November 26, 2007
UPTON
In a move that should save the town more than $178,000 in the first year, Upton selectmen have voted to begin acquiring health insurance for the town's employees through the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association.
The new relationship will begin Jan. 1, said James Bates, administrative assistant to the Board of Selectmen.
-- Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:11 AM
November 20, 2007
UPTON
The Friends of Upton State Forest are encouraging those who walk in the forest to stay safe by wearing bright orange during the shotgun hunting season for deer, which starts on Nov. 26 and runs through Dec. 8.
Dogs should also be outfitted in orange and kept leashed, the group said.
-- Calvin Hennick
Posted by Lisa Kocian at 03:31 PM
November 18, 2007
UPTON
Uptonites jarred by the sight of police surrounding Santa this year on Christmas Eve should stay calm. They're not busting the jolly old guy, just giving him an honorary escort.
The police department will escort Santa as he visits homes in Upton on Dec. 24 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. To reserve a visit, call the Police Department at 508-529-3200.
-- Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 08:59 AM
November 17, 2007
UPTON
Representatives from various departments last week agreed that the town should prioritize the replacement of water pipes on Main Street.
Town Meeting voters Dec. 3 will decide whether to spend roughly $80,000 on an engineering study for the new pipes. Marsha Paul, chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen, said the town sorely needs to update its infrastructure.
"These same issues were discussed 10 years ago," she said. "What we need to do is start to chip away at some of these needs."
-- Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 08:59 AM
November 9, 2007
UPTON
The Friends of Upton State Forest will hold a recreational bike ride at the forest on Saturday, Nov. 24 at 10 a.m.
Registration forms are available online. The group requests a donation of $10 for the ride before November 21, and $12 after that.
Proceeds will help fund the activities of the group, including maintenance of the forest and education programs.
-- Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 08:38 AM
November 1, 2007
UPTON
The town has reached an agreement with dog owner Brendan M. Perry of 57 South Street that will keep both parties out of court.
Selectmen voted last spring to banish Perry's six dogs from the town, citing over 100 barking complaints received by police. Perry appealed the order, and selectmen agreed that Perry could keep three of the dogs as long as they are equipped with anti-barking devices and kept indoors between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
-- Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:10 PM
October 17, 2007
UPTON
The main water pump that supplies most of the town of Upton broke down today, prompting local officials to immediately urge conservation efforts in order to avert a crisis.
The town has two days worth of water stored in emergency tanks, town officials said, and workers are trying to install a new pump before that runs out. In the meantime, officials are also trying to arrange backup water from neighboring towns.
"People have to conserve their water," said Marsha Paul, the chairwoman of Upton's Board of Selectmen. "Otherwise there might not be any in the next couple of days."
Paul declared an emergency and authorized funds for the purchase of the new main pump. The broken pump will be repaired and kept in service as a backup, she said.
"I don't want this ever to happen again," she said.
-- Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 02:44 PM
October 1, 2007
Jerry Owczarzak, a member of the Upton Historical Commission, explores the "Upton Chamber," a mysterious man-made cave.
(Globe staff photo by Bill Polo)
UPTON
Residents can go online and have their say about design plans for a planned park on land that is home to a mysterious manmade cave-like structure.
The town is in the process of converting the approximately seven acres of land off Elm Street into a public park, and officials have posted a questionnaire on the town’s web site to get residents’ input.
The questionnaire, which asks residents for their views on landscaping and potential uses for the park, is posted on the city's web site.
-- Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:48 AM
September 29, 2007
UPTON
Upton officials say they are investigating whether they can use money from three trust funds, which were set up for other purposes, to make improvements to town buildings.
Marsha Paul, chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen, said the upgrades are necessary to bring the town into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Paul said the trust funds have at least several hundred thousand dollars that the town can spend.
Officials will contact the state attorney general’s office for a ruling on whether the money can be used for the building improvements, she said.
-- Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:02 AM
August 30, 2007
UPTON
Stephen Soma, director of the Department of Public works, will deliver an informational presentation tonight on three proposed debt-exclusion overrides.
