Even people I know that are involved, but they are still not connected in the way that we want them to be. I just feel like the school is the place because they're there for over six hours a day. Um, that's really the place to drive it home and to build those connections. So, has Brookfield Cares ever been able to have the opportunity to look at the current systems in place to and solicit student feedback about, you know, building those connections with, you know, the people inside the building that they're with for six hours a day because it seems to me like you just want we just want to improve the parent connection, which is absolutely ideal. So, so we did our first of um we have two scheduled focus groups. So, that's kind of how we're starting. Um and and I will say this, the students are always like brutally honest with us.
Is that correct? 2026. 26 being returned to their funding source or pass any vote or take any action other action thereon. Both the community preservation committee and the finance committee recommend the town so vote. Mr. Lad, uh the reason for being 2026 is several years ago the CPA uh approved uh funding for an original project. Um and so this is an add-on to that project. So we kept a similar timeline for completing the project. Uh so that project um has, if you're not familiar, uh we're looking to build a bark park, dog park along Memorial Drive across from the middle school. Um and that site now has full budgeting as we've talked about all night about inflation costs. This also covers the entire site improvements for that project um and gets it to its completion by the end of next year. Thank you, Mr. Lad.
We learn a lot um from them. But we got some really good feedback and and it is my hope that when we're done with the focus groups, we could then either come back and talk here as well as meeting with the principles and the support staff in schools about what the students are saying because I think their interpretation of even some of the results is very different. They looked at some of these numbers and said, "No, that's too low." Um and and it wasn't I'm a parent of of three young adults that that wasn't surprising to me that they felt that way, but I think it would be to a lot of people. Um they came back with a lot of really good information and we've only had the one. So, um, we were just talking about possibly putting even another one on and then yes, I the plan would be to come back to you all and come back to the schools with that information compiled by the students because I think that is really there's there's often a disconnect in in what the students feel and and what they're saying and in terms of what the school sees.
to allow discussion. I entertain a motion the town appropriate up to $60,000 for the Ashlin Bark Park site improvements and that to meet this appropriation sum of $60,000 be transferred from the open space and recreation account from the community preservation fund balance with unexpended funds as of December 31st, 2026 being returned to their funding source. Do I have a motion? Discussion. Hi, Cara Terrell. Three Hillale Place. I'm the president of the Ashlin Dog Park Committee. So, the Ashland Bark Park Committee is a group of volunteers who have been working continuously for almost 10 years to bring a dog park to Ashland. In 2020, the town of Ashland allocated a parcel of land on Memorial Drive between the Upper Charles Trail and the solar panels to be the home of the Ashland Bark Park. The Ashland Bark Park Committee has held numerous fundraisers at the Corner Spot Farmers Market and with local businesses.
So, I think we'd like to try and bridge that. Does that answer your question? Yeah. Like, you know, we had that initiative to improve attendance, right? like this huge push. Um it was really drilled home quite a bit, especially the high school. I'm wondering if we had that same appetite for connections and building connections and really driving that home that would kind of maybe flip the script a little bit. I think even in terms of knowing what's available at the schools, um like the high school has the school-based health center. Not all the students know that even though it goes out and even though information is given, I think we could be better. We could do a better job about getting that to students more frequently because maybe they heard about it in September and maybe they don't need it until something happens in May.
We've also been the recipients of generous BAA grants. These efforts have raised about $14,000. Our budget to transform the the current land into a one and a half acre dog park and on-site parking is estimated to be over 500,000. We have been approved to receive the Stanton grant that has funded 25,000 for a design grant as well as 250,000 in hard construction costs. Previously, the Ashlin Community Preservation Committee unanimously voted to award the dog park $215,000. We are now asking for residents to vote to appropriate up to 60,000 for the Ashlin Bark Park site improvements. The CPC funds will cover many budget items such as fencing, gates, benches, and a storage shed. We need your vote. Thank you. Thank you. Loren Armenti, can you hear me? Chestnut Street. There we go. Um, I love dogs. I think it's a personal choice to be able to afford a dog.
Um, so I think that that those are the types of things that that I think we can have some discussions and work on improving in terms of getting that information out there on what's available to the students in terms of when they need support when they're having an issue and that type of thing. Thanks you guys. Thank you. We really appreciate it. [Applause] Let's move now to um old business. We're going to pick back up our um healthy school start times discussion. Um, can I just suggest maybe just for efficiency because the healthy school start times is so interwoven with our discussion of the budget um that we do that either directly after or concurrently with the budget discussion. How would you guys feel about that? I I think that logic makes sense because they are woven together. Yeah, because I'm not sure what we're discussing.
