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Lane on Main Street Bridge Closed During Part of Center Falls Dam Project

A lane on the Main Street bridge will be closed for roughly a month while repairs are made to erosion discovered under the bridge abutment at the Center Falls Dam project site.

Updated at 3 p.m. Thursday A lane on the Main Street bridge is closed during repairs to the abutment, according to the town website. "Due to ongoing construction at the Center Falls Dam and the Main Street bridge near the Town Center, the town has temporarily closed the parking lane on the south side of the bridge," reads a press statement on the site. "Additionally, traffic patterns have been temporarily re-routed onto the southern side of the bridge to close the entire westbound lane. "This closure was necessary due to significant undermining of the bridge abutment recently discovered in the northeast quadrant of the Main Street bridge. Once the emergency repairs are made to the bridge, the parking lane will be reopened and the traffic …

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Winchester Seeks Finance Committee Member

Interested individuals have till Nov. 21 to apply.

Winchester is seeking one position to fill this year: a member for the Finance Committee. See the description for the vacancy below. Who: One registered voter who holds no other town office can apply to serve on the committee for a term to expire 2013. What: The Finance Committee annually reviews the Town Manager’s proposed budget. After review and public hearing, the Committee prepares its recommended budget for town meeting action. The Committee also prepares recommendations on all town meeting articles involving expenditure of town funds. Appointments to this committee are made jointly by the Town Moderator, the Chairman of the Board of Selectmen and the Chairman of the Finance Committee. When: A major time commitment is expected of the…

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Watch Selectmen Meeting Live

If you can't make it to watch Board of Selectmen meeting tonight, watch it live here.

The Winchester Board of Selectmen is meeting tonight for their regularly scheduled meetings. Agenda items include updates on the Cal Ripkin 12 year old World Series, NSTAR tree trimming and the parking management plan. The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall. If you can't make it, WinCam is streaming it live for the community. Click on the link above or go here to watch the meeting. For more local news, sign up for the free Winchester Patch newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

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WFDC Nears Finish Line

You can still donate to the Manchester Field Renovation Project on Winchester Field Development Council's website.

With only two days left, the Winchester Field Development Council is working hard to reach its $711,000 goal. WFDC President Paul Manganaro said the phone bank had a great night last week. As of Tuesday, a total of $47,330 in donations was collected by the WFDC phone bank: $32,330 collected and $15,000 in phone bank matching gifts. “This is outstanding and will go a long way toward us reaching our goal,” Manganaro said. Mahoney’s Garden Center hosted a fundraiser June 15 that resulted in a $5,000 donation toward to the project. The WFDC needs to raise $711,000 in private funds by June 30 to complete Phase II of the Manchester Field Renovation Project. If this non-profit organization reaches this financial goal, the Town of Winchester will …

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Town Center Changes in Works

Significant changes to increase the economy and housing in Winchester's Town Center are being considered.

The Planning Board along with Town officials are working to boost the economy and housing situation of the Town Center. The objective is to enable economic development, preserve the existing and natural environment and update the rules and regulations for development in the Town Center. “Downtown Winchester is seen as a one-errand town,” Planning Board Chairman Lance Grenzeback told the Board of Selectmen at this week's meeting. This is an on going issue that has the Planning Board considering new options and ideas to enable economic development in the form of retail stores, restaurants, offices, parking and housing that will be on the table for 10 to 15 years to come. The Town applied for Downtown Initiative grants for housing and …

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Winchester Proposes Parking Changes

A redo of the town's parking plan that would lower current parking regulations from 32 to six is in the works.

Winchester is looking to make some parking changes around town. Planning Board Chairman Lance Grenzeback presented the proposed implementation schedule for the Winchester Town Center Parking Management Plan. “The plan would change the parking in town in order to meet identified parking needs, ensure that benefits and burdens are shared equitably across users groups, provide adequate time for the town to evaluate parking and pay station equipment and minimize town costs and maximize opportunities to monitor and adjust the program,” Grenzeback said. The plan would provide one hour of free parking in the center of town, which would be labeled as Red Zone parking. Free parking would be available for up to three hours in the Mt. Vernon, Town …

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Winchester Annual Town Meeting Begins for 2012

The Town Meetings will be held at the Winchester High School every Monday and Thursday, starting May 7.

The annual Winchester Town Meeting began on Monday evening at the Winchester High School auditorium.  There, the finance committee presented the Fiscal Year package for 2013, which will be discussed in much greater detail on Monday, May 7. The Winchester School Committee discussed the need for funds, new district boundaries and special education stabilization. “We think the high school should be the jewel of this town,” Winchester School Committee Chairman Chris Linskey said. The Winchester Planning Board, meanwhile, has an objective to replenish neighborhoods by updating the town zoning bylaws, which were drawn up in the 1950’s. “We are running out of undeveloped land as a source of revenue,” Town Planning Board Chairman Lance Grenzeback …

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