Mall roadwork in Berlin

New signals and turning lanes are being added to the interchange of Route 62 and Interstate 495 in Berlin, said Jed Hayes, principal at Sullivan Hayes Cos. Northeast, a Farmington, Conn.-based developer building a 167-acre shopping complex on the Berlin-Hudson line. The company is also widening roads in the area to accommodate traffic expected when the shopping center opens in a year or two. Hayes said the interchange work should be completed by the end of the year. He also intends to present a site plan for the Berlin side of the development to town officials by early next year. In May, Berlin Town Meeting members approved new zoning to allow the project and accepted a $2.6 million mitigation package from the developer. - John Dyer

HAZARDOUS WASTE DAY - Town officials will host a hazardous-waste collection day on Oct. 11 at the Department of Public Works garage on Forbush Mill Road. Household items that residents can dispose of include oil-based paints, poisons, insecticides, furniture polish, asbestos, and fluorescent light bulbs. Collection hours are from 8 a.m. to noon.

- Matt Gunderson

TAHANTO LIBRARY PROGRAM - The Tahanto Regional Middle/High School is asking residents to raise money for its library this fall through a program with Hannaford stores. To participate in the program, store customers should look for the Hannaford Helps Schools icon on various products. For any four items bought, the store will give out $3 in the form of school coupons. The coupons can be dropped at a bucket inside the library. Hannaford will send a check to the school for the value of all coupons collected.

- Matt Gunderson

T-MOBILE WINS EXTENSION - The town's Zoning Board of Appeals decided Tuesday to grant an extension to a cellphone company while it seeks alternative locations for a 100-foot-high communications tower it wants to build in town. T-Mobile USA Inc., which has run into opposition for its plan to place the tower on St. George's Cemetery land, was told to report back on Oct. 27, said Kimberly Oikle, the board's administrative assistant. T Mobile officials say the company needs the tower in the Cherry Street graveyard, owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, to fill a coverage gap, but nearby residents say the tower would be inappropriate there. Next month's hearing is to start at 7 p.m. in the Blumer Community Room in the Memorial Building, 150 Concord St. Call 508-532-5456 for more details. - Tanya Pérez Brennan

HIGHER WATER, SEWER BILLS - The Board of Selectmen has approved a water and sewer rate increase. The average increase for residents would be about $10 a year, said Executive Assistant Paul Blazar. The rate increase is necessary because the water and sewer divisions of the Department of Public Works needed to spend an additional $91,000 for energy costs this year, said Blazar. Town policy is for ratepayers to cover the entire cost of the town's water and sewer services, he said. - John Dyer

E-MAIL ALERT SYSTEM - The town has started an e-mail alert system to help residents keep informed about public notices, events, meetings, and other important information. To enroll in free service, visit the town's website, www.lincolntown.org, and click on the "subscribe" link. - John M. Guilfoil

ASIAN BEETLE WATCH - City officials are asking residents to be on the lookout for Asian longhorned beetles, an invasive species that is threatening to cause hundreds or even thousands of hardwood trees to be cut down in nearby towns, including Boylston and Shrewsbury. Federal officials have sectioned off parts of area communities that they deemed at risk for the beetles, which are originally from China. One of the few ways to stop infestations is to cut down all trees susceptible to the bug within a quarter-mile of an infested tree. Any resident who thinks they have seen one of the beetles, which are black with white spots, approximately an inch long and with antenna as long or longer than their body, should call tree warden Chris White at 508-624-6910. - John Dyer

WEST NILE VIRUS - The state Department of Public Health has announced the discovery of the first bird stricken with West Nile virus in Maynard in two years, according to an announcement by the town. Local health officials caution residents about being outside when mosquitoes are active, at dawn and dusk, since they transmit the disease. Preventive steps that can be taken to avoid being bitten include wearing more outer clothing and applying mosquito repellant containing DEET. The last time an infected bird was found in Maynard was in 2006.

- Matt Gunderson

RECYCLING BARRELS AT PARKS - The state Department of Environmental Protection has given Northborough six recycling containers that have been placed in town parks, said town engineer Fred Litchfield. The containers are part of the DEP's grant program to reduce municipal trash collections. Three containers have been placed at the Ellsworth-MacAfee Park; the others are at Assabet Park, Casey Field, and Memorial Field. Plastic, glass, and aluminum beverage bottles can be deposited in the containers for recycling. - John Dyer

CALL FOR NEW FIRETRUCK - Fire Chief John Mauro has said he intends to ask Town Meeting next spring to fund the purchase of a $900,000 firetruck. The chief said the department's 25-year-old ladder truck was recently taken out of service. He said he hopes the town will purchase a combination ladder and pump truck that would give firefighters more hose capacity while also providing access to the upper stories of buildings. About 70 percent of Southborough homes have two stories, so the town needs a ladder truck, he said. Currently, if a ladder truck is needed, Southborough calls surrounding towns for help, the chief said. - John Dyer

MATH CURRICULUM REVISIONS - Officials at the Nashoba Regional School District have announced that they will review their mathematics curricular materials to align them better with district and state standards. As part of the revision, elementary classroom teachers will participate in pilot programs that bring the district's math curriculum into conformity with standards set by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. - Matt Gunderson

LEARN ABOUT THE ROARING TWENTIES - The town's Council on Aging is sponsoring Sudbury University: A Day of Learning on Oct. 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The theme of the day is the Roaring Twenties - its look, history, music, art, and the rise of organized crime. There will be six classes offered, including sessions focusing on Jewish, Irish, and Italian gangsters, the rise of jazz, the 1928 presidential election, and changes in women's fashion during the period. Tuition for the day is $50, which includes lunch. Enrollment is limited to 75. For more details, call the Council on Aging at 617-573-1612.

