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HEALTH SERVICES MERGER — Two of the area’s top behavioral health providers, CAB Health and Recovery Services and Health and Education Services, will merge into a single outpatient behavioral health provider. According to parent company Northeast Health System, the two nonprofits provide mental health, education, crisis, and prevention services to more than 36,000 annually. Paul O’Shea and Kevin Norton will lead the transition process. Northeast Health System spokeswoman Heather Jones said she was unsure when the merger would be completed. — Steven Rosenberg

SCHOOL RENOVATION UPDATE — Contractors are on schedule to complete renovations to the high school’s Dunn wing by Aug. 23, allowing it to serve as the temporary site of the school this fall, according to Board of Selectmen chairman Michael Powers. The vacant wing, opened in 1974, will be used for two years while contractors renovate and expand the main high school complex. Once the new facilities are complete, the Dunn will be torn down. Powers said members of the High School Design and Construction Advisory Committee, on which he serves, heard an update on the Dunn wing renovations and other aspects of the project July 9. He said workers recently finished removing asbestos from a separate administrative office wing of the school complex, which allowed demolition to proceed. With the office wing gone, contractors will be able to fence off the construction area, minimizing the project’s impact on students. — John Laidler

WATER FLUSHING CONTINUES — The Department of Public Works, which began flushing fire hydrants earlier this month, will continue along Western Avenue and the Magnolia areas until Wednesday. According to the DPW, the flushing, which is being conducted at night, will improve water quality and system efficiency. As iron particles are cleaned from the pipes, temporary discoloration of tap water may occur. The DPW advises running cold water for a few minutes to eliminate the discoloration. For more information, call 978-281-9785. — Steven Rosenberg

SCHOOL AUDITOR SOUGHT — Hamilton is accepting proposals for the operational audit of the Hamilton-Regional School District, approved at separate town meetings in the spring. The request for proposals is posted on the town websites, www.hamiltonma.gov and www.wenhamma.gov. A $90,000 limit has been set on bids, which must be submitted by Aug. 5. — David Rattigan

KEEPING IT CLEAN — Mayor James J. Fiorentini has launched Operation Clean Summer, during which the city will strictly enforce trash laws and step up its street-sweeping efforts. The mayor has also pledged to review the existing trash laws to determine whether they need to be amended or fines increased. “Keeping the city clean, neat, and safe are critical to maintaining a good quality of life in our city,” Fiorentini said in a prepared statement. He noted that the city will try to encourage voluntary compliance, but if that fails, local officials will begin issuing tickets to residents whose trash is not covered or who leave their trash out prior to 24 hours before pickup. The city also will be cracking down on motorists who leave their vehicles parked on the streets and block the city sweepers. — Brenda J. Buote

FREE FOLK FESTIVAL — The Lowell Folk Festival will kick off with a parade through downtown Lowell at 6:45 p.m. on Friday. Said to be the largest free festival in the country, the three-day event will feature about two-dozen local, regional, and national acts performing on six stages, all within walking distance from the corner of Merrimack and Canal streets. Between Friday and Sunday, artists will perform folk music, blues, Celtic, bluegrass, world, country, gospel, and Cajun rhythms. The weekend also will feature traditional craft demonstrations and ethnic foods sold by nonprofits. For an updated list of events, visit www.lowellfolkfestival.org or call 978-970-5000. — Karen Sackowitz

EARLY START ON BUDGET — Town officials in Essex have set Sept. 8 as the date to meet with Manchester-by-the-Sea representatives to begin discussing the fiscal 2012 budget for the Manchester Essex Regional School District. Holding the meeting this early will allow officials to begin focusing on what will be important in the planning process, said Essex Town Administrator Brendhan Zubricki. While officials from both towns have agreed to the date, they have not picked a time or place for the meeting. — David Rattigan

DIGGING FOR HISTORY — The Marblehead Museum & Historical Society is seeking volunteers to conduct research and identify the names of more than 600 graves at Old Burial Hill. According to Dick Carlson, the museum’s president, 600 soldiers who served in the Revolutionary War are buried on the hill, along with several prominent local clergymen. To volunteer, call Carlson at 781-631-3593 or Genealogy Committee chairwoman Lynne Ambrose at 781-631-2529. — Steven Rosenberg

PROGRESS ON REFUGE CENTER — The new visitor center by the entrance to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge is partially open, with restrooms available. Officials hope to have the remainder of the building open by mid-August. Refuge staff members are working on furnishing the space and finishing the displays. The new visitor center replaces a smaller structure and is outfitted with solar panels. — Brenda J. Buote

