Fluoridation hearings on horizon

Town officials plan to hold public hearings early in the new year to discuss adding fluoride to Ashland's public water supply, which is drawn from the Hopkinton reservoir. "We want to offer public hearings for those in favor and against it," allowing the Board of Health to take all sides into consideration, said the town's health agent, Mark Oram. Proponents, including the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, which provides fluoridated water to communities across Eastern Massachusetts, say the additive helps prevent tooth decay. Opponents say fluoridation carries health risks, including an increased risk of cancer. Times and dates of the hearings will be posted on the Town Hall information board, as well as on the town's meeting calendar online at ashlandmass.com. For more information, call the Board of Health at 508-881-0100, ext. 681. - Rachel Lebeaux

HOLIDAY DRIVE FOR KIDS IN NEED - The Verizon Wireless Communications store in the Charles River Center is serving as a drop-off point for the Kids in Need Holiday Drive. Donations of new, unwrapped toys, games, and books for children ranging from infants to teens that are collected at the store will be donated to Our Sister's Place, a regional domestic-violence shelter. This is the seventh year that Verizon Wireless stores across New England have provided support to women's shelters, and domestic-violence awareness and prevention efforts. - Rachel Lebeaux

CLASSICS WITH CONTEMPORARY FLAIR - The Franklin Performing Arts Company is gearing up to present its original production of holiday favorites next weekend. " 'Tis The Season!" features a live professional orchestra with more than 175 area singers and dancers. The show includes arrangements of such classics as "It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," "Sleigh Ride," and "We Need a Little Christmas," as well as the full company performing Quincy Jones' "Hallelujah Chorus" as the grand finale. It also includes a tribute to Holiday Bad Guys and swingin' excerpts from "The Nutcracker" featuring the music of Duke Ellington. Performances are Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and next Sunday at 2 p.m. in the auditorium at the Horace Mann Middle School on Oak Street. Reserved seating is available at $24 to $26. Tickets are on sale at the FPAC box office or by calling 508-528-8668. - Rachel Lebeaux

PROPERTY TAXES RISE - The property tax bill for the average single-family home in town will rise from about $5,810 to $6,014 this year, Town Administrator Paul LeBeau said. Selectmen last week set the tax rate at $14.52 per $1,000 in property value, up from $13.35 last year. Third-quarter tax bills will be sent out by the end of this month, LeBeau said. - Calvin Hennick

PROGRAM NEEDS CHRISTMAS GIFTS - Hopkinton's Project Just Because needs help fulfilling the wishes of ill children who will not be able to make it home for the holidays. For the ninth year, Project Just Because will be collecting new toys and stuffed animals for children who are in the hospital. The gifts can be dropped off at a number of locations around Hopkinton. Project Just Because also is taking donations of children's clothing of any size, including hats, mittens, gloves, warm blankets, new toys or new books to help local families struggling to make ends meet. Further information, including drop-off locations, can be found at projectjustbecause.org. All donations are tax deductible. - David Cogger

AWAITING REPORT ON CAPITAL NEEDS - A committee set up to study the financial implications of three proposed municipal building projects will likely report its findings next month, Town Administrator Michael Sullivan said. Town officials have spoken of the need for new quarters for the Public Works, Parks and Recreation, Police and Fire departments. The total cost of the facilities could be $30 million, officials have said. - Calvin Hennick

COMCAST BACKS LOWER SURCHARGE - Representatives from Comcast last week told selectmen they think that a smaller surcharge on customers' bills will still meet the needs of the local public-access TV station, despite the local cable committee's arguments to the contrary. Comcast's contract with the town is up for renewal next month, and the company has proposed decreasing the surcharge, which funds the local station, from 4.5 percent of customers' bill to 4 percent. Negotiations are continuing this month, Town Administrator Charles Aspinwall said. - Calvin Hennick

MIDDLE SCHOOL FOOD DRIVE - Through Thursday, students in Medway Middle School's Voice of the Students program are collecting contributions for the Medway Food Pantry. "This time of year is really tough for the pantry. Their shelves are pretty bare, we're told," said Dan McMahan, the school's student activities coordinator. Each year, the middle school's students provide approximately 3,000 items to the pantry. McMahan suggests items such as boxed pasta and cereals and canned vegetables and juices. The students collected 100 items at a school dance last week by offering $1 off admission in exchange for a donation. Anyone can drop off food items at the middle school office. For more information, call the school at 508-533-7654. - Rachael Lebeaux

BUDGET PROBLEMS - A proposal to raise property taxes this spring is looking ever more likely as department heads ponder a projected $6.5 million budget shortfall. The school system could face some of the most significant cuts, possibly adding up to $3 million, according to Natick officials. The reductions could include laying off 10 elementary school teachers, cutting full-day kindergarten and even closing the Johnson Elementary School if voters do not approve an override of Proposition 2 1/2's limits on tax increases, Superintendent James Connolly said last week. - Erica Noonan

