Ask the Ashland School Committee

DISCUSSING SELF-PUBLISHED BOOK - Franklin author Randall Wheeler will discuss his self-published novel, “Bound by Birth,’’ at the Bellingham Public Library tomorrow at 7 p.m. Wheeler’s thriller is based on a dubious friendship that begins in an online chat room and message board. Wheeler, who will have autographed copies of his book available, will also discuss writing and the self-publishing process. To learn more or to register, call 508-966-1660, visit the library at 100 Blackstone St., or go online to www.bellinghamlibrary.org. - Rachel Lebeaux

ARREST IN ALLEGED HATE CRIME - Police have charged a Framingham man with a hate crime after he allegedly attacked two men because they are Brazilian. Michael Hansberry, 46, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Monday in Framingham District Court, and denied the allegations in a phone interview Tuesday. He was arrested Nov. 6 outside his apartment in the Jefferson Hills complex, where police allege that he had kicked and pushed the two men, who were there moving furniture, while shouting expletives at them and telling them to “go back to their own country,’’ according to the arresting officer’s report. The report also stated that Hansberry “made several more comments regarding his hatred for the two men because they were Brazilian.’’ Hansberry is also charged with assaulting an officer, stemming from an alleged incident after he was booked at the police station. Hansberry was arraigned on two counts of committing a hate crime, two counts of assault and battery, one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (his boot), one count of assault and battery on a police officer, and disorderly conduct. Contacted by phone Tuesday, however, Hansberry said the altercation was a misunderstanding that got out of hand. “It wasn’t a hate crime. I’m not a hateful person,’’ he said. Hansberry is due back in court on Dec. 4. For more details, visit www.boston.com/yourtown/framingham. - Matt Rocheleau

HISTORICAL THANK YOU - To recognize community efforts that led to a $100,000 preservation grant for the former Edgell Memorial Library, the Framingham History Center is inviting supporters and military veterans to a thank-you celebration at the Oak Street building this afternoon. Soups and desserts will be offered as part of the free event, which will feature an exhibition, “Trench Art: Collecting from the Battlefield,’’ held to honor the town’s veterans. The library was originally built as a memorial to town residents who fought and died in the Civil War, and now is operated as a community cultural center by the local historical society. Items from the History Center’s military collection will also be on display. The party and refreshments will run from 1 to 3 p.m., and a program by the town’s Veteran’s Services director, Peter Harvell, on his collection of military artifacts will go from 3 to 4 p.m. - Matt Rocheleau

TOWN ELECTION RESULTS - Town Council newcomers Glenn Jones, Matthew Kelly and Tina Powderly will join six incumbents who all emerged victorious from a 13-person race in the Nov. 3 town election. Also, the School Committee will have two new members, Cynthia Douglas and William Glynn; Bruce Hunchard retained his spot on the Board of Health; and former Town Council chairman Chris Feeley won a write-in campaign for a seat on the Board of Assessors that had not drawn any official candidates. For full election results, visit the town’s website, www.franklinma.virtualtownhall.net.

NEWCOMERS CRAFTS FAIR - The Holliston Newcomers Club is gearing up for its 32d annual craft fair, featuring about 100 vendors, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and next Sunday at the high school. The fair is the club’s biggest fund-raiser, with the proceeds from the $5 admission fee and table rentals going to support a variety of local causes, including the Boy Scouts, the Senior Center, school programs, the Holliston Food Pantry and the public library. Club president Eileen Radcliffe said the craft fair is juried, which means the vendors had their works approved for participation in the event. The fair will also offer activities for children, and the club will be accepting donations of coats to be distributed by the food pantry. This year, donors can go to the club’s website, www.hollistonnewcomers.org, to find what types of coats are needed, then indicate what they can give. Club members will contact donors to arrange collection, Radcliffe said. - Megan McKee

