Stormwater management meeting in Acton

SEEKING A NEW DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR - A newly formed, five-member committee is screening 39 candidates for economic development director, a position that has been vacant for two years. Finalists’ names will likely be submitted to the Board of Selectmen within 45 days, said Town Administrator Shaun Suhoski, one of the screening committee members. Others on the screening committee are Selectmen Gary Luca and James Fay, Nicholas Laggis of the Industrial Development Finance Authority, and Philip Berry of the Ayer Business Alliance. The successful candidate will be paid $51,645 to $56,439 a year, depending on experience. - Davis Bushnell

FITNESS TRAIL AT COMMUNITY COLLEGE - Middlesex Community College welcomes the public to use its new fitness trail, which opened recently on the Bedford campus at 591 Springs Road. Sponsored by the MCC Foundation, the 1.25-mile, 10-station course winds around a frog pond, through pine forest, and across meadows and fields. Each of its 10 fitness stations is equipped with a detailed sign explaining how to safely use that station. Trail maps are also available. - Nancy Shohet West

GRADE 6 PROPOSAL - Residents at Special Town Meeting tomorrow night will vote on a plan that would move sixth-grade students to the regional high school building in Boylston. Currently the school has students from seventh through 12th grades. The move would allow the district to create a Tahanto Middle School at the Tahanto Regional High School building. The proposal is the only article on the warrant. The meeting will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Berlin Memorial School. Voters in Boylston took up the plan last week and approved it by a near-unanimous vote. - Jennifer Fenn Lefferts

SESSION ON OPEN MEETING LAW - Bolton officials are being invited by the Middlesex district attorney’s office to attend a workshop on Nov. 18 focusing on changes to the state’s Open Meeting Law that are set to take effect next year. The Opening Meeting Law changes include a new requirement that boards post more information on their agendas about issues coming up at meetings. - Matt Gunderson

TOWN MEETING BACKS TAHANTO PLAN - An article expanding the Tahanto Regional Middle/High School into a sixth- through eighth-grade school system passed at Special Town Meeting on Monday night, said Town Clerk Sandra Bourassa. The article now has to pass at Berlin’s Special Town Meeting, which is scheduled for tomorrow night. The school is currently a seventh- through 12th-grade system, and officials believe it would be best, for curriculum reasons, to include the sixth grade. - Matt Gunderson

TOWN MEETING TOMORROW - Residents will vote on adopting a local meals tax, increasing the hotel tax, and preserving Steele Farm at a Special Town Meeting tomorrow. The meeting will start at 7 p.m. at the Blanchard Memorial School. There are six articles on the warrant. The .75 percent local meals tax could generate about $20,000 for the town in the current fiscal year and an increase in the hotel tax from 4 to 6 percent would generate about $36,500. The new taxes would take effect in January. The Steele Farm article would place preservation restrictions on the town-owned property. - Jennifer Fenn Lefferts

COST SAVINGS PROPOSED - Consultants from the New England School Development Council met recently with the Carlisle School Committee to propose options for making considerable cost savings by restructuring the school administration. The consultants offered three scenarios. One would save approximately $86,000 by combining the superintendent and business manager positions; a second would save about $116,000 by reducing the superintendent’s job to part time, and the third would save about $169,000 by combining the roles of superintendent and principal. The proposals will be discussed at upcoming School Committee meetings, including one this Wednesday. School Committee meetings begin at 7 p.m. and are held in the school library.

THE FUTURE OF WEST CONCORD - A public information forum on the future of West Concord will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Harvey Wheeler Community Center. The West Concord Task Force will present its master plan recommendations, which are intended to enhance and protect the village center. Issues that will be discussed include transportation, streetscape and parking, parks, open space and trails, and new development and redevelopment.

POLICE AND FIRE TRAINING - The police and fire departments have had a busy month of training and readiness preparation. On Nov. 2, the Dunstable Police Department participated in simulated emergency vehicle operator training exercise. This training was provided free by the town’s insurance carrier. Then on Nov. 12, the department coordinated with the Dunstable Fire/Rescue Department for a training demonstration utilizing the Jaws of Life hydraulic rescue tool. A video of the demonstration may be viewed in January on the “Groton-Dunstable 911’’ local cable television program. - John M. Guilfoil

TOWN SEEKS TELEVISION TECHNICIAN - The town is looking for a television production technician to work with the local cable television channel. An application form is available on the Web at townofgroton.org. The town asks that applicants not e-mail or fax their applications, but drop them off at Town Hall’s personnel department at 173 Main St.

