Bridgewater State College officials broke ground last Friday on a $98.7 million renovation and addition to the 45-year-old science building that will create an ultramodern facility housing science, math, and computer programs under one roof. The 200,000-square-foot building will more than double the amount of teaching and learning space in math and science, and feature 35 teaching labs and 19 specialty labs, a rooftop observatory with a 160-foot dome for the study of planets, and a multistory glass atrium that will serve as a public space. A host of energy-saving and environmentally friendly elements will meet the standards for LEED certification. The building is slated for completion in the fall of 2011.
PLYMOUTH
THANKSGIVING ACTIVITIES - America’s Hometown is again gearing up for its annual Thanksgiving Parade, scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. on Nov. 22, the Saturday before Thanksgiving. A host of other activities are planned for Nov. 23 and 24 on the Plymouth waterfront. Those include the New England Food Festival, running from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. that Saturday, not far from Plymouth Rock. Twenty area restaurants will compete with their favorite chowders, soups, and desserts. In that same area, a historic village and camps for historic reenactments will be set up. A heated crafters’ pavilion will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. A Business Expo will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. -
Christine Legere MIDDLEBOROUGH
HELP FOR HISTORY BUFFS - The Middleborough Historical Association has planned a panel discussion, as part of this year’s Heritage Festival on Nov. 14, designed to assist history buffs and genealogists. The hour-long discussion, “How to Research Practically Anything,’’ will take place at 1 p.m. that day in the Town Hall, and will allow time afterward for questions. Panel participants include experts in historical research from Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Nancy Gedraitis, president of the Middleborough Historical Association, will serve as moderator. The town’s Heritage Festival is a day-long celebration, running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., that will feature historical reenactors, games, crafts, local authors and artists, and displays by historical groups.
REGION
RENOVATED CONFERENCE CENTER - Old Colony Elderly Services recently celebrated its 35th anniversary with a ribbon-cutting and grand opening of its renovated 4,000-square-foot conference center, at 144 Main St. in Brockton. Old Colony plans to use the conference space as a revenue generator to offset cuts in state aid. It will rent out the facility, which can accommodate up to 200 people, and includes a full kitchen, to businesses and organizations. Old Colony has 140 employees and operates 20 programs that serve about 16,000 people annually across southeastern Massachusetts.
- Christine Legere 
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
