Faster track

After meeting with members of the Massachusetts Office of Business Development and the Old Colony Planning Board, the Board of Selectmen and Planning Board want Avon to adopt the state's Chapter 43D expedited-permitting law. The law, which would require Town Meeting approval, allows towns to establish faster timelines for various stages of building permitting to attract development. Once adopted, 43D towns gain consideration for additional grants and allowed to designate certain properties as priority development areas.

- Joan Wilder

NEW USE FOR OLD BUILDINGS - Consultants studying municipal buildings downtown suggested the town offices be merged into two buildings, the old Academy Building and nearby Town Hall. The Memorial Building, the current home of the selectmen's and municipal administrator's offices, could be used for archives, and the old McElwain School could be leased or sold. At a public meeting last week, a consultant from Newport Collaborative Architects outlined options and provided cost estimates. Eventually, selectmen will make a recommendation to Town Meeting, which must approve the buildings' final disposition. - Christine Legere

YOUTH CENTER OPENS - Local social service agencies are celebrating the opening of the Brockton Youth Center, the first designed specifically for local youths ages 12 to 24. A grand opening is planned at the center, 156 Main St., from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 23. The center is a collaboration of MyTurn, Brockton Area Multi-Services Inc., and other local agencies partnering under the state-funded anti-gang Shannon Program. The center will provide recreation opportunities for area youth and will also offer educational and work skills programs to keep kids off the street. For information, call 508-894-4205.

- Milton Valencia

FAST FINISH - The passage of the $3.5 million Proposition 2 1/2 override a month ago was a "phenomenal" boost to education in town, School Superintendent John D'Auria said recently. D'Auria and his staff are working to fill the roughly 20 teaching positions made possible by the override as well as those open by retirements. They're also preparing a new in-house special education program and a grant-funded kindergarten program and are also reconfiguring bus routes and notifying parents that the $400 bus fee will be eliminated next year for those living more than a mile from school. The override has also made it possible to update textbooks and to knock down the fees for students participating in athletics to $100 per sport, with a $400 cap for a family.

- Elaine Cushman Carroll

TOWN MEETING RESUMES - Voters will take up spending measures, including the town budget and capital expenses, when annual Town Meeting continues at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the high school. In addition to the $31 million annual budget and other financial proposals, voters will be asked to give selectmen control over a town-owned parcel on Mazzilli Drive to donate it for affordable housing to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Plymouth. The proposal has generated opposition from residents who say that in a time of tightened resources, the town cannot afford to give away any of its assets. - Robert Knox

OVERRIDE VOTE LOOMS - A special town election June 28 will determine if voters want to raise property taxes to fund an $8.63 million senior center. The increase would take the form of an override to Proposition 2 1/2. The town is one of few in the area that don't have such a facility, causing many residents to drive to Norwood for programs and information. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. The opportunity to pick up absentee ballots in the town clerk's office is until noon June 27. Call 781-751-9200.

- Michele Morgan Bolton

BEAT THE HEAT - Fire Chief Ryon Pratt has announced that the town Department of Emergency Management has arranged for a "cool-off" center this summer, where residents, especially those who suffer from respiratory or circulatory conditions, can beat the heat. The Housing Authority's community center on Riddell Road will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, until further notice. Those with questions may contact the Fire Department at 508-378-2071. - Christine Legere

LAWYER FOR THE PEOPLE - A local lawyer was one of only five in Massachusetts honored by the state's highest court for his volunteer work in the community. Francis J. Lynch III of North Easton, a managing partner in Lynch & Lynch Attorneys of Boston and South Easton, was honored for volunteering legal services at MainSpring House, a homeless shelter in Brockton, and for serving as a regional resource. Lynch received the Supreme Judicial Court's Adams Pro Bono Publico Award. - Milton Valencia

POLICE PROMOTION - Police Officer Scott Austin has been promoted to the rank of sergeant and is expected to complete a command staff training program by the end of this month, said John Chandler, deputy chief. Austin, who has been a patrolman with the department for 21 years, will fill a vacancy created when Chandler was promoted to deputy chief in April. - Joan Wilder

PERSONNEL SHUFFLE -For the last several years, the town clerk and town treasurer jobs, while listed separately on the ballot, were held by one person. Town Meeting, however, approved a town collector-treasurer, which will be listed on the 2009 election ballot as a single position. The town clerk will stand by itself. "We have to figure out how we're going to reconfigure the staff" and office space, said executive administrator Charles Seelig. Selectmen will open that discussion at their June 24 meeting at 7:30 p.m. in Town Hall. - Christine Legere

READ ON - The public library's reading program starts this week. Set to run from Tuesday until Aug. 1, it will include reading clubs for various age groups and special events, including a puppet show this Thursday at 3 p.m. Call 781-293-2151.

- John Laidler

SPACE AT THE FESTIVAL - The Lakeville Art Council is taking applications from artisans and nonprofit groups to reserve space at the fourth annual Lakeville Arts and Music Festival in October. Crafters will be juried by an artisan panel of council members. Call 508-947-3759 or 508-947-4493, or e-mail Lakeville.fest.crafts@hotmail.com. - Paul E. Kandarian

ALCOHOL AL FRESCO - Selectmen have approved a request from Joseph Monger, owner of Sippican Cafe on Spring Street, to expand his dining operation to an outdoor patio and to serve liquor there. Parking was raised as an issue for the small parcel, but Monger said he has gotten permission from an abutter for patrons to park there. The board also granted a liquor license to Leo's Wine and Cheese Cellar at 313 Wareham Road, to sell wine at the business, which offers specialty foods and wines. - Paul E. Kandarian

RUN FOR SCHOLARSHIPS - The 38th annual Mattapoisett Road Race, a 5-mile race that starts and ends at Shipyard Park, will begin at 9 a.m. the Fourth of July. Proceeds are used for college scholarships. Visit mattapoisettroadrace.com or call 508-758-3121.

