Your link to Lexington news, information, events, and more!

Make your voice heard - take the 2022 Town-Wide Survey!

Every 5 years the Town asks for your input, and your responses have a major impact on how the Town's leadership makes decisions.

This survey should take approximately 20 minutes to complete.

Take the 2022 Town Wide Survey

The survey contains questions in the areas of:

• Economic Development
• Public Education
• Climate, Environmental Health And Sustainability
• Physical Character
• Diversity, Equity And Inclusion
• Town Government
• Town Services
• Demographics

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Focus Groups

The Vision for Lexington Committee is looking for residents to participate in a focus group in late spring 2022 to more deeply explore responses to the 2022 Town Wide Survey. If you're interested, fill out this online form.

Questions?

For questions, contact Sean Dugan in the Town Manager's Office.

Digital COVID Vaccine Card

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is now offering MA SMART Health Card QR codes, which can be downloaded as a digital vaccine card on your mobile phone, as well as printed out.

Download yours at MyVaxRecords.Mass.gov

Learn more on the State's website.

Free COVID-19 Rapid Tests

The federal government has made free at-home COVID-19 rapid tests available to all residents through a new web-based ordering platform. Each household is entitled to 4 testing kits through this program.

These rapid antigen at-home tests can be ordered from the U.S. Post Office at COVID Home Tests | USPS

You can learn more about this federal program at: COVIDtests.gov - Free at-home COVID-19 tests.

Massachusetts residents have a number of options to get tested for COVID-19. For more details, visit www.mass.gov/gettested. 

Starting in the summer of 2021, the Town began replacing a majority of the water meters in Lexington.

Replacement of "large" water meters (large-scale commercial properties) began in June 2021. "Small" water meters (residential and small-scale commercial properties) began in October 2021 and is anticipated to continue through fall 2022.

The Town began sending postcards to "small" water meter properties as of mid-September 2021. The postcards have been going out in batches based on geographical area, so you may get a post card before someone else in a different part of town.

What to Expect

Residents will receive postcards in the mail, marked with the Town of Lexington’s seal, requesting that they schedule an appointment.

The scheduling process is made easy through both phone and online options. The actual process of replacing or retrofitting the meter will take approximately 45 minutes.

The installation work will be performed by a private contractor, Thielsch Engineering, whose installers are well trained in the replacement of water meters.

See what the postcard will look like.

Following an extensive, months-long search for Lexington’s next permanent police chief, Town Manager Jim Malloy has selected Michael McLean, current Interim Police Chief, to lead the Lexington Police Department. McLean has served as Interim Police Chief since April 2021 and was previously Captain of Operations for the Department since 2015.

“Following a nation-wide search for our next police chief, it was clear that Chief McLean was the right person for this critically important role,” said Town Manager Jim Malloy. “His demonstrated commitment to fair and impartial policing, transparency, community engagement, accountability, and his familiarity with issues facing Lexington is what set him apart from other candidates,” he added.

“I am deeply honored to have been chosen as the next Chief of the Lexington Police Department,” said Chief Michael McLean. “I look forward to keeping an open dialogue between the Department and the community through increased transparency and community engagement; I want to ensure all residents have a voice in the way the Department approaches policing in Lexington. I am especially proud to lead a Department of highly-qualified staff that work hard every day to meet our community’s needs,” he added.

Read the full announcement.

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) was passed by the federal government to support communities across the country in responding to and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal funds from ARPA are intended to address the negative health and economic impacts caused by the pandemic. Lexington is receiving $9,903,381 million in ARPA funding.

