Budget approved

CITY COUNCIL FIELD GROWS - The race for the two at-large City Council positions at stake in the Sept. 15 primary is growing crowded. In addition to incumbents Bill Coughlin and Patricia Grimes, former state representative Mike Cahill, former City Council president Paul Guanci, and Elliott Margolis - who led an opposition group during last year's failed Proposition 2 1/2 override referendum - have announced they are running. In the mayor's race, incumbent William Scanlon is being opposed by City Councilor John Burke. - Steven Rosenberg

SCHOOL COALITION DEBATE - The School Committee tomorrow will discuss whether to participate in the North Shore Coalition for School Funding, an organization of school districts seeking solutions to funding needs. In other business, the committee will discuss possible revisions to Superintendent Lisa Dana's existing contract. The committee will hear a report from the Kindergarten Readiness Committee on the first year of full-day kindergarten. Dana will provide an update on ongoing high school renovations, and will present her professional goals for the next school year. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Holten-Richmond Middle School. - John Laidler

BRUNO LEAVING POST - Middle School assistant principal Geoff Bruno will resign at the end of June to take over as principal at Belmonte Middle School in Saugus. Bruno has served as assistant principal for one year and is leaving to fulfill a goal of becoming a school principal. Two candidates are currently under consideration for the job. Georgetown Middle School principal Peter Lucia is expected to make a recommendation shortly, which will go to the School Committee for final approval. - David Cogger

FILLING OPEN SEATS - The Board of Selectmen is seeking volunteers for several boards and committees, including the Hamilton Wenham Blue Ribbon Committee for the regional school district, the Budget Process Committee, the Housing Partnership, the Finance Committee, the Personnel Board, and the Capital Management and Advisory Committee. Candidates may send a letter with a resume to A. Jenkins, Town Hall, 577 Bay Road, Hamilton MA 01982, or AJenkins@hamiltonma.gov. - David Rattigan

CURBSIDE RECYCLING - Beginning July 7, residents whose trash is collected on Tuesdays also will be able to put their recyclable items at the curb. All recyclable items - paper, plastic, cardboard, cans, and bottles - can be placed in one container. City officials have reached an agreement with Capitol, the company that provides trash and recycling pickup, to provide a six-month trial of the single-stream recycling program at no cost to the city. For taxpayers to break even on recycling, residents will have to double their current recycling rate of 11 percent to 22 percent. If that goal is reached, city officials said they plan to expand the program next year. - Brenda Buote

MARIJUANA FINE REJECTED - Voters at last week's Town Meeting rejected a proposal that would have fined people $100 for smoking marijuana in public. The proposed bylaw was sponsored by Police Chief Gavin Keenan. Last week's meeting marks the end of the spring Town Meeting, which was suspended on May 12 after town officials determined there was a lack of a quorum. - Steven Rosenberg

CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE - The Lawrence branch of the Merrimack Valley YMCA has been awarded grant money from the Greater Lawrence Summer Fund to provide scholarships for low-income parents who want to send their children to YMCA summer camp. The YMCA buses 200 children per week to Camp Otter, its 15-acre traditional day camp in Salem, N.H. Day camp programs also are offered at the downtown Lawrence YMCA branch. Established in 1990, the GLSF supports high quality innovative programs which keep young people active and engaged during the summer months. The fund is administered by the Essex County Community Foundation, an organization that stewards 80 charitable funds in support of nonprofit groups serving Essex County. For more camp information, visit www.bica.org. - Karen Sackowitz

REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT ADVANCES - The Coalition for a Better Acre presented a pre-application of its latest redevelopment project to the Planning Board on Monday, proposing to convert two abandoned properties on Moody Street into 23 affordable rental units, said Madeline Nash, the coalition's director of real estate development. The properties, at 478 and 482-484 Moody St., are a blight to the neighborhood and, if the plan is approved, will be demolished, Nash said. The coalition closed on the purchase agreement last month, Nash said. The current proposal calls for four one-bedroom units; 11 two-bedroom units; and eight three-bedroom units, she said. A public hearing before the Planning Board will be scheduled for August, when the coalition is to present its full application. - Katheleen Conti

CABLE BOARD FORMED - The Board of Selectmen has established a board of directors to run the local nonprofit cable access corporation. Members of the board include Ron Olson; Veterans Middle School principal Libby Moore; Ed Bell; Robert Peck Jr.; and Patricia O'Hare Williams. Currently, the nonprofit station is located in the middle school and airs on Comcast Channel 10. - Steven Rosenberg

PHILIPS ROAD UPDATE - The town's lone scheduled road and sidewalk project, improvements to Philips Road, is expected to be completed this month. Bob Ward, Department of Public Works supervisor, said that with reduced state aid and the high price of asphalt, this is the only project scheduled for this summer. Other road improvements may be scheduled after this one, depending on how much funding or construction material is available when the Philips Road project is finished. - David Rattigan