Voters will decide at a September 10 special election whether to temporarily increase taxes to pay for upgrades to the town's water and sewer systems, and Soma will explain tonight why the improvements are needed.
Officials had expected the projects to total more than $300,000, but now say the upgrades will cost somewhat less than that. James Bates, administrative assistant to the Board of Selectmen, said he was still unsure what the exact cost would be.
The meeting will be held at the town's fire station.
-- Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 08:00 AM
August 23, 2007
UPTON
Selectmen last week appointed Robert Cotton, Jeffrey Hershberger, Marsha Paul, Joan Shanahan, and Suzanne Skinner to a committee that will study whether the town should create a special account for water and sewer funds.
Under the current system, money collected from water and sewer bills goes into the town’s general fund, and the operations and maintenance are funded out of the municipal budget. If a separate account is created, the departments could be eventually be funded entirely by user fees instead of tax dollars, said James Bates, administrative assistant to the Board of Selectmen.
-- Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:55 AM
August 19, 2007
UPTON
Warrant articles for Upton's Sept. 18 Town Meeting must be submitted to the Selectmen’s office by this Friday.
Citizens may submit articles to the board for consideration, or they can force an article onto the warrant by obtaining 100 signatures on a petition supporting the article. Articles with a monetary impact require 200 signatures.
-- Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 06:57 AM
August 17, 2007
UPTON
Public works director Stephen Soma will update selectmen on the progress of various water and sewer projects at their August 21 meeting. The town is working to control corrosion on water piping, to add sewer lines, and to add a third well to the water supply.
Soma will likely also address water and sewer upgrades that will appear on a special election ballot, said James Bates, administrative assistant to the selectmen. Residents will vote next month whether to spend nearly $400,000 for the upgrades.
-- Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 12:07 PM
July 21, 2007
UPTON
Do you work hard or play hard? The Upton Open Space Committee has organized a series of summer activities where participants can either enjoy some leisure time or get their hands dirty.
On July 29, those with canoes and kayaks are encouraged to paddle under a full moon at Lake Wildwood. On August 18, interested and civic-minded parties will need work gloves and garden clippers to help clear a new trail. And on September 16, hikers can explore an abandoned railroad line.
More information about the activities is available online or by e-mail.
-- Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 02:24 PM
July 18, 2007
UPTON
It will likely take the state about three more years to approve a West River Street site as a new town well, public works director Stephen Soma told selectmen last week.
The site would be Upton's third well and would provide for future expansion, Soma said. He said officials having been looking at sites for the new well for about three years.
--Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 11:58 AM
June 22, 2007
UPTON
Can’t wait until the Fourth? The Upton Men’s Club is sponsoring a fireworks festival on June 23 at the Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School.
Fireworks will commence at 9:45 p.m., following a full afternoon of activities, including an auto show, hot air balloon rides, and live music. Activities begin at 3 p.m.
– Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 08:49 AM
June 21, 2007
Jerry Owczarzak, a member of the Upton Historical Commission, enters the mysterious chamber.
(Photo by Calvin Hennick for the Boston Globe)
UPTON
Daylight penetrates just the first few feet of the tunnel that leads into the "Upton Chamber," the mysterious man-made cave in Upton. Then the stone walls and murky water underfoot disappear into darkness.
Jerry Owczarzak, a member of the Upton Historical Commission, rolls his jeans up over his combat boots and flicks on his battery-powered lantern. He stoops to enter the tunnel's 3 -foot-tall mouth.
"You don't know what it is, you don't know how old it is, you don't know who built it," says the husky, bearded Owczarzak. "There's probably as many theories as there are people who ask questions."
The town purchased the land surrounding the cave from a private owner last year, and plans to build a park around the structure. The Historical Commission agreed to give Globe West correspondent Calvin Hennick reporter a tour of the centuries-old puzzle.
Read Hennick's story and see an audio slide show featuring more photos, historical newspaper clippings and a diagram of the site by visiting Globe West online.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:01 AM
June 20, 2007
UPTON
An Upton resident is organizing a bone marrow screening event in support of an 11-year-old local boy who was recently diagnosed with leukemia. Health workers will swab the cheeks of participants, and the results of the samples will be entered into a national bone marrow registry.
