Town meeting, election dates set

Selectmen have set May 4 as the date for the annual Town Meeting, to begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Berlin Memorial School on South Street. The town election will follow on May 11, with polls open from noon to 8 p.m. at the town offices building at 23 Linden St. All articles proposed for the Town Meeting warrant must be delivered to selectmen by 8 p.m. on Feb. 17, the board said last week. - Julia Rappaport

FORUM ON TOWN CENTER - The Planning Board and a team of consultants from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst have completed a study investigating options for creating a downtown village center in Bolton. With the study in hand, the board is hosting a forum on Wednesday that will focus on its zoning recommendations. The forum's speakers will address various types of zoning that could be implemented to encourage retail and residential growth in a designated area of town. The forum kicks off at 7:30 p.m. in Town Hall. - Matt Gunderson

ARCHITECT WINS SCHOOL JOB - An architectural firm has been selected for the Tahanto Regional Middle/High School building project. Superintendent Brian McDermott said HMFH Architects Inc., based in Cambridge, will be designing the work, although the job's final form has yet to be determined. The state is expected to pay approximately 50 percent of the project's costs, with estimates ranging from $20 million to $30 million, depending on whether it is a renovation project or a new building. - Matt Gunderson

FOCUS ON WOMEN'S HEART HEALTH - The town's Board of Health will hold its fifth annual Healthy Heart program Tuesday in recognition of American Heart Month. This year's program will focus on women's health issues, said Laurie Courtney, a Framingham public health nurse. The keynote speaker will be Naomi Hamburg, a physician at Boston Medical Center. The event will include a number of other presentations, along with cholesterol, blood pressure, and bone density screenings. The program runs from 10 a.m. to noon at the main branch of Framingham Public Library, 49 Lexington St. For more information, call the Board of Health at 508-532-5470. - Tanya Pérez-Brennan

PRINCIPAL FINALISTS - The School Committee will interview finalists for the principal's job at JFK Middle School during its 7:30 p.m. public meeting Tuesday, held in the district's administration building at 155 Apsley St. George Calnan has been serving as interim principal since August, when Linda Corbin resigned from the position just months after transferring from the town's Hubert Kindergarten Center. Calnan, a former Farley Elementary School principal, did not apply for the permanent position. Last week, the School Committee interviewed six semifinalists for the middle school job, Superintendent Stephen Dlott said, and he expects two or three candidates will be invited back for Tuesday's session. The district's director of pupil services, Juliana Bahosh, said all of the finalists are school administrators, and the majority of them are from Massachusetts. Dlott predicted that the appointment would be made by early next month. - Julia Rappaport

NEW DPW SITE ONLINE - The town's Department of Public Works has launched a new Internet page to provide information and interact with the community on meetings, hearings, and projects going on in town. The department's information can be accessed through a link on the municipal website, www.lincolntown.org. - John M. Guilfoil

COMPANY FINED OVER HUDSON PROJECT - A Marlborough developer has agreed to pay fines for violations of federal Environmental Protection Agency regulations designed to prevent pollution from storm-water runoff at construction and industrial sites. The EPA fined Chestnut Farms Development Corp. of Mechanic Street in August 2007 for inadequate erosion control at the Lauren Heights Development in Hudson. The EPA recently announced that Chestnut Farms has agreed to pay a $3,350 penalty. "This is really bad for the streams; it's just flushing all of the material from the soil, including enormous amounts of sand and oil, into the waterways," regional EPA spokesman David Deegan said. In Massachusetts, construction sites disturbing 1 acre or more of soil, and sand and gravel operations that may discharge into a body of water are required to obtain permits from the EPA. - Julia Rappaport

