Council President Hosts Public Forum

A little over 20 residents attended a public forum hosted by Town Council President Jim Letterie on Tuesday night.

Letterie said there was a healthy, respectful dialogue on a number of the big issues facing the town, including the MBTA 3A Communities Act, the proposed school override vote, the future site of a new fire station, and flooding issues in several areas of the town.

“The conversation was respectful, people asked great questions, and I feel they got good answers,” said Letterie.

The town recently released its questionnaire asking residents which of two potential sites for a new fire station they prefer. Those sites are at the old middle school and at the town’s Walden Street basketball courts.

That survey is available on the town’s website at winthropma.gov.

“There were concerns about the loss of income at the middle school site,” Letterie said about Tuesday night’s forum. “It seemed to be, and this is my thought only from that forum, that people seem to be leaning toward the basketball court site.”

There is no date set for a vote on a debt exclusion to fund a new fire station, but at a previous council meeting, Letterie said there is a possibility there could be a special election in the spring.

Letterie said there are still some questions about the school override and how the education stabilization fund will help fund expected school budget shortfalls in the coming years.

As expected, there were also questions about the MBTA 3A Communities Act.

“The first or second question I got was questioning me on the fact that I have stated in the past that I am a no and wanted to know if I have changed my opinion,” said Letterie. “I made it abundantly clear that I have done everything I can to share my feelings on 3A and that has not changed, I am still a no. My integrity is incredibly important to me, and I don’t feel (3A) is a good fit for Winthrop.”