The Winthrop Town Council met virtually on Tuesday, May 19. Present were town councilors and Council Clerk Denise Quist, Town Manager Austin Faison, Asst. Town Manager/CFO Anna Freedman, and heads of departments. Twenty members of the public also attended. Council…
Author: Laura Plummer
Faison to Council: No Avoiding $1 Water Rate Hike
The Winthrop Town Council met virtually on Tuesday, May 19 where it heard a presentation by Dick Hingston of Giusti, Hingston and Company on water and sewer projections for fiscal years 2020 and 2021. Hingston estimated that there would be…
Economist Delivers ‘Sobering’ Forecast for Bay State
At the Town Council meeting on Tuesday, May 5, economist Michael Goodman gave a presentation about financial projections for the state in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. A professor of public policy at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Goodman…
Zero Waste Committee Presents Recommendations to Councilors
At the Town Council meeting on Tuesday, May 5, the Winthrop Zero Waste Committee presented a list of recommendations for how Winthrop can improve its solid waste management. Town Manager Austin Faison established the committee last September to provide a…
Council Approves Emergency Motions: Hosts Guest Speakers
The Winthrop Town Council met remotely on Tuesday, May 5, where it heard updates from department heads, hosted two guest speakers and passed two emergency motions related to COVID-19. The meeting opened on a somber note, with Council President Phil…
A New Rule in Town: Cover Your Face, or Face a $1,000 Fine
Taking a cue from other Massachusetts communities like Cambridge, Peabody and Somerville, Winthrop officials are now making face coverings in public compulsory. Those who do not follow the directive can be fined up to $1,000. Previously, masks and other forms…
Planning a Town Budget in the Midst of a Pandemic
The Winthrop Town Council met on Tuesday, April 21, where Town Manager Austin Faison and Asst. Town Manager/CFO Anna Freedman presented the Fiscal Year 2021 Budget for the Town of Winthrop. Faison introduced the pre-recorded presentation, now a month behind…
Council hears from department heads on COVID-19 updates
The Winthrop Town Council met on Tuesday, April 21, via the online conferencing platform Zoom. Present at the meeting were the Town Councilors, Council Clerk Denise Quist, Town Manager Austin Faison, Chief Financial Officer Anna Freedman, Dept. of Health (DOH)…
Council Confronts the ‘New Normal’ of Pandemic Life
The Winthrop Town Council met remotely on Tuesday, April 7, where it tackled community issues both related and unrelated to the COVID-19 outbreak. Technical Difficulties The remote council session took place on the online conferencing platform Zoom and was broadcast…
Center Business District Construction Remains on Schedule
The Winthrop Town Council met remotely on Tuesday, April 7, via the video conferencing platform Zoom. The dominating theme of the meeting was whether Council had the obligation to postpone the construction that began in the Center Business District (CBD)…