Fund needed for winterfest

The town is seeking donations and sponsorships for this year's annual Winterfest. The event takes place at NARA Park from 3 to 8 p.m. Saturday. Activities include a cardboard sled race, chili and chowder cook-offs, wagon rides, and ice skating. For more information about the event and to register for competitions, go to the town's website at actonma.gov. - Jennifer Fenn Lefferts

UNEMPLOYMENT CHALLENGE DROPPED - Local school officials have dropped their opposition to the appeal brought by former Ottoson Middle School teacher Chuck Coughlin, who was seeking unemployment benefits. The state denied Coughlin's request, prompting him to file the appeal. The School Committee opposed the appeal, but decided to withdraw from the case last week, citing the cost of the legal battle. Coughlin was fired in August after e-mails he exchanged with Stavroula Bouris, then the principal at Ottoson, came to the attention of Superintendent Nate Levenson. Both Coughlin and Bouris were vocal critics of the superintendent; Bouris was also fired in August. - Brenda J. Buote

NEW CLASSIFICATION - Selectmen have approved the language for a job reclassification for Daniel Sherman, who has overseen maintenance of the Town Hall for close to five years. Pending approval by the town's Personnel Board, Sherman's new title will be director of facilities maintenance. Town Administrator Shaun Suhoski explained that selectmen wanted a job description that accurately reflected Sherman's duties, which include repairing the building's mechanical, heating, and ventilation systems, in addition to traditional maintenance. - Taryn Plumb

ENERGY SAVINGS - The town is forming an energy task force to find ways for its departments to save energy and money. The Board of Selectmen approved the idea this month after a presentation from the Bedford Global Warming Action Coalition. Now the group's chairwoman, Kim Siebert, is working with town officials to shape the mission of the task force. She said they plan to present their ideas at the March 24 Town Meeting and find people with experience in alternative-energy sources and grant writing to serve on the volunteer committee. Siebert said she hopes the task force can help reduce the municipal carbon footprint for environmental reasons, but also financial ones as the town copes with rising utilities costs. "Everybody as taxpayers can understand as they look at their tax bills, we've got to do something about this," she said. - Kytja Weir

REUSE OF INCINERATOR LAND - The Board of Selectmen is expected to discuss potential reuse options for the land on which the town's former incinerator is located on Concord Avenue at its meeting tomorrow night. The incinerator has not been used for years, and the town is looking at ways to use the land, said Jeff Conti, the assistant town administrator. Conti said the town's plans will dictate how the area is capped. Potential uses include playing fields, he said. - Jennifer Fenn Lefferts

SELECTMEN CANDIDATES - The selectmen's race could have six candidates vying for two seats. Selectman Marc T. Lombardo has taken out nomination papers for a second term. Others who have picked up the official documents are Robert Accomando, Frank Ciccone II, Patricia Flemming, Edward Bunker, and Ronald J. Diorio Jr. Selectwoman Kathryn Matos announced this month that she will not seek a second term. The election takes place April 5. The deadline for completed nomination papers is 5 p.m. Feb. 19. - Joyce Pellino Crane

APARTMENT PROPOSAL BEING REVIEWED - The Zoning Board of Appeals will continue to review a draft decision for a proposed 244-unit housing project off Route 111 next month. The Gutierrez Co. has applied for a permit to build rental units there under the state's affordable-housing law. The town has hired a hydrologist to look at existing water issues and assist the board in conditions with the decision, according to the town's planner. Kristin Hilberg, chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen, said several neighbors have turned to the board for help in communicating with the developer. Hilberg said the board has no official role in the process but will make sure residents continue to have a say. The zoning board's next meeting is at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19. - Jennifer Fenn Lefferts

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION - School registration for children entering kindergarten in September will be held each morning this week at the Fox Hill, Memorial, Pine Glen, and Francis Wyman elementary schools. The registration sessions will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. each day. Children entering kindergarten in the fall must be 5 years old by Aug. 31. At the time of registration, parents must bring a birth certificate for their child and proof of residency in Burlington, such as a lease, utility bill, or automobile excise tax bill. At the registration, parents can pick up a medical form that must be completed by the family physician for each child and returned two days before the start of the school year. The physician must list the dates the child has received various vaccinations, as well as lead, vision, and hearing screenings. For more information, contact the Burlington schools at 781-270-1800. - Eric Moskowitz

LOTTERY FOR HOUSE - The town will hold a lottery for eligible moderate-income, first-time homebuyers who want to purchase an affordably priced, single-family house in the Elm Brook Homes development. The house was built in 2002 and is being sold for $354,375. Applications are available in the town's planning office at 141 Keyes Road, at Concord's public libraries, and online at concordma.gov. Applications are due by 3 p.m. Feb. 28. For more information, call 978-318-3290. - Jennifer Fenn Lefferts

HEARING ON GRANT FUNDING - Officials will hold a hearing at 7:35 p.m. Tuesday in Town Hall regarding the town's applications for Community Development Block Grant funding. The funding includes a housing rehabilitation grant that will help low- and moderate-income residents pay for home improvements and home loans, according to Ginger Quarles, Council on Aging director. If approved, maximum funding for each resident would be approximately $35,000. Through the program, residents would receive a payment and interest-free loan, based on a 15-year forgiveness schedule, for as long as they own their home. The loan decreases 5 percent a year for up to 15 years; if the home is sold sooner than that, the owner would be responsible for the remaining balance. Any home that receives funding will be added to Harvard's list of affordable-housing units, Quarles said. The Montachusett Regional Planning Commission will submit the grant applications in February. Quarles urged residents to apply now. For more information, call 978-456-4120. - Taryn Plumb