- Paul E. Kandarian

PERMIT DENIED - Tispaquin Family Campground will operate for another summer without a permit from the Board of Selectmen, which, in its role as the town's Board of Health, denied a permit request from owners Barbara and Ralph Holton last Monday. Selectmen have denied the permit for the last several years due to an ongoing disagreement with the Holtons over the number of campers allowed on the site at one time. The selectmen and building inspector, who is the town's zoning enforcement agent, say the permit states a maximum of 57 mobile camping units. The Holtons argue the permit allows for 57 camp sites with more than one camping unit on each. The couple has an average of about 112 mobile campers parked on the 40-acre property during camping season. Town officials have not been able to shut down the camp while the legal dispute, which began early this decade, remains pending in court.

- Christine Legere

DOWN THE RIVER - The Open Space Committee is showing its support for the recent nomination of the Three Mile River as a state-designated Area of Critical Environmental Concern by hosting a canoe/kayak trip next Saturday, from 9 a.m. to noon. The group will meet on Crane Street at the bridge, then canoe or kayak downstream to observe the river and its wildlife. Those who don't own boats should call 508-285-0275 by Thursday to reserve space in a canoe. - Christine Legere

PLANNING FOR HIGH SCHOOL - Public hearings on Tuesday and Thursday will allow residents to air their thoughts on issues related to a new Norwood High School. The meetings come weeks after the state School Building Authority indicated its willingness to help fund the facility. The Permanent Building Construction Committee, the School Committee, and the School Facilities Task Force have met on the issue. A project design with preliminary costs outlined is due by September. Then, after a February special Town Meeting, voters would seek a debt exclusion override in April. This week's meetings are scheduled for 7 p.m. in the high school cafeteria.

- Michele Morgan Bolton

OLD HOME DAY - Selectman Barry DeCristofano will be slicing up apples, and hordes of children will be searching through backyards and marshes for frogs, as Plympton's Old Home Day approaches. The townwide celebration kicks off at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Upland Sportsman's Club. Event chairwoman Cathy Vautrinot said the old-time celebration was held for decades before fading out, then was revived last year. Events run until 11 p.m. and include barbecue, frog jumping and pie contests, and live entertainment. More information is available at town.plympton.ma.us. - Elaine Cushman Carroll

HERE TO STAY - The interim superintendent of Sharon Public Schools has been hired to that position permanently. Barbara Dunham, who received support from faculty, was appointed permanent superintendent for two years with a possibility of three, at a salary of $150,000 for the first year. Dunham attended Sharon schools from kindergarten to Grade 12. "It is my fervent desire to continue to lead the Sharon schools to excellence while providing support and choices for all learners," Dunham said in an e-mail. - Franci Richardson Ellement

BOSS IN THE PULPIT - In his search for sermon inspiration, the Rev. Jeffrey Symynkywicz has often fallen back on an unconventional source: Bruce Springsteen. And now the First Parish Universalist Church minister has taken that belief and put it in print. Symynkywicz has penned "The Gospel according to Bruce Springsteen." The 220-page tome focuses on Springsteen's ability to capture the human experience, from sin and faith to the struggle of everyday life. Symynkywicz plans to see his seventh Springsteen concert when the Boss performs in August at Gillette Stadium. He will be signing copies of his book Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. at his church, 790 Washington St. - Robert Carroll

NEW SELECTMAN - Clifton Snuffer beat two rivals in the June 7 town election to replace Michael Caron, who chose not to run after two terms in office. Snuffer got 1,862 votes, Eric Kraus came in second with 1,694, and Alvah Crosby got 244. Two seats on the Planning Board were won by incumbent John Conroy (1,770) and John Murtagh (1,483), with third-place winner Rich Mazzocca losing a seat on the board by only eight votes. Andrew Zitoli and Susan Curtis won seats on the School Committee, with votes of 2,464 and 2,338, respectively. - Joan Wilder

MEDICAL MACHINERY - The Tobey Hospital Guild recently donated $50,000 toward the hospital's purchase of an anesthesia machine and a digital mam mography machine. Tobey Guild president Ronna Santoro thanked guild and community members for their support of fund-raising efforts. - Emily Sweeney

VOTERS BACK RETAIL VILLAGE - A Special Town Meeting last week approved a proposal by Conroy Development to rezone an approximately 72-acre parcel abutting Lincoln Street and Route 24. The rezoning, to business from general residential and farming, still requires the approval of the attorney general and is needed for a village-style retail development Conroy is proposing. Annual Town Meeting then voted to have the town seek special legislation to grant as many as five additional liquor licenses in the Conroy development's part of town. Voters also approved a $21.3 million fiscal 2009 operating budget and creation of a Community Preservation Committee to recommend how to spend revenues from the town's adoption of the Community Preservation Act. Voters also appropriated $650,000 to repair or replace roofs for the Rose L. MacDonald School. The state's School Building Authority has committed to reimbursing the town for up to $326,792.

- John Laidler

SEARCH FOR A CURE - State Senator Marion Walsh, whose district includes Norwood, Dedham, and Westwood, was honored Wednesday by the ALS Association's Massachusetts Chapter for public service for forming the first state registry in the nation to track amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, often called Lou Gehrig's disease. - Michele Morgan Bolton

FIRE SAFETY TIPS - Firefighters Monday put out a fire at 24 Harvey Lane that was started by a cigarette left in an ashtray on the rear deck. The home, owned by Robert and Valerie Vittoriso, sustained about $1,000 damage, but no one was injured, officials said. Homeowners are urged to use only nonflammable ashtrays of glass or metal and not leave ashtrays on floors or decking.

- Christine Legere