Crossing guard volunteers sought

The Georgetown Police Department is seeking three volunteers to work as crossing guards during the school year. Recent budget cuts forced the department to eliminate three of five paid crossing guard positions. Interested applicants will be required to pass a background check. Contact Chief James Mulligan at 978-352-5700 or e-mail jmulligan@georgetownma.gov. -David Cogger

ACTING TOWN CLERK - Anne Hatheway has been appointed acting town clerk until the town election next spring. Hatheway is filling the post of Donna Stefanile, who officially retired on June 30 but stayed on part-time to assist with clerical duties until late August. Hatheway has been with the town for 11 years, previously working in the treasurer's office and as an assistant town clerk for seven years. - Taryn Plumb

LIBRARY FUNDS - The state Board of Library Commissioners has awarded Everett a provisional $1.6 million grant to help fund the renovation of the 110-year-old Shute Library. Everett's project, which also involves a slight expansion, had been on a list of library projects approved for funding once state money became available. To access the grant, the city must cover the remaining project cost by December, 2009. Library director Deborah Abraham said the project was estimated at $3 million several years ago, but that figure needs to be updated. The Shute is the smaller of Everett's two libraries. - John Laidler

BACK TO WORK - The City Council reconvened on Tuesday evening, bringing the body's summer hiatus to an end. According to Gary Christenson, council president, issues to be tackled in the coming months include bond funding for renovation of the high school; the potential relocation of City Hall; possible expansion of the city's residential tax exemption; and a redesign of the city's website. - Brenda J. Buote

RAISING SENIOR TAX BREAK - Mayor Rob Dolan has proposed increasing the property tax break that the city offers to seniors who earn low-to-moderate incomes and volunteer in city departments. Currently, Melrose offers those age 60 or older who volunteer at City Hall, the Milano Senior Center, or other municipal departments, a tax break of up to $500 every other year. If Dolan's proposal is embraced by the Board of Aldermen, the abatement would increase to $750, the maximum allowed under state law, and seniors would be able to take advantage of the break every year. The Board of Aldermen's Legal and Legislative Committee is expected to consider the proposal on Sept. 22. The aldermen's Health, Education, and Welfare Committee has already voiced its unanimous support for increasing the tax break. - Brenda J. Buote

FORECLOSURE COSTS - The City Council recently approved a request by Councilor John R. Correggio to have the inspectional services, police, and fire departments provide an itemized list of the work that has been done to date to board up foreclosed or abandoned properties. Correggio said the city has had numerous victims of foreclosure, to the point that some families abandon their homes. For safety reasons, abandoned property must be boarded up. Correggio argued that in the current economic climate, the city should try to cut costs in as many areas as possible. In a 2005 study on the costs of foreclosures in Chicago, the cost of boarding up a typical single-family home was estimated at $900. - Katheleen Conti

WATER OPENING FILLED - The Board of Selectmen has appointed Timothy Toomey to fill a seat on the Municipal Water Board created when Selectman Jack Cook resigned on July 24. Toomey will serve until the next town election in May. Toomey serves as the town's hazardous materials coordinator and served four years as a member of the Board of Health. He is general manager of Subsurface Remediation Technologies Inc., a firm that performs assessment and remediation of subsurface contamination. - David Cogger

TRAIL BACK ON TRACK - The Topsfield Rail Trail Committee's letter-writing campaign has paid off, resulting in the reinstatement of $800,000 in funding from the Federal Highway Administration. All four members of the Board of Selectmen and a group of local supporters participated in the campaign. US Representative John Tierney's work in clearing up issues with the town's initial request for the funding was also instrumental in restoring federal funding. The trail will be built on an abandoned rail bed stretching from Salisbury to Wenham. -David Cogger

POLICE SHORTHANDED - Students have returned to school, but not Sergeant Ed Levesque, the Durham Police Department's school resource officer. He has been reassigned to supervise a midnight patrol shift. After two officers resigned this summer and with three other officers excused due to illness and injuries, the 19-officer department has been forced to reassign several officers. Detectives and administrative personnel also have been rotated to patrol duties. - Tom Long

EXETER

OPTIONS CONSIDERED - The Town Building Advisory Committee has presented selectmen with several options for the renovation or replacement of the town office building on Front Street. The options presented are to renovate the existing building to create additional space; to construct a new building with a parking garage in the municipal parking lot located behind the current town offices; to construct a new building on the town property where the Exeter Parks and Recreation Department offices and Senior Citizen Center are located; or to construct a new building on the parking lot behind the Town House Common. A feasibility study of the options is expected to cost about $125,000. - Tom Long