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LOCAL MAN RIDING TO RAISE MONEY FOR ALS - Bedford resident David Ackerman will join about 200 other bicyclists for the Tri-State Trek later this month, a 270-mile ride to raise money for ALS research. Townspeople who want to provide some extra financial support for him are encouraged to eat at Flatbread Company, 213 Burlington Rd., any time during the evening of July 21. In honor of Ackerman’s efforts, the pizza restaurant will donate a portion of all proceeds to the ALS Therapy Development Institute. The Tri-State Trek is a 3-day bicycle ride from Newton to White Plains, NY. ALS is a neurodegenerative disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Ackerman will ride for the third time in honor of his father, who died of ALS in 1996.

STATE TO DECIDE ON SCHOOL BUILDING - The Massachusetts School Building Authority will decide by the end of July whether to accept the Tahanto Building Committee’s recommendation that the Tahanto Regional Middle High School be replaced instead of renovated. The building committee, charged with creating plans for a new regional middle/high school building, based its recommendation on the results of a feasibility study it conducted earlier this year. The study concluded that renovations to the school’s existing building would cost at least as much, and possibly more, than replacing the building, said Brian McDermott, superintendent of the Berlin-Boylston Regional School District. Once the school building authority makes its decision, the committee will start working on detailed plans for the project, which it hopes to have ready in the fall.

PROPERTY TAXES GOING UP - With the town’s budget bulging with debt expenses for new capital projects, the Board of Assessors is estimating an average increase of 9 percent in property tax bills for the recently begun fiscal year. In the last three years voters have approved tax hikes for borrowing for a new wastewater treatment plant, a library expansion, and a new public safety center, according to Assessor Cynthia Bradbury. The owner of a $498,500 home, the average in town, would see a tax hike of approximately $715, according to the most recent estimates of the assessing board. - Matt Gunderson

GOLDEN FIFE TO MARY LARSON - Lifelong resident Mary Larson received this year’s Golden Fife Award as Boxborough’s citizen of the year. Larson got the award at this year’s Fifer Day celebration in June. Larson has held several positions with the town, including town clerk and accountant. She has also volunteered on several boards and programs. Her volunteer work includes the Council on Aging, the Historical Society, the Historical Commission and the library. - Jennifer Fenn Lefferts

ROUTE 140 STUDY - Town officials are preparing to launch an economic development study for the Route 140 corridor this summer seeking to optimize zoning for economic growth along the thoroughfare, said Town Administrator Nancy Colbert Puff. The study will be funded using state grants, said Colbert. The hope is to complete the study by the fall, so voters can act on any proposed regulatory changes resulting from it next spring. - Matt Gunderson

DISPATCHERS SIGN CONTRACT - Emergency services dispatchers in Carlisle voted last month to unionize. The collective bargaining agreement they signed with the town provides for a 2.5 percent yearly salary increase as well as for longevity incentives that will mark every five continuous years of service. Base hourly salaries are set at $20.62 for the department head and $17.83 for dispatchers, with percentage differentials factored in depending on the hours of the shift. The longevity incentive begins with an additional $1,000 at five years. -Nancy Shohet West

NEW MONUMENT SQUARE TRAFFIC PATTERN - The traffic pattern around Monument Square will be changing tomorrow. Traffic traveling south on Lowell Road will now yield at the intersection to Main Street, creating a standard roundabout at the flagpole in Monument Square. The changes are based on recommendations of a traffic engineering firm that was hired to evaluate the area. At the end of a 60-day trial period, town officials will evaluate their effectiveness.

ARTS GRANT - The Groton-Dunstable Education Foundation has been awarded a $4,000 grant from the Bruce J. Anderson Foundation, money which will help local schools integrate arts into the curriculum. The Anderson foundation, which is affiliationed with the Boston Foundation, supports a broad range of initiatives in the fields of arts, mental health, environmental protection, and historical and archival preservation. - Matt Gunderson

WELLNESS CLINIC - A free wellness clinic for individuals of all ages will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. on July 21 at the Council on Aging, 15 Elm St. No appointments are necessary. Cardiovascular screenings will be offered along with nutrition counseling.

NEW SUPERINTENDENT TO STUDY SCHOOL SYSTEM - Hudson’s new superintendent of schools said he would take the summer and early fall to study the school system, and then deliver a report to the town School Committee, identifying strengths and challenges within the district. “What I want to get right is my understanding of the community,’’ said the new superintendent, Kevin Lyons. “I take very seriously my process of induction into the system.’’ Lyons, who assumed the office on July 1, was recruited out of the Newburyport schools, where he has been superintendent for the past three years. Lyons is taking over for Stephen Dlott, who served in an interim capacity since the fall, following the resignation of Superintendent Nina Schlikin. Lyons was previously Hopkinton’s assistant superintendent for five years, and throughout his career has held jobs in education in Haverhill, at Boston College, and at Suffolk University. “What really attracted me to Hudson was its relatively stable financial history, which few districts have,’’ said Lyons. “It’s not that it’s a rich town, but Hudson has demonstrated how community values can work in the public school system.’’

SCHOOLS URGE NOTIFICATION - As the school department plans for the fall, parents are urged to notify their child’s school if the student is not returning to Lincoln Public Schools next year. If this is the case, please contact Beth McGuire in the school office at 781-259-9404. - John M. Guilfoi

OPEN SPACE PLAN APPROVED - Selectmen learned this month that the state has approved the town’s recently updated Open Space and Recreation Plan. The notice of approval means the town is eligible to participate in grant applications offered by the state’s Division of Conservation Services through April 2014. Full text of the plan can be found on the town’s website at www.littletonma.org.

TRIATHLON FOR SCHOOLS, HOSPITAL - Athletes for charity will swim, bike, and run nearly 19 miles in Marlborough on July 26 during a triathlon to raise money for the Marlborough Public Schools Foundation and Children’s Hospital Boston. Martin Levins, president of the foundation, said the money raised for Marlborough, “goes to what the [school] principals say they need . . . to purchase program supplies, for wellness activities, and, if we raise enough, towards infrastructure.’’ Levins said the Marlborough triathlon is the first installment of what is hoped to be an annual event in the city. The race is part of a series of Massachusetts charity triathlons founded by Tim Crowley, an Olympic triathlon coach; Olympic triathlete Jarrod Shoemaker, of Sudbury; and race director Bill Burnett. Shoemaker is expected to attend the Marlborough event. Registration fees are $80 per individual, or $125 per team. To register, visit http://www.marlborotri.com/register.php - James O’Brien

POLICE YOUTH ACDEMY - The Maynard Police Department joins forces with the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office next month for the annual Youth Public Safety Academy. The application period is now open for the free four-day safety-training camp, Aug. 10-14, now in its 10th year. Detective William Duggan said between 50 to 80 Maynard youth, aged nine to 11, attended last year. The Maynard participants this year start their week at the Ditson Training Academy in Billerica, and then return to Maynard for the day on Aug. 12 for sessions Duggan leads at the Boys and Girls Club of Assabet Valley. Last year, Duggan said his part of the program featured police K-9 demonstrations, bike-safety classes with Maynard’s mountain bike officer, plus a moonwalk and waterslide for fun. The Billerica sessions include classes on fire safety and emergency skills, a fingerprinting program, and teamwork-building exercises. For more information, or to apply, visit www.middlesexsheriff.com/outreach_youth.htm.

THE FUTURE OF PRINT JOURNALISM - The library will host a discussion of the “Future of Print Journalism’’ with guest George French , a retired editor at the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. The discussion will give participants a chance to hear about French’s experience working as a journalist, copy editor, and editorial page editor, and to consider the relationship between print journalism and local reporting, said library director Jean Langley. The discussion is part of a series of programs aimed at adults aged 50 and over, and is funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. The event is free and open to the public. - Keith Cheveralls

AG COMMITTEE NEEDS VOLUNTEERS - The Pepperell Agricultural Board is short two members and is seeking volunteers, according to the town website. The board, which deals with farm-related issues, is an advocate and voice for the farming community in the town. The board consists of five members appointed by the Board of Selectmen. Anyone interested can call the selectmen’s office at 978-433-0333.

RETIREMENT BOARD SLOT - Applicants have until July 24 to submit a letter of interest and qualifications to the Board of Selectmen in connection with a seat on the Shrewsbury Retirement Board. The Board of Selectmen makes an appointment to the board every three years. The Retirement Board oversees the town employee retirement system, said Michael Hale, assistant town manager. It coordinates the management of its approximately $45 million retirement account and voting on certain retirement packages, such as those involving disability compensation. Candidates for the three-year term with a background in investment would be particularly attractive, said Mary Thompson, town accountant and ex-officio Retirement Board member, “just to kind of balance out the board.’’ For the past 12 years, Jay Montgomery has held the seat. It was not immediately clear if Montgomery would apply for a fifth three-year term. Application materials should be submitted to Board of Selectmen chairwoman Moira Miller, 100 Maple Ave., Shrewsbury, MA 01545.

SHIRLEY INMATES OUT WORKING - Minimum security prisoners from MCI-Shirley will begin working tomorrow on a vacant building in Lancaster that the town wants to convert into a community center. The prisoners will paint the interior walls, ceilings, and doors at no cost to the town, said Lancaster Town Planning Director Noreen Piazza. The building had been an elementary school, but had been vacant for about eight years. The prisoners will be paid between 50 cents and $1.50 per day depending on their seniority, said Cara Savelli, a media assistant for the Department of Correction. Lancaster also used work crews from Shirley’s minimum security facility this year for brush cleanup after the ice storm. - Julie Masis

SEEKING PILOT COMMITTEE VOLUNTEERS - The Board of Selectmen is seeking three volunteers to serve on a Payment in Lieu of Taxes committee that will assess the fairness of the voluntary payments that the town’s tax-exempt organizations currently make to compensate the town for lost tax revenue. The board is forming the committee, according to Town Administrator Jean Kitchen, in response to concerns expressed by residents at this year’s Town Meeting that some tax-exempt organizations are not paying enough to the town. The committee will examine both the services that the town provides to its tax-exempt organizations and the benefits the organizations provide to the town, Kitchen said, and will issue a report and recommendations based on its findings. Residents interested in serving should fill out a volunteer form, available on the town’s website, and send it to the Selectmen’s office.

MIDDLE SCHOOL MAGAZINE DRIVE - Residents can help Hale Middle School earn money for education by saving their magazine renewal forms over the summer and sending them into a magazine drive at the school next fall, according to the school website. By participating in the magazine drive, Hale will get 40 percent of the purchase price of the magazine subscription renewal. Residents can also renew their magazines over the summer at the website, www.qsp.com, and Hale will also get 40 percent of the order. - Matt Gunderson

SOME TAX BILLS ARE WRONG - Some of the fiscal year 2010 first quarter property tax bills mailed to residents on June 30 were calculated incorrectly, and residents were overcharged, according to the Treasurer-Collector’s office. The town regrets the error and will be issuing revised tax bills to all taxpayers over the next few weeks. If you already paid the incorrect bill, you have the option of requesting a refund for the overage or crediting it against your second quarter bill due in November. Taxpayers may call the Treasurer-Collector’s office at 978-639-3376 with any questions regarding their property taxes.

GENEALOGY SESSIONS - The Wayland Council on Aging is sponsoring genealogy events for those interested in learning how to research and study the history of their family. People can learn how to study family ancestry every other Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the Senior Center. The next session is July 21. For information, call 508-358-2990. - John M. Guilfoil