Symmes - hospital land was donated to Town in 1910? - 2001 ish hospital was losing too much money apparently - the Town bought the land and buildings from Lahey for $7.1 million - for several years the site was rented to lahey as medical office space - apparently the Town lost $1 million per year during this time fram - 2009 Town sold the site and blds to Fish for $6.5 million - Arlington still owes approx $5 million on the project - the new developer can build 230 ish condos or apts - tallest bld will be 65 or 75 feet in height (measured from the height of the former hospital front door - possibly medical use is still required at the site - possibly an open space is still required at the site - possibly the lower area by Summer St is perpetually preserved as open space
Police Officer Jenks - 1997 - he was doing a peeping tom thing in East Arlington while off duty - responding police officers drove him out of the area - there was a big squabble about the actions of the 2 cops - they were fired and subsequently rehired
Mugar site - woods at Rte 2 near Lake St opposite the Bowl A Drome - Elsie Fiore and East Arlington residents have battled long and hard to keep this open space - Mugar family of Boston wants to build office blds there - it would require a curb cut from the State on Rte 2 - flooding issues also exist at the site - 1970s to present)
Aku Aku Restaurant fire - August 21, 1970 - Route 2 at Lake Street - right across the road from the Mugar site - IIRC the restaurant later moved to Rte 2 at Rindge Ave in Cambridge
Suspicious fires - the apt bld at 993 Mass was a old house that caught fire - the apt bld at Mass Ave and Pond Lane was a house that caught fire IIRC - the office condos on 22 Mill St were a warehouse till it had a fire - the apt bld at 17 Mill St was a old bld until it burnt - 1970s
Old Bile - Time Oldsmobile was a auto dealership at Mass Ave at Mill St - the dealership sold the site to CVS - CVS wanted to out in a drug store - that was shot down by Towns people - the site lay abandoned for many years - a developer produced a plan for an apt bld - John Worden threatened legal action - the developer built townhouses with no affordable units (2005 ish)
Coughlin / Bouris / Levenson - new school Supt Levenson tried to fire Middle School Principal Bouris - teacher Coughlin led a revolt to keep her (Bouris) in her job - photo on local website shows Coughlin and (Bouris husband wearing a surgical mask) at a school committe meeting - later, maybe June 2007, computer tech Buck finds lurid Emails between Bouris and Coughlin - more private Emails end up mysteriously on Levensons desk - Levenson fires Bouris and Coughlin - Tully request documents : $400,000 bill - Levenson abruptly quits with some explanation about an error in his notes re Bouris / Coughlin - arbitration decision due to be released in Oct 2009 - http://www.wickedlocal.com/arlington/news/x676310664 - Coughlin fired for Email on August 9, 2007 - http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/08/09/arlington_school_chief_cites_improprieties_in_resigning/ - August 2008 - Levenson resigns
High School Field & track house - chromium contamination from old gas tank found at high school field and in high school courtyard - many years of "negotiation" with the "industrial partners" results in $7 million cleanup at High School Field - Town spent $1M on astro turf that will last 10 years - field is now 2 feet higher at one end - new stands, new lights, new food shack, new scoreboard (2006 ish)
Reconstruction of schools - Cutter School and Locke School sold to make condos - Central School became the Senior Center - Parmenter School on Irving St became a private French school - Junior High East on Tufts Street became ??? - Winter St School became Gibbs Academy - Pierce Elementary School (on Park Ave Ext), Crosby Elementary School (on Columbia Rd), Hardy Elementary School (on Lake St), Brackett Elementary School (on Eastern Ave), XX School on Florence Ave schools were knocked down and rebuilt - approx $400,000 oil spill at Brackett - Thompson (on North Union St) and ? remain to be redone - High School was overhauled in 1980s?
Town Manager Farrington - served for a couple of years - till porn or something found on his computer - before him, Donald Marquis had been Town Manager for 25 years ish - Farrington "retired" in 2007 (should be 2002) after 2 years of service - the 2002 Personnel Dept Report says that Farrington took early retirement in 2002 - his first BOS meeting was in 2000
May 9 2001 - Police Officer John Brescia was found in his wrecked personal car with a snake bite - he went to hospital in critical condition but survived - big hunt for the snake for 2 days - I think Brescia was later fired from APD for too many car crashes or something - a confidential informant told the police where 2 timber rattlesnakes could be found
Cocaine at the 911 center - 1980 ish - 1 dispatcher fired and 2 DPW workers fired IIRC
Bob Sprague - was reporter at Arlington Advocate - then PR guy for Arlington Schools and Town webmaster - let go from Town job, people rallied to his support - job was reoffered to him, but he took another job
Dept of Community Safety - 1972 ish - police and fire combined under Fire Chief Blomquist - police and fire dispatchers merged into 911 center at new police station - 2002 Crest Associates announced that the concept had failed - 2009 nothings changed
Replacement of Park Circle Fire Station - sprinklers ($50,000) were cut from budget because screw up in plans required alterations to 1 door - would have put project over budget - later, $150K returned to Town when project completed "under budget" - design initally called for expansion from 1 bay to 2 bay - that was nixed - IIRC Fire Chief Jefferson stood up at Town meeting to say that Town meeting wanted things "both ways"
Dispute betwen AHA and Town - AHA Director Frank Hurd wanted 1 acre at Symmes to build 100 unit apt bld for $10M - would be funded by loans based on value of existing AHA properties - AHA also wanted 1 apt at condos at Mass at bates - Arlington Redevelopment Baord said no - 2004 ish
Liquor laws - Arlington was dry until ??? - some licenses issued for restaurants to serve liquor with meals - new law 2007ish to allow some stores to sell liquor - 2009 move to abolish limits in restaraunts
11 Oct 2009 - The gun shop on Park Ave at Downing Square - 2 suicides in the firing range downstairs - then a burglary with guns stolen - then police / ATF do a raid and find 400 guns in the shop - permits are pulled and the shop closes - the owner then goes into the import / export business and files a lawsuit against someone over a bad meat deal - something like that - let me find the Advocate articles - 2000 to 2007 ish
2009 ish - State Senator Jim Marzilli resigns after arrest for harassing women in a park in Lowell
2008 ish - bright yellow DPW pickup truck stolen from Arlington Center and driven to New York City
2007 ish - Town Attorney stopped by police - possible under the influence - in company of 20 year old man - ????