Improved website

The town's year-old website, avonmass.org, has had a makeover. Now much faster, the site also has more content, including a link that will allow residents to pay their taxes online starting with the next bill, said Town Administrator Michael McCue. Home assessments and their descriptions became available on the site last week, as have minutes to meetings of the Board of Selectmen, a listing of permit fees, and many other official documents.

- Joan Wilder

PRESERVATION SPENDING APPROVED - On Monday, annual Town Meeting voters approved $145,750 in expenditures for Community Preservation projects in the coming fiscal year, according to Community Preservation Act Committee chairwoman Marilee Hunt. Those included a $35,000 appropriation to bind, preserve, and restore the town's vital records from 1656 to 1956, $20,000 to prepare an application to have the Bridgewater Historic District and the McElwain School nominated for the state historical register, $27,000 to restore the exterior doors and windows at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church of Bridgewater, $13,000 to the Bridgewater Natural Resources Trust to have definitive plans drawn up for a bridge at the Town River Landing, $15,000 to improve the handicapped-access ramp into the Old Academy Building and ensure the restrooms meet accessibility laws, and $35,750 for the Community Preservation Act Committee's administrative expenses. - Christine Legere

PHOTOS TELL THE STORIES - Health Care of Southeastern Massachusetts plans to host a photo exhibit next month in observance of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month. "Love Makes a Family" is a traveling exhibit of photographs and interviews with families that have gay, bisexual, or transgender members. The exhibit will go up June 1 at the David H. Mulligan Center for Health Promotion at 942 West Chestnut St. For more information, call 508-583-2250. - Milton J. Valencia

TAX VOTE LOOMS - Voters will decide the fate of a $4.5 million Proposition 2 1/2 override proposal Thursday in a question that many say will define the future character of the town. The override would cover a three-year period and result in a 9.6 percent permanent increase in tax bills, an average of about $500 a year. Town Meeting voters on April 30 approved two budgets, one contingent upon the override's passage. Robert E. Burr Jr., the chairman of the selectmen who supports the override, said voters who rejected an override last year have not been happy with the cuts in town and school services. The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

- Elaine Cushman Carroll

NEW BUSES, AMBULANCE SOUGHT - Voters will be asked to appropriate $375,500 to purchase new vehicles when the annual Town Meeting gets underway on May 20, beginning at 7 p.m., at the high school. The Capital Outlay Committee seeks to buy a new town ambulance for $135,000, two 77-passenger school buses for $136,500, a wheelchair-accessible minibus for $59,000, and a 20-passenger van for $45,000. The Board of Health also is seeking $16,710 to fund the purchase of a new Health Department pickup truck. Altogether, Town Meeting voters will face a 77-item agenda.

- Robert Knox

COMPOST BIN DEADLINE - Residents have until May 20 to order the Earth Machine compost bin from the town at a reduced price of $33.97. Using the system not only reduces the amount of garbage generated in a household by 25 percent or more, it provides a means of enhancing the soil, without chemicals, fertilizers, or water, town officials say. For more information, call the town's environmental coordinator, Virginia LeClair, at 781-751-9213.

- Michele Morgan Bolton

LONG-TERM BID FOR SENIOR CENTER - Officials on the town's Senior Center Building Committee hope there will be a strong showing of local seniors, along with others who support a drive for a new senior center, tomorrow night at the annual Town Meeting. In February, a request to borrow up to $4 million for a senior center failed to garner the two-thirds majority vote needed. This time, the building committee is asking for $275,000 for building plans. According to Jane Haines, director of the Council on Aging, that would be the first step toward getting a senior center built someday on the town-owned Sachem Rock Farm property. Town Meeting is to begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Gordon Mitchell Middle School.

- Christine Legere

COMMENCEMENT TIME - Robert Jay Lifton, a psychiatrist and author noted for his studies on the psychological effects of war and political violence, will speak next Sunday at Stonehill College's 57th commencement. The ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on the college's quadrangle; 596 students are to graduate. Lifton will receive an honorary degree, as will Lena Deevy, a nun and executive director of the Boston Immigration Center, and Lawrence C. and Theresa Salameno, Stonehill trustees and benefactors. - Milton J. Valencia

INCUMBENT OUSTED - In the race for a seat on the Board of Selectmen, challenger Paul Mortenson defeated two-term incumbent Robert Hickey, 1,501 to 1,016, in Monday's election. And, in the six-way race for town clerk - Foxborough's only elected office that is a full-time, paid position - Town Moderator Robert Cutler won with 1,078 votes to the 700 received by his closest challenger, Lori McDonald. Cutler will begin work on Tuesday, after retiring Town Clerk Marie Crimmins swears him in at tomorrow's Town Meeting. In the other two races this year, Paul Steeves won a seat on the Board of Health with 839 votes to Heather Harding's 764, and Katherine Howard's 623, and Housing Authority incumbent Charlene Kaye defeated Elizabeth Tharp, 1,225 to 902. - Joan Wilder

