Special town meeting Wednesday

The funding of several Community Preservation Act projects will come before Special Town Meeting voters Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Ashland High School. The articles include a proposal to spend $291,500 to create a new skateboard park at Ashland Middle School; a previous skateboard facility at Stone Park was closed down by selectmen earlier this year. Residents taking part in Town Meeting will also vote on funds to clean up Lake Waushakum, including $20,000 toward a consultant to provide preliminary designs and apply for grants from the state's Department of Environmental Protection, and $135,000 as Ashland's portion of the costs of improvements at the recreation area. Voters will also decide whether to spend $4,500 on the restoration of the Henry Warren clock, a historic landmark on Main Street. The full Special Town Meeting warrant can be viewed on the town's website, www.ashlandmass.com, under the Document Center link. - Rachel Lebeaux

SPECIAL-EDUCATION PRESENTATION - The school district's Special Education Parent Advisory Council will host a workshop entitled "Basic Rights" tomorrow at 7 p.m. in the Bellingham High School lecture hall. The program will provide families with an introduction to their rights and responsibilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Act, the state's special-education law, and the federal No Child Left Behind law, and is designed to help parents learn how to be more effective partners with their children's school and to better make decisions and monitor their children's progress. For more information on the event and the council's other programs, visit www.bellinghamsepac.org. - Rachel Lebeaux

WINNING PHOTOS OF SUMMER - Works by the winners of the Trustees of Reservations' second annual Summer in the Valley photography contest are being showcased at the Dover Town Library. The exhibition, entitled "Nature in the Charles River Valley," will be on display until the end of the month as part of the library's Artist of the Month series. The display features the grand-prize winner, a photograph by Edmund Prescottano, as well as 20 others by winners in individual age categories. The Artist of the Month program is sponsored by the Friends of the Dover Library. For more information on the conservation organization or to view the photographs online, go to www.thetrustees.org. - Anna Fiorentino

LAND TRUST MARKS 20 YEARS - The Metacomet Land Trust will celebrate its 20th anniversary on Saturday from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Elks Lodge, 1077 Pond St. The program will honor the leaders who created the land trust - a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to the protection of open space and natural resources in south-central Massachusetts - and recognize the next generation of environmental leaders. The featured guest speaker will be Todd McLeish, author of "Golden Wings and Hairy Toes: Encounters with New England's Most Imperiled Wildlife," who will share photographs and experiences from his travels with biologists who research, monitor, and protect wildlife. For more information on this event, call the trust at 888-298-7284, e-mail Susan Speers at spspeers@verizon.net, or visit its website, www.metacometlandtrust.org.

- Rachel Lebeaux

LIBRARY AMNESTY TO AID PANTRY - Bad library borrowers, here's a chance at redemption. During the week of Nov. 24 to Nov. 29, Holliston Public Library is allowing overdue books, no matter how late, to be returned for no charge in exchange for at least one nonperishable food item, which will be donated to the Holliston Food Pantry. The library's offer can not be applied to outstanding fines for already returned material, however. - Megan McKee

OPEN MEETING INVESTIGATION - The Middlesex district attorney's office is investigating whether town officials violated the state's Open Meeting Law when refusing to release minutes from three Board of Selectmen executive sessions involving former town manager Anthony Troiano. Troiano resigned from his position Oct. 2 during the final executive session, citing "personal and professional reasons." The town counsel, Ray Miyares, said the board would not release the minutes because "this is a personnel matter, and releasing the minutes of the executive sessions would result in making public matters that should be kept private." The Open Meeting Law states that the proceedings of governmental bodies can remain secret only "as long as publication may defeat the lawful purposes of the executive session, but no longer." Assistant District Attorney Bethany Stevens said she received three requests for an investigation, including one from the Globe, and is awaiting documents from the town. - Megan McKee

PLAYING IN ERIC'S HONOR - Organizers of an annual flag-football tournament on Thanksgiving weekend hope to raise more than $3,000 to support the Eric M. Perkins Memorial Scholarship. Perkins was 18 when he died on Thanksgiving night in 2004 in a car crash. The fund provides scholarships to Medfield High School football players who embody the sportsmanship for which Perkins was known, according to high school guidance counselor and football coach Erik Ormberg. Twenty teams of five players - ages 14 and older, with subs allowed - are expected to compete in the event, which features 12-minute games. The entry fee is $100 per team, and teams must reserve their spots by Thursday. Kickoff is at 10 a.m. on Nov. 29 at the Medfield High School football field. A silent auction of sports memorabilia is also scheduled. Game rules and additional information are available at 508-359-2482, the high school guidance office, and www.forever40.org. - James O'Brien

FOOD PANTRIES SEEK DONATIONS - As the holiday season approaches, both the Medway Food Pantry on Mahan Circle and the Medway Village Church Food Pantry are seeking donations. Nonperishable food items can be dropped off at Town Hall at 155 Village St. on Mondays from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Tuesdays through Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Dec. 15.

