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By Brock Parker, Town Correspondent

Bridgewater-based real estate firm Claremont Companies is seeking to build a Hilton Homewood Suites hotel at 111 Boylston Street that would cater to guests seeking lodging for several days.

Company president Elias Patoucheas appeared before Brookline’s Planning Board Thursday along with his design team for the hotel, that would be five stories tall along Route 9, but would step down to four and then three stories at the rear of the property along the MBTA’s Green Line tracks and a residential area.

Previous proposals by Leggat McCall and then GLC Development Resources LLC to build medical office buildings on the long-vacant site have both fallen through in recent years.

Patoucheas said that while the previous developers fell victim to a bad economy, that won’t be an issue for Claremont Companies.

“The cash equity to develop this project is in the bank,” Patoucheas said.

The hotel will cater to guests staying more than three days on average. Most of the parking will be underground, and the hotel will have a pool, meeting room, lounge and a fitness room.

To review the hotel proposal, Brookline’s Planning Board voted Thursday to establish a design advisory team including town officials and neighborhood representatives.

The team will begin is review in July. Planning Board members said they were encouraged by what they see in the preliminary design, though members suggested several alterations to the preliminary design, including some improvements to the façade of the five-story structure that will face Route 9.

“This is a terrific project,” said Planning Board Chairman Mark Zarillo.

By Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondent

The MBTA will increase security and police patrols around the system on July 4. As in years past, the T will boost subway service and will not charge fares after a certain point at nighttime, officials announced this week.

“We encourage people coming into the city to celebrate to use the MBTA and ask passengers to expect large amounts of people, and as we do every day we ask people to be aware of their surroundings, and if they see something unusual, report it immediately,” said Joseph F. O'Connor, superintendent-in-chief of the Transit Police Department.

He said, that while security is normally heightened on the holiday and for other large public events around Boston, this year there will be even more patrols than on July 4 in years past, including a “significant amount” of both uniformed and plain-clothes officers throughout the public transit system due to the bombing attacks in the city at the Marathon in April.

“We want people to feel safe,” O’Connor said. “We want to reassure the public for people who may be concerned because of the events that happened at the Marathon and in the week after.”

There will be no special restrictions on what items passengers can carry while riding the T, but O’Connor reminded riders that some items will be prohibited within a secure perimeter that will be established around the Esplanade.

He said random bag inspections, which are performed daily at strategically-chosen parts of the T, will be performed on the holiday. O’Connor also encouraged riders to download the agency’s free smartphone application which allows users to report suspicious activity by sending text and photos directly to Transit Police.

He said that Transit Police will, as they do regularly, work closely with federal, state and city law enforcement throughout the holiday.

The T also plans to institute schedule-related changes similar to what the agency has done on Independence Day in years past.

On Thursday, July 4, fares will not be collected after 9:30 p.m., subway service will run at “rush hour levels” after 2 p.m. and the last outbound commuter rail trains scheduled to leave Boston will delay their departure to allow passengers more time to board after the fireworks display at the Esplanade.

“Customers are urged to take public transportation to and from Fourth of July events and advised to check T-Alerts and mbta.com for the most up-to-date service information during the holiday,” the agency said on its website.

Officials also reminded riders that bicycles are not allowed on any subway lines on July 4. Bikes are also not allowed on inbound commuter rail trains from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or on outbound trains after 4 p.m.

Buses will operate on a Sunday schedule. Before 2 p.m., the T’s four subway lines – the Red, Blue, Orange and Green – will operate on a Sunday schedule.

The commuter rail will operate on a Saturday schedule, until the day’s final outbound commuter rail trains, all but one of which will delay their departures from Boston until 11:45 p.m. – about 45 minutes after the city’s fireworks display usually ends. The #1173 to Newburyport is scheduled to depart at 11:15 p.m.

Quincy and Hull boats will run on a weekday schedule. Charlestown boats will operate on a Saturday schedule. Hingham boats will not run.

Passengers who use The RIDE service are asked to check directly with their contractors for specific schedule changes.

For more information, visit the T’s website, www.mbta.com.

E-mail Matt Rocheleau at mjrochele@gmail.com.
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By Evan Allen, Globe Staff

Newton Mayor Setti Warren announced Tuesday he would block funding for a controversial proposal to build affordable housing for formerly homeless people on Beacon Street in Waban, saying residents need more time to discuss the issue.

