 are at Cary Library, as well as at the Community Center while supplies last.

All those who wish to share their talent are encouraged to submit. Please pass this information along to anyone you feel could be interested.

COVID-19 Data; Test Kits Available at Town Buildings

The Lexington Office of Public Health will update weekly COVID-19 case numbers each Friday. The data represented on the dashboard DOES NOT include at-home test results. The data only represents results of PCR and antigen tests verified through the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

View Lexington’s case numbers

View the State’s COVID-19 dashboard

Test Kits Available

Free at-home rapid COVID-19 test kits are available at Town buildings across Lexington.

You can pick up a test at the following locations: