Overflow Space Ready for Tuesday Night's Special Town Meeting

A large turnout is expected for Tuesday night's Special Town Meeting in Hamilton where voters will decide whether or not the town government should purchase the Pirie property.

Town Clerk Jane Wetson said the Winthrop Elementary School cafeteria, where voters will sit first, can hold 620 people. If turnout exceeds 620, voters will then go in the gym, where the meeting will be broadcast. The gym holds 371 people.

The question of whether the town should purchase the 80-acre Pirie property - or Aquila Farm - is the only question before voters.

Voting will be conducted by ballot, Wetson said, Voting machines will be set up in the gym - down the hall from the cafeteria - and voters there will vote first.

Voters in the cafeteria will be split into two section and each section will then vote, one at a time.

Wetson said the decision has already been made to vote by secret ballot. At the fall Town Meeting in 2010, some voters told town officials that they saw voters moving to be voted twice during a count of voter cards.

Instead, on Tuesday night, voters will exchange their voter card for a ballot.

"It is hard to keep a lot of people in place" to do a count of card, Wetson said.

Absentee ballot are not available, Wetson said. The decision will be made only by voters in attendance at the time that a vote is called.

In recent days, Wetson said she has fielded many calls inquiring about absentee ballots.

"You have to be there in person to vote," she said.

Town officials will be set up at 6:45 p.m. to start checking in voters, Wetson said.