"There are several reasons why I cannot support the allocation of federal funding for the proposal at this time," Warren said in a statement. “For an affordable housing project to move forward anywhere in the city, I believe it is essential that we first allow for an appropriate period of time for our residents to be heard."

The proposal, called Engine 6, has drawn outcry from residents concerned that the potential tenants could put their children in danger, and who say they were not consulted about the development’s location.

The project, developed by private nonprofit Metro West Collaborative Development and managed by the Pine Street Inn, is projected to cost about $3.1 million; developers had requested about $1.4 million in federal funds managed by the city to move ahead. The project was to be funded with a mix of private and public money.

While Newton Planning Director Candace Havens said that without Newton’s funding, developers still had the option of looking for funding from another source, a spokeswoman for the Pine Street Inn said that Warren’s announcement had halted its plans.

“Affordable housing for very low-income individuals is the key to ending homelessness, and more of this kind of housing is desperately needed,” said spokeswoman Barbara Trevisan in a statement.

“Without the support of the city of Newton, we are unable to move forward with this project," she said. "Pine Street Inn is disappointed that a deserving group of homeless men and women will not find housing in Waban, but we look forward to working with the City of Newton in the future as they move forward on affordable housing.”

The senior housing project manager for Metro West said the nonprofit is “committed to continuing with the Engine 6 project.”

“[We’re] currently evaluating our options moving forward,” said Steve Laferriere in an email. “We remain committed to working with the city and the community to bring this important project to fruition.”

The Newton Housing Partnership and the city’s Planning and Development Board both voted to recommend granting the funding, and their recommendation was set to be forwarded to Warren after a 30-day public comment period set to end July 2.

However, Warren weighed in before the deadline with his announcement Tuesday.

“The decision had to do with the time frame, and allowing the community to get information and get the facts,” said Warren in a phone interview. “Thirty days, to me, is not enough time to do that.”

He said the city is committed to hosting workshops and educational forums this fall to discuss affordable housing, both projects that currently exist in Newton and possible future projects.

Warren said he would be open to considering the Engine 6 proposal again at a later date.

While the proposal had enraged many residents in Waban, others had been supportive of Engine 6. Kathleen Hobson, who lives on Dorset Road with her family in Waban, said she had been working to organize supporters, and had a meeting planned for tonight.

“I don’t know what to say,” she said of Warren’s announcement. “Obviously, we’re going to try to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, but I don’t know what that’s going to look like.”

Hobson said she was disappointed that the mayor did not wait until the end of the comment period to make a decision about funding.

“It feels like we were doomed,” she said. “I’m sorry the mayor didn’t let the comment period persist to the deadline. There was a deadline. July 2.”

Warren said people are still welcome to submit their comments on the project.

“Listening to the dialogue was very important,” said Warren. “It was very important we have an extended period of time that would not be had within a week or two weeks time.”

Hobson said she will still hold the supporter meeting.

“We have to process together and see if we have the energy to push back,” she said.

Alderwoman Deborah Crossley, who moderated meetings about Engine 6 and was working to educate residents about the proposal, said she was unhappy with the mayor’s decision.

“I urged him not to do this, because to me we had a public process that we had put in place, that everybody was gearing up to participate in,” she said.

While the meetings had been contentious, she said, people were beginning to work through the information, ask questions, and understand.

“I’m very disappointed. I worked very hard on this,” she said. “To be told, close to the time when the event is scheduled, that ‘everything’s off, sorry,’ in order to stop a difficult conversation, makes no sense to me.”

Evan Allen can be reached at evan.allen@globe.com.

Girl Scouts of Eastern Mass. announced Thursday that 51 Girl Scouts have earned the Girl Scout Gold Award-- the highest recognition a member of the organization can achieve.

The award recognizes a service project within a girl's community that creates change and becomes ongoing while also portraying a girl's organizational, leadership, and networking skills. To earn the award, girls must complete the Silver Award and a minimum of 80 hours of service, according to a press release.

The awards were given in a ceremony on June 19 at the Marlborough Holiday Inn.

Here is a list of the girls and an explanation of their projects:

Emily Allard, Stoneham
Allard's project, Lindenwood Cemetery Visitors Project, helped visitors easily locate the cemetery plots of their friends and family. She replaced the street signs and poles and created a detailed map of the cemetery near the entrance. Smaller paper maps are also available for visitors to take with them.

Claire Bagnani, Chestnut Hill
Bagnani’s project, Elder Youth Connection, helps senior citizens who are living alone or lacking support systems. Children of Brookline regularly spent time with the elderly and provided assistance by grocery shopping and running errands. The partnership between elder housing communities and the youth of Brookline formed a strong bond among the two communities. The program, titled SHOP, will continue this relationship between the senior citizens and high school students.

