Dartmouth To Hold Town Meeting Tuesday Night
Dartmouth Town Meeting will be discussing and debating more than 20 articles on Tuesday night.
However, Frank Gracie, the Vice-Chair of the Dartmouth Select Board tells WBSM News they will not be discussing is Article 1, which would allow for the development of a student housing community.
"That article was asked to be withdrawn but the warrant was already printed, which is why it still shows up on the warrant," said Gracie "it will probably come back in the future, but it will not be there tomorrow (Tuesday) except for the official withdrawal from the warrant."
Gracie says the main reason for the withdrawal has to do with concern from town counsel regarding language in the article, especially since it didn't provide any geographic specificity.
"I think that's one of the problems it doesn't specifically mention where they would want to do it," said Gracie "as I understand it you can't put something that allows for something to go anywhere, you have to be a little more specific, and I believe that's part of the language problems that are before them."
The Select Board voted unanimously to not support the article.
Town Meeting members will also get a chance to weigh in on approving a $215,000 appropriation to fund the design and engineering of a new Dartmouth Police Station.
Gracie says he hopes voters will see Article 6 as a way to get more information about potential options and says he sees it as a positive first step that will allow residents to get more information as they consider a course of action.
"I think there's been a lot of work put into this by the Police Advisory Committee to try and first find a location that's suitable and then design something from scratch instead of remodeling the shell of the old police station which people voted against last year," said Gracie.
However, he says it's uncertain how the vote will go after the previous $8.5 million dollar request for funds to renovate the former police station was rejected by voters.
"Alot of the people didn't like it because it was a remodel of the old police station, it was a total remodel but it was still a remodel, people don't like that location, which is another reason why people didn't vote for it," said Gracie and also I've heard from people who just don't want to spend the money for a new police station."
The entire select board voted unanimously in support of Article 6.
The Annual Fall Town Meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Dartmouth Middle School Auditorium at 366 Slocum Rd.