LIBRARY PROPOSAL IN WORKS - The last major renovation of the 5,000-square-foot Hopkinton Public Library was in 1967. On Tuesday, the town’s Library Building Committee, looking into a replacement facility, told the Board of Selectmen about a new Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners program that provides up to a 50 percent matching grant for construction projects. According to the committee, the town’s new library should have about 26,000 square feet of space, ample off-street parking, full handicap accessibility, a room for young adults as well as a room for children’s activities, and space for local history and genealogical research. Laura Barry, the committee’s cochairwoman, said her panel is hoping to ask Town Meeting in May for permission to apply for the grant. “There are going to be a lot of communities competing for that pool of money,’’ said Barry. The committee is looking at possible library sites, and expects to hire a project manager soon, she said. Under the grant program, the town would need to provide about 25 percent of the project’s cost, with another 25 percent from private donations, to be eligible for the 50 percent match. - Megan McKee

PRIMARY VOTING DEADLINE - The town clerk’s office is slated to stay open until 8 p.m. Wednesday to accommodate residents on the final day to register to vote in the Dec. 8 special US Senate primary election. The final election for the seat held by the late Edward M. Kennedy is slated for Jan. 19. Town Clerk Carol Mayer said her office’s operation of the polls for the extra votes would be an exercise in cutting costs. Given limited funds, Mayer said, she would draw half of the poll workers from high school students volunteering to help out. “Usually an election runs $4,000, or more,’’ said Mayer. “I hope to be between $2,500 and $3,000’’ for the primary. “If I can get below that, I’m good.’’ The town’s polling place, in the Center at Medfield on Ice House Road, will be open on Dec. 8 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. - James O’Brien

OPENINGS ON DEVELOPMENT PANEL - The town’s Planning and Economic Development Board is seeking several residents or local workers to serve on a new committee aimed at promoting business and industrial growth. . People with experience in industrial and commercial real estate, finance, marketing, facilities management, high technology, and similar specialties are especially sought, officials say. The group will meet at 7 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month. A letter of interest and a brief resume can be mailed to Medway Planning and Economy Development Board, 155 Village St., Medway, MA 02053, or e-mailed to planningboard@townofmedway.org. For more information, contact Susan Affleck-Childs at 508-533-3291, or visit www.townofmedway.org.

HIRING POLICY FOR PRINCIPALS - The School Committee has approved instituting a hiring policy covering the district’s school principals. The 5-2 vote on Nov. 5 followed a spirited discussion in which some members questioned Superintendent Robert Tremblay’s plan to hire a new principal for Milford High School by the middle of next month. School Committee member Lori Baranauskas said the process was too rushed and did not adequately involve parents, teachers, students, and community members. Her sentiments were echoed by Keith Gattozzi, cochairman of Milford High’s School Council, who said state law allows school boards to set hiring policies for superintendents to follow. The vote does not affect the ongoing process to fill the high school position, but it does allow the district’s legal counsel to investigate the School Committee’s authority in setting up a policy for future openings. At the meeting, Tremblay offered to extend the hiring process, and invited two critics of his plans, Gattozzi and a Milford High senior, Nick Pittman, to join the review of finalists for the position. - Kathleen E. Moore

NO WONDERLAND THIS YEAR - Millis Wonderland, a multiple-acre display of Christmas lights that has been brightening Causeway Street during the holiday season for years, will be dark this year, as a result of a culvert collapse that has closed part of the street for repairs. The Meehan family, who estimated they have been decorating their property with countless lights and displays for eight years, said traffic wouldn’t be able to get in and out of their street without causing massive jams. “It was a bit of a blessing. . . It does give us more time to spend with the family,’’ said Kevin Meehan, who said he has spent six to eight weeks every year putting up the displays with his wife and kids in preparation for their Thanksgiving opening. Meehan said the traffic drawn by the mile-long display - which includes hundreds of mechanical figurines, a real tugboat, a 40-foot Santa, and 48 hand-built Santa workshop displays - in past years often added an hour to his trip home from work. Still, Meehan said, Millis Wonderland will be open next year. “I think it’s a good thing to do together as a family,’’ he said. - Megan McKee

