Party planners needed

The town is looking for people to throw a party in honor of Acton's birthday. The town will celebrate is 275th anniversary on July 3, 2010, and the planning has begun. Officials are seeking four to six residents to plan and organize the events to commemorate Acton's incorporation as an independent town. Residents interested should contact John Murray, assistant town manager, at manager@acton-ma.gov. - Jennifer Fenn Lefferts

ACROSS THE BORDER - Steve Mazzola, Arlington's chief technology officer, has accepted a position in Belmont. Mazzola will be responsible for technology in the Belmont public schools. - Brenda J. Buote

BOARD VACANCIES - Selectmen are aiming to fill several vacancies on town boards, including a position on the Finance Committee and one-year seats on the Conservation Commission and the personnel board. Also, the recently formed 43D advisory committee is looking for volunteers. - Taryn Plumb

NEXT DOOR MAY GET CLOSER - The Planning Board will discuss a proposal Tuesday to create a new district in which developers could build more than six homes per acre. Attorney Pamela Brown submitted the proposed zoning amendment on behalf of Richard Daugherty, according to town officials. The Village Housing Bylaw would allow as many as six homes within 40,000 square feet. The height of the buildings would be limited to 25 feet, plus minimum side and rear yards would be 15 feet. The district is intended to apply to pedestrian-friendly areas close to public transportation and retail services. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Selectmen's Meeting Room in Town Hall. - Kytja Weir

STAFFORD RESIGNS - School Committee member Diane Stafford has resigned. In her resignation letter, Stafford said work and family commitments had made it difficult for her to give enough time to the committee. She had served on the board since 2004. The School Committee and Board of Selectmen will appoint a member who will serve until the next election in April 2009. - Jennifer Fenn Lefferts

COMMISSIONER REAPPOINTED - Conservation Commissioner Jo Anne Giovino was unanimously reappointed to another three-year term Monday. The appointment attracted attention because in 2003, Giovino and James Miller were denied reappointment by selectmen after having served for 13 and six years, respectively. Both were considered knowledgeable members of the commission and had strong support. But some selectmen called them too zealous in their dealings with developers and homeowners. Two years later, a different Board of Selectmen reinstated Giovino, and she has served as chairwoman since 2006. Miller was reappointed to the commission two years ago and will continue to serve until next June. Jon Metivier was also reappointed last week to a three-year term. The commission will meet at 7 p.m. July 16 at Town Hall. - Joyce Pellino Crane

HOUSING GOAL REACHED - Town officials will have more control over housing developments, now that the state has certified numbers that show Boxborough has reached a state threshold for affordable housing. The town recently submitted the figures after approving a 244-unit rental project in April proposed by the Gutierrez Co. of Burlington. Under a state law known as Chapter 40B, if the percentage of housing deemed as affordable by the state is less than 10 percent of the town's overall housing, a developer can bypass many local zoning regulations and apply for a comprehensive permit as long as a portion of the units are set aside as affordable. Boxborough's affordable housing stock is now 14.11 percent, which means it can deny future comprehensive permit requests, said Town Planner Elizabeth Hughes.

- Jennifer Fenn Lefferts

COMMON EVENTS - Summer entertainment on Burlington's Town Common is underway, with concerts on Tuesday nights at 7 and movies Thursday at dusk, under the auspices of the town Recreation Department. Family-friendly movies will be shown this Thursday, as well as July 17, 24, 31, and Aug. 7. The Tuesday concerts run weekly through Aug. 19. For more information, visit the town's website, burlington.org. - Eric Moskowitz

RECYCLING WEBSITE - The Carlisle Household Recycling Committee recently announced the launch of a website at carlisle.org/recycling. The website provides information about how to recycle household materials and promotes the committee's mission to promote environmentally friendly waste disposal and recycling. The site also lists special events such as hazardous waste collection days, offers tips to increase awareness, and provides links to other relevant websites. - Nancy Shohet West

NEW TASK FORCE - The Board of Selectmen appointed 11 members to a new task force that will look at issues facing West Concord. Residents and business owners have raised concerns about changes that they feel could affect the character of the village. Among those changes include a 350-unit apartment complex that was recently approved by a town board, and the construction of a rail trail through West Concord. The village area also gets hit hard with traffic as commuters try to avoid the rotary on Route 2. Greg Howes, the chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said there are three major issues the task force will look at - the character of West Concord, traffic and transportation, and the protection of natural resources. - Jennifer Fenn Lefferts

SEWER ACTION - Officials have appointed several members to the town center sewer action committee in an effort to get the group's work rolling. Joseph Sudol, Carrie Frasier, Pat Jennings, and Wade Holtzman were selected to join Chris Ashley and Selectman Tim Clark. Selectmen formed the committee this spring in hopes of bringing septic services downtown. - Taryn Plumb

CRUISER SWITCH - The Police Department has added four Dodge Charger cruisers to its pool of patrol cars, at a cost of $22,870 per vehicle. The department announced last year that it would eventually replace all of its Ford Crown Victorias, the model favored by many law enforcement agencies, because the automaker said it may discontinue that model.