Andrea Bourke, Kingston (she moved to Maryland but remained in her Kingston GS troop through Skype and other technology)
The Chesapeake Bay is one of the unhealthiest waterways in the world, due to human habitation, development, deforestation, overfishing and nutrient pollution. Bourke's project, Save the Bay, aimed to promote awareness for this regional issue and brought about change by educating others on how they can affect the problem. She worked with a school that bordered the bay to create a rain garden designed to catch rainwater off the roof of the building closest to the bay. The garden was 800 square feet and contained native plants. Bourke also created posters and brochures to educate others on how to keep the bay clean. The EcoClub at the school will maintain the garden.

Meckila Britt, Ashland
Britt's project, One Skein of Yarn, helped bridge the gap between generations through knitting and crocheting. She managed a group of individuals, ages 10 to 101, who spent time together learning to knit and crochet. The group made hats, scarves, and mittens for the homeless. In December, they assembled their projects into gift baskets that were delivered to a local family shelter. They also provided a basket of home-baked goodies for the shelter staff. The group continues to meet and make additional items for other shelters.

Emily Buckley, Canton
Buckley's high school requires that each student complete 20 hours of community service. The only source of these opportunities is through the Career Center website, which was not maintained properly and needed to be updated with more current and diverse opportunities. Buckley's project, Career Center Website Rehabilitation, provides easy access to information on local nonprofit organizations, as well as organizations outside the community, offering students more diverse service opportunities to choose from. Members of the school's chapter of the National Honor Society will update the website annually.

Rachel Cabitt, Rowley
Cabitt's project, Painting History, combined art and history to educate the community about the town's history. She painted a mural in the town hall and held workshops in the library to share the historical aspects depicted in the mural. She then had participants express what they learned artistically.

Kathryn Chiffer, Topsfield
Chiffer's project, Project Lunchbox: Let's Eat!, educates elementary school students and their families about the link between healthy eating and positive school performance. She taught multi-generational nutrition and cooking classes, which included reading labels and understanding marketing strategies used by manufacturers. She maintains a blog to educate the wider community about the importance of healthy eating and writes a weekly column in her school's newsletter. Chiffer also convinced the school cafeteria to add one of her healthy recipes to the menu. Her school will continue to support her endeavors by applying for a grant to fund an expansion of her program.\

Arianne Chipman, Hingham
Chipman's project, Green Thumbs Gardening, teaches local elementary school students the value of growing local produce and supporting local farms. She helped them plant a garden that was maintained over summer break by students and their families. An autumn harvest was shared by the school community, allowing for cost savings on the school's produce. The school will be continuing this program.

Jennifer Crawford, North Reading
Crawford's project, Interfaith Leadership Summit, addresses religious intolerance. Through the summit and a video documentary, she educated local youth groups about different faiths and encouraged them to teach others what they learned. High school students from the area participated in workshops on diversity, acceptance, tolerance, religious pluralism and identities. Crawford's church youth group plans on making this an annual event.

Danielle Davies, Boxford
For over 15 years, the Boxford Town Library has been in poor condition, with limited storage and very little usable space for programs and activities. Davies' project, Boxford Library Rescue, gave the library a much needed update and reorganized the library's storage space. Davies worked with volunteers to clean out the library barn, providing the library with more storage and better access to materials stored there. In addition, they reorganized and repainted the current space, giving the library a fresh look and more space for community programs and events. The Friends of the Library have agreed to maintain the storage space.

Jessica Desmond, Chelmsford
Women and children are often victims of violence and do not know how to protect themselves. Desmond's project, A Fighting Chance, collaborated with self-defense instructors and local police officers to provide workshops on basic self-defense, while also educating participants on laws related to domestic violence and rape. She created a video to be used by her dojo, which has decided to run a six-week course on self-defense for women and girls.

Emily Doucette, Maynard
Doucette's project, Organizing for the Future of the Choral Program, organized her school's choral collection based on music type, artist, and title. Doucette created a log documenting resources and a new storage system that holds more music, and updated file cabinets with new paint. She also created a Guide to Being a Chorus Librarian to ensure that her new organized system would be maintained. She utilized Facebook and a blog to recruit volunteers.