Kathy Murray, the organizer, said residents should first find out whether their insurance covers the $52 screening. The event will take place from noon to 4 p.m. on June 24 at Miscoe Hill School in Mendon.
-– Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 09:02 AM
June 12, 2007
UPTON
The Upton Bloomer Girls, a local community group, will hold a blood drive for the American Red Cross next Monday, June 18, at Nipmuc Regional High School. Anyone who is 17 or older, weighs 110 pounds or more, has not given blood in the previous 56 days, and is in good health may try to donate.
Appointments can be scheduled online or by calling 1-800-GIVE-LIFE.
-– Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 07:57 AM
June 8, 2007
UPTON
The Recreation Commission has hired Christine Horn, a physical education teacher at Memorial Elementary School, as a seasonal recreation director for the summer.
In the past, the department has operated without a director. Horn will help to oversee the department's "Kids @ Play" program, which was started last summer.
The program, for children entering grades K through 8, begins June 25. Registration packets are available online at the town's web site.
- Calvin Hennick
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 10:34 AM
March 16, 2007
UPTON
Voters approved 12 of the 13 articles on the warrant of last Tuesday's Special Town Meeting.
In an interesting twist, Town Moderator David Loeper could not attend, so Town Clerk Kelly A. McElreath filled in, based on a letter Loeper wrote recommending that she fill the position. Voters rejected only one item: a $15,000 expenditure to purchase an animal control vehicle for the Board of Health.
The remaining articles passed with either unanimous or more than two-thirds approval. Fifty-five voters attended, McElreath said.
-- Charlie Russo
Posted by Martin Finucane at 03:02 PM
February 21, 2007
UPTON
Route 140 in Upton saw an unusual pedestrian yesterday: a 2,000-pound bull.
CBS reports that the bull escaped from Grafton and ran loose for four hours before finally being apprehended.
The bull got its licks in, though: it rammed an Upton police cruiser while on the lam.
-- Adam Sell
Posted by Martin Finucane at 01:52 PM
February 4, 2007
UPTON
In Amsterdam, a city famous for pot and prostitutes, an Upton man is seeking his fortune as a purveyor of offbeat potables.
Do you crave a bottle of the legendary Westvleteren 12 beer from the Belgium Abbey of St. Sixtus? Got a yen for British-brewed Young's Double Chocolate Stout with its "slightly sour tinge and hint of bread?" Or maybe you are a Bostonian abroad and yearn for a Samuel Adams?
As long as American Bud isn't for you (but it's fine if you want the 700-year-old Czech Pilsner that has greater historical claim to the name Budweiser) and you don't require a brew with "lite" on the label, Jeff Cunningham can probably slake your thirst.
Eighteen months ago, the former farmer, automobile mechanic, National Guard medic, and robotics technician from Upton, Mass., opened a specialty beer shop in what his brochure calls the "heart of Amsterdam."...
Read more of this story in today's Globe.
-- Colin Nickerson
Posted by Martin Finucane at 12:39 PM
January 25, 2007
UPTON
Selectmen voted at their last meeting to appoint Richard J. Belhumeur to fill a vacant position on the Conservation Commission.
Belhumeur, whose appointment was recommended by existing commission members, will serve until the annual town appointments are renewed in May 2007. The commission reviews construction plans and any other issues that may impact wetland areas.
-- Charlie Russo
Posted by Martin Finucane at 04:03 PM
January 5, 2007
UPTON
The agenda for Upton's Town Meeting this month has been finalized.
Items up for consideration include: spending $55,000 to complete the inspections of all dams in town and develop emergency action plans for them, $50,000 to prevent leakage in the town's water system, and $35,000 to design the proposed Glen Echo athletic fields.
Three transfers of $25,000 each in Community Preservation Act money will also be voted on, as well as several other routine transfers and expenditures of several thousand dollars each.
The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 16, at the Nipmuc Regional Middle/High School, 90 Pleasant St.