At their meeting on January 10, the Select Board approved using $1,190,000 of Lexington’s $9.9 million in ARPA funds in the following areas:

• Public health: $300,000 for:
• Ongoing support for the Public Health Office - $100,000
• Community Covid Testing Events for Lexington residents (7 events through February) - $175,000
• Purchasing of N95 masks - $25,000.
• Affordable housing: $450,000 for:
• Design work on Vine Street - $115,000
• Down payment(s) on affordable housing units - $315,000
• Assist in the development of an affordable housing trust - $20,000
• Economic Development: $300,000 for:
• Local business grants for businesses that have been impacted by COVID - $250,000
• Arts and Cultural organizations that have been impacted by COVID - $50,000
• Learn more about the local business and arts & culture grant program
• Human Services: $140,000 for:
• Mental health clinician services - $90,000
• Food insecurity programs - $50,000

Learn more at LexingtonMA.gov/ARPA

The Recreation & Community Programs Department wants to remind the community that the Old Reservoir facility is closed during the winter months. Some will enjoy the facility for skating or ice fishing at their own risk.

As the weather and temperatures change, so does the thickness of the ice when frozen. If there is any question if the ice is frozen enough, please consider refraining from use for your own safety.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has provided helpful tips on safety and ice strength. This is good information on what to look for when looking to venture out onto the ice. 

Some highlighted information to keep in mind if you are planning to go out on the ice:

• Make sure to let someone know where you are going and when you plan to be back
• It is recommended to go with at least one other person in case of emergency
• Make sure to have a cell phone in case of emergency
•  If the ice is less than 2" thick, you should stay off 

Thanks for your cooperation in helping to maintain everyone's safety!

Like many organizations, Cary Library is experiencing an increase in staff absences during this wave of the pandemic. For that reason, the library will be operating on the following schedule through February 13.

• Monday    9 AM - 6 PM
• Tuesday   9 AM - 6 PM
• Wednesday 9 AM - 6 PM
• Thursday   9 AM - 6 PM
• Friday     9 AM - 5 PM
• Saturday    9 AM - 5 PM
• Sunday    1 PM - 5 PM

This schedule allows us to maximize our staff coverage during hours when the library is in high demand. We hope that this modification in schedule will allow us to avoid further service disruptions.

In addition, we will postpone our return to indoor in-person programming. For a complete list of the Library’s virtual program offerings, please visit our Events Calendar.

Thank you for your understanding as we continue to navigate the realities of COVID-19.

-Koren Stembridge, Library Director

Our Office of Public Health compiles COVID-19 data for our community and it is available on our website at LexingtonMA.gov/COVID19data

EQUITY OFFICER UPDATE

Diversity, equity, and inclusion information and updates from the Town's Chief Equity Officer

Happy 2022!

January marks 6 months of my tenure here in Lexington. As I continue to learn how Lexington works and become part of the community fabric, I have noticed that there is a mental disconnect between how we talk about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) to what that means in practice.

Here are some concrete (pun intended) examples of how DEI is infused into our leadership thinking and action from our Department of Public Works (DPW).

The DPW has been working hard to expand the applicant pool for its open positions. Not only has this department expanded posting locations (which all departments are doing), the department is getting creative with how job descriptions are written and advertised. 

What does this mean? 

Instead of asking for everything in one job description, which can be intimidating (studies show that women only apply to jobs if they meet 100% of the requirements where men will apply if they meet 60%), the Engineering Division is taking a single job and posting it in two ways, with a different aspect of the role as the primary focus.

The goal is to allow an applicant who feels strong in one area of engineering to apply for the job without having to feel unqualified due to another aspect that could be learned on the job. By being creative, the DPW will expand its pool of qualified applicants and increase its opportunities for an awesome hire!

Wait, there’s more!

Another way the DPW is incorporating inclusion into their daily practices is through training. Recently, the Department held training on current techniques required for street treatment during and after a snow storm. For this training, seasoned employees were connected with newer employees to compare the previous street treatment methodologies with the current practices. This training brought together two generations within the workforce and provided a shared experience for our staff to work and learn together. 

Thank you for the continued efforts by our DPW!

-Martha Duffield, Chief Equity Officer

JOBS

• Crossing Guard
• Police Cadet
• Firefighter
• Sustainability and Resilience Officer (reopened)
• Engineering Assistant - Roadways NEW
• Engineering Assistant - Stormwater NEW
• Public Health Nurse NEW
• Health Agent NEW
• Summer Conservation Field Supervisor and Crew NEW

Visit LexingtonMA.gov/jobs for more information.

CALENDARS

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