News from the Town of Needham

There will be plenty of activities, food, face painting, crafts and more. Check out the Chamber’s website for more information.

The fair will be held Sunday, October 2nd from 11 am to 3 pm.

The Select Board this week finalized its goals and related initiatives for Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024. The purpose of the Select Board Goals is to effect positive change, set policy direction for Town government, and guide the development of the budget. Goals are set along with specific initiatives to help the Town reach those goals. Initiatives fall under the goals of:

• Livable

• Economically Vital

• Accessible & Connected

• Healthy & Socially Thriving

• Safe

• Responsibly Governed

• Environmentally Sustainable

The Needham Housing Authority (NHA), in cooperation with the Town of Needham, is announcing the availability of a 3-bedroom affordable condominium that will be resold to a qualifying purchaser. The buyer must meet income and asset requirements and be a first-time homebuyer (some exceptions may apply). Income cannot exceed 110% of the Area Median Income ($123,376 for a 2-person household or $138,798 for a 3-person household). The unit at 120 Fairview Road has a listed sale price of $473,900. The unit is part of the High Rock development. Applications are now available. The application deadline is Friday, October 21, 2022 at 4 pm. They should be submitted to the attention of Karen Sunnarborg, Housing Specialist, at the Needham Planning and Community Development Department, 500 Dedham Avenue, Needham MA 02492. Any inquiries can be sent to Ms. Sunnarborg at ksunnarborg@needhamma.gov or 781-455-7550 ext. 220.

Are you interested in better understanding how the Needham Police Department works? Apply by Monday, October 3, 2022 to participate in the Department’s Citizen’s Academy, an educational program for Needham community members to better understand police department programs and operations and to build relationships with members of the local police department.

Classes will run from 6 pm to 8 pm on six Wednesdays from October 19th through November 29th. Participants must be Needham residents at least 18-years-old.

Interested individuals should email their applications to Lieutenant John McGrath. Deadline is Monday, October 3rd. Applicants will be notified regarding their acceptance by Friday, October 7th.

Needham Community Education is hosting a class this fall to explore Critical Race Theory.

In the four-session course, participants will explore the popular impact of the work of a few of the founding scholars of Critical Race Theory such as Derrick Bell, Kimberle Crenshaw, and Gloria Ladson-Billings. Students will engage in a case study of an earlier media controversy and examine the ongoing tension between the concepts of race consciousness and color blindness, and how these concepts illuminate or hinder the ongoing American dialogue about race. Limited to 50 participants.

The class is hosted in collaboration with the Needham Diversity Initiative, Needham Human Rights Committee, League of Women Voters Needham, Needham Unite Against Racism and Equal Justice Needham.

Dates: 4 Thursdays, October 13-November 3
Time: 7:00-8:30 PM
Location: Needham High School, Room 728
Fee: $35*

* Scholarships are available for low-income residents. Please email NCE Program Director, Amy Goldman, or call 781-455-0400 x5 for more information.

It is summer 1967. Two little boys from Needham, 9 and 11, hitch their pet Shetland pony King to a cart and drive 350 miles over 27 days to the Expo '67 world’s fair in Montreal – on their own – at 5 m.p.h.

For the boys, 9- and 11-year-old Tony and Jeff Whittemore of South Street, this improbable journey became the adventure of a lifetime. Now “Pony Boys,” an award-winning documentary tells this extraordinary tale about parenting, childhood, and fulfilling the dreams of childhood in a time not so long ago.

See the acclaimed, 24-minute film and meet the team that produced it at a free event presented by the Friends of the Needham Public Library on Sunday, October 23, from 2:00-3:30 PM, at the Needham Free Public Library.

Independent documentary film Director/Producer Eric Stange of Spy Pond Productions will tell how he was inspired to make the film. He will be joined by “pony boys” Jeff and Tony Whittemore, who now live in Arlington and Webster, respectively, as well as composer John Kusiak, who wrote the score.

The film won the Special Jury Award for Documentary Short Independent Film Festival Boston 2022. It launched Sept. 27 as part of the New York Times Op-Doc series of short documentaries by independent filmmakers.

The library event is free but seats are limited to 80 and registration is required.

Ahead of Halloween, the Needham Conservation Commission hosts Joy Marzolf, naturalist and educator, to share some fascinating information about creepy crawly creatures. From animals that may look creepy like spiders and bats, to those that just sounds creepy, many of these creatures are beneficial and vital to keeping our ecosystems healthy.

Learn about some of the amazing talents of some of our creepy, often misunderstood animal friends and what you can do to help them help us.

This event will be held Thursday, October 6, 2022 at 7 pm at the Public Services Administration Building, 500 Dedham Ave., in the Charles River Room.

Seats are limited. Please RSVP to conservation@needhamma.gov with the number of children and adults attending.

The Needham Art Association will host award-winning artist Bill Lane for an in-person watercolor demonstration as its first program of the year.

Bill is intrigued by everyday scenes - a barren landscape, boats in the harbor, or city life on a busy day. He observes how light plays into the scene and reflects off the subjects, and works to capture that light while enhancing the point of interest in the painting.

Bill will paint a scene of Great Plain Ave. in Needham during this demonstration. The event is free and open to the public.

The event takes place Tuesday, October 4th at 6:30 pm at the Needham Free Public Library.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Needham Council for Arts and Culture, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

Do you know of someone looking for work? The Town of Needham is hiring! Full and part time positions available. View current job openings here.