Openings on town hall panel

The Board of Selectmen is seeking candidates to serve on a committee to oversee the 1870 Town Hall's operations. The historic building has undergone extensive repairs and now serves as a community center. The committee will be responsible for long-range planning, fund-raising, and marketing the building for rentals. Selectmen expect to form the committee after Town Meeting next month, officials said. No decision has been made on the committee's size. Candidates should submit their names to the Board of Selectmen at 23 Linden St., PO Box 274, Berlin, MA 01503. - John Dyer

STUDENTS LAUDED FOR TECH PROJECT - Two students from Tahanto Regional Middle-High School have won an honorable mention award from Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision, a national program that challenges students across the country to explore future technology through science. Sophomores Andrew Ryan and Nick Munro received the award for their project, "Swarm Robotics," which involved writing a research paper about linking robots to tackle a variety of problems. The distinction means that the team was among the top 10 percent of contestants this year. - Matt Gunderson

SCHOOL BUDGET CUTS - The School Committee will meet tomorrow to discuss shortfalls in the budget for the next fiscal year. According to school officials, the district's initial $91.3 million spending plan must be reduced by about $3.2 million to meet the town's allocation. At least $2.2 million in cuts have been made by eliminating positions, increasing class size, and reducing expenses in areas such as special education tuition, transportation, and heat and utilities, officials said. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the King Administration Building at 454 Water St.

- Tanya Pérez-Brennan

NEW ART IN THE HALL - Wayland artist Norman Law has been chosen as Hudson's new Art in the Hall exhibitor, a program organized by the Hudson-based Arts Alliance. Law's artwork, which mixes painting and drawing with found objects, is on display on the first floor of Town Hall until mid-June. There is no admission fee. Some of Law's pieces are part of the permanent collection of the Danforth Museum in Framingham. - John Dyer

EARTH DAY FAIR - Green Marlborough is holding an Earth Day Fair Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Ghiloni Park (on Concord Road, near the golf course). The fair will offer food, music, and about 50 exhibitions and activities, including advice from a home energy-efficiency specialist, a peek into the workings of a car fueled by vegetable oil, information on where to buy locally grown food, and maps of conservation lands, walking trails, and bike trails. The fair is "aimed at educating residents about sustainability and encouraging them to learn more about what they can do to help the environment in our own community," according to Green Marlborough. For a list of displays and activities, go to greenmarlborough.org. - Lisa Kocian

BALANCED BUDGET - Selectmen were able to balance next fiscal year's budget proposal at a meeting last week, that voters will not be asked to approve a Proposition 2 1/2 override to raise taxes this spring, said Town Administrator John Curran. The final budget figure was $29.78 million, which is 4.67 percent, or $1.3 million, more than the current year's spending plan, said Curran. The budget will be voted on at Town Meeting, slated to convene May 19. - Matt Gunderson

CALL TO EXPAND ZONING BOARD - An article on tomorrow's Town Meeting warrant that would expand the Zoning Board of Appeals from three to five members would make the board more efficient, says its sponsor. Robert Rosenberg, the Planning Board member who organized a petition drive to put the proposal on the warrant, said state law requires three-member zoning boards to have all three members present to form a quorum and requires a unanimous vote to overturn a building inspector's decision. A five-member board could have a member absent and still have a quorum and would need the approval of only three members to overturn an inspector's decision, he said. The proposal is number 51 on the 52-article warrant for Town Meeting, which is to convene at 7:30 p.m. at Algonquin Regional High. - John Dyer

A TRIP BACK IN TIME - History buffs can go back in time to Shrewsbury's stage coach and tavern days on Wednesday, courtesy of the Shrewsbury Historical Society. The society will present talks by Erik Larson, Kristine Gustafson, and Margaret Larson about 18th- and 19th-century travel along the Old Post Road and historic haunts such as the Pease Tavern, Balch Dean Tavern, Harrington Tavern, and Cushing Haven Tavern. The free presentation will begin at 7 p.m. at the 1830 Schoolhouse on the Common. Their presentations will be enhanced by more than 100 historic images, organizers said. - Lisa Kocian

