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The Maynard Advantage Team plans to be at the Library Community Forum on March 1st 1:00 to 3:00 PM at the Sanctuary. Stop by for an update and a chance to contribute your skills!
Local Business
Maynard’s Eye Care Options
by Mark Alston-Follansbee
Maynard is fortunate to have two wonderful shops for eye care and, while very different, they both share one important value: they both aim to give quality, unrushed attention to every patient. Look Optical, at 56 Main Street (with the entrance in the back) was opened in 2008 and is owned by Alex Thayer. Look specializes in personalized eyecare and eyewear with most of the frames designed by Alex. Radiance Eye Care, opened and owned by Dr. Toral Patel at Maynard Crossing, opened in 2024 and specializes in comprehensive services from precise prescriptions to advanced medical diagnosis.
Dr. Patel moved to Stow from Toronto in 2010 when her husband’s job relocated them here. She was able to stay home while their two sons were young and eventually found part-time work in Acton and Lancaster. In 2019 she became certified as a glaucoma specialist and now teaches ophthalmology students at UMass Medical Center where she also sees patients. By the summer of 2022, she was ready to open her own business.
Before she opened her shop, Dr. Patel went and talked to Alex at Look Optical, hoping they could collaborate and not be competitive. They hit it off and found their values synced well. They both talked about serving the community, both are local, and are independent business owners giving them both the flexibility to run their businesses as they like.
“At UMass, I am allowed 15 to 20 minutes to see a patient,” remarked Dr. Patel. “I provide full-service medical optometry treating ocular diseases, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and dry eyes. Here, in my shop, I spend an hour with every patient so I can explain everything and ensure they understand their situation and can make informed decisions about their eye care.
“Alex and I are good collaborators,” said Dr. Patel. “He has his patients and I can add to that with my services.”
Alex was the clinical director for two ophthalmology practices where he assisted in cataract surgeries and did thousands of eye exams. As a long-time Maynard resident, Alex was excited to work locally but more importantly, to offer better care through his appointment-based business where he can spend as much time as necessary, having a “conversation, hanging out with his patient, and finding solutions.
“It’s quality services I provide, not efficient but everyone gets better or we don’t do it,” said Alex. “Now more than ever we need places where people can be safe and receive care at a respectable pace.”
Alex buys metal frames from others but is known as an independent frame designer. He has over 450 styles, mostly plastic, that he has designed. And if he doesn’t have a patient, Alex stays busy with the full band setup with drums and guitars that he plays solo and with friends. “I’m having too much fun giving care to do this any differently,” said Alex.
How fortunate for us, having two professional eye care shops where the emphasis is on you, the patient where you’ll receive the care you need.
Town Hall
Annual Operating Budget Review
Source: Bob McCarthy and Town Administrator, Townwidemall.com, and Town Websites
The Town Charter requires an annual operating review of the FY26 budget which was held on Saturday, February 8th from 9am-12pm. Presented below is a summary of the materials presented and next steps in the budget development process.
This current time period provides voters an opportunity to better understand our town budget in the planning stage and to have our voices heard about the town’s operating budget prior to voting at the May town meeting. It is useful to remind readers that town meeting voters are the legislative body that approves the budget that will be proposed in April by the Select Board. This year, there are some very tough choices to prioritize, and this publication will devote some of our February, March, April and May editions to this topic.
The joint budget review was held by the Finance Committee and Select Board. Town finance staff, School Committee and other town staff and volunteers were invited guests. As a posted public meeting, voters are welcome at this open hybrid meeting.
If you have limited time to read and to get a brief summary of shared conversation at this meeting, please scroll down to Budget Discussion summary. Also find an article from Glenn Koenig on Townwidemall about the meeting here: https://www.townwidemall.com/news/finding-our-financial-path
Presentations from the Town Administrator (TA) Gregory Johnson and School Superintendent Brian Haas can be found on BoardDocs here:
Town Administrator Presentation
Maynard Public Schools Presentation
Excerpts from Town Administrator Gregory Johnson’s presentation:
Note: Override line in the above table shows average tax bill increase value for override amounts being considered. ASF is Average Single Family home value, which in Maynard is ~ $543,000 currently, and the average single family property tax bill is $9,687 for FY2025 according to MA Division of Local Services (DLS).