SINGLE TAX RATE EXPECTED - Town Administrator Jack Hathaway said he expects selectmen tomorrow to vote to stay with a single tax rate for residential and commercial properties this year. The town is still waiting for the state to review the town's property valuations, Hathaway said, so it is unclear whether selectmen will be able to approve an exact tax rate. - Calvin Hennick

BUDGET SHORTFALL - Selectmen last week told department heads that the town is facing a budget shortfall of approximately $1 million for the 2009 fiscal year, which begins in July. "There are only two solutions as I see it," Town Administrator Joseph Fernandes said. "We either lose services, or we have an override," raising property taxes above the Proposition 2 1/2 limit, he said. "It's that simple." - Calvin Hennick

APPROPRIATIONS APPROVED - Town Meeting voters last week approved freeing up $215,000 to close a budget shortfall for the current fiscal year. Residents taking part in the Tuesday night session also approved borrowing more than $88,000 to conduct an engineering study for the replacement of water pipes, as well as spending $40,000 to pay for past breaks in the pipes. - Calvin Hennick

SNOW REMOVAL POLICY - Selectmen last week approved a new snow-removal policy that puts the discretion over which streets and sidewalks to plow in the hands of the Department of Public Works director. The previous policy named certain major streets as top priorities, while listing two sidewalks not to be plowed. Selectmen also formally accepted the resignation of the current DPW director, Robert Reardon, who is leaving next month to accept a position in Florida. - Calvin Hennick

AROUND THE REGION

HIGH HOPES FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS - The Special Olympics hopes to start building a $10 million, 25,000-square-foot headquarters in Marlborough next year, according to Bob Johnson, president and CEO of Special Olympics Massachusetts Inc. The new "state-of-the-art office and training center" would replace the nonprofit group's state headquarters in Danvers, said Johnson. "We want to be more central," he said of the move. "We're an organization that's growing pretty dramatically." Statewide, the organization serves 11,000 people with intellectual disabilities, and projects the number to double over the next five years, he said. The new facility, which will have a full-size gym but is not for competitions, will be off Interstate 495, on Forest Street. About one-third of the $10 million price tag has been raised, and the plan is to break ground once the halfway point of $5 million is reached, he said. - Lisa Kocian

POLLING PRECINCTS QUESTIONED - Complaints have surfaced about the town's new polling locations after the town reduced the number of voting areas from four to two in the last year, said Town Administrator John Curran. Selectmen will hold a public hearing to weigh the merit of the complaints on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Town Hall. Some voters have complained about traveling farther to get to the polling stations. The hearing will take place prior to the board's annual tax classification hearing, slated for 8 p.m. - Matt Gunderson

TOYS FOR TOTS - The Fire Department has announced that its station at 11 Pierce St. is a drop-off site for Toys for Tots, a Marine Corps program that collects Christmas gifts for disadvantaged children. Nonviolent toys for newborns and children up to 10 years old can be left at the firehouse until Dec. 20. For more information, call Captain Robert Theve at 508-393-1537. - John Dyer

BOARD WANTS ZONING CONSULTANT - The Planning Board intends to put an article on the April Town Meeting warrant requesting $75,000 for a consultant to study the town's zoning and subdivision laws, said Town Planner Vera Kolias. The laws have been updated and revised over the years and need to be streamlined to eliminate contradictions and antiquated rules, such as a clause allowing a ski tow in town, Kolias said. - John Dyer

PETITION TO RESHAPE GOVERNMENT - Members of Southborough's former Town Governance Study Committee are circulating a petition calling for the creation of a charter commission as a step toward restructuring the town's government. In its final report to Town Meeting in April, the study committee recommended a number of changes, including the shift to a town manager to handle the town's daily operations, expanding the Board of Selectmen from three to five members, and hiring a human resources specialist, based on Southborough's growth in recent years. Under state law, to make the changes, the town would need to create the charter commission and approve a home-rule charter, according to the panel's report. For more information, e-mail Liz Henry-Veeneman at liz.henry@verizon.net. - John Dyer

VOLUNTEER TAX COUNSELOR NEEDED - The Sudbury Senior Center's AARP Tax-Aide program is seeking a volunteer to provide free preparation of tax forms and answer questions from town's older residents. The tax seminars, organized as part of the national AARP program, would be held early next month at the Senior Center. For more details, call Tom Sifferlen at 978-443-5016. - John M. Guilfoil

BOY SCOUTS SELLING TREES - Wayland's Boy Scout Troop 1 Cochituate will be selling Christmas trees today from noon to 6 p.m., Friday from 4 to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the United Methodist Church on Main Street. The Maine-grown trees range from 4 to 9 feet in height and are available for $20 to $60. Money raised from the tree sale is used for camping trips and equipment. - John M. Guilfoil

CLUB SEEKS DONATIONS FOR VETS - The Westborough Women's Club is seeking clothes, toiletries and gift items for the Massachusetts Veterans Shelter in Worcester. Telephone calling cards, bus passes, and gift certificates to grocery stores, gas stations and other stores are most in need this year. For more information on the program or the club, call Judy Wilchynski at 508-870-1895. - John Dyer