Cell tower hearing in Bolton

April 13, 2008

The Planning Board has scheduled a public hearing April 23 at 7:30 p.m. in Town Hall to weigh changes to the town's wireless communication bylaw. The proposed amendments would specify new areas where cell towers could be located, including the site of the town's trash-transfer station on Forbush Mill Road. Maps and more information about the proposed areas are available at the town clerk's office. - Matt Gunderson

DONATION FROM DOCTORS GROUP - MetroWest Emergency Physicians, a private group formed by doctors who staff the emergency departments at the MetroWest Medical Center's Framingham Union and Leonard Morse campuses, has donated $10,000 to the Callahan Senior Center to fund new health-related programs, said Jason Smith, vice chairman of the Board of Selectmen. The funds will be used for classes in CPR and improving memory, among other topics, according to Smith. The check for the Callahan center was presented during the Board of Selectmen's meeting on Tuesday. - Tanya Perez Brennan

WIND TOWERS LOSE ROUND - The Planning Board has voted not to support a Hudson High School student's proposed zoning amendment that would allow wind turbines in town. Town Planner Jennifer Burke said the April 1 decision reflected board members' feeling that Russell Durrenberger, 15, didn't sufficiently consult with town officials, including the police and fire chiefs, and residents who might want to comment on the effects of the power-generating turbines before drafting a warrant article for next month's Town Meeting. Durrenberger's article was taken from another Massachusetts town and needs to be tailored to fit Hudson's zoning codes, she said. His father, Mark Durrenberger, said Russell intends to press forward with his campaign to seek support for the proposal at Town Meeting. - John Dyer

DISCOLORED WATER ON TAP - The town's Department of Public Works has issued a warning that residents might notice their tap water is discolored periodically during late-night hours while workers flush out the town's fire hydrants over the next three weeks. The DPW said the work will be performed between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. until May 2. The flushing process, which cleans the hydrant's supply pipes of silt and other buildup, will start in the eastern portions of town and move west until the job is done. For more details, call the DPW at 508-562-9333, or see the municipal website, www.townofhudson.org. - John Dyer

TAX HIKE FOR FIRETRUCK - Voters have approved a $200,000 tax increase to help pay for a new firetruck. The debt-exclusion override of the state's Proposition 2 1/2 law was OK'd by a vote of 261 to 69 in the town election and then included in the budget by Town Meeting. The new Ferrara pumper/tanker truck, designed to carry 2,000 gallons of water to a fire, will go into service in August or September, officials said. The new truck is equipped with compressed air foam, which allows firefighters to use about half as much water. Fire Chief Arthur Cotoni said it would be helpful in fighting fires outside of the town's water district. It will replace the department's 1984 Maxim truck, which can only carry 800 gallons. An additional $100,000 in funding for the truck was donated by Deaconess Abundant Life Communities, which is building a senior-housing community on Cambridge Turnpike (Route 2). - John M. Guilfoil