JOINING FORCES AGAINST WEEDS - The town’s Conservation Commission and a local advocacy group, Protect Our Water Resources, are preparing a joint proposal for tackling the buildup of invasive weeds in Lake Cochituate. They hope the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, which has jurisdiction over the lake, will agree to split the cost of a pilot study involving a special boat - known as a diver-assisted suction harvester - to remove Eurasian milfoil. The weed, which covers about 20 percent of the lake’s bottom, squeezes out native plants and fish, and diminishes a waterway’s appeal for swimmers and boaters. Whether to use an herbicide to kill the milfoil has been an ongoing issue for the local and state agencies and environmental activists. Bob Bois, Natick’s environmental compliance officer, said the pilot study would be a step toward forming an association to serve as the long-term steward of the lake. “What we’re also hoping to do is generate a lot of interest in establishing a partnership around the lake that lasts longer than the grant itself,’’ he said. “It’s just one lake for DCR, and they have far more responsibilities than just this one lake.’’ Bois said the commission and POWR hope area residents, and fishing and boating groups will be pulled into the effort through the study, and join forces to raise funds for the lake’s upkeep. - Megan McKee

OVERRIDES ON BALLOT - Three requests to raise local property taxes for capital improvement projects will be on a townwide ballot Dec. 8 after being overwhelmingly approved by Town Meeting voters last week. The new taxes would pay for a new Freeman-Centennial Elementary School, costing $37 million; a $10 million public safety building; and $200,000 in road-repair projects. Residents at Town Meeting voted 432 to 24 for the new school; 360 to 1 for the public safety facility; and 111 to 16 for the road work. The Massachusetts School Building Authority has agreed to contribute $17.3 million toward the new school through a reimbursement grant. Town officials have pointed to the weak construction market and low interest rates as factors supporting the building projects now, despite the poor economy. The proposals require approval by voters townwide because they exceed Proposition 2 1/2’s limits on tax increases. - Michele Morgan Bolton

SILENT AUCTION FOR LIBRARY - The Friends of the Plainville Public Library’s silent auction has a variety of holiday baskets up for bid. The baskets are on display at the library at 198 South St., and also online at www.plainvillepubliclibrary.org. Silent bids will be accepted until 7:55 p.m. Nov. 30. The highest bidder for each basket will be notified on Dec. 1. The auction is a fund-raiser for the group, which uses the proceeds to support library programs. - Michele Morgan Bolton

FIRST BUDGET HEARING - The Board of Selectmen announced Monday that its first budget hearing for next fiscal year will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 12 in Town Hall. The public session will include testimony from all department heads as well as the Advisory Committee, which provides recommendations on spending articles at Town Meeting. - Kathleen E. Moore

REPAIRING TOWN HALL WINDOWS - Selectmen have voted to support a plan to replace Town Hall’s aging window sashes and send it to Special Town Meeting voters on Tuesday for approval. A committee was formed in August to address the 14 Town Hall windows, and offered a choice of two courses of action last month. On Nov. 3, the Board of Selectmen opted for replacing the wooden sashes with aluminum-clad versions, at an estimated cost of $40,000. The committee said the cost of the new windows would be recuperated via energy savings within nine to 20 years, depending on the price of heating fuel. The replacement sashes are expected to last about 50 years. Selectman Kenneth Picard, the board’s chairman, said the aluminum units would require little or no maintenance, minimizing future upkeep expenditures. The Community Preservation Committee on Nov. 4 agreed to recommend using its fund to pay for the project, with the final decision up to Special Town Meeting, convening at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Nipmuc Regional High School. The warrant is available online at www.upton.ma.us, through a link on the town clerk’s page. - James O’Brien

ADULT ZONE ON HOLD - A proposed adult entertainment district off Route 1 near the Plainville line was not taken up by Town Meeting last week, after the Planning Board decided to indefinitely postpone its consideration. Residents have packed a series of public hearings to register opposition to the plan to designate a 15-acre industrial area east of Route 1 for adult-oriented businesses. The area, which abuts Plainville’s adult entertainment zone, is adjacent to the Wrentham Sportmen’s Club. Officials said they chose it for its least impact on town residents. Planning officials said after more consideration and a meeting with town counsel, they have come up with a few other locations to explore. Wrentham is following communities that have amended zoning bylaws to limit the locations of strip clubs, and adult book and video stores, which otherwise could set up shop wherever other businesses would be allowed. - Michele Morgan Bolton