-- Charlie Russo
Posted by Martin Finucane at 11:49 AM
December 14, 2006
UPTON
Upton police plan to continue their tradition of giving Santa Claus a ride around town on Christmas Eve in a police cruiser.
Santa will be making house calls from 1 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 24. The visits will last several minutes each and include photographs and more.
Those interested can schedule a visit and receive more details by calling the Police Department at (508) 529-3200. The department has sponsored Santa's visits in town for at least the last 15 years, said Police Chief Thomas Stockwell.
"It gives the little kids a chance to see the police officer as a good person, standing with Santa Claus," Stockwell said.
-- Charlie Russo
Posted by Martin Finucane at 11:03 AM
December 3, 2006
UPTON
John Harrigan, the outdoor columnist for the Union Leader of Manchester, N.H., had a different take on the recent uproar over a deer hunters' check-in station that was moved because it was near a playground.
Harrigan writes that "state wildlife officials caved in to the super-sensitive set and moved a deer-checking station away from a school so (you guessed it) the poor little fragile kiddies on a nearby school playground wouldn't have to see (gasp!) dead deer."
He offers a story of an 11-year-old boy shooting his first dear, with his father and grandfather proudly looking on, as an antidote.
Posted by Martin Finucane at 06:25 PM
November 28, 2006
UPTON
(A state wildlife official helps a hunter lift a deer onto a scale at the Upton check-in station today, AP Photo by Steven Senne)
State wildlife officials have agreed to move a station where hunters bring dead deer to be weighed and tagged so it won't be within view of children who use a nearby playground.
Police Chief Thomas Stockwell had complained about the deer check-in site at George Leland VFW Post, saying kids at the playground and customers buying Christmas trees from Boy Scouts working on the same lot shouldn't have to see the deer carcasses.
On Tuesday afternoon, Stockwell met with Thomas O'Shea, assistant director of wildlife for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, and the state agreed to move to deer check-in sight to an area in the rear of the VFW building, according to Stockwell and O'Shea.
Hunters are required to bring the deer to the checkpoints. The state uses the information gathered there to track and research the deer population.
The Upton check-in site is open once more this year, on Saturday, the last day of shotgun season.
-- AP
Posted by Martin Finucane at 06:07 PM
November 28, 2006
UPTON
The city has hired Peabody-based engineering firm Weston & Sampson to conduct a wastewater system expansion study for the town.
The study is intended to identify the areas where the need to expand the sewer system is greatest and where the expansion is most practical, said Stephen Soma, director of the Department of Public Works.
The four areas being considered are around Glen Avenue, and Plain, Grove and Stoddard streets. The study will provide basic cost and design analysis, said Laurie Toscano, senior engineer for Weston & Sampson, to help town officials make future decisions about expanding service.
-- Charlie Russo
Posted by Martin Finucane at 04:27 PM
November 28, 2006
UPTON
And you thought "Bambi" was traumatic.
Upton Police Chief Thomas Stockwell and town officials lashed out at state wildlife officials yesterday over a check-in station for slain deer located next to a town playground filled with children.
The station, which monitors the region's deer hunt, weighed and probed 30 cervine corpses, some 20 to 30 feet from the playground. "There was a pool of blood in the parking lot," Stockwell said in a Globe story today. "When I voiced my concern that it really wasn't an appropriate place to be, the response I got -- which I thought was a little disturbing -- was 'that's your opinion, and we're going to stay.' "
Stockwell acknowledged yesterday that police received one complaint about the location of the check-in station but felt strongly enough to go there and talk to state biologists himself on the first day of the state's two-week shotgun hunting season. An official at the town selectmen's office said he received several inquiries about the check-in station.
"We certainly don't want to have that in front of an area where young children are going to play," said Joan E. Shanahan , chairwoman of the town's Board of Selectmen. "This is a rural community and the state forest is only up the road. They certainly could have the station there. It could traumatize the children. This is not the place for it to be done."
-- Mac Daniel
Posted by Martin Finucane at 08:37 AM
November 21, 2006
UPTON
Town officials in Upton plan to crack down on unsightly signs.