NEW LIMITS ON SEX OFFENDERS - Town Meeting members have approved a warrant article that restricts where registered sex offenders can live in town. The new bylaw prohibits sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of schools, day-care centers, parks, and other recreational facilities. Those classified by the state as Level 2 or 3 offenders, who officials believe are at most serious risk of reoffending, are also barred from living within 1,000 feet of elderly housing. The one Level 3 and the four Level 2 registered sex offenders already living in town are exempt from the bylaw. Town Meeting members approved the measure by a vote of 47 to 32, said Town Clerk Paul Berry. Board of Selectmen chairwoman Bonnie Phaneuf said proponents argued that the bylaw would be a tool to help police monitor sex offenders. Critics said it would give residents a false sense of security and steer offenders into neighborhoods where they could live farther than 1,000 feet from schools and other buildings. - John Dyer

TAX PAYMENTS DUE - Real estate and personal property tax bills for the fourth quarter of the fiscal year were mailed last week. To avoid late charges, the town advises that the bills be paid by Thursday. If you have not received your tax bill, call the tax collector's office at 978-639-3376 or stop by the office in the Flynn Building on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can pay by mail, bring a check to the office, or go to www.town.sudbury.ma.us. - John M. Guilfoil

TRANSFER STATION CUTS BACK - The town's trash transfer station is no longer accepting masonry products, such as cinder blocks, asphalt, paver blocks, or bricks. Also, there will be no hazardous waste collection this year, based on a lack of funding after a proposed tax increase was rejected. However, the town's annual "Put and Take" program, in which people swap reusable items such as toys and furniture, will go on as planned Thursday, said Bill Place, the Department of Public Works director. - John M. Guilfoil

READING BY CHILDREN'S AUTHOR - Local author Susan Lubner will take part in Children's Book Week activities next month at the Wayland Free Public Library at 5 Concord Road. Lubner will read and sign copies of her new book, "A Horse's Tale," on May 14 at 7 p.m. She has won Mom's Choice awards for her books, "Noises at Night" and "Ruthie Bon Bair." For more information, call the library at 508-358-2311. - John M. Guilfoil

READY FOR TOWN MEETING - The Board of Selectmen has approved the warrant for next month's Town Meeting. The articles for the May 17 session include a proposal to change the town coordinator's position to a town manager and new bylaws to manage town drains and control erosion at construction sites, as well as the budget for fiscal 2009. The annual town election will be held May 6. Residents can view the warrant at www.town.westborough.ma.us. - John Dyer

STUDENTS SHOW CHARACTER - Westborough's Mill Pond School is one of two schools this year to be recognized by the Massachusetts Schools of Character program, according to Hudson's school district, whose officials helped conduct the review process for recognition. The program seeks to draw attention to curriculums designed to build character so that students can make ethical choices. Mill Pond School officials will be recognized at a conference Tuesday at Boston University's Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character and at a function Thursday at the State House. Colonel John Robinson School in Westford was also recognized. - John Dyer

EARTH DAY CLEANUP - Ashland's sixth annual Earth Day Community Cleanup will be held Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. Registration will start at 9 a.m. at Stone Park Pavilion. Trash bags and vests will be distributed; volunteers are encouraged to bring their own work gloves. Refreshments will be served, and free T-shirts will be available while they last. As part of this year's theme, "Building Awareness and Inspiring Change," participants also are being encouraged to clean up around their own neighborhood. The rain date for the event is Sunday. For more information, call 508-881-0120, ext. 19; or e-mail info@ashlandopenspace.org. - Rachel Lebeaux

ETERNAL FLAME ENSCONCED - Mayor Spyros Zagaris of Marathon, Greece, brought the Flame of the Marathon Run to its new home last week in front of the Hopkinton Police Station, where it will burn continually. The flame arrived in town on April 19, after being lighted in November in Marathon to commemorate the Greek soldiers killed in a battle against Persia in 490 BC; their victory spawned the legend behind the modern 26.2-mile race. - Michele Morgan Bolton

SUMMER RECREATION PROGRAM - The Recreation Department will kick off the third year of its Kids @ Play program June 23. The program costs $35 per day or $150 per week and runs until Aug. 15. Registration packets are available online at upton.ma.us or in person at the library and Town Hall. For more information, call 508-922-9032. - Calvin Hennick

SEEKING DEEPER SHADE OF GREEN - The Board of Selectmen recently named an Environmental Baseline Committee to assess the town's carbon-emissions footprint and suggest ways to lessen its output of greenhouse gases. The volunteer committee and town engineer will use assessors' records, utility bills, transfer station records, and census data from 2001 through 2006 to figure out where the town stands as far as consumption of resources, efficiency, and waste production. Those interested in serving on the panel are asked to send a letter to the Board of Selectmen, PO Box 378, Weston, MA 02493 or to selectmen@westonmass.org. - Stephanie V. Siek