PLUM ISLAND WORK OK'D - Several changes are slated to take effect in town, as approved by voters at the annual Town Meeting. Residents authorized granting temporary easements necessary to the US Army Corps of Engineers and its contractors to replenish the beach at Plum Island; approved pursuing a special act of the Legislature to grant an abatement on roughly $930 in real estate taxes for Geri Buzzotta, whose Plum Island home was demolished last fall; authorized selectmen to petition the general court to enact legislation that will only allow elected officials who receive a stipend to receive health and life insurance through the town if they agree to pay 100 percent of the cost, as well as administrative costs, excepting selectmen and the town clerk; established a disclosure notification under the right to farm bylaw; established an upper green business district; and enacted regulations for small wind energy systems and large wind energy facilities. - Taryn Plumb

TWO OPENINGS TO FILL - Mayor John F. Moak is seeking two volunteers to fill vacancies on the Commission on Disabilities and the Planning Board. The Commission on Disabilities seeks to ensure that Newburyport complies with state and federal laws and regulations pertaining to people with disabilities and coordinates programs designed to meet the challenges that people with disabilities face. The Planning Board consists of nine volunteers appointed by the mayor. Membership is based on experience or interest in planning and zoning. Residents with backgrounds in environmental engineering or land use planning are encouraged to apply. The Commission on Disabilities seeks an individual who can commit to a two-year term; the Planning Board term is five years. Residents can submit a letter of interest and resume to Mayor's Office, City Hall, 60 Pleasant St., Newburyport 01950. - Brenda Buote

READY FOR BEACH SEASON - The beach at Stevens Pond is to open for the season on June 24. Residents can purchase beach stickers for $75 at the North Andover Youth Center from now until June 24, when the seasonal passes will be sold at the pond. Proof of residency and vehicle registration is required at time of purchase. Adult day passes for guests of residents and residents without stickers will be available for $12 each. Call 978-682-9000. - Richard Thompson

NEW CVS COMING - Mayor Michael J. Bonfanti was among those who took part in a recent ground-breaking ceremony for a new CVS planned at the corner of Main and Howley streets. The store is being erected by the chain on the vacant site of a former BP Souza gas station, close to the Salem line. The 11,970-square-foot pharmacy will include a drive-through window. "We are very pleased to see this vacant site now go back into productive use," said Jean Delios, Peabody's director of community development and planning. Delios noted that the site is "visually situated on Main Street and on a gateway of Salem into Peabody." She said it would also bring 30 new jobs into the city. The pharmacy is expected to open late next winter or early next spring. - John Laidler

CLEAN ENERGY DAY - The Salem Chamber of Commerce is teaming up with Salem Main Streets and the city's Renewable Energy Task Force to offer the second annual Living Green & Renewable Energy Fair Saturday. The fair will feature exhibits by companies that produce energy-efficient products from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Old Town Hall. At 10 a.m., CinemaSalem will show a eco-themed movie, "Addicted to Plastic," and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., The Gathering, a church at 217 Essex St., will host talks by environmental leaders. Events are free. The city has declared June 13 Clean Energy Day. - John Laidler

OPEN SPACE VOTE - A Special Town Meeting will be held June 18 to decide the fate of a 17.74-acre parcel on Boston Road. A citizen has submitted a petition requesting that the town-owned property bounded by Blake's Hill Road, Boston Road, and Interstate 495 be placed into "perpetual" conservation land status. According to the petition, protecting the land known as Eric's Farm Stand, or Drew Farms, would ensure preservation of valuable ecological resources, including existing vernal pools and a beaver pond with a new stork population, and provide easy access to the town forest. However, local leaders are urging voters to reject the petitioner's proposal. In an open letter to residents dated May 27, selectmen noted that placing the land into conservation status would eliminate the possibility of building affordable, single-family homes on the site, a project that selectmen and the town's Affordable Housing Committee unanimously support. Voters will be asked to debate the petitioner's request beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Abbot School gymnasium on Depot Street. Visit www.westfordma.gov. - Brenda Buote

SALARY CUTS AT TOWN HALL - In a decision that was finalized last week, Town Hall staff members and several department heads - including the town administrator, finance director, police and fire chief, DPW director, and Council on Aging director - had their annual salaries cut 2 1/2 percent for fiscal year 2010, which begins July 1. To offset the impact of the cut to Town Hall employees, the Town Hall will be closing on Fridays from June 4 through Sept. 4. - David Rattigan

NEW HOMELESS SHELTER - Cross Roads House has secured a $300,000 grant from the Kresge Foundation to help finance a new facility to replace its homeless shelter on Lafayette Road. The grant was dependent on Cross Roads House raising $622,000. That money was raised more than a month before the July 1 deadline. Fund-raising continues for the new shelter, scheduled to open in the fall. - Tom Long

SHARE OPEN HOUSE - The Share Center has completed its move from St. Patrick's Church to the former Knights of Columbus hall. With a budget of nearly $400,000, Share provides food, clothing, and emergency financial assistance to needy families. An open house will be 2-4 p.m. today at the new facility at 1 Columbus Ave., or Route 101A, behind Robbins Auto Parts. - Tom Long