NO WATER RATE HIKE — The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously, with one member absent, to keep the water and sewer rates the same for this fiscal year. The board had considered raising the average bill for water and sewer by 3.1 percent, from $261 to $269 per quarter. However, Selectwoman Rosemary Connelly Smedile argued that increasing rates during the tough economic climate would only encourage residents to use less water. Water consumption increased from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2010, so the board felt comfortable keeping the rate unchanged, said Town Manager Mark Rees. Officials will watch consumption levels this year and could make rate adjustments if needed, Rees said. — Katheleen Conti

LIBRARY RENOVATIONS DELAYED — The Peabody Institute Library has revised the schedule of the planned renovations to its heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. The work was scheduled to begin July 6, but is now expected to get underway toward the end of August. Officials remind patrons that during the first phase of the project, the main lobby will be closed to the public so that visitors will need to enter though the courtyard lobby or the children’s room. The library also is seeking teen bands to perform at its community block party, scheduled from 2 to 3 p.m. Aug. 26. Each band must supply its own sound equipment or share with another band. All band members must be in grades 6 through 12. Space is limited, so interested bands should contact the young adult librarian, Melissa Rauseo, at 978-531-0100, ext. 14 or rauseo@noblenet.org. — John Laidler

FIRE RADIOS UPDATED — The Fire Department will be replacing all 45 of its portable radios through a $238,000 federal grant. Fire Chief David Cody worked with the office of US Representative John F. Tierney to secure funding, provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency through its Fire Prevention and Safety grant program. The department’s existing portable radios are more than 10 years old, according to Jason Silva, chief of staff to Mayor Kimberley L. Driscoll. New radios will have the latest digital technology and allow the department communicate with other agencies. — John Laidler

FAIR DAYS AHEAD — Preparations are underway for the Topsfield Fair, which will be Oct. 1-11. Discounted tickets for admission, ride tickets, food vouchers, and tickets for two paid concerts the second week are one sale, at www.topsfieldfair.org or at the admissions office at the fairgrounds, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The fair this year is offering advanced sale food vouchers for $5.50, good for $7 worth of food. Discounted advance sale admission and ride tickets can be purchased through Sept. 29. Single-day advanced admissions tickets are $8, $7 for groups of 100 or more, and a three-day pass is $21. Once the fair opens, day tickets will cost $10 at the gate, $12 weekends and Columbus Day. Children age 7 and under accompanied by an adult will be admitted free. This year, Senior Citizens Day is Oct. 4. Persons 60 and over will be admitted for $7. — David Cogger

CLEARING WAY FOR OUTLETS — Crews have begun preparing a site off Industrial Drive for the construction of a $100 million complex of outlet and retail stores. The work fulfills an agreement developers made with the town that calls for some work to begin to take the property out of current use, which will allow the town to present developers with a $950,000 land-use change tax bill. Merrimack Premium Outlets is expected to open in 2012. — Tom Long

PEASE GREETER WILL BE MISSED — Ed Johnson has stepped down as leader of the Pease Greeters. Johnson, 80, who served in the Marines, has been chairman, secretary, and treasurer of the organization dedicated to welcoming military personnel departing and returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan at the Portsmouth International Airport at Pease since its inception five years ago. During his tenure, the group greeted about 370 flights of service men and women during refueling stopovers and grew from a loose-knit handful of greeters to a group with more than 2,000 members. — Tom Long

TAVERN RESTORATION PLANS — The town is preparing to construct a replica of the former barn at the Marion Tavern at Grand View Farm. The construction, to begin this fall, is part ongoing restoration of the historic 6-acre site acquired by the town in a three-way land swap in 2002. The property was originally a farm and its main building, Marion Tavern, was a stagecoach stop. In a first phase of the renovations, the town last year restored the tavern’s foundation, walls, siding, roof, windows, and doors, according to Nick Rubino, cochairman of the Grand View Farm Advisory Committee. The town also razed the barn, determining it was in too poor a condition to be saved. The work was funded through sale of one of several house lots acquired in the land swap and through sale of commemorative bricks that were installed in front. Rubino said the town has selected a contractor to build the replica. To help cover the costs, one or two of the remaining house lots will be sold along with more bricks, he said. Students at Shawsheen Valley Regional Technical School this fall will be upgrading the tavern building’s plumbing, electrical, and heating systems. — John Laidler

FOOD PANTRY MOVES — The Wakefield Interfaith Food Pantry has completed its move from the First Baptist Church to the Americal Civic Center. The pantry had been housed in the church since its founding 28 years ago. The nonprofit group said the move provides additional space needed to meet the growing demand for its services. The pantry is serving an average of 800 a month, a 33 percent increase over last year. Food donations can be dropped off Mondays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. The town-owned civic center is in a former National Guard armory at 467 Main St. — John Laidler