Below is the link to all the municipalities in MA and the excerpt shows the valuations, tax data and state numbers and rankings for Maynard for the last 10 years.
At this stage in the budget process, TA Johnson and Finance staff have made recommendations to the Select Board, who are now accountable to propose a balanced budget to voters by April 15 and present it at Annual Town meeting on May 19, 2025.
See other upcoming budget process milestones here.
Budget Discussion summary
Much of the discussion at the Saturday joint meeting revolved around the highest priority budget requests that are unfunded. This (and other department head requests that were not included) is due to lack of projected revenue and/or higher than expected costs, especially in large budget items such as Employee Benefits (which is the second largest budget expense after Maynard Public Schools).
Town staff, TA Johnson, Finance Committee, School Committee and Select Board are committed to work through priorities to close as many critical gaps and reduce expenses where possible to get to a balanced budget in light of the deficit to meet requested funding from town and school departments. One option on the table is an Operating Budget Override. After presentations, a discussion period included:
- Select Board members and FinCom members each identified their top three or four major initiatives in rank order as a basis for funding priority.
- There was discussion of using a FinCom tool to project revenues and expenses through FY28 to illuminate a few likely scenarios and challenges in the coming years to support the process of making tough choices now. Overall goal is to provide a clearer understanding of impacts of this year’s decisions to enable sustainable town service levels in the future, prioritized on overall community needs.
- There was acknowledgement of a need to better communicate these proposals and justifications in public and on-line forums so voters can weigh these priorities before voting at the Annual Town Meeting (ATM) in May. This publication is one channel to do that, in addition to the town website, TA reports, Maynard Boarddocs and Select Board, Town Budget Subcommittee and FinCom public meetings posted on the town website.
What to expect next on the budget development:
For the Annual Town Meeting scheduled for May 19, 2025, “placeholder” articles (conceptual, rough draft) are due to the TA Office via Greg Wilson by February 14, 2025, and fully drafted articles are due February 28, 2025.
You can find current FY 2026 budget information on the town website links below:
The yearly budget process and goals documents are uploaded to the Select Board’s page, listed by year. For FY 26, click here
Other information on Select Board page here
Please check the above links for additional information as the budget is further reviewed and refined up to April 15th.
Community Voices
Volunteer Spotlight: Chris Kline
In his free time, Chris not only pilots small planes, but he also gives back to the community he loves. This month we decided to ask him some questions about his experiences. See his responses below!
What are some of the ways in which you have in the past or are currently volunteering your time in Maynard? What are some of the activities involved with what you do?
I’m currently on the Maynard Planning Board. For those who may not know, the Planning Board is responsible for reviewing proposed developments and projects. We are there to make sure these projects are in the best interest of the town and follow town bylaws and state laws. We also prepare the Town Master Plan and periodically update it with input from Maynard’s residents to make sure we have a common vision of what we want our community to look like in the future. There are other projects and tasks that we take care of too, like updating the town Zoning By-Laws. I’m relatively new on the Board, so I’m still learning a lot about all of our responsibilities.
Besides the Planning Board I’ve been a part of helping at the Maynard Farmers Market for quite a few years. It’s a great market that our town is fortunate to have had for 30 years now, and it’s just an amazing gathering place to enjoy the wares of local farmers and craftspeople. And to be able to interact with friends, neighbors, and strangers for a few months out of the year is just great.
A few years ago I also helped organize a few Repair Cafe events in Maynard and surrounding towns. This was a great event to help people fix their broken stuff and to try to keep things out of the landfill in our ever-increasing throw-away culture. I really enjoyed doing this and would love to get these going again in our town.
What compelled you to start volunteer work?
My wife and I have fellow Maynard friends that were getting active in town volunteer groups, which widened our circle of friends to others who feel drawn to community service. For me it started with the Repair Cafe, and with my wife it was the Farmers Market. The fact that we could be active in our town by doing the things we love, and being able to make a positive impact in our community at the same time felt really good. Afte that it has kind of just snowballed into both of us getting more and more involved in different town boards and committees.
How did you end up living/working in Maynard?
My wife and I moved to Maynard in 2012. Our jobs were in towns in different directions and we were looking at a lot of communities in this area to make both of our commutes bearable. It seems that every couple of weeks we ended up looking at houses that brought us back to Maynard. We were lucky enough to find a place that we love in the heart of town and couldn’t be happier with the community we ended up living in.