- John Guilfoil

INTEREST IN SENIOR VILLAGE - A group is forming to gauge interest among the town's older residents in forming a membership organization similar to Boston's Beacon Hill Village. The goal of the organization would be to deliver programs, activities, and services to senior citizens to allow them to remain in their own homes. A recent survey of about 100 Wayland households with older residents indicated strong support for the concept. A meeting on the topic has been scheduled for Oct. 14 at 2 p.m. in the selectmen's meeting room at Town Hall. For more information, contact Jan H. Dunn at dunnonthepond@comcast.net or 508-655-9149. - John M. Guilfoil

CABLE STATION OPEN HOUSE - WayCAM, the town's public-access cable television station, will hold its annual meeting and open house Thursday from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at its studio in Wayland High School. There will be opportunities to tour the facility, try out the studio cameras and be interviewed while learning more about WayCAM's operations. Refreshments will be provided. For more information, contact Betsy Moyer at 508-358 2939. - John M. Guilfoil

SUPERMARKET TO ANCHOR TOWN CENTER - The anchor store for the new Town Center development will be a prototype of the Stop & Shop supermarket chain's new smaller, more efficient store design, officials said. The Quincy-based supermarket company announced Tuesday that the 45,000-square-foot store will anchor the development under the terms of a 20-year lease. The average Stop & Shop supermarket now occupies about 65,000 square feet. Groundbreaking is expected this fall, and Stop & Shop plans to open the shopping center by spring 2010. The Town Center proposal was first floated more than three years ago as a way to transform the abandoned Raytheon and Polaroid property in the middle of town. When finished, the $140 million development will include about 155,000 square feet of retail, restaurant, and office space, and a 2-acre town green, its developers say. - John Guilfoil

CULTURAL GRANTS - The town's Cultural Council is accepting grant applications to fund projects that support the arts, sciences, and humanities. Applications must be for scheduled events held in Westborough, open to the public, and sponsored by a nonprofit organization. Local fund-raising and the Massachusetts Cultural Council provide money for the grants. The deadline for submitting applications is Oct. 15. Applications are available at Town Hall, the library, and the cable studio on Lyman Street. Applications should be mailed to: Westborough Cultural Council, Town Hall, 34 West Main St., Westborough, MA 01581. For more information, call council chairwoman Lynn Watts at 508-366-5034. - John Dyer

RESIDENT HEADS OPERA BOARD - Gregory E. Bulger was recently appointed president of Opera Boston's board of directors. Bulger, who has been a member of the board since 2005, took the reins from Randolph Fuller, who had served as president since 1999. The Dover resident is also trustee of the Gregory E. Bulger Foundation, an organization he founded in 2002 to support the performing arts in Greater Boston. Bulger also is involved with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Early Music Festival, and serves on the board of visitors of the SpeakEasy Stage Company in Boston. - Anna Fiorentino

MEETING TO WEIGH WATER WORK - Town Meeting voters next month will be asked to authorize the Water Department to spend about $850,000 in user fees to complete major repairs and upgrades to town water tanks, officials said. - Calvin Hennick

PLANS FOR DOWNTOWN - The center of town could get wider sidewalks, consolidated parking, more housing, and taller buildings under a plan presented by the Downtown Design Study Committee to the Board of Selectmen last week. The committee has been working on the project since October 2006, when it began bringing together consultants, town planners, and residents to address improvements to the study area, a 54-acre section surrounding Town Hall that includes two commuter-rail stations and three business districts. The plan is being finalized, according to planning director Lee Newman, and Town Meeting will be asked to vote on the zoning changes that would help facilitate the plan's recommendations next year. Details about the committee's project are available on the Planning & Economic Development Department's page on the town website, needhamma.gov. - Lisa Kocian

MAYOR'S NOMINEE REJECTED - The City Council rejected the mayor's nominee for building commissioner and superintendent of buildings at its meeting last week by a vote of 10 to 4, according to the city clerk's office. Mayor Jeannette McCarthy is trying to replace Ralph Gaudet, who has held the top Building Department post for 21 years, saying her office has received many complaints about how he runs the agency. Gaudet has said he is a political target. Neither Gaudet nor McCarthy could be reached for comment on the council's vote. McCarthy previously had said that she expected the council to reject her nominee, but promised to continue trying to replace Gaudet. - Lisa Kocian