Devens residents Bob Eisengrein and Bette Barbadoro are circulating a petition among registered voters that will ask the state legislature to “step in” and review the work that has been done already for the Devens disposition process, Eisengrein said in an interview Wednesday. Scenario 2B would be a good place to start the legislative review, Eisengrein said.
“It makes sense” to involve the legislature; “they have the staff” and can look at it from the state’s viewpoint, he added.
Scenario 2B was put forth by the Devens Disposition Executive Board and would have created a new town of Devens; returned jurisdiction over portions of the Devens Regional Enterprise Zone to the Towns of Ayer, Harvard, and Shirley; modified the composition of the Devens Enterprise Commission; and put revised versions of the Devens Zoning Bylaw and Reuse Plan into effect.
In his opinion, Eisengrein said, the town status of Devens has been put on the back burner. A timely resolution that will address such issues as housing, particularly for those who come to Devens for employment, is one of the things he is seeking, he said; and more residents could lead to Devens becoming a town, he said.
Eisengrein said that he expects the petition to be filed over the weekend by Rep. Jamie Eldridge, who would do so without taking a position on it. Eldridge’s office confirmed receiving the request and said that it is being reviewed. The filing deadline for the new legislative session is January 10.
Although Eisengrein declined to make the petition public until after it is filed, he stressed that it is not intended to preclude or interfere with any actions the Joint Boards of Selectmen (JBOS), the Devens Citizens Advisory Committee (DCAC), or any other local body might take. The JBOS is scheduled to meet in Ayer January 24.
The DCAC plans to meet Saturday at the Devens Recreation Center at 10 a.m. One of the agenda items will be to discuss and vote on a proposal to petition the state legislature to amend Chapter 498, Section 23, of the General Laws so that Devens residents will be equal stakeholders in the disposition process, according to DCAC Chairman Phil Crosby. Ayer and Shirley’s selectmen have voted to support such a request. Harvard’s selectmen postponed voting on it pending discussion and debate within the town.
