5 Things to Know the Week of Oct. 10: Overdose Vigil, School Committee, Local History

You may have noticed that the gazebo on the Tewksbury Common has been lit up in purple in recognition of overdose and substance abuse awareness. The Front Line Initiative and Tewksbury Police Department’s overdose vigil is scheduled for Tuesday evening. This event was originally set for last week but moved due to rain. Residents are asked to gather on the Common from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. to help shed the stigma associated with the disease of addiction, remember those lost and support the families left behind. If you would like more information, contact Maria Ruggiero at mruggiero@tewksbury-ma.gov.

Also on Tuesday, local history buffs will want to catch the latest installment of the Tewksbury History Series, “How Parts Of Tewksbury Became Lowell.” The virtual event runs from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and is hosted by Middlesex North Register of Deeds Richard P. Howe Jr. Howe will discuss four annexations of land from Tewksbury to Lowell, the political process for the annexations and the reaction of residents of both communities to these actions. Howe is a former U.S. Army intelligence officer and the author of several books on the history of Lowell. The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Tewksbury Library, the Tewksbury Historical Society and the Pollard Memorial Library in Lowell. REGISTER HERE

This week the library also ramps up its Virtual Fright Night Series. See the full calendar here.

On Wednesday the School Committee meets in the main meeting room at Town Hall, with an extensive agenda. Among the items it will take up is the name of the new elementary school, so residents interested in making suggestions should contact chair Keith Sullivan at ksullivan@tewksbury.k12.ma.us or superintendent Chris Malone at cmalone@tewksbury.k12.ma.us before the committee convenes.

Residents may watch on Tewksbury TV’s YouTube channel or channel 22 (Comcast) or 34 (Verizon) or attend in person. Note that while masks are strongly encouraged at Town Hall, they’re not mandated as they are in the schools. Recent meetings have been disrupted by residents protesting the DESE student mask mandate, so the change in venue may allow the committee to do its business without interruption.

Also on Wednesday at Town Hall, the Local Housing Partnership meets at 7 p.m. with one lone item on its agenda: Discuss the hiring of a consultant to help the committee fulfill its mandate of generating affordable units. The LHP currently controls about $5.5 million, collected mainly from fee-in-lieu of requests approved by the Planning Board, that’s earmarked for the town to develop affordable units. However, there are no town-led projects in the works that could have offset the shortfall that led to the 40B project slated for Ames Pond. The hope is that a consultant can get some initiatives launched.