Police Chief Thomas Stockwell said at a recent selectmen's meeting that many signs posted throughout the community violate town bylaws, which regulate the appearance and size of signs, as well as how long they can remain up.
"We're really losing control of the sign issue in town and it needs to be addressed," Stockwell said later in a telephone interview.
Sign violations are enforced by the town code enforcement department, Stockwell said, and fines increase after the first offense.
-- Charlie Russo
Posted by Martin Finucane at 06:23 PM
November 18, 2006
UPTON
Those water stains on the ceiling may soon be gone. The Upton Housing Authority has received a $110,000 grant from the state Department of Housing and Community Development to repair the roofs of its buildings, which were leaking and leading to water damage.
Three of the 40 units that house elderly and handicapped residents suffered damage, said Barbara Marsden, executive director of the authority, along with non-residential space.
The buildings were constructed in 1970, she said, and are in need of further repairs.
-- Charlie Russo
Posted by Martin Finucane at 09:35 AM
November 13, 2006
UPTON
Town officials are planning a welcome home ceremony for Police Sgt. Alan J. Cyr, who recently returned from a yearlong tour of duty with the Army National Guard in Iraq, said Police Chief Thomas B. Stockwell.
Cyr returned to work as one of three sergeants in the police department today.
A formal ceremony originally planned for tomorrow's selectmen's meeting had to be rescheduled. The ceremony is tentatively scheduled for next Tuesday.
-- Charlie Russo
Posted by Martin Finucane at 07:14 PM
October 19, 2006
UPTON
Firefighter Bonnie Lopez says she was honored and overwhelmed after becoming one of three winners of the National Firemark Award for her work with youth fire education programs.
The award, presented by the Liberty Mutual insurance company, includes a $10,000 grant for Upton's fire department.
Lopez received the Community Service and Public Education Award yesterday in New York from Oscar-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden for using her degree in early childhood education and seven years experience as a firefighter to build the fire education program in Upton.
Her fire safety lessons at local schools are credited with helping a student obtain medical help for her sick mother. Fire Chief Michael J. Bradford said he is surveying department members to determine the best use of the grant money.
-- Charlie Russo
Posted by Martin Finucane at 06:03 PM
October 18, 2006
UPTON
Pulte Homes is proposing a solution to the company's dispute with selectmen over sewer connection fees.
The town wants the developer to pay $277,000 in sewer connection fees for its 150-unit Noble Vista development.
Pulte Homes is considering paying the additional money, if selectmen agree to reduce an equivalent amount of other payments to the town, said Reid Blute, vice president of land acquisition at Pulte.
For example, one condition of the construction permits called for Pulte to pay $75,000 for an ambulance, but in the meantime the town has already purchased the vehicle.
If the ambulance and other payments to the town can be cut, then Pulte may pay the additional fees, Blute said. His company is currently drafting a list of possible cuts.
-- Charlie Russo
Posted by Martin Finucane at 01:06 PM
September 24, 2006
UPTON
Town-owned conservation land like Peppercorn Hill and the Warren Brook woods will be protected under new regulations being finalized by the Conservation Commission.
"We are not proposing anything earthshaking," said commission member Chris Scott. "Most of it is common sense stuff that people would hopefully do anyway."
The regulations are based on a survey of similar policies in nearby towns and cover everything from campfires to litter and even ATV use. Scott expects the commission to approve the new guidelines and present them to Selectmen sometime in October.
-- Charlie Russo
Posted by Martin Finucane at 09:27 AM
July 9, 2006
If you haven’t been reading Globe West online lately, you’ve been missing a lot.
We’ve been busy using the bandwidth, creating multimedia presentations that give you a richer news experience using sound, more photos, and the voices of the people we’re writing about.
Recent examples of multimedia produced by the GlobeWest bureau include audio slideshows about a 37-year-old swimmer from Shrewsbury competing in the nationals against athletes half his age; a Marlborough woman who delivers the mail in city hall at 83 years young; and a remarkable Spanish-language immersion program in Mendon and Upton.
Posted by Ralph Ranalli at 01:06 PM
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