SOUTH SHAKER ROAD LAND NOW CONSERVATION - Five acres of an 8.3-acre property owned by Alice Thayer at 92 South Shaker Road that is in a historic district are now designated as conservation land. The Harvard Conservation Trust, a private, nonprofit group, will oversee the land. - Davis Bushnell

LIBRARY HAPPENINGS - The Hudson Public Library has a number of children’s events scheduled before it closes on Nov. 25 for Thanksgiving Day. A magician will appear at the library on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m., a “mad scientist’’ program is scheduled for Thursday at 3:30 p.m., and a number of story hours are scheduled for children. For a complete list of activities, visit hudsonpubliclibrary.com. - Calvin Hennick

DEMOCRATS FOR SENATE GATHERING - The four Democratic candidates for the US Senate seat vacated by the late Edward M. Kennedy will speak at a voters’ forum Saturday. The event comes with slightly more than two weeks remaining in the campaign and represents one of the last opportunities to hear all of the candidates at once northwest of Boston. Each candidate will respond to questions submitted in advance before giving a closing statement. The forum is hosted by the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee and sponsored by the Third Middlesex Senatorial District Democrats, the Fourth Middlesex Senatorial District Democrats, and the Greater Lowell Area Democrats. The forum begins at 1 p.m. at the Donaldson auditorium in the Brooks Building on Ballfield Road. - Adam J.V. Sell

TOWN MEETING CUTS BUDGETS - Voters cut both the town and school budgets at a Special Town Meeting last week. The town budget was reduced $197,487 and the schools lost $109,248 following reductions in local aid from the state.

CLUB RAISES MONEY AT GALA - An Oct. 29 fund-raiser for the Boys & Girls Clubs of MetroWest brought in $142,000. The event featured live and silent auctions and a raffle and was attended by 300 guests, sponsors, and honorees. “We are thankful for the support of all of our sponsors who helped make this year’s gala a great success,’’ said Fran Hurley, president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of MetroWest, in a prepared statement. Next year’s gala is scheduled for Oct. 28. People interested in sponsoring or participating in the event should call 508-485-4912.

SEARCH FOR NEW ADMINISTRATOR -Town officials are seeking residents interested in serving on a search committee to find a new town administrator. The current town administrator, John Curran, has been offered the town manager post in Billerica. Committee members will meet over several weeks to review resumes, conduct interviews, and recommend candidates to the Board of Selectmen. Interested residents should submit a letter of intent to Town Hall by noon on Friday. - Calvin Hennick

HEARING ON NATIONAL GRID CELL TOWER - After delaying a public hearing last month, National Grid will meet with the Northborough Planning Board Tuesday to present its plan to construct a 125-foot, four-carrier cell tower in town. The tower would be placed at the company’s facilities at 55 Bearfoot Road, near Solomon Pond, a predominantly residential area. The public hearing was postponed last month by National Grid when company officials asked for more time to look into alternatives to the tower, town planner Kathy Joubert said. National Grid has not yet offered any alternatives. The original proposal has met with disapproval by many residents who feel the tower will be an eyesore. In September protesters held signs along main roads in town that read “National Grid - do the right thing’’ and “Northborough - adhere to your bylaws.’’ Opponents argue Northborough would be ignoring bylaws that were developed to prevent this type of commercial building in a residential area if it were to accept National Grid’s proposal. - Jennifer Roach

SESSION ON THE PEPPER MILL SITE - There will be a public forum on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the senior center to discuss the future of the Pepperell Mill site. At the Annual Town Meeting in May 2008, residents approved two articles designed to encourage development there. The Mill Site Study Committee, an ad-hoc group, needs input again and invites Pepperell citizens to a master planning session to evaluate three possible development plans. - John M. Guilfoil

