LHS building project decisions were made
The School Building Committee unanimously voted to move forward with the “Bloom” design, which imagines constructing a new building on the property’s sports fields, for the new Lexington High School during its Nov. 12 meeting. The committee also voted to add to and renovate the school’s field house. All together, the project is estimated to cost about $662 million according to Oct. 15 cost estimates by SMMA, the architecture firm managing the project.
The SBC’s decision came after months of tweaking design concepts with SMMA and incorporating feedback from residents.
There’s much more to come in 2025. Lexington’s preferred schematic report for Bloom will be in front of the Massachusetts School Building Authority for approval in February. The town will later submit a schematic design with a revised cost estimate to the MSBA in August. In December, residents will vote on whether or not the town will temporarily increase its tax levy to pay for the new high school through a debt exclusion vote.
Lexington residents left an impact on the 2024 presidential election
Donald Trump won the presidency this election year, but in Lexington, Vice President Kamala Harris received about 77 percent of the vote. LexObserver asked Lexington’s Black and Indian communities how they felt about Harris, a daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, running for president. Most Black residents said they never thought they would see a Black person run for president in their lifetime, but were pleasantly shocked when Obama won the seat in 2008. His success gave them hope. Many Indian women said they were elated that an Indian woman was running for president and admired Harris’ competency.
Green Party nominee Jill Stein, a Lexington resident, gained about 2 percent of Lexington voters’ support. Before getting involved in national politics, Stein was a member of Lexington’s Town Meeting. This was Stein’s third presidential bid.
Another Lexington woman’s name appeared on this year’s ballot — Shelley Scruggs helped the Massachusetts Teacher’s Association with Question 2, which asked voters if the state-wide requirement to pass the MCAS exams should be abolished. With her help, the ballot question passed with about 59 percent of voters’ support.
Residents fell victim to check washing
By September, The Lexington Police Department received 40 reports of check washing, which is when someone steals a check and washes it with a chemical solution that removes the ink so they can re-write the check for a larger amount and deposit it in their account, since the first of the year. By the fall, residents and people who work in town nearly lost about $700,000 due to check washing. Many were swiftly able to get their money back from the banks, but others had to fight tooth and nail to retrieve the tens of thousands of dollars they lost to fraudsters. In an attempt to help curb the number of check washing reports in Lexington, police told LexObserver they installed alarms on many blue mailboxes around town.
Town Manager James Malloy retired and Steve Bartha took his seat
James Malloy, former town manager of Lexington, announced his retirement at the beginning of Town Meeting’s second session of the year in March. Malloy was Lexington’s town manager for six years, during which, Malloy told LexObserver, he revised the town’s policies for building design and construction and implemented them in the new fire department headquarters and police station. Internally, he developed town positions in communication, equity, sustainability, and resilience. He also oversaw the creation of an independent department of health. Ahead of Malloy’s last day as town manager in September, the Select Board picked Steve Bartha, former town manager of Danvers, to take Malloy’s seat in a unanimous vote.
Construction began on Lexington’s first MBTA Communities Act Condo Complex
In October, construction began on a new three-story condo complex at 89 Bedford St., the site of the historical John Davis/Hosea Holt House. The complex is the first of several developments in the works in adherence with the state’s MBTA Communities Act. The act requires Massachusetts’ 177 municipalities served by — or bordering municipalities served by — the MBTA to encourage the development of multi-family housing near transit corridors such as Commuter Rail, T, and bus stops.
Protestors arrested while blocking private jets at Hanscom
Twenty protesters were arrested in April after members of the group Extinction Rebellion Boston stood in the way of private jets at Hanscom Airfield. Other protestors blocked the entrances of fixed-base operators Signature Aviation, Jet Aviation and Atlantic Aviation, holding banners. They were protesting the proposed expansion of Hanscom Airfield, which would add a 47-acre development with 17 new hangars, adding 395,700 square feet for aircraft parking and storage. Protestors told LexObserver the projected increase in carbon emissions resulting from the additional jet flights would negate most of the gains from all solar installations in the state.
Monument honoring Lexington women unveiled
Members of LexSeeHer, a Lexington-based nonprofit that works to make women visible, unveiled ‘Something Is Being Done,’ the new bronze monument on the lawn of the Lexington Visitor’s Center in May. According to LexSeeHer’s website, the monument, which was made by Meredith Bergmann, recognizes contributions made by bold Lexington women who, when faced with injustice, determined ‘something must be done.’ The monument honors Abigail Harrington, who organized meals for local families boycotting tea in 1773 amid the town’s tea burning, and Margaret Tulip, a slave living in Lexington who sued for her freedom in 1768, among others.
New bakeries and coffee shops arrived in Lexington Center
Lexington Center welcomed several new cafes and bakeries in 2024, including Nouvé Bakery, which opened in February, Revival, which opened in April, and Tatte, which opened in August, bringing new energy to the town center.
Tatte, which now has a location at 1777 Massachusetts Ave. in Lexington Center, is a beloved Boston-based bakery that serves a seasonal menu of baked goods, breakfast, lunch, and dinner plates with Israeli, Mediterranean, and European influences. The popular bakery is known for its modern aesthetic, frothy lattes, and spicy shakshuka.
Nouvé, which resides at 1736 Mass. Ave., offers creative takes on flaky, buttery, and decadent treats that are rooted in France, but which also have some Asian influences. Marc Hurwitz, a local food and travel writer, wrote, the pastries made at Nouvé are almost more like works of art than food.
Revival is a third wave coffee shop that took over 1729 Mass. Ave. in the spring. The shop offers coffee beverages, pastries, and savory staples, living up to owners Liza Shirazi and Steve “Nookie” Postal’s belief that “a top-notch beverage does not need to be sacrificed for excellent food, and vice-versa,” the cafe’s website states.
Lexington’s new police station opened in June
Lexington’s new police station at 1575 Mass. Ave. opened at the beginning of the summer. The new building, which has cost the town about $35 million, boasts a full gym, a deescalation room where officers practice how to mitigate potentially violent situations, large community conference rooms, several kitchens, a large indoor garage, and more. During a special session in November, Town Meeting passed Article 5, which asks the town to appropriate $1.24 million to purchase and install systems to support rooftop solar panels and a structure next to the police station, which the federal government may cover.