Elizabeth Driver, Topsfield
Driver's project, Read, Reinforce, Reach Out, provided supplemental materials for classrooms with autistic students. She assembled binders containing literacy materials and activities that reinforce concepts taught in classroom books. Driver created two displays, one aimed at adults and the other toward children, at the local library to educate the public about autism. She also visited some elementary classrooms to emphasize the importance of understanding autism and inclusion.

Jazmin Eltoury, Quincy
Eltoury's project, Creating a Safe Environment for Youth in Town, provides the children in her community safe opportunities to participate in outdoor activities on a regular basis. She started a teen group that met regularly at the local sportsman club. She also created an instructional video to teach the fundamentals of archery and help parents get their children involved in archery and outdoor activities in a safe environment.

Claire Faddis, Boxford
Faddis' project, Water Conservation Education and Promotion, promotes water conservation through education. Faddis worked with second graders in her community, educating them about wasting water and the important role water plays in their daily lives through classroom activities. Students now conserve water by turning off the water when brushing their teeth and checking for leaking faucets. She also taught adults in the community about using rain barrels to capture water, which can be used to water gardens and lawns. She wrote numerous articles on rain barrel usage for the local paper and created a website which will continue the education process.

Caitlin Fitzmaurice, Scituate
Fitzmaurice's project, A Child's Sanctuary: Go Green for Marine Life, brings community awareness to marine biodiversity and teaches the community to protect this special habitat. She ran two events for families that held a number of interactive, fun and educational activities about marine life and the harmful effects humans can cause. She worked closely with NOAA/Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and trained their volunteers, who will continue to provide Fitzmaurice's workshops to the community.

Colleen Fitzpatrick, North Reading
Fitzpatrick's project, Parish Park Rededication and Cleanup, constructed a memorial garden in North Reading's Parish Park to honor the town's veterans. She, along with volunteers, created a beautiful, reflective space where townspeople can remember and appreciate the veterans. Upon completion, Fitzpatrick organized an event to honor the veterans and to dedicate the space to them.

Kiersten Flodman, Rowley
Flodman's project, Babies on the Go, gave access to developmental toys for families with new babies. She worked with community groups to gather supplies, make blankets, and assemble bags containing rattles, books, blankets and laminated cards explaining the importance of developmental play. Local physical and occupational therapists and service providers distributed the bags to their patients.

Alicia Healey, Canton
Healey's project, Mission Pet Safe, is an educational campaign for pet owners. The campaign addressed pet safety, including accidental poisoning, car accidents, proper restraint practices, pet first-aid kits and heat-related deaths from dogs left in cars. Healy, with the help of volunteers, created bookmarks, a traveling display, first-aid kits, brochures and puzzles for preschoolers. She gave presentations at the library and the middle school and high school. She also wrote an article for the newspaper, shared the information on global websites, and created a website and blog.

Emma Holland, Hingham
Holland's project, Sounds of the Past, involved working with fellow student musicians to compile and bring back historical 19th-century American music to the town's historical society. She researched, transcribed and learned the music with help from her fellow musicians. The group recorded the music, which is now available for use by the historical society and can be found on YouTube. They also held a live performance of the music for the local elementary school. To view her project blog, visit www.gssoundsofthepast.tumblr.com.

Caroline Hultin, Sudbury
Hultin's project, Up and Out for Gold 2012, addresses homelessness. She worked with Heading Home, a nonprofit that provides emergency, transitional, and permanent housing to low-income homeless and formerly homeless families. Hultin, with the help of volunteers, furnished and cleaned an apartment for a homeless family. She also recruited younger Girl Scout troops to collaborate with Heading Home to set up additional homes.

Anna Krah, Medfield
Krah’s project, Coexisting Cultures, expanded cultural education in her community. She created a Chinese Club at Medfield High School and introduced the plight of people in Nicaragua to children in the third grade. As a result of their experiences, high school students expressed greater interest in a Chinese exchange program and the third graders gained a better understanding of the global impact of community service.

Danielle Lapierre, Chelmsford
After being used by the community for years, the Lady of Fatima statue at St. Mary's Church has become overgrown and inaccessible. Lapierre's project, Create St. Mary Parish Marian Grotto, involved designing and building a beautiful grotto with the help of many volunteers. The newly transformed space is now a place where the community can meditate, reflect or pray. A dedicated group of parishioners will maintain the area and already plan to add a waterfall feature.

Katherine LaScaleia, Sudbury
LaScaleia’s project, Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Reducing Idling in the Community of Sudbury, educates both youth and adults about the environmental, economic and health hazards of idling. She ran a bike rally to inspire children to ride their bikes while also teaching them about the dangers of idling. She used various methods to bring awareness, such as writing a series of articles for the newspaper on the hazards of idling and created a website where people can take a pledge to reduce their idling.