PREPARING FOR CLEANUP DAY - It's spring-cleaning time for Marlborough. The City Council and Mayor Nancy Stevens are asking residents and businesses to help spruce up the city by participating in "Project Clean Sweep" next month. Volunteers are asked to meet at Memorial Beach off Hosmer Street at 9 a.m. on May 3, and to bring any extra brooms, gloves, or rakes they have to share. Last year, more than 200 volunteers worked for three hours collecting 5.4 tons of trash and 129 pounds of recyclable material, according to an announcement by the mayor's office. For more information, contact ward councilors at 508-460-3711 or Priscilla Ryder in the city's Conservation Department at 508-460-3768. - Lisa Kocian STATE BOOSTS SCHOOL PROJECT - The Massachusetts School Building Authority has moved the Maynard High School project onto the feasibility study phase, a step that Superintendent Mark Masterson hailed as progress in efforts to solve space and other problems plaguing the school. The state agency formerly had the high school project in a holding phase, and was asking the district to explore regionalizing the school system in order to solve its facility issues. The study, which will be partly funded by the state, will determine the best and most cost-effective alternatives for either renovating or building a new school, said Masterson. - Matt Gunderson A CALL FOR HELPERS - The town's Recycling Committee is seeking volunteers to help out on "Take it or Leave it Day," when residents can drop off old but functioning items and pick up other residents' items they might be able to use. Televisions and similar electronic equipment that cannot be normally thrown away are not acceptable items to be dropped off. Formerly known as "Junque Day," the event needs at least 15 volunteers to sign up before May 1. The event takes place at the beginning of June. To volunteer or for more information, contact Town Engineer Fred Litchfield at 508-393-5015. - John Dyer TAX DEBATE ONLINE - The pros and cons of a $1.5 million tax-increase proposal, to be decided at the May 6 town election, have been posted online at shrewsbury-ma.gov. Selectmen are urging residents to approve the Proposition 2 1/2 override. "Failure of this override question will result in service reductions across the board and will affect every Shrewsbury resident," they wrote in the ballot question notice. Under the proposal, $1 million would be divided between school and municipal needs, with the remainder earmarked to reduce fees for school activities, athletics, and services. The notice's statement in opposition says, "The town has already raised electric rates, plans to raise water and sewer rates, and expects to impose a trash collection fee this July. Tax hikes for additions to the library and police headquarters, and for replacement of the Sherwood Middle School loom in the near future." - Lisa Kocian MONEY FOR MAIN STREET - The state Highway Department should inform Southborough officials about funding for a proposed renovation of Main Street in around six months, according to the Department of Public Works superintendent, Karen Galligan. Selectmen and Planning Board members approved the $2.5 million project for the stretch of Main Street (Route 30) near the center of town last month. The town recently submitted a $200,000 design to state officials, who will hold a public hearing before making their final decision. If the project receives funding, work could begin in 2012. The proposal would realign Main Street to make its driving lanes larger and add sidewalks. Galligan said those changes can be accomplished without widening the road. - John Dyer ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GAINS - Plans for expanding the Center School have moved a step closer, with the Massachusetts School Building Authority deciding to give it higher priority, Selectwoman Ellen Sturgis said last week. Previously, the state agency had requested that school officials explore options for regionalizing the district's two elementary schools to deal with space problems. School officials were able to convince the authority that regionalization wasn't a viable option, said Sturgis. In its April 2 vote, the authority called for a feasibility study on the project, which had been in limbo since last spring when voters approved spending $1.9 million in architectural fees. The renovation and expansion project is expected to cost $30 million, said Sturgis. If all goes according to plan, the state would pay for nearly half the cost, she said. - Matt Gunderson STYLISH BENEFIT TODAY - Starz Salon on Boston Post Road at Mill Village will host a Haircut-a-Thon today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. to benefit the Frankie DeMeo Memorial Scholarship Fund. Stylists Heather French, Vanessa Hurley, and Leanne Lombardo will be providing their services for the fund-raiser in honor of DeMeo, a Nashoba Regional High senior who was hit by a car and killed this winter while on a training run near his school. The fund was set up to benefit children who need tutoring and special assistance. Customers can decide how much to donate for the haircut, but a minimum of $10 is asked. For more information, call 978-835-7826. - John M. Guilfoil MUSIC STUDENTS WIN GOLD - The Westborough High School and Gibbons Middle School wind ensembles each earned a gold medal at the Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association festival, which was held last weekend in schools throughout the state. Around 140 wind ensembles and 80 choruses performed for judges in the annual event, said David Jost, Westborough's fine arts coordinator. Westborough High School's concert choir received a bronze medal. A total of 175 Westborough students participated in the festival. Groups that were awarded gold medals were given a choice of performing at Boston's Symphony Hall on May 3 or at Mechanics Hall in Worcester today. - John Dyer COMMUNITY CENTER LOCATIONS - A feasibility study exploring alternative locations for a new community center, other than the former Caryl School, has suggested the Dover Town Library would be the most cost-effective and convenient site. The Community Center Building Committee said last month that the town might consider renovating the Dedham Street library and building an addition to house the community center. The town has considered renovating the Caryl School for the facility, but the study concluded it should be reused for public and private functions, or be demolished. Other sites the group looked at include town-owned property on Whiting Road and the Town House. - Anna Fiorentino EARTH DAY ACTIVITIES - Saturday will be the town's annual Earth Day celebration. Residents can sign in at the Beaver Pond parking lot at 10 a.m. and volunteer to clean up and assist with planting flowers and shrubs around town. Those who sign up should bring gloves and rakes; trash bags will be provided. Community service certificates will be issued, and T-shirts will be handed out to the first 300 volunteers. There will also be free pizza and beverages for volunteers following the clean-up, as well as information on landscaping, environmentally friendly flooring, recycling, and composting, among other topics. For more details, contact recreation director Ryan Jette at franklinrecreation@comcast.net. - Rachel Lebeaux CRYSTAL LAKE PLAN APPROVED - Aldermen have approved spending up to $950,000 of Community Preservation Act funds to acquire a portion of the property at 230 Lake Ave. in order to expand public access to Crystal Lake. The proposal has undergone numerous changes since it was first introduced six months ago. In the version approved Monday, a private buyer is expected to purchase the property, which includes a house, for $1.9 million. The city would then pay the buyer for 8,000 square feet of the property, as well as an easement for access to the waterfront and restrictions on changes to the house's facade. Also, the board postponed until April 22 a discussion on proposals to ban leaf blowers during summer months. - Rachana Rathi LUMINARIES AT BRANDEIS - Heads of state and global policymakers will be seen this weekend on the Brandeis University campus. More than 100 alumni of the Wien International Scholarship Program are helping to celebrate the undergraduate exchange program's 50th anniversary. Among the luminaries are Iceland's prime minister, Geir Haarde; Slovenia's foreign minister, Dimitrij Rupel, who is also serving a term as president of the Council of the European Union; Haile Menkerios, United Nations assistant secretary-general for political affairs; Japanese legislator Wakako Kimoto Hironaka; 1989 Tiananmen Square protest organizer Shen Tong; and Nigerian HIV/AIDS researcher Iroka Joseph Udeinya. The alumni were to take part in a discussion by former and current Wien scholars. - Stephanie V. Siek