Dogs are extremely expensive. They are annually costing an individual oh in the range of $500 a year to own a dog. Uh we've the town has already given these folks public land. I'm strongly against additional money going to a personal choice to have a dog and I know that people love dogs, but having lived here for 25 years and dealt with the folks at the state park who let their dogs run without leashes despite the leash law and are belligerent about asking them to leash their dogs. I'm personally have an issue with giving them more money. That money could go, as we've heard, to another teacher, English language support, raises for the librarians, raises for the town employees. So, I'm strongly opposed. And I don't know the details about the previous votes where the money is already allocated, but at this point, given what we've come through with the rising costs and the threat to federal dollars, please consider not giving more money to dogs, of which there are 90 million in the country.
So I guess well I think at the last meeting um if uh if I'm correct and some people particularly Rosa and Stephanie wanted to um seek some they had some questions. They wanted to seek some assurances maybe from the bus company about what efficiencies could be found. Um could we retain the three tier busing? Is that correct? And I think um Casey uh the answer end up being no, right? Correct. Okay. Um I have a question. Um and I don't know if it's for the healthy start times committee or if it's for Casey. I'm not sure. Um if we went to a two-tier system, which is part of both budget plans B and C, right? So we're at a two-tier system now. Going to three. Going to three. Okay. Okay. Sorry. Sorry. Um so if we go from two to three, which is reflected in budget options B and C, right?
It's too many dogs, too much money. Please reconsider this allocation. Thanks. Before we move on, I'm going to ask town council to speak for a moment and explain the limitation on use of funds out of the CPC. Oh, that's what I was going to say. Go ahead. So, the the CPC funds can only be used for the projects that are defined um in the CPC. So, open space uh open space acquisition, parks, things of that nature, historic preservation um and affordable housing. They may not used to support the operations of the general town of the general town operations. Thank you. Council Laura Irwin, 251 Winter Street, dog park committee member. The dog park is in need of an additional $60,000 from the community preservation committee for the storm water mitigation so we can budget other money to go toward opening the dog park with the amenities the dog park needs.
Correct. Correct. Um what's the latest practicable start time for for the high school? 7:30. Um right now it look it's looking like 7:30. Um I know that we that Allstar was working on um shortening these are all Yeah. Just very quickly big overview before we go into detail. Hold on a second. We got some little bit of side comment. Okay. 7:30 um was the the uh latest if we were going to get out at 2:15 the optimal time given bus crowding at the high school and getting to um events for athletics and other after school activities without dismissing students early from school. Um we Mr. Baldwin really studied this with Mr. Band and myself was 210. So, as part of going to 2:10 would mean we'd have to start at 7:25. We So, we pushed it to 7:30 and asked Mr. Bandanda to to find time in areas like passing time and things like that, which he has done and has assured us that we can start at 7:30 and end at 2:10.
The Ashen Dog Park Committee has been working for at least nine years to have a dog park in our town. We have funding from the Stanton grant for $250,000. In addition, we applied to the CPC in November of 2023 and we were generously awarded $215,000. We are now in 2025 and bids are higher due to inflation and particularly because of the required storm water mitigation that we need to do on this parcel of land on Memorial Drive to get a permit for construction. This is based on actual bids on estimates. Please vote in favor of an additional $60,000 for the Ashen Bark Park and let's bring this amenity to Ashland. I also wanted to add that as a committee, we are looking for subcommittee members. Not tonight. It doesn't relate to the article in the warrant. Okay. Can you put the microphone back in the stand, please?
So, on the holistic, it looks like it's five minutes shorter than the other two schools, but it gets the same amount of instructional time in because of all that passing time and the ILT time, etc., etc. He he can find that. He can find that. We I I I tell the story all the time. When I was a high school principal, it was an eighth of a mile from one end of the building uh that I was principal up to the other and kids did in four minutes instead of five. So, it can be done. So, if we're talking about the 7:30, is it cutting passing time down to four minutes? That that's part of the the solution. Um remember, there's only the four big blocks, but then there's lunch. So, there's opportunity to get that five minutes. And and the key with the start times and with the three tiers is that the bus company um is uh they have communicated that they absolutely need 45 minutes in between each start time of the three buildings in order to ensure um travel across the the district to pick up all the students.