Whitney Ligonde, Dedham
Ligonde's project, Educational Inequality, organized high school students to tutor younger students one-on-one through the middle school's homework club. Working with school staff, she changed the policy that only National Honor Society students were allowed to tutor middle school students. She worked with the math department to train the tutors and develop a curriculum. Her high school will continue her work by making this an official club.

Christina Liotti, Danvers
Liotti's project, Seniors on the Move, aims to inspire senior citizens to become more active. With the new Danvers Rail Trail in mind, she created a club called Walk with the Seniors. Students from her school walked with seniors as a group, giving them a sense of security and the option of assistance if needed. Her high school has made this an official community service option for students.

Anne LoVerso, Southborough
LoVerso’s project, Childhood Health and Fitness through Circus Arts, addresses childhood obesity and the lack of childhood health and fitness. She worked with a local circus school to develop a static trapeze curriculum with step-by-step instructions for tricks, spotting, warm-up exercises and conditioning. She, along with a team of volunteers, held a workshop for 4th and 5th graders to share circus activities and provided information on healthy eating at a large community event. Her curriculum will be used by gym teachers in elementary schools. The National Honor Society has also agreed to hold a fitness booth at their opening day event.

Alison McDermott, Hingham
McDermott's project, Teens Teach Technology, helps senior citizens feel more comfortable with using technology. She and her peer volunteers provided workshops on Skype, Twitter and Facebook. The senior citizens are now able to connect with family overseas, reconnect with old classmates and share photos with loved ones. McDermott created a binder and PowerPoint presentation for future workshop leaders.

Samantha McGoldrick, North Reading
McGoldrick's project, Raised Beds for North Reading Food Pantry, involved creating and maintaining four raised garden beds behind the food pantry building. These gardens help supply the North Reading Food Pantry with fresh fruits and vegetables to serve families. The local garden club has agreed to care for the gardens and will donate plants to keep the project going.

Molly McGowan, Waltham
McGowan’s project, The Imagination Station, addresses the lack of imaginative play present in many children’s hospitals. For a hospital play room, she created a cabinet that is filled with imaginative play toys and that can be accessed 24/7 by children and their families. She worked closely with a Child Life Specialist to determine appropriate activities for hospitalized children of all ages. McGowan created a committee of volunteers who will maintain the imagination station.

Jessica Merritt, Pembroke
Merritt's project, Water Safety, brought community awareness to drowning and how it can be prevented. She created informative and interactive activity stations that included open water education and CPR demonstrations. In addition, she created a binder with all the information needed to continue this awareness program, which the town landing chairman has agreed to do.

Melissa Moody, Newton
Moody’s project, Wetlands: The Final Frontier, brought community awareness to the local wetlands. She worked with DCR officials and local volunteers to install informational posts throughout the Charles River Wetlands. Each post has a QR code that visitors can scan with their smart phones. The code directs them to a website (www.qbqtrail.org) with information about that particular part of the wetlands.

Katelin Oberlander, West Yarmouth
Oberlander's project, Mini Clinic for Field Hockey, gives younger girls a better understanding of field hockey before they enter high school. She held field hockey clinics where girls practiced the sport, learned to work as a team, enjoyed exercise and learned about proper nutrition to keep their bodies fueled.

Leda Olia, Newton
Olia’s project, Will Run for Fun, introduced elementary school children to long-distance running to promote enthusiasm for the sport at a younger age. She created an afterschool long-distance running program and employed high school volunteers. She also produced a handbook, which will be used by future volunteers to continue the program.

Ann Pastorello, Tewksbury
Pastorello's project, Operation Blanket, helps educate the community about animal shelters and animal adoption. She worked with local children and members of the senior center to create blankets and treats for cats at the MSPCA shelter. Pastorello created a PowerPoint presentation and flyer that she shared at various workshops. She also made a YouTube video demonstrating how to make the blankets.

Hannah Peternell, Westford
Peternell's project, New Student Protocol, creates a welcome program for new students at Westford Academy. She designed an infrastructure of support, such as welcome phone calls to new students, invitations to a new student orientation banquet and appointing peer counselors to show new students around, to help ease their transition into a new school. The program will be continued by the school's guidance staff and peer counselor group.