- Rachel Lebeaux

FREE SCREENINGS FOR MEMORY LOSS - Memory screenings will be held at the Whitcomb House Assisted Living Residence, 245 West St., between 1 and 4 p.m. Tuesday. The date is the Alzheimer's Foundation National Memory Screening Day. Anyone concerned about memory loss is invited to have a free, 15-minute screening by a healthcare professional, a method proven to be critical to early diagnosis of Alzheimer's or dementia. For information call 508-634-2440. - Anna Fiorentino

TRADING WORK FOR TAX BREAK - Residents age 60 and older seeking property tax relief can apply to participate in the town's tax abatement program by Nov. 28. Residents meeting income guidelines and who complete 62 hours of work in town offices by Oct. 30, 2009, would receive a $500 reduction in their property taxes. There are 20 positions available, although not every applicant is guaranteed work, according to town officials. For more details, call Patty or Mary at 508-376-7051. - Megan McKee

OPENING FOR COUNCIL COORDINATOR - Selectmen unanimously approved a thaw in a recently adopted hiring freeze to allow Natick to hire a part-time coordinator of volunteers for the town's Council on Aging. Town Administrator Martha White said the position has been advertised a few times since April 2007, but the right candidate has not surfaced. Staffers and other volunteers have been patching together efforts to perform the job's duties, but haven't been able to meet the town's needs, said White. The administrator said she hopes the economic climate will yield more experienced applicants for the job, which pays just over $12 per hour. - Megan McKee

IMAGES OF A FARMER'S LIFE - Nearly three dozen photographs that depict the life of Alex Waitkevich, a farmer who emigrated to Norfolk from Lithuania in 1905, are on display at the Norfolk Public Library this month. The photos, which were donated to the Norfolk Historical Commission earlier this year, are part of a larger body of work by Frank Siteman, a commercial photographer who spent time in Norfolk as a young man. Waitkevich bought an old house and 21 acres of land on Campbell Street, where he raised his family. The photos depict the simplicity of Waitkevich's life, and his friendship with Siteman. Call 508-528-3380 for details. - Michele Morgan Bolton

TEACHERS ON NATIONAL STAGE - Mary Beth Runyon and Lynn Smith, King Philip Regional Middle School math teachers, delivered a 90-minute workshop during last week's annual gathering of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics in Reno. Runyon, who teaches seventh grade, and Smith, who teaches seventh- and eighth-graders, were selected from the organization's thousands of members to present "Make it Fun, Make it Relevant and Make it Count." Their school's principal, Susan Gilson, said she is delighted with the achievements of the pair. "It's King Philip's honor to have such outstanding teachers selected for the world's largest organization for math teachers," Gilson said. "These are imaginative, dedicated teachers who have a tremendous love of math and are committed to sharing its practice."

- Michele Morgan Bolton

FIRST STEPS FOR HOUSING PANEL - The Sherborn Housing Partnership, formed by a vote at Town Meeting last spring, is looking to recruit members, raise money, and find a location to meet. At a recent session with selectmen, the two boards agreed that the new group should prepare a housing plan, to be filed with the state, outlining how Sherborn would meet affordable-housing mandates. The state wants at least 10 percent of a community's housing stock to meet guidelines as affordable housing. Selectmen suggested an initiative that would convert existing conventional housing into affordable units. They also discussed adopting an inclusionary housing provision, which would require that new developments include affordable units. - Anna Fiorentino

FOOD COLLECTION EXTENDED - The Upton 4-H Club is extending its food collection past yesterday's deadline for the statewide organization's drive in response to increased demand at the Upton Food Pantry. Deb Linehan, who coordinates the pantry's volunteers, said it recently received 110 pounds of food from the 4-H Club. "That's a lot for us," Linehan said, and noted that the donation arrived just in time to accommodate a rise in clients. "On average we might see six to eight people a week," she said. 4-H Club members collected the food from donation drops at the Upton Town Library on Main Street, and Fin and Feather Sports, 10 Milford St. Linehan said residents can reach the food pantry, which operates at the United Parish Church of Upton, for information or to volunteer by calling 508-529-3192.

- James O'Brien

CHIEF GETS DETAIL LAW - Police Chief James E. Anderson received approval at Town Meeting on Wednesday to change a town bylaw regarding his authority to assign paid police details at road construction sites. Civilian flaggers that are allowed instead of police under new state regulations are not prohibited by the change, but Wrentham voters confirmed the chief's discretion on where and in what numbers he dispatches officers to work sites.

- James O'Brien

NEW DATE FOR CVS VOTE - A Zoning Board of Appeals vote on the design of a CVS Pharmacy planned for the intersection of South Street and Randall Road has been rescheduled for Dec. 10. Information requested by the board from the project's developer, GB New England 2 LLC, is still under review, said its lawyer, Richard T. Rook. Recent design changes include a Colonial-style exterior for the building, repositioning the building so it fronts on Randall Road rather than South, which is also Route 1A, the elimination of a Minute Clinic from the plan, the reduction of parking spaces to 153, and the promise of a new traffic light at the intersection at the applicant's expense. Some nearby residents have voiced concerns about the project's impact on traffic and property values. - James O'Brien

RISING COST FOR POLICE STATION - The price tag for a proposed new police station has increased. The estimate for replacing the current station, which is housed in a former elementary school in the town center, has gone from $5.5 million to $7.2 million, Municipal Facilities Committee chairman Brian Shea announced recently. - John Dyer

DETAILS ON TOWN MANAGER'S JOB - Officials have issued a job description for Westborough's new town manager's position, which was created as part of a new charter approved by Town Meeting voters this spring. The position's duties would include appointing most municipal employees (excluding the police and fire chiefs), and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the town and its $85 million budget, and would require the town manager to set up residence in Westborough or an adjoining community within a year. The job description can be seen on the town's website, www.town.westborough.ma.us, which sets Dec. 15 as the deadline for applicants to file a cover letter and resume to the Town Manager Search Committee, Town of Westborough, PO Box 1298, Westborough, MA 01581. - John Dyer