Thank you. Well, you can just you can move the whole thing up. Just just the the end just just straight. Hi, this my name is Karen. I'm on Warren Road in Ashland. I'm also on the dog park committee. Um I just want to point out a couple of good reasons why having one of the a dog park in our community be worthwhile. Um it would really reduce the off leash activity that we do see in other areas of the town like the state park, the town forest. Um it's something that's needed to reduce that area. And also it it can also increase property values. Um, dog parks have been proven to increase uh a community more activebased neighborhood um mentality and it, you know, improved increased property value can bring more revenue into the town. So, please vote. Thank you. Thank you. Yes. Can I get someone from AB to just adjust that mic stand, please, so people aren't going on the tiptoes to fix it?
So if if the start time were to be, you know, 10 minutes later, then it would push all the other schools, you know, 10 minutes later as well. Um and then the release on the the um high school end for athletics and everything else. What's the Sorry, I know you unmuted, but um what's the gap between the start times of the two tiers now? Is it 45 also? Um it is 8 o'clock start for the middle of high school. 8 and 8:55. Okay. Yeah. So it's a little longer. It's a little longer. It's 55 minutes. Shave it. Yes. And so we know we can shave that 10 minutes because and and as it's been observed, I think by by some folks have communicated it. There are some buses that are waiting at the schools for 10 minutes or 15 minutes. So that goes away, you know, across the board.
Thank you. I see them coming. Okay. Um, any further discussion? Once we get the mic fixed, it's all yours. That's why you're wearing the uniform you're wearing, sir. Hi, this is Kenard 26 Ridge Road. And just more of a general question about the dog park and any other initiative is I hear a lot of money being allocated to different things, but I don't hear what the ongoing maintenance requirements are for these projects. and we heard from the town manager that our costs are increasing and it's going to likely need increases in revenues. So, as we talk about these things, I'd like to also add what's the ongoing costs for maintenance uh for these projects. So, just a point in general. Okay, Mr. Manager. Thank you, Mr. Moderator. Thanks. Uh thanks for your question, Ken. Um so I'll have to say that the um the town has been working with the uh dog park committee to look at some shared responsibilities in terms of the maintenance uh working with their DPW um and that has been formalized in a memorandum of understanding and we're just working through that with the Stanton Foundation now and hopefully they will agree to that.
um next year with uh with the 45m minute interval between each start time and there's no we had um one of the things I had mentioned at the last meeting was possibly doing a rather than going all the way to 7:30 doing like an 750 and a 9 start right and making the gap bigger to be able to reduce a 750 so rather high school for the high school would go to 750 right And then the elementary would go to so that there would be more buses available for each route or less as we're combining routes. Right. So the idea was that we would take the amount of buses take away two. Yeah. And then you had said that the way the routes are they have to have 45 minutes but if we if we increase the time between within the route that there was a possibility you were going to check to see or one of the questions was is there a possibility of addressing that?
Uh bureaucracy's sake. Um, I also find this proposal to be just shockingly disappointing. And I believe that it is going to serve as a barrier to growth as well as a a deterrent for young people looking to put down roots and make a mark on our town. Many of you sitting here have had the opportunity to do that. I've gone to school with a number of your children and some of your grandchildren. Um, you had the opportunity to change the downtown as you've seen fit. And I think it's shameful that you would rob that opportunity from future generations. I am currently looking for houses with my fiance and have been for the last six months. We have taken Ashland off of our list and this proposal is exactly one of the reasons why it feels like Ashland is going to be completely stuck in the past while all the other towns in Metro West are blazing a new trail forward.
Right. So the router's not following you. I'm sorry. Okay. So So B if BHS starts at what time? 7:50. Okay. And elementary school, BHS and West Cancer would start at 7:50. Okay. Elementary school start at 9. So 10 minutes on each and taking away two buses. There was a possibility that the routes could be because you you're adding 20 minutes and the possibility that the routes could be either doubled back or two buses can be taken away in order to make them you know what I mean? I stopped like so instead of the 45 minutes in between correct start times on three tiers 55 minutes in between start time between two tiers and would that enable some routes to be combined? Okay. So there I so there is I have an answer for that. Um so there's a lot of different that's I I got there.
Thank you. Good evening. I'm Deborah Nielsen. I live on Ramblewood Drive. I uh would like to read a message that I received from Naen Me Nesbbit. She is the only residential building owner within the proposed historic district which is the purple house. And I quote, I am in favor of the historical changes that are being proposed. Please read this. It's short and sweet and I am all for this. End quote. The intent of this district is to benefit everyone within Ashlin's community by preserving all of our history that is downtown. The proposed district in Ashlin includes many errors and many styles. So we are not locked into one time period. It is not the intent of the historic commission or the future district commission that will be established to block any business efforts. It is the historic it's the intent to be flexible to work with property owners but to keep the historic integrity of downtown intact.