Wilkerson to run

Cheryl Wilkerson, former chairwoman of the town Finance Committee, has announced that she will run for a seat on the Board of Selectmen. Wilkerson will challenge incumbent Frank Hegarty, chairman of the committee, who has been on the board since 2000. Only one seat on the three-member board expires each year. The field could get bigger since residents have until Feb. 23 to take out nomination papers. - Joan Wilder

WINTER COMMENCEMENT - Bridgewater State College has set its winter commencement ceremony for 7:30 p.m. Jan. 30 in the Rondileau Center Auditorium. On commencement day, a buffet dinner will be held in Tillinghast Hall at 5:30 p.m. All guests must be seated in the Rondileau Center by 7:10 p.m. for the graduation. A snow date for the events has been set for Feb. 6. Graduates and their families can get further information from the college’s homepage at www.bridgew.edu. - Christine Legere

HOSPITAL FUNDING ON HOLD - Planning for a new emergency department at Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center is continuing, but funding will have to wait. A bond sale was to have raised the $28.5 million for the project, but a shaky financial market has prompted the delay. A fall construction start is not expected to be delayed, and work on the 50,000-square-foot department should take two years. Planning is ongoing, and comments from patients and staff will be sought over the winter. - Steve Hatch

MALL EXPANSION PROPOSED - A proposed facelift for the Village Shoppes that includes the construction of a restaurant and a retail shop is set to come before the Zoning Board of Appeals Thursday. "The goal is to improve the area for shoppers and to stay competitive with all the other malls that are being built in the area," said Paul A. Schneiders, an attorney representing the Wilder Companies of Boston, owners of the mall. Schneiders said the buildings, an 8,000-square-foot space that will probably be a restaurant and another with about 2,500 square feet that will be a retail shop will be situated in what is now a parking area off Washington Street. The parking will be moved farther back in the mall as part of a reconfiguration to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety by extending sidewalks. The construction is expected to be completed by summer. "Everybody's concerned about the economy but they also need to remain competitive," Schneiders said. - Elaine Cushman Carroll

SCOUTS LEARN FIRE SAFETY - Members of Carver Boy Scout Troop 48 were recently taught a version of firefighter basic training by the Carver Fire Department's deputy chief, Eric Germaine, and firefighter Bill Piper. The scouts visited the Carver Fire Department to earn fire safety merit badges. Members, aged 11 to 18, of Carver's Troop 48 meet Wednesday evenings from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes Church on Main Street. - Robert Knox

GREENER LIVING - The town's engineering department has posted an online brochure to help residents reduce the effect of household oils, fats, and greases on the sewer system and the environment. In the process, according to the brochure, needless wear and tear on homes is avoided, as are potential sewer backups. For more information, go to www.dedhamma. gov and click the link for "Fat-Free Sewers." - Michele Morgan Bolton

HAINES IS CITIZEN OF YEAR - Jane Haines, Council on Aging director, has been selected East Bridgewater's Citizen of the Year by the local Rotary Club. Haines is a lifelong resident and has been involved in the town’s historic preservation groups for several years. She is also currently serving as a trustee of the East Bridgewater Public Library. After decades as the local reporter for The Enterprise, Haines took over the helm at the Council on Aging in 2002. She currently chairs the Senior Center Building Committee, a panel that is moving forward with a plan to construct the town's first senior center, on the Sachem Rock Farm property. - Christine Legere

STADIUM PROJECT ON SCHEDULE - Weather permitting, the $1.6 million reconstruction of the Valentine P. Muscato Stadium at Oliver Ames High School will proceed through the winter, with completion targeted for the end of June. Heimlich Construction of Woburn began the work last month. The stadium will have a new track, handicapped-accessible bleachers with 800 seats, and a press booth with elevator. Fall sports teams and the marching band will begin using the facilities when they start practicing in August. The track has been unusable for six years, and the bleachers were torn down because they did not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Friends of Easton Community Athletic Complex are donating the new $500,000 turf field. - Steve Hatch

UNDERAGE DRINKING TARGETED - The Police Department has received a $5,000 grant from the state Office of Public Safety and Security to fight underage drinking. As part of the effort, police will put in extra time between now and June 1 working with and around liquor stores, bars, and restaurants to ensure that procedures are in place to identify underage individuals and keep them from purchasing or drinking alcohol. - Joan Wilder

SPEEDING DEVELOPMENT - The 47-acre site where Boston Beer Co. once considered brewing Sam Adams has been accepted as a priority development site for the state. The move nets the town a $60,000 grant for a study of the property and purchase of integrated computer software to set up a streamlined permitting process to make it easier for industrial tenants who might be interested in developing the site off South Main Street. "With this we promise to review all permits within a six-month time limit," said Town Administrator Winn Davis. Town Meeting voters approved a measure adopting the state's 43D expedited permitting law last spring and agreed to accept the Boston Beer site as its first specific location at Special Town Meeting in October. Davis said the final state approval was granted Dec. 17 and the town, with the help of regional planning officials, hopes to have all the pieces of the process up to date within a couple of months. Davis said the site, which is still owned by Boston Beer, is already zoned industrial and is situated near several planned infrastructure improvements. Those include a new Exit 8 1/2 ramp at Route 24 and a possible new commuter rail station. - Elaine Cushman Carroll

