WILMINGTON, MA — At its meeting on Wednesday night, the Wilmington Board of Appeals voted 4-0 to approve the Town’s request for a special permit to hold a carnival from Thursday, June 30 to Sunday, July 3 at the old Swain School site (140-150 Middlesex Avenue).
Town Manager Jeff Hull made his pitch to the Board of Appeals and highlighted the following:
- The carnival will now run for 4 days instead of 5, from June 30 to July 3.
- The carnival will now run 9 hours less than originally proposed. Hours will be: Thursday (5-9), Friday (5-9), Saturday (noon-10, with fireworks) and Sunday (1-8).
- The carnival will have 12-14 rides, including 8 “kiddie” rides, as opposed to the original 15. All rides must be approved by the town.
- All horns on rides will be disconnected. All music from rides will be appropriately controlled.
- There will be no more than 12 booths for concessions and games.
- There will be 8 portable toilets, including 1 handicapped. The Fourth of July Committee will also made their building’s amenities available.
- There will a 20-foot fire lane around the carnival.
- The carnival’s layout will be approved the state’s Department of Public Safety, plus the Wilmington Fire Department and Wilmington Police Department.
- School Street will be closed, except for residents. Middlesex Avenue, at School Street, to Church Street will be closed.
“We really attempted to address the abutters’ concerns around noise, carnival hours, potential of property damage, and potential for inappropriate behavior on private property,” Hull told the Board. “We’ve really scaled this back.”
Board of Appeals member Anthony Barletta found the changes to be “very positive,” saying he preferred a slightly smaller celebration that gives it a more “community” feel, comparing it to Andover Day in Andover.
Board of Appeals member Ed Loud, who got the OK from the State Ethics Committee and Town Counsel to participate now that Fiesta Shows is not the known carnival operator, commended the Police Department for committing extra officers on Drury Lane and School Street during the carnival, and for limiting the carnival’s set-up and break-down hours.
Police Chief Mike Begonis added that there will be no carnival staff staying on site overnight except for one security card.
There were no public comments. In fact, there were only five members of the public in the audience. (The carnival request was not heard until 9:15pm. The meeting began at 7pm.)
“Where is everybody?,” joked Chairman Charles Boyle, after asking for public comments.
On a motion made by Ed Loud, the Board granted the request 4-0.
A Warning From Town Manager Hull
“There is a measure of risk to what we’re doing,” Town Manager Hull told the board. “We’re late in the game. Many carnival operators may have already made commitments for Fourth of July…. And given the [smaller] scale of the proposed carnival, it is unclear if carnival operators will find it profitable to participate.”
Hull noted that request for proposals from carnival operators are due by Wednesday, April 20. To date, the town has not received any.
When asked by Board member Thomas Siragusa what would haven if the town received no bids, Hull said there would no carnival, and that the Fourth of July Committee would put on a 2-day celebration with fireworks on Saturday night.
Veerman Recuses Himself
Board of Appeals member Dan Veerman left the room prior to discussion on the permit request. Chairman Charles Boyle announced that because the Town was the applicant, and no longer the Fourth of July Committee, it would have been a conflict for the Board of Selectmen to grant Mr. Veerman the waiver he would have needed to participate in the vote due to him having a potential conflict as an abutter.
Upon consultation with Town Counsel and the State Ethics Committee, Veerman chose to recuse himself from the discussion and abstain from the vote.
After the meeting, Wilmington Apple contacted Veerman and asked him how he would have voted on the town’s carnival permit request.
“I was fully planning on voting in favor of the carnival,” said Veerman. “Despite everything that has happened, I feel like I have done some good for the neighborhood. The carnival has been significantly scaled down, it’s more family-friendly, and the town is a more accountable petitioner than a nonprofit that is not subject to the open meeting law and financial scrutiny.”
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