- Brenda J. Buote

BETTER STREETS AHEAD - Following months of discussion, Town Administrator Keith Bergman announced last week that the Metropolitan Planning Organization's Transportation Planning and Programming Committee has formally adopted amendments to its Transportation Improvement Plan that will include an allotment of $4.2 million for improvements to Goldsmith Street. This represents final approval of a plan the same committee tentatively approved in May. As voted on at Town Meeting, the town will pay the remaining $1 million of the $5.2 million project cost, which applies to the 1.45-mile stretch of Goldsmith Street from the intersection with Route 2A/110 to the intersection with Shaker Lane. Sidewalk and landscaping improvements will also be provided. Anticipated start date is spring 2009. - Nancy Shohet West

SUMMER SCHEDULES - With the budget completed, the City Council has switched from meeting every Tuesday to meeting monthly, on July 15 and Aug. 12, at 7 p.m. at City Hall, with the weekly schedule to resume Sept. 23. Two blocks away on River Street, the Medford Square Market has already begun its second season as a Thursday destination for fresh produce, baked goods, books, music, art, and family entertainment. Starting this week, the market will expand its hours to noon to 7 p.m. to accommodate the lunch crowd. For more information, visit medfordsquaremarket.blogspot.com. - Eric Moskowitz

LATER TO RISE? - School officials are examining whether it makes sense for high school students to get a later start on school days. Research has shown that teenagers need about 9.25 hours of sleep each night, but average high school students in North Reading get about 7.5 hours, according to the School Start Times Committee. The high school day currently begins at 7:30 a.m. - Laura M. Colarusso

WATER WORKS - Town Meeting has approved spending an additional $450,000 to demolish the water-treatment plant and to build a backup chlorination facility. The funds will be added to $800,000 appropriated during the June 2006 Special Town Meeting, said Robert LeLacheur, Reading's finance director. Now that the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority supplies Reading's water, the town is razing the treatment plant. - Laura M. Colarusso

A BOOST FOR COUNCIL ON AGING - Thanks to an anonymous donation, the town will hire a Council on Aging director. After voters at Town Meeting agreed to fund the new position for only six months, the town received a donation of $14,094 on June 24 - enough to pay for the other six months, said Town Clerk Amy McDougall. Hiring a director of the Council on Aging is the first step required to establish a senior center in Shirley. - Julie Masis

CELL TOWER PLAN DROPPED - A company that sought to build a cellphone tower in a church cemetery withdrew its plans amid a crowded Board of Appeals hearing late last month. Omnipoint Communications had proposed building the 80-foot tower in St. Patrick Parish's cemetery at Broadway and MacArthur Road to serve T-Mobile. But some neighbors opposed the plan, concerned about the appropriateness of a tower near graves and about possible health risks for children at a neighboring sports field. Brian Grossman, an attorney representing Omnipoint, did not return a call seeking comment.

- Kytja Weir

HIGH SCHOOL UPGRADE - The School Committee and the Board of Selectmen have voted to authorize the town's superintendent to submit a statement of interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority about upgrading Wilmington High School. A master planning study completed in March found that the high school is inadequate. The building is about 15 percent smaller and the classrooms are about 19 percent smaller than state standards.

- Laura M. Colarusso

CHANGED TOWN HALL HOURS - Town Hall will be closed on Fridays, but hours will be extended on other days as part of an effort that town officials hope will save energy. Starting tomorrow and running until Aug. 29, Town Hall will open four days a week. The offices will stay open until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and until 7 p.m. on Thursdays. On Fridays, the offices will be closed. The town is making an exception for Aug. 1 at the treasurer/collector's office to collect property taxes. Other town departments and facilities such as the library and senior center won't be affected, according to Town Manager Melvin Kleckner. - Kytja Weir

COUNTING THE VOTERS - The city clerk's office recently mailed voter confirmation cards to every registered voter whose census form wasn't completed and returned to the office. Returning the cards will reinstate active voting status. Voters who receive the cards should check the information on the postage-paid card, then sign and return it. Inactive voters can also restore active status by signing an affidavit on Election Day. For more information, contact the clerk's office at 781-897-5850. - Eric Moskowitz