GRAVEL REMOVAL AT ISSUE - Selectmen will continue a hearing on a requested gravel removal permit, belatedly submitted by a Holmes Street resident, at 7:45 p.m. Tuesday. Todd Roach, who has now applied for the permit, had already taken down numerous trees in his backyard and removed several truckloads of dirt before his project was reported to selectmen by neighbors. Homeowners in Roach's neighborhood, who attended the first hearing on the permit request last month, fear water runoff from Roach's property and complained about truck traffic. - Christine Legere

TOWN CENSUS UNDERWAY - Town Clerk Sandra E. Harris is preparing the town's annual census. Last week, her office mailed census forms to all households in town. The forms list the information for each address contained in the 2008 street listing. Residents are asked to make any necessary changes and then to sign the forms and return them to the clerk's office by Jan. 22. Any household that does not receive a census form or that needs help completing it should call the clerk's office at 781-293-2772. The census provides proof of residency, for obtaining veterans benefits and bonuses, and also is used to maintain voter lists, and to calculate population figures for the town. - John Laidler

DUNKIN’ DONUTS DECISION DELAY - A Planning Board decision on allowing a Dunkin' Donuts on Route 6 has again been delayed, this time at the request of the developer's attorney, Leo Scarry, who said his client, Jose Sardinha, had wanted the matter discussed before the entire seven-person board. Six were present at the Dec. 15 meeting. The discussion was continued to tomorrow at 7 p.m., at which time the board is expected to render a decision on Sardinha's request to build a Dunkin' Donuts at 450 Wareham Road. - Paul E. Kandarian

VIDEO PRODUCTION CAMP - The Old Rochester Community Television network is offering two video production camps for children ages 12 to 15 from the tri-town area of Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester. The camps are scheduled for February and April school vacation weeks. Participants will be taught studio production and how to use digital camcorders and editing gear. The cost is $100 per child. The course will be taught Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of the two weeks from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information or to register, call 508-748-1600 or visit www.orctv.org. - Paul E. Kandarian

A HERO’S WELCOME - More than 75 friends, family members, and representatives of military organizations turned out Dec. 27 for a breakfast honoring local veteran Michael Downing. On Sept. 24, Downing lost his legs when his vehicle was hit by an explosive device in Afghanistan. He was back in Middleborough for the holidays, for the first time since the incident. After his stay, he will return to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington to continue treatment for his injuries. At last week’s breakfast, US Representative Barney Frank presented Downing with a flag that had flown over the Capitol. Veterans from World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars, and Operation Desert Storm, and those involved in the current campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, attended. - Christine Legere

CHOSEN TO TEACH - Wheaton College senior and Carver resident Kristine Vilagie is one of two students at the Norton college selected for the Teach For America program. The program involves a select group of college graduates who commit to two years of teaching in low-income communities across the country. Vilagie will teach in an elementary school in Phoenix beginning next fall. The selection process for the Teach for America program requires an application, an essay, multiple interviews, and a mock teaching demonstration. For the 2008 school year, nearly 25,000 college seniors applied and only 3,700 were accepted. Vilagie is a political science major and a studio art minor. - Christine Legere

SCHOOL COSTS STUDIED - A committee studying whether to pull kindergarten through Grade 8 out of the regional school arrangement with Bridgewater is seeking to meet with the state departments of revenue and education. Selectman Donald McKinnon, who chairs the study committee, said the panel wants to determine if there is a way for the town to get a waiver from the education reform law that regulates how a community’s share of school costs is calculated. Currently Raynham is responsible for a larger per-pupil contribution than Bridgewater. The reason for the difference is Raynham's broader commercial tax base. New growth figures determine how much a community is assessed for each pupil. - Christine Legere

BUYING LEONARD POND - A $75,000 Conservation Partnership Grant from the state’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs has been given to the Rochester Land Trust to help purchase the 3-acre Leonard Pond adjacent to 800 acres of the Eastover Farmstead, where the trust owns land or has conservation restrictions. There are more than 700 feet of frontage at the pond, officials said, and the property will link to Eastover's walking trails, cross country skiing network, and bird watching spots. The state's partnership grants of $396,500 in all will enable seven nonprofits to preserve more than 300 acres of space from Cape Cod to the Berkshires. - Paul E. Kandarian

HOME COOKING FOR SCHOOLS - After conducting a survey of area towns, the superintendent of Sharon schools will advertise for an in-house food service director. Sharon currently uses a food service company to provide meals to students at a cost of about $130,000 per school year. The contract will expire at the end of the academic year. Superintendent Barbara Dunham conducted a food service survey of area towns and found that the 10 school districts (Stoughton, Canton, Norwood, Franklin, Foxborough, Mansfield, Medfield, Walpole, Hingham, and Westwood) that employ in-house food service directors can save money over the five area districts (Easton, Randolph, Bridgewater/Raynham, and Sharon) that have food service contracts. The School Committee agreed to allow Dunham to advertise for a district food service director. - Franci Richardson Ellement

