Panel OKs override bid

The School Committee has approved a $1.9 million override question for the November ballot. If the requested property-tax increase is passed by the voters, the funds would go toward operating the High Rock School, which is being renovated to accommodate the town's sixth-graders and help alleviate overcrowding at Pollard Middle School. In April 2007, the town approved a $21 million Proposition 2 1/2 override to cover the High Rock construction costs. The Board of Selectmen must also endorse the measure before it can be put on the ballot. - Laura Colarusso

GUARANTEED PRICE IN WORKS - City officials expect to have a guaranteed maximum price on the Newton North High School building project in about a month, said Jeremy Solomon, a spokesman for Mayor David Cohen. Earlier in the year Cohen had said the price would be finalized by the first week of July. A guaranteed maximum price is being negotiated with the project manager, the Dimeo Construction Co., which would agree to cover costs exceeding the figure. Cohen has promised aldermen the project will cost no more than $197.5 million. He convinced the board to appropriate the full amount for the project, saying it was necessary to get fair bids from contractors and keep the project moving in a timely manner. Solomon said the city expects to receive a proposal for a guaranteed maximum price next week, to be followed by a two- to four-week negotiation period. He said the new Newton North remains on schedule to open in September 2010. - Rachana Rathi

NEW SUPERINTENDENT CHOSEN - After a four-month search, Waltham's school district has a new superintendent. Peter Azar, who since 2004 has served as Winchendon's superintendent, was chosen for the job earlier this month, and is slated to begin his tenure in Waltham on Aug. 15. The School Committee had also interviewed Kriner Cash, who withdrew from consideration after accepting an offer to be superintendent of schools in Memphis, and a Lexington deputy superintendent, Lynne Sarasin. The School Committee's vice chairwoman, Susanne McIvor, said Wednesday that contract and salary negotiations were underway. The salary range previously advertised for the job was approximately $150,000 to $160,000, said McIvor. She said Azar's experience as a superintendent, and previous stints as an administrator at the elementary, middle and high school levels gave him an edge for the Waltham job. "He's intense in his outlook on education and when I say that, he's very sincere about going forward and looking upward, be it in local education or statewide," said McIvor. "In his past experience, the people we spoke with said, he was highly visible in the community, at different functions and in the schools, and we thought that was a plus, too." - Stephanie V. Siek

PRIVATE SCHOOL SIGNS LEASE - The Buckingham, Browne & Nichols School will move administrative operations into the former Sacred Heart School in East Watertown this fall. The Cambridge-based private school signed a 10-year lease with the Boston Archdiocese on June 1, according to school spokesman Joseph Clifford. After some renovations to Sacred Heart, the school will move a number of its administrative functions, including business services, human resources, development, external affairs, the registrar's office, and support staff, from its campus at 625 Mt. Auburn St. in Cambridge to the Sacred Heart property in late fall, said Clifford. No classes will be held there, he said, although there are plans to use the facility's auditorium for certain events. The Sacred Heart building previously housed the New England School of Acupuncture, which is now in Newton. - Christina Pazzanese

PLEASANT STREET PROJECT - The town's Department of Public Works superintendent, Gerald Mee, received some long-awaited welcome news last week from the state Highway Department. A massive plan to redo Pleasant Street from the Waltham line to Watertown Square will go out to bid July 12, with construction slated to begin this fall, Mee said. The town has been waiting since 2004 for federal transportation funds earmarked for the project to be released. The $9 million project includes a new roadway, sidewalks, curbs, traffic signals, a redesigned intersection, trees and a new connection to a state-owned bicycle path. It is expected to take two years to complete. Decisions about how traffic will be redirected during the work and which end of Pleasant Street will be redone first will be decided largely by the contractor, in consultation with the department, said Mee. - Christina Pazzanese

SCHOOL COMMITTEE VACANCY - The recent resignation of Dee Freiberg means that the town's School Committee is looking for a new member. The Board of Selectmen will appoint an interim replacement, who would serve until the seat is filled during next spring's town elections. Applicants, who must be registered voters in town, should send a letter of interest to the Town of Weston, Board of Selectmen, PO Box 378, Weston, MA 02493, or by fax to 781-891-3697. The letters can also be e-mailed to selectmen@westonmass.org. The deadline is July 11.

- Stephanie V. Siek

NEW JOB FOR ROSS - Town Administrator Jodi R. Ross has been offered a job as town manager in Westford. Westford selectmen voted Tuesday to hire Ross, contingent on successful contract negotiations. The negotiations were scheduled to start late last week, said Robert Jefferies, chairman of the Westford Board of Selectmen. Ross, who is Bolton's first town administrator and has served in the post for 4 1/2 years, said she plans to take the job if contract negotiations work out. She anticipates she will start in Westford by the end of August. - Joyce Pellino Crane

SCHOOL LUNCHES TO COST MORE - School cafeteria dining in Brookline is about to get more expensive. The School Committee recently voted to raise the cost for elementary students to $3 from $2.50, while high school lunch prices will rise 50 cents to $3.25. The lunch account has been running a deficit almost every year, said School Committee member Alan Morse. Rising food costs this year sent the account into the red by about $50,000, said Peter Rowe, the district's deputy superintendent for finance. If the increases do not cover the shortfall by January, the district may seek to raise prices again.