BUDGET WORK BEGINS - The town's Appropriations Committee has started preparing next fiscal year's budget for presentation to Town Meeting this spring. The committee will meet weekly until Town Meeting convenes on April 27. The meetings got a late start this year, since the committee waited until Governor Deval Patrick announced his budget cuts on Jan. 28. Committee chairwoman Elaine Kelly said its work on the fiscal year 2010 spending plan will be tough. "I don't think it's going to be fun and games. I think it's going to be very sober," she said. "The cuts are going to hurt, but I think that if we all do due diligence, we may be able to squeak by this year without too much pain," Kelly said. "Looking ahead to 2010 and 2011, it could be problematic." The committee will meet every Thursday, except March 5, at 7 p.m. in the selectmen's meeting room in Town Hall. A special meeting with the School Committee will take place Feb. 28. - Julia Rappaport

ELECTION FORMS AVAILABLE - Nomination papers for positions on the May ballot can be picked up at the town clerk's office. Residents intending to run for moderator or library trustee, or seats on the Board of Selectmen, School Committee, or Housing Authority will need to obtain the signatures of 50 registered voters from Shrewsbury. Candidates for Town Meeting must return nomination papers bearing 10 signatures from residents of their precinct. All nomination papers are due March 17. Town Clerk Ann M. Dagle said last week that she had yet to receive any completed paperwork from candidates for the May 5 town election. - James O'Brien

CUTS IN THE BUDGET - Selectmen last week made $158,000 in cuts to the town's operating and capital expenditure budget for next year, and instituted a hiring freeze to help the town save more money. Among the cuts, the board saved $21,000 by slashing the travel and training budgets for municipal employees in half, $50,000 by putting off the purchase of a new copier and a new boiler for Town Hall, and $9,000 in consulting expenses. The cuts still leave $167,000 to be cut from the 2010 fiscal year operating budget of $42.97 million and the capital budget of $797,791. Finance director Brian Ballantine said the budget proposal for the year starting July 1 will be balanced this month, in preparation for Town Meeting voters in April. - Calvin Hennick

CENSUS FORMS DUE - Annual town census forms went out to residents last month, and the town clerk's office is requesting that they be returned as soon as possible. If residents did not receive a census form, they can download one at the town website, stow-ma.gov. The census results are used to compile accurate population figures for local long-range planning, and for designating school assignments. - Matt Gunderson

COMMITTEE PROVIDES HELP - The town's Charitable Committee has money available to provide short-term emergency help to residents in financial need. The recipients must have lived in Wayland for at least one year. Assistance is provided for utilities, rent, medicine, food, and clothing, with all grants kept confidential. Payment is made directly to vendors or the suppliers of services. Residents in need of financial help are encouraged to contact the committee's answering machine at 508-358-3624. - John M. Guilfoil

NOMINATION PAPERS AVAILABLE - Nomination papers for Westborough's May 5 local election were made available last week by the town clerk's office. Open are two three-year spots on the Board of Selectmen, one five-year seat each on the Planning Board and the Housing Authority, one three-year term on the School Committee, and three three-year slots on the Library Trustees. Nomination papers must be signed by 50 registered local voters and are due back to the town clerk's office by 5 p.m. on March 17. - Calvin Hennick

FREE FAMILY FUN - The Franklin Performing Arts Company will present "Uncle Nick's Happy Fun Hour III" today at 3 p.m. at the Franklin School for the Performing Arts, 38 Main St. The free musical event, part of the company's family concert series, features folk classics, blues, and early rock 'n' roll, as well as some silly songs. Guests can expect singing, dancing and special guests. For more information, visit www.fpaconline.com. - Rachel Lebeaux

SENIOR CENTER BOOK SALE - The town's Senior Center will launch a book sale tomorrow, running from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday. The proceeds will go the Friends of Hopkinton Senior Citizens. - Calvin Hennick

DANCE, DANCE, DANCE - The Center at Medfield celebrates its first anniversary Saturday with a community Valentine's Day dance. Roberta Lynch, director of Medfield's Council on Aging, said proceeds from the dance would help fund facility improvements. Organized by the Friends of Medfield Seniors and the Council on Aging, the dance is open to adults of all ages and features disc jockey Stephen Berardinelli, light refreshments, and complimentary beer and wine. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door, and are available at the center, at 1 Ice House Road, off West Mill Road, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. The center accepts only cash. Call 508-359-3665. - James O'Brien