2001 Arlington Advocate
Jan 11 2001 - Insurance costs put town in red - Level funding in 02 - officials predicts "very tough year"
Jan 25 2001 - Armstrong Ambulance losing $70,000 per year on Advanced Life Support service (paramedics)
Feb 1 2001 - Board of Selectmen (BOS) wants 3 year Armstrong contract - Donnelly disagrees with Selectman Lyons
Feb 8 2001 - Town explores getting into medical field - Lyons and Town Planner McClennan want Town to establish and manage a health care facility at the site of the former Symmes Hospital (warrant article) - (Lahey shut down the Symmes Emergency Room in 1999) - (1999 Town Meeting approved Article 53 which stated that it was desirable for the Town to acquire Symmes site by gift or purchase) - (in 2000, Town officials discussed Symmes as a site for affordable housing) - Fiore wants building moratorium - development plans at Mugar site started 50 years ago
Feb 15 2001 - voters will decide to resuscitate Symmes medical facility / some office space / might build affordable housing - a Town owned hospital is off the table (ruled out by BOS discussion due to cost) - complete memo from Town Attorney John Maher to BOS re Symmes published in newspaper - the current building would be renovated with a leaseback substantially offsetting the cost of acquistion
March 1 2001 - "Officials : Symmes site could be money maker" - Lyons still hopes for medical use eventually - others not so optimistic - Lyons asked not to push medical idea - Arlington Redevelopment Board (ARB) jumps behind Symmes purchase - Mahon suppports alternate ALS provider - Nick Mitropolous runs for Arlington Housing Authority seat against Olga Kahn (he states that Symmes should be a hospital)
March 15 2001 - Preliminary price tag for Symmes - $13.25 million total - $7.5 million to buy - $5 million to renovate - $750,000 to improve roads - ask residents to approve funding for the purchase and renovation of the former Symmes Hospital land - Symmes 21 Committee formed to establish Symmes Hospital as a mixed use development of open space, medical facilities, and affordable housing - expect the project to break even and hopefully earn the Town a profit
March 15 2001 continued - Greeley for Selectman ad - picture of Symmes Hospital - Vote Yes for Symmes! - Yes to a wise investment - Yes to giving Arlington control of its development and open space - yes to providing Arlington non-taxpayer income
March 15 2001 continued - Letter to Editor (LTE) from Bill Armstrong re ALS
March 15 2001 continued - multiple LTE re Symmes - town "commits" to a redevelopment that is at least self supporting
March 15 2001 continued - entire Town Meeting Warrant is included in the Advocate - including the debt exclusion "in order to acquire the Symmes Hospital site and to renovate the buildings thereon"
March 22 2001 - "Debt exclusion converted try to sway undecided" (photo of Kevin Greeley speaking in Town Hall auditorium in favor of Symmes purchase) - "Symmes land worth $8.1M"