Abington Special Town Meeting Adjourns Due to Lack of Quorum
Congressman Lynch Reports $5.24 Million in Federal Funding for Town Projects
ABINGTON, MA - November 25 - Abington's Special Town Meeting, scheduled for Nov. 25, 2024, took no votes after failing to meet the required quorum of 150 registered voters. Only 93 residents were present after 20 minutes, forcing the postponement of several important agenda items.
Moderator Shawn Reilly announced the adjournment, stating, "Unfortunately, I do appreciate everyone who has made the effort to be here. We will not be continuing this to another night, because if we can't get two-thirds of the people to be here tonight, it's going to be very difficult."
The meeting's cancellation delays action on key issues, including amendments to the South Shore Vocational Technical High School agreement and Community Preservation budget allocations.
*editor’s note: six of the nine member communities need to pass the amendment to South Shore Tech’s regional agreement. So far three towns, Hanson, Scituate, and Rockland, have passed it.
Reilly indicated that the unaddressed items would likely be carried forward to the spring town meeting, the date of which has not yet been set by the Board of Selectmen.
Despite the meeting's cancellation, Congressman Stephen Lynch, who represents Abington's district, delivered a brief update on federal funding and legislative matters.
Lynch reported that Abington has received approximately $5.24 million in federal funding from various sources in the last session. This includes allocations from the CARES Act to offset revenue losses during the COVID-19 pandemic and grants from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
"Abington in this last session would have received about $5.24 million in federal funding from various sources," Lynch said. "One was from the CARES Act, and that was because of the loss of revenue that the town incurred."
The congressman detailed how the town has directed some of the ARPA funds, including over $700,000 for insurance premiums in 2025 and the purchase of an electric truck.
Additionally, more than $500,000 in ARPA funding was allocated to improve the PFAS water treatment facility, addressing concerns about "Forever Chemicals" in the water supply.
"A lot of the towns in my district – I have 18 towns and three cities – are having problems with these Forever Chemicals, PFAS," Lynch explained. "And so this system of ionic purification supposedly – and not supposedly – in effect is cleaning up the water problems that a lot of the towns have had."
Other federal funds were used for specific town projects, including $300,000 for HVAC improvements at the town library and $400,000 for road repairs and resurfacing.
Lynch also highlighted the $1 million in federal funding directed towards restoring and improving the Memorial Bridge at Island Grove.
The congressman emphasized the importance of local decision-making in fund allocation, stating, "The funding request comes directly from the town. And I understand there's some interest in a fire station. I just had an opportunity to talk to several town officials about that. So we'll try to get that in the pipeline for the next round of federal funding."
Lynch also updated residents on recent legislative actions, including the passage of a bill to repeal the Windfall Elimination Program and Government Pension Offset Programs, which he described as unfairly penalizing certain workers.
He also mentioned the passage of the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act, which aims to support families caring for veterans at home.
As the meeting concluded, Reilly thanked all who attended and acknowledged the efforts of town officials and volunteers in preparing for the meeting. He wished everyone a "happy, safe, and healthy Thanksgiving" before officially adjourning the session.