SESSION ON TEEN STRESS - Town officials and educators will sponsor a half-day forum Saturday to address issues of teen stress, substance abuse, and suicide. Organizers of the forum hope the event will strengthen Lexington's community support network. Panelists will include Christine Connolly, director of health and human services in Arlington; Timothy F. Dugan, a senior education consultant and child and adolescent psychiatrist; and Kathy Meagher, director of the Lexington High School multidisciplinary support team. Parents, professionals, students, and the public are encouraged to attend. The forum is scheduled to run from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Cary Hall, 1605 Massachusetts Ave. - Brenda J. Buote

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE - Formation of an Economic Development Steering Committee is underway with the goal of creating a development strategy that will be consistent with community character. The town has contracted with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council to work with the steering committee, which will include town officials and representatives from a variety of town boards and commissions. A first public meeting to discuss an action plan is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Littleton Town Hall. - Nancy Shohet West

FIRE ALARM FIX - Repairs to Medford High School's faulty fire-alarm system should begin this week, said Superintendent Roy E. Belson, who is expected to give a similar report to the School Committee at 7 p.m. tomorrow at City Hall. The aging system has issued several false alarms lately, officials said. The short-term repairs, authorized by the state Division of Capital Asset Management to allow for an expedited contract, will be completed by Wayne Alarm for roughly $115,000, Belson said. Full replacement, which could cost seven figures, is being considered for the near future. Fire Chief Frank A. Giliberti Jr., who was a freshman when the alarms were installed in the new school building in 1970, said he has stationed a firefighter in the building from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. to ensure safety since the start of the school year. - Eric Moskowitz

WATER RATES GOING UP - North Reading officials are raising the cost of water to help cover a $338,164 shortfall in the town's water enterprise fund. The Board of Selectmen approved a 2 percent across-the-board price hike. Water rates went from $5.69, $8.33, or $11.38 per 1,000 gallons depending on a household's or business's rate of consumption to $5.80, $8.50, and $11.60 per 1,000 gallons, said Mark Clark, the town's water superintendent. The board made the third pricing tier in effect year-round; it used to be in effect only during the summer months. The new rates are effective for the last quarter of water bills, which started Nov. 15, Clark said. - Laura M. Colarusso

NEW COALITION DIRECTOR - The town has hired Erica McNamara as director of the Reading Coalition Against Substance Abuse. The new position is being funded by a five-year, $500,000 federal grant from the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. McNamara has also served as the director of adolescent health and youth development at Lowell Community Health Center. - Laura M. Colarusso

VALENTINE'S PACKAGE FOR THE TROOPS - For the first time, the local American Legion Post will be mailing a Valentine's Day care package to an army unit in Iraq. American Legion Post 183 is hoping to send 150 to 200 phone cards with a minimum of 20 minutes talking time to the troops - as well as unsigned greeting cards so that the soldiers can send them back to their families. "It seems like the country only thinks of the troops at Christmastime," said Edward Warwick Jr., the junior vice commander of the American Legion Post. "Why not send them something for Valentine's Day to let them know we're thinking of them?" The Valentine's Day package will be mailed out by the end of the week, Warwick said, because it can take as long as two weeks for mail to reach Iraq. He said he knows of one person from Shirley who is stationed in Iraq. - Julie Masis

PARKING PERMISSION - Town officials may tweak a parking permit proposal after meeting with local business owners last week to discuss the plan. The downtown square area has several free lots and on-street spots, but business owners expressed concerns this fall about parking availability for themselves and their customers. The town responded with a proposal that people could purchase yearly permits for $150 or $300 to park in designated spots in six municipal lots. However some local business owners told the town administrator and police chief in Tuesday's meeting that the prices seemed too high, according to Bob Saro, a tax consultant who has served on a subcommittee looking into parking. He also said some were concerned there would not be enough spots for all the permit holders. Police Chief Richard Bongiorno said the town cannot legally guarantee spots to specific people, but he said the prices might be adjusted. Business leaders will probably meet with town officials again, Saro and Bongiorno said. - Kytja Weir

LIBRARIAN RETIRES - Linda Callahan, the reference and adult services librarian at the Wilmington Memorial Library, has retired. Callahan, who had worked at the library since November 1996, left to spend more time with her family, said Christina Stewart, director of the library. - Laura M. Colarusso

SCHOOL FUNDING - The financial health of the town's schools will be discussed in a public forum Monday. The Winchester chapter of the Stand for Children advocacy group is sponsoring the 90-minute forum, "Books and Buildings: How Can We Afford Both?" to address how the district will handle its growing enrollment and capital needs. The district of 4,022 students has grown by about 500 students since 2002, according to the sponsors, yet funding levels have not matched that growth. Instead, the school district has raised fees for athletics and elementary music classes, while also relying more on private donations. The organizers plan to explain the town's current financial situation and next year's proposed budget. Scheduled speakers include Superintendent William McAlduff, School Committee chairwoman Sarah Swiger, and members of other town planning committees. The forum will run from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the McCall Middle School auditorium at 458 Main St. - Kytja Weir

PIZZA TASTE-OFF - Local pizza parlors will be vying for best pie and other honors tomorrow night when the Woburn Public Library's Teen Advisory Group hosts its Pizza Taste-Off party for local middle and high school students. The event, which is free and open to youngsters in grades 6 to 12, will be held at 6 p.m. at the Woburn Public Library. For more information, contact Woburn's young adult librarian, Christi Showman Farrar, at 781-933-0148 or cfarrar@minlib.net. - Eric Moskowitz