Selectmen OK Arlington Pond Grant Application

The Arlington Pond Protective Association is set to apply for a grant to help address invasive aquatic plants in the water body.

Salem Town Manager Keith Hickey told selectmen on Monday that the Arlington Pond Protective Association would be submitting the grant application with the help of the Town of Salem. Selectmen authorized Hickey on Monday to sign the documentation allowing the grant to be submitted.

[To watch the full Salem Board of Selectmen meeting, click here.]

The grant provides 40 percent funding from the state, but 60 percent must be covered locally. The state portion amounts to about $8,000, and the Arlington Pond Protective Association will cover the remaining $12,000.

Also on Monday, selectmen approved a plan for a 5-mile rail trail for bikes and pedestrians. Grants to help fund the project will now go to voters at the March 11 Town Meeting.

One other issue addressed at Monday's meeting was the fact that some polling places will be in new locations for the March 11 election due to the ongoing elementary school renovations. Hickey said he will be working with the town moderator to make sure that senior citizens specifically know where they will be voting.