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Dear Editor
Last night at the (select Board) meeting, Karen Herrick made a disappointing statement: she expressed that she doesn’t want to include a funding source for unified sports in the town warrant(agenda) (Article 14). She didn’t want to give the town a voice on whether to fund (through Burbank revenue) unified sports through a Stabilization fund. Even more concerning, she hasn’t proposed any alternatives to support this program.
In the same breath, she criticized Burbank Ice Arena, suggesting they don’t collaborate effectively or do a good job driving revenue. Normally, we don’t bite the hand that feeds us, but I digress. This is an organization that has contributed to my calculations, millions to our town. If you’ve struggled to find a sport for your child or have felt discouraged by the lack of options, this is your chance to advocate for change. We need funding for unified sports! Is Burbank the perfect solution? Maybe not, but it’s certainly worth exploring. We need an adaptive program for the town, but this Unified stabilization fund is a start.
She did not question whether the CPA articles belonged on the warrant. (Another fee we will all pay!), She didn’t identify a different funding mechanism for Unified programming, and really, the worst part of it is, she didn’t want the Town meeting to even talk about it.
Thank you, Burbank, for thinking of our most vulnerable children. Let’s rally together and show our commitment to providing opportunities for all children.
I urge everyone to attend the (Select Board) meeting on 3/10 and make your voices heard.
Alicia Williams
Marla Lane
Town Meeting Member P8