BACK TWO SQUARES ON BUDGET - The Town Meeting has been postponed until June 11 as officials continued to struggle to find ways to present a balanced budget to voters. "Instead of going forward, we are asking most departments to go back two years to see what their budgets were then," said Selectman Lawrence N. Ashley. The town has about $20 million in expenditure requests, but revenues, including state aid, have come in lower than expected, he said, and the town has a little more than $19 million to cover expenses. "It's going to be very tough," he said. The rescheduled meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. at Apponequet Regional High School in Lakeville.

- Elaine Cushman Carroll

ROUTE 36 WORK UNDERWAY - Construction has begun on the portion of Route 36 that borders East Monponsett Pond. That section is to be widened to address a dangerous curve in the road. The work is expected to cause traffic delays for the next several months, according to Executive Administrator Charles Seelig, so drivers should seek alternate routes. For more information on the construction, call Highway Surveyor Rose Campbell at 781-293-1760. - Christine Legere

TAX SURCHARGE ON BALLOT - Two races and a ballot question will highlight the town election to be held Saturday. Planning Board member Gordon B. Coyle faces a challenge from Kenneth J. Lawson, while Michael H. Jones and Thomas J. Powers Sr. are vying to fill the remaining year on a Housing Authority term. Jones was appointed to fill the seat after it was vacated because of a resignation. Fifteen other candidates are running unopposed. Voters also will be asked whether the town should adopt the state Community Preservation Act. Town Meeting last October approved the measure, but the decision must be ratified by voters. If the measure is ratified, the town would impose a 1.5 percent property tax surcharge, with certain exemptions, to fund projects that preserve open space and historic structures and expand affordable housing. Voting hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; all precincts vote at the Maquan School. - John Laidler

E-MAIL ALERTS FOR WATER WOES - Municipal water customers can now receive e-mail notifications warning of water shutoffs or other actions that could affect service. To be included on the department's list, forward name, home address, and e-mail address to emccarter@mansfieldma.com. E-mail addresses will not be distributed to any other agency for use.

- Christine Legere

MEET THE CANDIDATES - The League of Women Voters has scheduled a candidates night for Thursday at the Sippican School. Starting at 6:45 p.m., there will be a half-hour given to meeting the candidates who participate; there are 10 on the ballot this year. After that, a moderated panel discussion, during which those in attendance may ask questions, will be presented. At 8:45 p.m., town officials will be on hand to review items on the Town Meeting warrant. The town election is set for May 23. Town Meeting is to begin on May 19. - Paul E. Kandarian

LEARNING FROM TRAGEDY - Old Rochester Junior High School is presenting "Rachel's Challenge," a motivational program based on diary entries written by Rachel Scott, the first person killed in the Columbine High School shootings in 1999. The program is scheduled for May 20 and stresses eliminating prejudice, having dreams, choosing influences wisely, using words kindly, and doing good deeds to start a chain reaction of them, according to the Rachel's Challenge website. Student assemblies are scheduled in the morning, with a one-hour presentation for the public scheduled at 7 p.m.

- Paul E. Kandarian

A CIVIC ENTERPRISE - Robert Dunphy, who is a former candidate for selectman, is behind a campaign to get more voters to Town Meeting. Dunphy and a small crew of volunteers raised money and purchased 100 lawn signs, which they have erected around town, urging voters to attend Town Meeting, which is to begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the high school auditorium. "I've been disappointed by turnout for town meetings in the past, and I wanted to do something about it," Dunphy said.

- Christine Legere

MECHANICAL TRASH COLLECTION - Town officials have agreed to enter into a five-year contract with Waste Management Inc. to offer curbside mechanical trash and recycling pickup, beginning as soon as Oct. 1. As part of the deal, the company will provide every home with a free, 64-gallon wheeled trash container and a 96-gallon wheeled bin for recycling items. A truck with mechanized arms will pick up and empty the receptacles on a regular schedule. The trash company's employees will continue to physically pick up refuse for a time, once the contract kicks in, to give residents a chance to get used to the system. The move is seen as a cost-saving measure.

