School to be paid off early

The town is set to pay off all debt related to the 10-year-old Berlin Memorial School 10 years early, according to Town Treasurer Dennis Fearebay said, because of a loophole that opened when the Massachusetts School Building Authority was created in 2004. The state speeded up payments to the town to get the debt off the books of the previous funding agency, Fearebay said. Normally the debt would have taken 20 years to repay from when construction on the $9.7 million school began. The faster repayment also saves the town around $260,000 in interest, the treasurer said. The last payment is scheduled to be sent to creditors on Tuesday, he said. - John Dyer

PROGRESS ON PUBLIC SAFETY CENTER - Plans for a new public safety center are still on schedule, and groundbreaking on the $4.2 million project is expected to take place in October or November, said Police Chief Vincent Alfano. The architectural drawings for the new facility off Wattaquadock Hill Road have been completed, and the project manager has been hired, said Alfano. A general contractor for the project still needs to be chosen, he said. The estimated completion date of the project is 2009 or 2010.

- Matt Gunderson

STILL HOLDING REINS - Sue Olsen is continuing on as the town administrator on a part-time basis, as local officials search for someone to replace her, said Lori Esposito, administrative assistant in the selectmen's office. Olsen was scheduled to retire in April, but the search process has proved fruitless, so she agreed to continue working 19 hours a week until the position is filled, Esposito said. - Matt Gunderson

BUSINESSWOMEN TO MEET - Business Women Unite, a networking group for residents of area communities, is having its next monthly meeting on July 21. The group, formed four years ago, has more than 400 members on its e-mail list, and holds monthly meetings hosted at different area businesses, said founder Rhona George. This month's meeting, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., will be hosted by the Framingham Historical Society and Museum at Edgell Memorial Library, at the corner of Oak Street and Edgell Road in Framingham Center. For more information, call George at 508-877-4244. - Tanya Pérez-Brennan

ARTS ALLIANCE NEEDS SOME HANDS - The Hudson-based Arts Alliance is seeking volunteer "roadies" to help set up and move equipment for its upcoming summer shows. Volunteers are also sought to work in the nonprofit's office helping with paperwork. The next shows the Alliance is producing include Disney's "Mulan Junior," to be performed Thursday and Friday in the Marlborough Middle School Auditorium, and Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew," on Saturday at Hudson High School and next Sunday at Wood Park. Area residents interested in volunteering should call the Arts Alliance at 978-562-1646. - John Dyer

COUNCIL REACHING OUT - The town's Council on Aging is offering Lincoln's older residents an outreach program, which includes daily phone calls, visits at home, and help with shopping and other errands. Anyone interested in the service should call the council at 781-259-8811. - John M. Guilfoil

WHEELCHAIR FIXER IN FLORIDA - Marlborough native David Heim, founder of the nonprofit Wheelchair Recycler operation, has moved his business to the Sunshine State. Until April, Heim repaired expensive electric wheelchairs at discount prices in Marlborough, earning fame when he received Christopher Reeve's wheelchair after the actor died and used its parts for other chairs. But the publicity came with a price. So many donated wheelchairs poured into Heim's garage, he ran out of space to keep them all. This winter, he moved to Hudson and worked out of a storage facility in Marlborough, often repairing chairs in the facility's parking lot. But the donated chairs kept coming. In April, he closed the business, saying he would shut down rather than throw away expensive electric chairs he couldn't store. In June, Heim moved to Orange Park, Fla., where he reopened his business. He moved because he wanted to try his luck in a warmer place, he wrote in an e-mail.

- John Dyer

RESERVOIR OFF-LIMITS FOR A DAY - The city is asking boaters and swimmers to stay out of the Fort Meadow Reservoir on Tuesday, while it is treated with an herbicide to control an invasive weed, according to the Conservation Department. The reservoir, which extends into Hudson, is being invaded by Eurasian water milfoil and variable water milfoil, which are nonnative weeds that if left to grow will make boating, swimming, and fishing difficult, according to the city department's announcement. For more information, contact the Conservation Commission at 508-460-3768. -Lisa Kocian

SCHOOL COMMITTEE VACANCY - Town officials are seeking to appoint a new School Committee member, after member Ann Pratt opted to resign recently. The Maynard resident appointed to the position will fill the remainder of Pratt's term, which expires next June. Interested residents are asked to send letters to the Board of Selectmen's office. - Matt Gunderson

APTO NEEDS PARENTS - The Algonquin Parent Teacher Organization needs as many as five residents from Northborough and Southborough to join the group's executive board. Open positions on the board include a co-chair, treasurer, newsletter editor, and fund-raiser. The board meets once a month, usually the first Thursday of the month, for an hour or two. Board members often have children who attend Algonquin Regional High School, but residents without children in the school may apply. For more information, contact Sandy Pochapin at 508-460-9443.

