Open council seat

Ann Phipps has resigned from Berlin's Council on Aging, leaving a seat open on the panel. Residents interested in a three-year term on issues related to elderly affairs and other council duties should contact the Board of Selectmen, who appoint council members. They can be reached at the Municipal Building, 23 Linden Street, PO Box 274, Berlin, MA 01503. - John Dyer

FARMING PANEL MAKES ROUNDS - The town's Agricultural Commission is meeting with local boards in an effort to work through issues relating to farming. The panel has met with the Conservation Commission in an effort to clarify how wetland regulations and farming can interact, said Carol Gumbart, Bolton's conservation administrator. The board is also slated to meet with selectmen and the Board of Health. The commission was approved by voters in the spring as part of Bolton's new Agricultural Preservation Bylaw. - Matt Gunderson

LEAN BUDGET YEAR EXPECTED - Anticipating another tight year, the regional school district's interim superintendent, Joseph Connelly, has said he doesn't expect any new programs or services in the fiscal year starting in July. "We're pretty much moving ahead on the assumption of level funding," he said. State aid is not expected to rise nor is new revenue expected to increase for the Berlin-Boylston district, Connelly said. "It's too early to say if there would be cuts," he added. - Matt Gunderson

HELP WITH OPEN SPACE PLANS - Town officials are holding a series of forums to get the public's recommendations for updates to Framingham's Open Space and Recreation Plan, which dates to 2003. "The plan helps the town identify and protect open and recreational areas," said Michele Grzenda, Framingham's conservation agent. The 2003 plan outlined goals such as improvements to Tercentennial Park, recently renamed Cushing Memorial Park, where old asphalt was removed, plants were added, and a new access way was built, Grzenda said. Residents interested in attending one of the three forums should fill out a survey available on the town's website, framinghamma.gov. The surveys will be presented to Conservation Commission members and included in the final recommendations for the updated plan. Forums will be held tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria at Framingham High School at 115 A Street, Thursday at 9:30 a.m. at the Senior Center at 535 Union Ave., and on Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the library of the Brophy Elementary School at 575 Pleasant Street. For more information, call 508-532-5460. - Tanya Pérez-Brennan

SENIOR CENTER STUDY - The town has made available a new feasibility study for a revamped senior center. Hudson's elderly population has outgrown the current senior center, housed in a late-1800s building on Church Street that needs about $4.3 million in renovations, the study says. The study can be reached by going to the town's website, townofhudson.org, and clicking on the link to the study at the bottom of the home page. - John Dyer

HUDSON STROLL RETURNS - The fifth annual Hudson Stroll, an extravaganza sponsored by the Hudson Downtown Association, will be held on Friday from 4 to 10 p.m. Dozens of businesses and other venues will hold events for the stroll. Santa will arrive by drawn carriage at 6 p.m. to light the town's Christmas tree on the rotary downtown. Go to hudsonstroll.com for more information. - John Dyer

BREAK-IN SUSPECT ARRESTED - Police arrested a car break-in suspect Tuesday after a tip from Concord police that a man driving a white Cadillac had reportedly been seen breaking into a car. Based on the alert, Lincoln police, assisted by Concord and Bedford officers, arrested Brad Ouellette, 26, of Malden. Ouellette was charged with breaking and entering into a motor vehicle, larceny, possession of burglary tools, and malicious destruction of property. He also was charged with carrying a dangerous weapon, based on a set of brass knuckles allegedly found in his car, police said. Officers also reported recovering a portable global-positioning unit and a lead pipe from the car, Concord Police Lieutenant Barry Neal said. - John M. Guilfoil

WARNING ON E-MAILS - The city is warning residents to be wary of fake e-mails that appear to be official messages from Marlborough regarding their taxes. Mayor Nancy Stevens forwarded to Globe West an e-mail that she received from a resident containing the subject line "City of Marlborough Income Tax Memo." The body of the e-mail offers services related to settling with the Internal Revenue Service on back taxes. The city is reminding residents that official correspondence from the city is sent only through the Post Office. - Lisa Kocian

NEW ASSISTANT ASSESSOR - The Board of Selectmen has appointed Beverly Hanson to serve as assistant assessor, said Town Administrator John Curran. Hanson, who is the assistant assessor in Watertown, will replace Tony Maria, who recently retired. Curran said there was no talk of reducing the position's hours to cut costs. - Matt Gunderson

TAXES INCREASE - The average single-family property tax bill in Northborough will increase by $201 under tax rates adopted by the Board of Selectmen on Monday. The new rate is $13.28 per $1,000 valuation. The average assessed value of a single-family home in town is $418,400, a 4 percent decrease from last year's value of $435,300. The drop reflected weaker sales in the town's real estate market, principal assessor Diane O'Connor wrote in a letter to selectmen. - John Dyer

ARTISTS TO MEET, EAT - The Artist Guild of Shrewsbury is holding its monthly meeting tomorrow at 7 p.m., at Southgate at Shrewsbury, 30 Julio Drive. Unlike most meetings, tomorrow's will be a holiday potluck meal, where members are also encouraged to bring a piece of artwork for an informal critique, according to organizer Shari Fox. Normally the meetings, held the first Monday of every month, feature a guest artist who shows their work and holds a demonstration or workshop. The community group is open to all ages and includes hobbyists and professional artists. Members pay annual dues of $25, or $15 for students. Programs are open to the public with a requested donation of $5 to $10. - Lisa Kocian

