The Garlick Press – Monday, January 25, 2021

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Over the next week, I will be hosting my annual Representative’s Report to the Community in each town of my District: Dover, Medfield and Needham. I have accepted the great responsibility of being your Representative and I hold myself accountable to you. As I have said before,”You have sent me to do a job and I am reporting back.” Additionally, as a new year and new session begins, I am eager to hear your issues and concerns . While we may not be able to come together in person for this evening, I know that we will still be able to engage in a conversation on what we have accomplished and the work we will continue to do to strengthen our community and the Commonwealth. I hope you will be able to join me and members of my staff.

Please register in advance here: repgarlick.com/report21

Dover – January 26, 2021 at 7:00 PM

Medfield – January 28, 2021 at 7:00 PM

Needham – February 1, 2021 at 7:00 PM

Yours in Service,

Denise

• In Needham, the Town has shared a message that veterans that are currently enrolled in the VA Health Care Systems can now receive the COVID-19 vaccine from the Federal government. To be eligible, veterans must be 65 years of age or older and at high risk of becoming severely ill with COVID-19. VA Health Care staff members will contact eligible veterans by telephone or mail to schedule vaccines. For more information, click here.
• In Dover, the Police Department shared a message that several neighboring communities have reported thieves burglarizing cars and garages. To address this, the Police Department asks residents to not leave valuable in their cars and lock your cars at night. To read the message, click here.
• In Medfield, students in the organization Active Minds at Medfield High are organizing “The Bandana Project” to spread awareness for those with mental health-related struggles. The Bandana Project will give students a green bandana to tie on their backpack to signify they are supportive and nonjudgemental about mental illness. To learn more about this project, visit the Medfield Outreach facebook page.

• In Needham,
  • the Needham Unite Against Racism Working Group will be meeting Today, January 25 at 6:00 PM via Zoom. Agenda items for this meeting include a public listening session on the vision statement, guiding principles, and community “expectations. For the meeting information, click here.
  • the Select Board will be meeting on Tuesday, January 26 at 6:00 PM via Zoom. Agenda items for this meeting include a budget presentation from the Town Manager and a board discussion on various committee reports. For the meeting information, click here.
• In Dover,
  • the Community Center Building Committee will be meeting Today, January 25 at 6:00 PM via Zoom. Agenda items for this meeting include a cost estimation discussion and a program evaluation discussion. For the meeting information, click here.
  • the Water Resource Committee will be meeting on Wednesday, January 27 at 8:00 PM via Zoom. Agenda items include a discussion on creating a conservation water plan for Dover and the development of a frequently asked questions regarding water usage. For the meeting information, click here.
• In Medfield,
  • the Board of Selectmen will be meeting on Tuesday, January 26 at 7:00 PM via Zoom. Agenda items include discussions on COVID-19 and FY20211 operating and capital budgets. For the meeting information, click here.
  • the Parks and Recreation Commission will be meeting on Wednesday, January 27 at 6:00 PM via Zoom. Agenda items include Fall/Winter programming update and Open Space & Recreation Plan update. For the meeting information, click here.

• Starting February 1, Massachusetts will begin Phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Individuals 75 and older will be the first priority group in Phase 2. To find out what phase you are in, click here.
• The COVID-19 Response Command Center is working with health care providers, local officials, pharmacies and others to set up additional COVID-19 vaccination sites. As of this week, Massachusetts plans to have 103 publicly available vaccine sites and expects this to expand to 165 vaccination sites by mid-February. For a map of vaccination locations, click here.

• Massachusetts is currently in Step 1 in Phase 3 of Massachusetts Reopening. This will reduce capacity for many sectors and tighten workplace restrictions. Additionally, restaurants, gyms, and offices have additional guidelines to follow. To learn more, click here.
• If you have questions, input, or comments regarding the Reopening Massachusetts plan, you can submit comments online. These comments can be used by the Administration to support efforts to methodically reopen the economy amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here for the form.

• If you are in need of resources, information, or support, please visit my website for a list of resources. Additionally, our local boards of health, the Department of Public Health, and the Centers for Disease Control are continuing to maintain websites with the most updated information regarding COVID-19 that you can access here:

• Needham Health Department Updates
• Medfield Updates
• Dover Updates
• Department of Public Health: Click here or Call 2-1-1.
• Reopening Massachusetts
• COVID-19 Travel Order
• Centers for Disease Control