- John Dyer

TRASH SYSTEM BEGINS NEXT MONTH - The town will start a pay-as-you-throw recycling and trash collection system on Aug. 4. The program will require residents to buy special trash bags for their rubbish - 75 cents for 15-gallon bags and $1.50 for 33-gallon bags - to be collected curbside. Items that weigh 20 pounds or less but are too big for a bag may be left on the curb with a pay-as-you-throw bag attached to it. The town will also provide $10 stickers for bulk-waste items, such as furniture or gas grills. The stickers and the bags will be available in local stores within the next few weeks, according to the town's website, shrewsbury-ma.gov. The program has been debated for several years among residents, some of whom see it as an unfair tax. Supporters say the program will save money on waste disposal and is designed to encourage recycling. - Manny Veiga

GENERATING SMOKE PROBLEMS - While the Police Department is set to receive a new $85,000 generator soon, the old generator in the Fire Department's building next door is causing problems recently. Fire Chief John Mauro said exhaust from the 49-year-old generator is wafting into police station via the air conditioners. He has raised the height of the smokestack for the generator, but it doesn't seem to work, he said. The fumes aren't concentrated enough to be harmful, but they smell bad, said Mauro. Town Meeting approved funding for the generator in April.

- John Dyer

EDUCATION FOUNDATION GRANTS - The nonprofit Southborough Education Foundation recently announced $12,000 in grants to town schools and educators for projects not covered by the regular school budget. Grants include training preschool staff in teaching techniques using movement, Web-enhanced reading courses, introduction to Latin for eighth-graders, and using visual arts in an Advanced Placement World History course to compare cultures over time periods. The projects will begin in the fall. The foundation raises money from local donors.

- John Dyer

NEW SUBDIVISION IN WORKS - Developer Colonial Realty Trust has recently submitted plans for an 18-lot subdivision straddling the Acton-Stow town line on West Acton Road, said Karen Kelleher, Stow's planning administrator. The development would be a cluster subdivision of single-family homes, which means 60 percent of the property would need to remain as open space, said Kelleher. A public hearing process is expected to get started on the subdivision later this month, she said. - Matt Gunderson

CITIZEN'S ACADEMY - The town is hosting a "citizen's academy" this fall, giving 20 residents the opportunity to learn how their local government works. The academy, made up of several classes, will be taught by town employees and committee members who will offer an in-depth look at their areas of interest. The town hopes to tape each class and broadcast it on the local-access cable channel. Town officials are also seeking residents to work as the project coordinator for developing and executing the citizen's academy curriculum. Interested residents are asked to send an e-mail to selectmen@sudbury.ma.us by Friday. - John M. Guilfoil

STORES STUNG BY UNDERAGE SALES - Five stores were allegedly caught selling alcohol or tobacco products to minors as part of a police undercover operation last month. According to the Police Department, officers sent a 17-year-old to several local stores to purchase the goods without showing identification. Post Road Liquors was allegedly caught selling alcohol and will be referred to the selectmen's office for possible sanctions. Four stores - Rite Aid Pharmacy on Main Street, Wayland Variety of Deli on the Boston Post Road, Wayland Mobil on Commonwealth Avenue, and Wayland Exxon on Boston Post Road - were allegedly caught selling cigarettes to the youth, and will be referred to the Board of Health for possible sanctions. A spokesman for Rite Aid said an area manager has retrained employees on the system that is in place to prevent underage tobacco sales. Representatives from the other stores did not return phone calls seeking a comment. - John M. Guilfoil

CUSTOMER SERVICE INITIATIVE - The Board of Selectmen is preparing to establish a committee to examine how well the town provides services to residents and local businesses, said Selectman Timothy Dodd. The Customer Service Initiative Ad Hoc Committee would study communications between the town and local firms and citizens, and suggest ways to improve rapport. The committee would also determine whether to recommend that the town establish a central e-mail and telephone system, publish brochures, or find other ways that might improve the public's interaction with the municipal government. - John Dyer

SAFE DRIVING FOR SENIORS - The American Automobile Association will offer "Driving: Older & Wiser," a traffic-safety awareness program for all area seniors, on Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the town's Senior Center, 40 Blackstone St. Following the DVD presentation and discussion, AAA "car doctor" John Paul will meet with seniors in the parking lot to review whether their vehicle requires any modifications for safe driving. For more information, call the Council on Aging at 508-966-0398. - Rachel Lebeaux

MOVING TO FRAMINGHAM POST - Patricia Canali has left her job as assistant principal at Milford High School to become principal of the Joseph P. Keefe Technical School in Framingham. Canali served as assistant principal for two years. She began at Keefe July 1. - Anna Fiorentino

NEW TEST CLEARS WATER FOR USE - A second round of tests on water drawn from wells on the Price Woodlands property showed it meets all state standards for primary drinking water. Officials decided that an initial test, which found high levels of iron and manganese in the water, had been tainted by rust in the steel well casing used in the procedure.

- Anna Fiorentino