Can you talk about one or two of your best/most rewarding experiences as a volunteer?
Every organization has its unique moments that really make you proud to be a part of the group. I really love fixing things and solving problems, and with the Repair Cafe it was always so rewarding to fix something for someone else. I can put my skills to work on a simple repair on a special object that really means something to someone. To see the smile on their face and to help them save money and keep things out of the trash is also really cool.
At the Farmers Market, I love it when we have new families that have moved to town come to the Farmers Market booth to say hello and get some information about the town. We have so much to offer here, and to share a little bit of that to newcomers is a lot of fun. I’ve only been on the Planning Board for a few months and I’m just getting my feet wet with that group, but it’s been really rewarding to be able to help our community grow in a responsible way with the shared vision of a better Maynard.
Events
Maynard Book Festival
The Maynard Book Festival is coming back! After several successful years, the festival went on hiatus due to the pandemic, but it will return April 2-6, 2025. There will be authors of different genres and for various ages of readers, including award-winning children’s author and illustrator Bob Shea, historical fantasy author Hester Fox, journalist and bestselling author Keith O’Brien, Isabella Stewart Gardner biographer Natalie Dykstra, and more. A poetry event will be held at Felixology bookshop. All other events, including the “Picture a Story” art exhibit, will take place at Maynard Public Library. The bookselling partner for the event is The Silver Unicorn Bookstore. The Festival is funded by the Friends of the Maynard Public Library and the Maynard Cultural District. Go to maynardbookfestival.org for more info!
Education & Library
Council grant brings high-tech sound to student productions
by Linda McConchie
Maynard…The Maynard Cultural Council has awarded the newly-formed Maynard Theater Association a grant to purchase a pair of new wireless headset microphone systems for theatrical performances at Fowler and Maynard High Schools. This grant is in keeping with the Council’s mission to support artists and cultural programs throughout the Town of Maynard.
“We’re especially happy to be able to help with programs in our schools,” said Cultural Council member Bree Edwards, “engaging in cultural activity at an early age broadens a young person’s perspective on life; fosters mutual respect and strengthens social connections during an important time of personal foundational development.”
“We are really grateful to receive this grant,” said Bethlyn Vergo Houlihan, Treasurer of the Maynard Theater Association. She added, “The theater programs in Maynard’s public schools are essential. They give students crucial skills, build their confidence, encourage collaboration, and offer a unique platform for technical and creative expression. These kids work their butts off to put on amazing shows!”
The Maynard Theater Association (MTA) is in its inaugural year as a new parent/guardian-run organization. The MTA’s mission is to promote, support, and advocate for exceptional theater experiences and education for all Maynard High School (MHS) and Fowler School students. They primarily provide volunteer services and monetary support to the theater programs of MHS and Fowler to help student theater shine. For more information and ways to get involved, please click here.
The headsets supported by the MCC grant will not only enhance school performances but will contribute to students’ education in theater-craft and technology.
We invite you to enjoy, support, and hear more clearly(!) Maynard’s young performing artists in two theater productions this March:
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at Maynard High School
Fri March 7 at 7:00 pm
Sat March 8 at 7:00 pm
Sun March 9 at 2:00 pm
*See poster for link & QR code to purchase tickets
Mean Girls at Fowler School
Fri March 21 at 7:00 pm
Sat March 22 at 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm
*Tickets will be sold at the door (cash or check)
The Maynard Cultural Council supports artists and community cultural projects through grant programs with funds allocated to the town by the Commonwealth. If you are interested in getting involved as a volunteer or to apply for funds, please visit https://massculturalcouncil.org/local-council/maynard/
Green Meadow School Building Project update
Here is a brief update on the Green Meadow School Building Project. Find more recent information documentation on the Select Board BoardDocs February 18 agenda topic 7B.
Recent drilling and site preparation to support geothermal wells to heat and cool the school are proceeding, along with school footprint prep and retainer wall:
From notes on BoardDocs Feb. 18, 2018 Select Board agenda 7B: https://go.boarddocs.com/ma/tom/Board.nsf/Public
The Tuesday February 18 Select Board Agenda includes a discussion on the Building Committee yes vote to accept a bid from CTA: https://www.ctaconstruction.com/
Recommended Action: Move to award CTA Construction Managers, LLC, the contract as General Contractor for the new Green Meadow Elementary School (GMES) in the amount of $61,090,000.