- Michele Morgan Bolton

PREPARING FOR TOWN MEETING - Voters can get a preview of the Town Meeting warrant Tuesday at a session run by the Finance Committee, according to Town Administrator Randall Buckner. At the session, scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Town Hall, Finance Committee members will discuss their recommendations as well as accept comments and questions from the public. The coming year's operational budget is about $28 million, Buckner said. The Annual Town Meeting is to begin at 7 p.m. May 19 in the middle school.

- Christine Legere

MEMORIAL DAY FESTIVITIES - The Rochester Memorial Day Boat Race, a tradition since 1934, is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. May 26 at Grandma Hartley's Reservoir on Snipatuit Road, ending at the herring weir on River Road in Mattapoisett. Contestants may register at the Rochester Grange Hall from 6:30 to 8 p.m. May 16; there is no registration fee. A ham-and-bean supper is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. May 24 at the Rochester Memorial School, the proceeds of which, along with donations, fund the race. For more information, call Arthur F. Benner, chairman of the race committee, at 508-763-2024.

- Paul E. Kandarian

MIDDLE SCHOOL PROPOSAL ADVANCES - Voters have approved funding for a feasibility study on the construction of a new middle school, moving the project forward in the process for obtaining state reimbursement. The town is looking to either renovate its middle school or construct a new building, and the feasibility study is required under state School Building Authority guidelines. By following the guidelines, the town is eligible for state reimbursement of more than 50 percent of the $650,000 needed for the feasibility study. At Town Meeting Monday, voters approved $295,000 for the project, the town's share. - Milton J. Valencia

NEW RECREATION CHIEF - An assistant director at a community center in Whitinsville, a village in Northbridge, has been selected to take over as recreation director in Sharon. Brett MacGowan, who lives in Bellingham, has been appointed by the Sharon Board of Selectmen to succeed Marshall Bradstreet. McGowan will be paid $63,000 a year in salary. After a year on the job, Bradstreet left last month to open a community center for teenagers in the Dominican Republic.

- Franci Richardson Ellement

BAY ROAD OUTLOOK UNCERTAIN - Two months to two years - that is how long town officials believe a section of Bay Road could be closed following last month's collapse of a culvert. "It all depends on the results of a hydraulic study," public works Superintendent Larry Barrett said last week following a meeting with selectmen. Barrett said that if the two-month study shows the current 2-by-2-foot culvert is sufficient to handle water flow under the road, "we can go in and immediately fix the problem." But, he said, if the study shows a larger culvert is needed, it could take two years, with permits and designs. "We won't know until after the study," he said. Meanwhile, the heavily traveled road will continue to be closed between Walters Way in Stoughton and Castle Drive in Sharon, forcing the steady traffic of commercial trucks onto congested Route 138. Barrett said southbound motorists can avoid the area by following detour signs leading them along Plain Street to Route 138, which runs parallel to Bay Road. Northbound drivers can detour to Lincoln Street in North Easton to Route 138.

- Robert Carroll

POLLUTION SAFEGUARDS IN PLACE - After seeking ways for several years to remediate and redevelop the South Street Superfund site, Town Meeting last week approved the formation of an Economic Development and Industrial Corporation that will protect Walpole from any potential liabilities while it develops and implements plans for the long-polluted site of more than 25 acres. The corporation will be required to hold public hearings and gain Town Meeting approval on all of its actions, said the town's health agent, Robin Chapell. Formation of such a corporation requires approval by the state Legislature, and officials hope to attain that by midsummer, at which point the Board of Selectmen may appoint its membership.

- Joan Wilder

BUDGET GAP SHRINKS - Voters at a Special Town Meeting on Monday approved a series of transfers that eliminated $167,000 of a $330,000 fiscal 2008 funding shortfall. The remaining portion of the shortfall, which stems from overspending of the snow and ice budget, may be taken up at the annual Town Meeting scheduled for June 9. In other business, the Special Town Meeting rezoned a parcel of land on Manley Street from residential to industrial at the owner's request; authorized borrowing $400,000 through a state, low-interest loan program to help residents meet the costs of repairing their septic systems; and appropriated $101,000 to purchase a sidewalk snowplow, $11,000 to provide the Highway Department with a lawn mower attachment to allow for cutting grass along road banks, and $10,000 to fund the town's annual contribution to a task force of Bridgewater, East Bridgewater, and West Bridgewater police departments that addresses public-safety issues in the three-town area. - John Laidler

NO DECISION ON SURCHARGE - Town Meeting voters last week postponed action on the Community Preservation Act, which would have placed an item on the fall ballot to approve a 1.5 percent annual increase in property taxes to fund initiatives for preservation, affordable housing, and open-space protection. The Finance Commission had recommended that no action be taken. - Michele Morgan Bolton