SOUTHWICK – Residents will have the opportunity to vote in both the Special Town Meeting and Annual Town Meeting Tuesday.
The Special Town Meeting is at 6:30 p.m. May 21 in the Southwick Regional School auditorium, followed by the Annual Town Meeting at 7 p.m.
The special meeting warrant includes four articles, all pertaining to town finances.
The Annual Town Meeting warrant includes 23 articles ranging from the town budget to borrowing funds for renovations to the Southwick Fire Department headquarters.
There are two articles by petition pertaining to the election of board members.
Article 6 is a petition to change the town code to provide for the election of finance committee members, and Article 7 is to amend the town code to provide for the election of four members of the Community Preservation Committee who are currently appointed by the Select Board.
Article 15 is to see if the town would appropriate $140,000 from Community Preservation funds to help restore the playground at Powder Mill School.
Last week, Superintendent Jennifer Willard spoke during the Granville Town Meeting and said the CPC funds would be to purchase playground equipment only, but the entire project is estimated at $228,000.
Willard said much of those funds would be for water mitigation at the site. The playground is often off-limits to students because of water issues, which spill onto the adjacent parking lot. Article 19 is to see if the town would approve debt authorization for Southwick-Granville-Tolland Regional School District for capital improvements, which include the playground as well as two school buses, technology upgrades and more.
The CPC also placed articles requesting the appropriation of Communuty Preservation funds for a $115,000 agricultural restriction on North Longyard Road – which would be matched by the state – and $40,000 for headstone repairs at the Old Southwick Cemetery.
The Southwick Planning Board placed two articles on the warrant regarding the deletion of temporary moratriums for marijuana sales and dispensaries.
The full warrant is available online at southwickma.org.
