Published in the May 4, 2020 edition.
By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — A Regional Summit Meeting of town officials from Wakefield and neighboring communities Reading, Melrose, Stoneham and Lynnfield has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 5.
The Regional Meeting was called by Wakefield Town Council Chairman Edward Dombroski, who had originally intended for the meeting to occur early this spring at the Galvin Middle School Auditorium, but then COVID-19 impacted public meetings.
“As virtual Zoom meetings have allowed us to continue to conduct the business of the Town,” Dombroski said, “I thought it appropriate to move forward on this idea, now virtually rather than in-person. The focus of the meeting has shifted considerably to local pandemic response and steps ahead, as reflected in the agenda. However, it is my hope that this will be the start of a new strategic approach to working with neighboring communities to develop regional and inter-community collaborations.
“I believe this meeting to be a first of its kind for Wakefield,” Dombroski said. “I am excited about the opportunities this event — and, hopefully more to follow — could present to our town moving forward into the future.”
Each municipality is expected to participate via a “delegation” of three or four members, including its chief executive (town administrator, town manager, or mayor) and members of its elected executive governing board (Board of Selectmen, City Council, Select Board, or Town Council).
The agenda includes a number of topics related to managing expectations and promoting public safety in light of the COVID-19 crisis, including open space use and events policies, camps and sports leagues, farmers markets, restaurants and retail businesses.
Another agenda item relates to the handling of Town Meeting, elections, and large public gatherings. Managing meetings of municipal boards and committees while preserving and encouraging public participation is also up for discussion.
Other agenda items include economic re-entry and business supports (transportation, outdoor/public space usage, liquor licenses, and curfews); sharing best practices, lessons learned thus far; benefits of regionalization (buying power, advocacy); access to testing (COVID-19 and antibodies); opportunities for regional collaborations/communications going forward (services, economic, health); and shared economic and state aid forecasting.
Wakefield Community Access Television (WCAT) will be handling the Zoom logistics and the meeting will be available online and on WCAT.
Those wishing to access the Zoom meeting may go to https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85726538299. The meeting ID is 857 2653 8299. If you do not have a camera or microphone on your computer you may use the following dial in number: 1-646-558-8656. The meeting ID is 857 2653 8299. Please only use dial in or computer and not both as feedback will distort the meeting.
