Mayor Announces Upcoming City Improvements

– Allison Goldsberry

On Monday afternoon Medford Mayor Michael McGlynn, joined by School Superintendent Roy Belson, stood before a crowd of costumed students in Medford High School’s library and announced two upcoming projects that will affect students and residents alike.

Mayor McGlynn was very excited to announce funding for creating an artificial turf field at Hormel Stadium, a project that has been coveted and discussed for years. Finally the city found some state funding by earning a grant from the Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs aimed at improving open space and recreational facilities in the state.

Richard Sullivan, Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, donned some Mustang gear and told the crowd one of the reasons the city received the $500,000 grant is because the Hormel project is “shovel ready.”

In addition to an artificial turf field, the track will be repaired and painted, and a new scoreboard will be constructed at an angle that will be easier to read by spectators in the bleachers. Hormel Stadium Commission Chair Jack Buckley said the entire project will cost over $800,000 and should be completed during the summer of 2012.

With the grant Mayor McGlynn said “a half million dollars is off table” as far as funding capital improvement projects in the city. Another large project is updating technology in Medford’s schools and the Mayor announced on Monday the city is recommending $2 million in an initial phase.

The $2 million includes laptops and printers for teachers and specialists; a rollout of laptop carts in the district; upgrade of the desktops in the computer labs, libraries, and administration; a relocation of newer desktops in the district; purchasing of less expensive refurbished desktops; an upgrade of critical infrastructure; and the elimination of computers eight years old and older. The plan includes 1,413 new laptops, 515 refurbished desktop computers, and 180 reallocated computers, for a total of 2,108 computers.

Mayor McGlynn said the plan is subject to change based upon public input and the approval of the School Committee and City Council. The technology upgrade should begin before the school year is over and is considered Phase 1 of an upgrade process.

Video of Monday’s press conference is available online.