TEMPORARY TOWN CLERK HIRED - Town officials have turned to a former Foxborough town clerk to temporarily fill the void created by last month's surprise resignation by Marie Chiofolo. Marie Crimmins, who recently stepped down after 26 years of public service in Foxborough, will assume Chiofolo's role on an interim basis in Stoughton beginning tomorrow. "We're glad to have been able to find somebody like [Crimmins]," said Selectman Joe Mokrisky. Chiofolo was Stoughton's clerk for 18 months before resigning abruptly in December, saying she was frustrated by what she felt was Town Hall's lack of respect for residents and town employees. She was earning $85,000 a year. - Robert Carroll

HEARING ON CONDO PROJECT RESCHEDULED - The Zoning Board of Appeals postponed its Dec. 17 hearing on the affordable Baker Street condominium project known as the 5th Fairway Development until Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. The hearing was postponed at the request of the applicant, who didn't want to continue because one board member was unable to attend. A group of abutters to the project were disappointed that it was postponed, said Evelyn Splaine, administrative secretary to the board. - Joan Wilder

CHARGES AGAINST SELECTMAN DROPPED - Selectman Bruce Sauvageau was arrested last month for allegedly driving without a license, according to police. The charge was later dismissed in court, and Sauvageau paid $50 for court costs, according to the Wareham District Court clerk’s office. Officers stopped Sauvageau, 50, who lives on Swifts Beach Road, at 12:39 a.m. on Dec. 17, as he was on his way home from the Board of the Selectmen's meeting. An officer had run a random query on the vehicle and the registry database indicated that the owner had a suspended license, police said. Sauvageau was placed under arrest and charged with operating after suspension of his license, police said. - Emily Sweeney

ART TEACHER ALSO AN ARTIST - Justin Finley, an art teacher at West Bridgewater High School, recently gained some exposure for his own artwork. Finley was among a number of area art teachers whose works were displayed at the Hunaki Studio School of Fine Arts in Foxborough during November. Finley's work, wheel-thrown ceramics inspired by ancient sculptures of Japanese Haniwa ceremonial warriors, was among several from the show that were chosen to be displayed at the Accidental Gallery in Boston last month. - John Laidler

IMAGINE THAT - Children's author Steve Caney will present a program at the Westwood Public Library, 668 High St., Jan. 13 from 7 to 9 p.m. for elementary and middle school students and their parents. Caney is known for works about building and inventing. He will talk about how he comes up with ideas and how children can become inspired to invent. Books will be available for purchase and signing. To register, call 781-320-1042. - Michele Morgan Bolton

SIDEWALK CLEARING SECONDARY - A new sidewalk plowing policy may force residents to find their own routes following snowstorms. Instituted last month by Town Manager Phil Warren as a way to cut town expenses, the policy calls for sidewalk plowing to be done during storms but only until all road plow operations are complete or until the end of the regular work day at 3:30 p.m. A weekend snowstorm, said Kenan Connell, Abington Department of Public Works superintendent, could mean sidewalks remain unplowed until Monday morning. "When the roads are done and we're ready to go home, then all plowing stops," said Connell. "We won't go out specifically for sidewalks. It's not ideal, but I understand the thinking behind [the policy]. We'll continue to do the best we can and keep things as normal as possible." - Robert Carroll

SOUTH SHORE COMES TOGETHER - The town's religious leaders are cosponsoring "The South Shore Has a Dream," a community event aimed at challenging bigotry and promoting understanding of differences. The program features a concert by the Halalisa Singers, an a cappella group that takes its name from the Zulu word for celebration and performs songs from many ethnic traditions. Derrek Shulman, New England director of the Anti-Defamation League, will speak. The program will be held at 3 p.m. Jan. 18, the day before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, at the Linden Ponds retirement community off Route 53 in Hingham. - Johanna Seltz

PIT BULL SHOT AT SHELTER - Police shot and killed a female pit bull at the town's animal shelter recently, after the dog pulled open the gate of her run and killed a bichon frise in the adjacent run. According to Priscilla McGillvray, animal control officer, the attack occurred shortly after she left the shelter. A volunteer witnessed the end of the attack and contacted McGillvray, who called the police and returned to the shelter, where the pit bull was still agitated. McGillvray ordered the dog shot. "I wasn't going in there and risking my life," she said. McGillvray said the dog’s owners had warned McGillvray that the dog was aggressive toward humans and animals. The owners also had brought a second pit bull to the shelter, and that dog remains there. The people could no longer keep the two dogs since they had been displaced from their home for economic reasons. The pit bulls had been at the shelter for several months, McGillvray said. The bichon frise had only arrived recently, also brought in when its owners were displaced from their home. - Christine Legere