- Andreae Downs

SCHOOLS MAY ADD SPANISH - The debate continues, but based on the results of parent surveys, seven schools will hire Spanish language teachers for their K-6 world language program. Driscoll will retain its Mandarin program. Because there were strong preferences for Mandarin among some parents, the Lincoln School may replace French with Mandarin as its grades 7-8 language option, said Superintendent Bill Lupini. The schools started advertising for the positions before the May override vote, and have been "surprised at the number and quality of applicants available," he told the School Committee on June 19.

- Andreae Downs

SEARCH FOR SUPERINTENDENT - The School Committee will be sending out letters to school and town officials this summer to recruit a 12-member panel to search for a new superintendent, said chairman Phil Dinsky. At a special meeting on Tuesday, the School Committee opted for the smaller group, instead of a 23-member panel, and set a target date of mid-September for the search process to begin. The superintendent's position, with an annual salary of approximately $205,000, will be advertised by the end of September, Dinsky said; the board's timeline calls for having all resumes in hand by mid-November, and a new superintendent named in February. Eugene Thayer, who had led the Framingham district in the early 1990s, is serving as interim superintendent through next spring; he took over after Christopher Martes left last year to become superintendent of the Foxborough school system. - Tanya Pérez-Brennan

CONCERTS ON WEDNESDAY NIGHTS - The town is sponsoring a concert series for three weeks on Wednesday nights next month. This year, the town announced it will be featuring the rock and blues of White Collar Crime on July 9; the harmonies of LCR on July 16, and golden oldie tunes from the 1950s and '60s performed by the Nays on July 23. All concerts start at 6 p.m. at Pierce Park on Weston Road. For more information, call Chrissie Long event coordinator, at 339-223-2219. - John M. Guilfoil

FREE SKATING IN THE SHADE - Navin Memorial Skating Rink, at 451 Bolton St., will host "Skating in the SHADE" every Saturday at 11 a.m. throughout the summer. The hour of free skating is intended to offer children and parents an alternative activity during peak sun times, according to an announcement by FMC Arenas, which operates the rink. Skin cancer accounts for more than half of all cancers in the country, according to the announcement, and research shows that much of sun damage is done before age 18. The event is cosponsored by the SHADE Foundation of America, a nonprofit organization founded by Medfield resident Shonda Schilling, who is a melanoma survivor. For more information, go to fmcarenas.com or shadefoundation.org.

-- Lisa Kocian

NO MONEY, NO FIREWORKS - The town has canceled a planned night of fireworks for the popular Applefest in September, citing a lack of donations. Since January, the town has been looking for sponsors to contribute $10,000 to cover the cost of the fireworks, said the Recreation Department director, Allison Lane. But no one has stepped forward, prompting officials to cancel the attraction. Lane said the usual Applefest street fair and other activities are still going ahead as planned. - John Dyer

SIDEWALK PROPOSAL DEFEATED - The Board of Selectmen recently voted, 2-1, against proceeding with plans to create the Maple Street Pathway. Selectmen Chris Peck and Ronald Fernandes were opposed. to the plans for the sidewalk along Maple Street, while Selectman Paul DeRensis voted in favor of it. Peck said he voted against the plans, proposed by an engineer hired by the town, because it would only make up a small segment of the full sidewalk plans, which haven't yet been fully envisioned. He said he'd rather let the town decide whether to support the complete project, which he expects would cost around $1 million. In voting for the project, DeRensis cited the addition of a retaining wall, and support from a nearby property owner. - Anna Fiorentino

VERIZON PACT APPROVED - The Board of Selectmen signed off on a new cable license agreement with Verizon on Tuesday night, following a formal public hearing on the agreement, said Selectman Stephen Dungan. The arrival of Verizon as a cable-television provider in town would provide competition to Comcast, which has held the local franchise for cable service, and potentially help to lower rates for cable customers, he added. - Matt Gunderson

SUMMER PROGRAMS AT LIBRARY - The Wayland Public Library is offering several programs for children during the summer months. "Wild Reads" is an animal-themed reading program to keep children in books while school is out. "Passport to Adventure Book Club" features reading, writing, and fun activities with local author Helen Kampion for children ages 9 and 10. There are also preschool and family movie screenings going on throughout next month. For more information on library programs, visit waylandlibrary.org. - John M. Guilfoil

EMC HEARING NEXT MONTH - Town officials and lawyers representing Hopkinton-based EMC Corp. are to appear before an administrative law judge with the Department of Environmental Protection on July 8 and 9, said Town Counsel Gregory Franks recently. In October, the town's Conservation Commission rejected EMC's site plan for a corporate campus on the Westborough-Southborough line, based on its conclusion that the project would destroy wetlands, and requested more information about whether the company could prevent storm-water runoff from flooding local streets. EMC is appealing the board's decision. The DEP judge is expected to render a decision in September, Franks said. - John Dyer