NEW ZBA MEMBER - Leo Bartolini is the new alternate member of Southborough's Zoning Board of Appeals. Bartolini beat out four other applicants for the one-year seat. There are no meetings are scheduled for December because no permits are pending before the board. - John Dyer

ANIMAL BYLAW AT TOWN MEETING - Town officials are putting forward a revised animal control bylaw for Town Meeting tomorrow night that would transfer the responsibility for dog hearings from the selectmen to the Board of Health. The revisions to the bylaw would also make several "housekeeping" changes to the bylaw, including a clarified definition of the term commercial kennel. The Town Meeting kicks off at 7 p.m. in the Hale Middle School. - Matt Gunderson

LAND PURCHASE ON WARRANT - The warrant for tomorrow night's Special Town Meeting includes a proposal to purchase 7 acres on Boston Post Road for $860,000. The land, known as the Young property, is being considered for a community housing development to "accommodate the needs of lower-income residents," selectmen said in a recent statement. Funds from the town's Community Preservation Committee account would pay for the land. Also on the agenda is a proposal to update a feasibility study for renovating the town's aging police station. Special Town Meeting is to convene at 7:30 p.m. at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High. For more information, call the town manager's office at 978-639-3381, or go to the municipal website, sudbury.ma.us. - John M. Guilfoil

LIBRARY FOCUSES ON PHOTOGRAPHER - The Wayland Free Public Library will be showcasing photographs by Sherry Fendell in its foyer this month. "The images attempt to capture the fleeting quality of a body in motion, highlighting the work of performance artist Maureen Fleming," the library said in a statement. Fendell is a 10-year member of the Sudbury Valley Nature Photographers, and has been featured at the Center for Arts in Natick, Emerson Hospital, and Out of the Blue Gallery in Cambridge. - John M. Guilfoil

SELECTMEN SEEK FEEDBACK - Selectmen are seeking input from citizens who sit on town panels about how they interact with the board. The participants are requested to fill out a brief survey, which is designed to help selectmen determine how to better communicate with Westborough's numerous boards and commissions. To obtain the survey, go to www.town.westborough.ma.us and click on "Committee Liaison Letter & Survey." - John Dyer

HIGH SCHOOL CONCERTS - Westborough High School will present a series of concerts this month that will highlight several of its student performing groups. A jazz ensemble and an a cappella group will perform on Tuesday; string and wind ensembles will perform on Dec. 17; and the high school choir and orchestra will perform Handel's "Messiah" on Dec. 20. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. performances at the high school cost $5. For more information, contact David Jost at 508-836-7716. - John Dyer

AROUND THE REGION

MONEY FOR LAND PURCHASE - Residents last week authorized the town to borrow $2.8 million to pay the remaining costs of acquiring a parcel of land off Oak Street through eminent domain. The town originally voted to acquire the parcel, owned by Stephanie A. and Kristen McCook, in October 1999 for $450,000, according to Philip Jack, chairman of the Board of Selectmen. The purchase went into effect in 2002, and the town has been in litigation since then, Jack told Special Town Meeting voters on Monday. The price has now been settled at $2.8 million by a court order. "It's a staggering number, but the plaintiff was looking for over $5 million. It's not a great number, but it's the best we could have done," Jack said. Steven Greenberg, chairman of the town's Community Preservation Act Committee, and Jack said they hope to repay the loan through CPA money. Ashland residents will still need to approve each year's allocation from the CPA fund. - Alexandra Perloe

MORE MONEY FROM CELL TOWER - The cell phone tower at the Department of Public Works facility at 20 Ponderosa Road will bring in an additional $10,000 to $15,000 each year, after Special Town Meeting voted to allow an additional antenna on the tower. - Alexandra Perloe

SYMPHONY LOOKING FOR YOUNG ARTISTS - The Metrowest Symphony Orchestra will hold auditions for its annual Young Artist Competition on Dec. 15 beginning at 9:30 a.m. at M. Steinert & Sons Piano, 1 Gold Star Boulevard in Worcester. The symphony, headquartered in Hopkinton, is looking for a student musician for its annual family concert in February. Interested students should submit a letter of recommendation from a music instructor along with an application, which can be downloaded at the symphony's website, metrowestsymphony.org. In addition, contestants must submit a non-refundable application fee of $20. Send application materials to Metrowest Symphony Orchestra, PO Box 260, Hopkinton, MA 01748, Attn: Katie Tibbits. For further information, contact Tibbits at katieobo@aol.com, or call the symphony at 508-791-8898. - David Cogger

MONEY NEEDED TO COVER GAP - Selectmen will ask Town Meeting voters Tuesday to approve freeing up $117,000 of unappropriated funds to shore up a budget shortfall. The Board of Selectmen's chairwoman, Marsha Paul, said last week that her board may be convening another session by the end of the month if that is not enough to pay the town's bills. - Calvin Hennick