LOCAL TOY DRIVE - The town of Shrewsbury begins its annual holiday toy drive today. Collection centers are at the town Senior Center and the Gymnastics Learning Center. Toys collected go to children of families served by Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services, a nonprofit social services organization, as well as those receiving assistance from the state Department of Children and Families. LouAnn Geer, volunteer coordinator for the toy drive, said donated toys should be nonviolent. Last year the drive provided toys to “hundreds of children,’’ she said. This year’s toy drive runs through Dec. 12. The Gymnastics Learning Center is at 574 Lake St., and the Senior Center is at 98 Maple Ave. For information, contact Geer at 508-753-6789. - James O’Brien

WORLD WAR II HERO DIES - One of the town’s most distinguished World War II veterans has died. John Hebert, who single-handedly captured 39 German soldiers during the war and saved an injured soldier by dragging him to safety while under machine gun fire, died Nov. 1, said Charles Church, historian at Shirley’s American Legion post. Hebert earned a Silver Star medal and was never injured in wartime, Church said, although at one point machine gun fire shot the heel off his boot. Hebert, who was 84 years old, was buried on Nov. 6 at Shirley Village Cemetery, Church said. The town of Shirley is home to about 60 World War II veterans, according to Church.

CLARK SATELLITE MOVING TO TOWN - Clark University has signed a lease to move its Graduate Management Center, the satellite campus of the Graduate School of Management, to 333 Turnpike Road in Southborough this January. The building will be the site of the school’s evening MBA program, offering night classes from 6 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday to approximately 180 students. The four classrooms and conference center at the new location will be available during the day for companies to rent for meetings and corporate events. The school’s dean, Edward Ottensmeyer, said the school chose the new site for its upgraded facilities and its proximity to the “fast-growing world-class companies in the MetroWest area.’’

FLU VACCINE - Health Agent Jack Wallace is advising residents that vaccines for the H1N1 flu virus are available through the Board of Health office on a limited basis. Priority groups are being given the vaccine first, according to the town website, including pregnant women, health care givers up to 49 years old with direct patient contact, and people who live in households with children under 6 or pregnant women in their third trimester. Call the health office at 978-897-4592 to be placed on the priority list.

ANNIVERSARY AT THE GRIST MILL - The grist mill formerly owned by Henry Ford will celebrate its 80th anniversary this Saturday. The Wayside Inn attraction will offer tours, fire pits, a Colonial gun salute, and birthday cake made with flour ground at the mill. The first flour made at the Wayside mill was ground on Thanksgiving 1929, during Henry Ford’s 23-year stint as owner of the property. The daytime event is free and begins at 11 a.m.; an $80-per-couple dinner and champagne reception will be held Saturday night beginning at 7.

PINK FLAMINGOS - The reds, yellows, and oranges of the autumn leaves cover many lawns in Wayland, but a fund-raiser by one high school class has added another color to the mix: pink. Wayland High School’s junior class of 2011 is planting plastic flamingos to help defray the costs of its upcoming prom, according to the Wayland Student Press Network. For $10 the students will litter a lawn with 10 flamingos, $20 buys 20 birds, and $30 earns a flock of 50. The money raised goes beyond helping the students get their dance on, as 10 percent will go to breast cancer research.

COMMITTEE TO VOTE ON KINDERGARTEN FEES - The Westborough School Committee is meeting Wednesday at 6 p.m. to vote on a proposed increase in full-day kindergarten tuition from $2,800 to $3,000. The tuition increase was presented to the committee by Superintendent Anne Towle at its last meeting as a means of helping reduce a projected $1.7 million deficit for fiscal year 2011. If approved the increase will take effect next school year. This is the first significant increase in kindergarten costs in four years, Towle said. The average 3 percent increase is insufficient to cover escalating costs, which is why Towle said she is proposing the larger 7 percent increase. She said she hopes to help the budget without hurting residents. “We’re really looking with the economic downturn for every possible way to bring in revenue, while at the same time keeping costs down for our families,’’ she said. Towle said even with the proposed increase, Westborough kindergarten costs are still significantly lower than local private programs and comparable to nearby public schools. The School Committee is also considering the possibility of increasing athletic and activity fees as well as instituting bus fees, but will wait until the winter to vote on those proposals. Wednesday’s meeting will be held in the Forbes Municipal Building.