Voluntary Outdoor Water Use Restriction in Place Through Oct. 14

The Select Board has authorized a voluntary restriction on any outdoor water use between the hours of 5:30 AM and 8:30 AM daily through October 14, 2022.

Lowering our peak water usage helps the Town better manage flow and ensure that you and your neighbors get enough water pressure for that pick-me-up shower in the morning.

Watering Tips

If you have automatic sprinklers, set them for early in the morning, so that they turn off by 5:30 AM. Otherwise, try to water between 8:30 AM and 10:00 AM, before it gets hot and the water just evaporates before it soaks in.

Your lawn needs about an inch of water a week from a combination of rain and watering. You can put an empty can out on your lawn when your sprinklers are running and see how long it takes to get an inch of water in it.

Watering once a week for longer sends the water, and the grass roots, deeper into the soil. This makes your grass more drought-resistant.

Conserve Water and Save Money, Order a Rain Barrel by August 30

Lexington is once again partnering with Great American Rain Barrel to offer residents rain barrels at a discounted rate with convenient in-town pick-up. You must pre-order online through the Great American Rain Barrel website by August 30.

Save Water, Save Money

Rain barrels help save drinking water resources and money. According to the US EPA, 30% of daily water use is used outdoors. Using the rain barrel's stored water around the landscape saves water resources and reduces the amount of water purchased from municipal sources.

How to Order/Pick Up Your Rain Barrel

To find out more about the barrels and to participate in The Great American Rain Barrel Program, please visit their website and select "Lexington".

Barrels are offered at $79 for painted and $74 for unpainted. Barrels will be available for pick up on September 10 between 9 and 11:00am at the Lexington Compost Facility, 60 Hartwell Ave, Lexington.

Deadline for purchase is 11:59 PM on August 30.

Waterstone of Lexington Affordable Housing Lottery

Waterstone of Lexington, located at 55 Watertown Street, has 21 affordable housing apartments for residents 62 years of age or older.

There are:

12 one-bedroom independent living apartments
6 two-bedroom independent living apartments
3 one-bedroom assisted living units.

A preference for up to 14 units will be provided for applicants who are current Lexington residents.

Applicants must meet financial eligibility criteria.

Find out more about Waterstone of Lexington and how to apply for an affordable apartment there.

Walkway at Grain Mill Alley Temporarily Closed for Construction

For the next few weeks, Grain Mill Alley (a connection between the Minuteman Bikeway and Mass. Ave. next to Bank of America) will be closed while brick and reconfiguration work takes place. This work is part of the Center Streetscape Project.

Pedestrians/cyclists can connect between the Bikeway/Mass. Ave. at Depot Square.

Help Set the Town’s Zero Waste Priorities

The Town of Lexington recently passed a Zero Waste Resolution at Town Meeting, and is undertaking a Zero Waste Planning process. Zero Waste follows a hierarchy (see image) that focuses first on avoiding the creation of waste before reusing, repairing, recycling, or composting.

Please let us know what you think the priorities should be for policy, programs, and infrastructure that will help get the town, its residents, and businesses, on the path to Zero Waste.

Complete the survey by August 21.

From the Town Archives: Land Sale Document from 1692

One of the oldest documents in the Lexington Town Archives is from 1692 - a Deed from John Munroe, “husbandman” (farmer), in which he sells the “Inhabitants of… Cambridge Farms” half an acre of land “for a burying place for the dead” at a price of “twenty shillings currant money of New England.”

The inhabitants of Cambridge Farms, the village that eventually became Lexington in 1713, were in the process of forming their own parish, which required them to build a church and hire a minister. A burying ground was then needed. This tract became the nucleus of the Old Burying Ground in the center of town.

Video on Haiku Project and Celebration

Over the summer, the Lexington Council for the Arts conducted a contest for residents to submit haikus to be shared on storefronts around town. In July, they held a celebration for all those who submitted haikus. You can check out the short video on YouTube to see some of the haikus, as well as clips from the celebration event.

Summer '22 Edition of Lexington LifeTimes Now Available

Artists, authors or poets who live or work in Lexington AND are 60+ years old, Lexington LifeTimes would love to hear from you for their professionally produced creative arts journal. The Journal features a broad selection of literary and visual arts including both short fiction and non-fiction, poetry, photography, artwork, and craft.

The deadline for submissions for the Winter 2023 issue is Friday, September 30. Guidelines, the application, and the past ten issues (including Summer 2022) can be all be found at www.friendsofthecoa.org

All those wishing to share their talent are encouraged to apply. Spread the word!

COVID-19 Data; Test Kits Available at Town Buildings

The Lexington Office of Public Health will update weekly COVID-19 case numbers each Friday. The data represented on the dashboard DOES NOT include at-home test results. The data only represents results of PCR and antigen tests verified through the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

View Lexington’s case numbers

View the State’s COVID-19 dashboard

Test Kits Available

Free at-home rapid COVID-19 test kits are available at Town buildings across Lexington.

You can pick up a test at the following locations: