Library staying open Sundays

PHASING OUT FIRE BOXES - The town’s Fire Department is phasing out its street-box fire alarms, with the number of emergencies reported through the century-old system having dropped significantly. The alarms housed in red boxes, either standing free or attached to utility polls, have been used to notify firefighters of everything from fires to car crashes. There are about 400 of the boxes in town, said Fire Chief Robert Jefferson. But the boxes use a cable system that dates to the late 1800s, and Jefferson said the system has been costing the town about $100,000 a year to maintain. With most emergencies now reported by telephone or cellphone, Jefferson said, his department is upgrading to a wireless alarm system that will have boxes set up in town buildings and schools, as well as private businesses that pay for the service. Firefighters have already removed about 40 broken street box alarms that will not be replaced, the chief said. - Brock Parker

SAVE ENERGY, MONEY AT HOME - Energy-efficiency maven Michael Blasnik will discuss how to prioritize adjustments to your home that save energy and money during Climate Change Action Brookline’s annual meeting tomorrow. Blasnik designs and evaluates research in energy-efficiency programs across the country. The talk starts at 7:30 p.m. in Room 103 at Town Hall, 333 Washington St. For details, visit www.climatechangeactionbrookline.org. - Andreae Downs

FREE PHOTO TIPS - Hungarian-born Istvan Akos Morocz will share photography techniques and ideas in a 6:30 p.m. talk Friday at the Brookline Arts Center. Attendees are invited to bring their photographs to discuss composition and technique. Morocz’s work is on view until Nov. 10 at the center, 83 Monmouth St. Details are at www.brooklineartscenter.com. - Andreae Downs

PURLING FOR PINE STREET - Brookline resident Farley Sullivan has been knitting blankets for residents of the Pine Street Inn in Boston since 2007. She’s now enlisting people who knit and crochet to “purl for a purpose,’’ with her goal to enlist enough sponsored yarn-wielders to raise $25,000 and create 50 blankets for the inn’s tenants by Nov. 8. The proceeds will benefit Pine Street’s Permanent Housing Program. To sign up, visit www.pinestreetinn.org or contact Marissa at 617-892-9185. - Andreae Downs

HAUNTED HAYRIDE - Get a head start on Halloween on Saturday by traveling through a gauntlet of goblins and ghouls in the Haunted Graveyard at the Robert T. Lynch Golf Course on West Roxbury Parkway. Then continue the fun with the town’s Parks & Recreation Department with face painting, Halloween treats, storytelling, and a balloon artist. Hayrides run every 30 minutes from 6 p.m. Registration required at www.brooklinerec.com or 617-730-2069. - Andreae Downs

MEETING ON MEALS, HOTEL TAXES - Town officials will hold a public meeting Tuesday to solicit comments about proposals to impose local-option taxes on restaurant meals and increase the tax on hotel rooms. Both proposals are on the warrant for Special Town Meeting next month. The meals tax would add .75 percent to the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax on restaurant bills, while the lodging tax would go from 4 percent to 6 percent, with the town receiving the proceeds from the higher levies. The town’s Economic Development Advisory Committee, Tourism Committee and Center Committee will host the 7 p.m. meeting in Cary Hall, where residents can comment on the proposals. The committees will then report back to selectmen. - Brock Parker

HIGH SCHOOL RENOVATIONS - The school district’s superintendent, Paul Ash, says the town is taking the first step toward making renovations that could ease overcrowding at Lexington High School. Selectmen and the School Committee have authorized Ash to send a letter notifying the Massachusetts School Building Authority that the town is interested in renovating the facility. Ash said the school was designed for 1,842 students, but the student population has grown by 597 students in the past 10 years to 1,970 this fall. Specialized programs are also using additional space, and an architectural firm hired by the school district, Design Partnership, reported that $37 million in additions and renovations are needed at the school. So far, the school district hasn’t decided how to proceed, Ash said. An ad hoc committee studying the architect’s report is slated to offer its recommendations to the School Committee during the board’s meeting Tuesday. -Brock Parker

VOTE IN ABSENTIA - Absentee ballots for the Nov. 3 election are available through noon Nov. 2 in the city’s elections office. A voter can fill out a ballot on the spot, or request one be sent through the mail, - though it must be returned by election day to be counted. The ballot features a highly anticipated mayoral election, with state Representative Ruth Balser and Setti Warren, a former aide to US Senator John Kerry, on the ballot to replace outgoing Mayor David Cohen. The election also features a number of contested alderman and School Committee races. - Calvin Hennick

TAKING STEPS TO CALM TRAFFIC - In an effort to make driving on two busy thoroughfares safer, councilors voted last week to have town officials pursue instituting traffic calming measures along Mt. Auburn Street and Main Street. Town Councilor Jonathan Hecht said he brought forward the resolution after hearing from residents who live along Mt. Auburn between Common Street and Upland Road about speeding vehicles. But with numerous fatalities and accidents in recent years on several stretches of Mt. Auburn, particularly around Coolidge Square, the council approved a broader review of Mt. Auburn Street between Watertown Square and the Cambridge line. “There are problems up and down that street,’’ said Hecht. Though any changes to either street will first require approval by state highway officials, Hecht said, there was strong support for reducing the number of travel lanes on Mt. Auburn from four to two. On Main Street, where traffic is already down to two travel lanes, simply repainting lane markings may be enough to reduce speeding, he said. The cost for implementing changes, and who would pay for them, are not yet known, said Hecht. - Christina Pazzanese

CHAT WITH PEISCH - State Representative Alice Hanlon Peisch will be at Town Hall tomorrow from 11 a.m. to noon to meet with residents on a first-come, first-served basis. Those unable to attend tomorrow’s office hour can make an appointment to see Peisch by calling her office at 617-722-2320 or e-mailing rep.alicepeisch@hou.state.ma.us. - Christina Pazzanese