CTA was approved by the Green Meadow School Building Committee (SBC) on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, as the apparent and responsible low-bidder.
The award amount includes the base bid and add-alternate.
Base Bid: $60,775,000
Add Alternate #1: $315,000
Total Contract Amount Approved by SBC: $61,090,000
from Owners Project Manager (OPM), Colliers:
“CTA would not have been able to bid this project if they weren’t DCAMM certified. Attached is their valid DCAMM certificate that was included in their bid. As you can see, it indicates there are 0 projects below passing.”
Project status:
Weekly field reports and OPM reports included.
The site work is ongoing, with the retaining wall at substantial completion, and the drilling for the geo-thermal wells underway.
Another site for older documentation can be found here.
Around Town
Maynard Crossing Updates
by Armand Diarbekirian
Michaels is the newest tenant coming at Maynard Crossing, a 300,000 SF mixed-use development anchored by Market Basket and Tractor Supply Company, that’s scheduled to opening the 2nd Q. The new Michaels Store will occupy 15,750 SF space adjacent to Tractor Supply at 17 Digital Way.
Michaels is the leading creative destination in North America, with over 1,300 stores in 49 states and Canada. Known as the best place for all things creative, Michaels stores carry a specialty assortment of arts, crafts, framing, floral, wall decor, and seasonal merchandise.
Michaels is the final tenant to join 17 Digital Way, the last building under construction at Maynard Crossing. The multi-tenant building is now 100% pre-leased.
Maynard Crossing broke ground in 2019 and opened the first retailers in summer of 2020. The 56-acre development integrates two residential communities including Halstead Maynard Crossing, a 180-unit luxury apartment complex, and Camelia Gardens Gracious Retirement Living, a 143-unit upscale senior independent living community, along with a synergy of 25 retail, dining, healthcare, and entertainment tenants. Two newer ones are Radiance Eye Care, that opened in December, and Assabet Orthodontics, scheduled to open soon.
Beyond 17 Digital Way, 11 and 13 Digital Way are nearing completion, adding 46,000 SF of retail, restaurants, and medical space across two multi-tenant buildings. 13 Digital Way is anchored by BrightPath Early Learning, which recently celebrated its grand opening in June.
Economic Development Awards Brunch
by Armand Diarbekirian
The objective of the Maynard Economic Development Awards Brunch (the “Event”) is to recognize and celebrate outstanding accomplishments and contributions of businesses, individuals, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits doing business in Maynard and contributing to the economic growth of Maynard. This 2nd Annual Event is going to be held on Sunday March 23rd from 10 am to 1 pm at the Sanctuary Cultural Arts Center. The event will also provide an opportunity to promote networking among businesses, highlight new businesses, and encourage future investment in Maynard.
Brunch will be provided by Bagel Table, and we will have several speakers representing the Town and the State. Among them we have two special guest speakers, Jason Palitsch, Executive Director of the 495/MetroWest Partnership and Jason Weeks, Executive Director of the Cambridge Arts.
The following businesses, non-profit and individual will be recognized in one of the five categories: Dunkin (The Pesce Network), Assabet Chamber of Commerce, Smoothie King, Outdoor Store, and Jenn Picorelli. The categories are: Most Philanthropic, Non-Profit of the Year, Rising Star, Distinguished Public Service and Business of the Year.
You are invited to join and take part in recognizing our amazing people and business owners that contribute to the success and growth of our local economy.
Thank you for another great issue.
Learning about the budget situation certainly requires piecing together a great deal of information and it is never going to be universally understood by all. However, you have made a great effort here to facilitate access to the content, and heightening awareness of the difficult decisions that need to be made. Thank you all.
Thank you for another great issue.
Learning about the budget situation certainly requires piecing together a great deal of information and it is never going to be universally understood by all. However, you have made a great effort here to facilitate access to the content, and heightening awareness of the difficult decisions that need to be made. Thank you all.
So much work goes into these articles and so much time. Thank you all so much for your dedication to our wonderful little town ❤️