Samantha Rizzo, Canton
A can is recycled in 6 weeks, but takes hundreds of years to decompose in a landfill. Rizzo raised public awareness about the need to recycle through her project, Recycling Receptacles. She gave a presentation to her local Board of Selectmen to show why the town needed public recycling receptacles and explained the costs between different types of receptacles. She made a public service announcement on recycling, which will air annually on Canton Community Television. Rizzo also created recycling stickers to encourage the public to use the new receptacles.

Kristina Ryan, Burlington
Ryan's project, Heartbeat Awareness Program, addressed teen pregnancy and provided support systems for teen moms. Ryan partnered with Heartbeat Pregnancy Health Center, a nonprofit organization that provides free resources to pregnant teens such as free ultrasounds, prenatal and infant care, counseling, and items needed for the baby. Ryan gave community presentations to teens and their families about the health center and the resources available. She also collected supplies for the teens and newborns that the organization will distribute.

Meredith Scheiring, Hingham
Feeling inspired to help teens who are newly diagnosed with diabetes, Scheiring's project, Diabetes Domain, created a website for those with diabetes. On the site, people can share inspirational and personal stories, advice, regrets, words of encouragement and information on developing technology for diabetic care. The College Diabetes Network will maintain the website: diabetesdomain.wix.com/dd.

Kristen Shevlin, North Reading
Shevlin's project, Backyard Gardens, addresses the issue of limited access to healthy foods. She worked with members of the community to build raised-bed gardens. Some fruits and vegetables are for community consumption while others are donations to the local food pantry. She also provided healthy recipes for the food pantry to hand out to patrons. A younger Girl Scout troop will continue her project.

Charlotte Skolnick, Pembroke
Skolnick's project, Self-Guided Historical Tours of Pembroke, provides the community with an interactive experience of the town's rich and interesting sites. She worked closely with the Pembroke library staff to develop accurate descriptions of the historical sites. With a team of volunteers, she created two walking routes and three driving routes through town. Skolnick held a kickoff event to introduce the walking tours to her community.

Gabriella Smith, Andover
Smith's project, Rediscovering Haggetts Pond Through Modern Technology, promotes the trails surrounding Andover's Haggetts Pond. She used modern technology to make the trail's information more accessible and appealing. Using GPS and cartography software, Smith created a detailed map of the area. She worked with volunteers to develop an informational website about Haggetts Pond as well as a kiosk displaying a QR code that brings smart phone users to the website.

Eliza Lily Snow, Hingham
Snow's project, Middle School Circle Club, is a club for middle-school children, with and without disabilities, to interact and socialize in a safe, judgment-free environment. The bi-monthly club focuses on the importance of inclusion and acceptance. The Circle Club helped to strengthen friendships and inspired members to participate in the high school's Best Buddies program. Students from the Best Buddies program will continue the Circle Club at the middle school.

Amelia Steeger, Medfield
Steeger’s project, Cranes for Change, created environmental educational clubs at the local afterschool program for children in grades 2–6. She also set up a monthly group at her church to explore topics like chemicals in body care products, recycling and repurposing materials, and growing organic foods. She worked in conjunction with Medfield Green to sponsor a Forever Green Family Night Out. Each participant created a paper crane to symbolize their pledge to help the environment. This event will be continued by Girl Scouts working on their Sow What? Journey.

Jennifer Sullivan, Wakefield
Sullivan's project, Replacing Missing House Numbers, addresses the issue of house numbers not being visible to emergency personnel. With the help of volunteers, she checked approximately 5,000 houses in Wakefield and notified owners that their house numbers were missing or not easily visible from the street. Sullivan worked with the local fire chief to send letters informing residents of the safety issue. A local hardware store offered a discount on the purchase of new house numbers if residents showed the letter. The local fire department will continue her crusade.

Samantha Traficante, Kingston
Traficante's project, Kiosk and Signage Maintenance at Open Spaces, brought public awareness to Kingston's conservation properties. The properties were run down and vandalized, and Traficante worked with a team of volunteers to clean up the properties and repair information kiosks. She also created map boxes to hold site maps at each location.

Katerina Tsoutsouras, Rowley
Tsoutsouras' project, Loving Literature: Helping Children Develop a Love of Books and Reading, addresses illiteracy by finding ways to motivate children to read more. She scheduled weekly book club sessions at the Ipswich Library and United Methodist Church for children ages 5 to 8. Volunteers offered reading sessions for different skill levels and time for crafts to further engage the children. When parents were surveyed, they expressed that the children were more interested in reading at home in their free time after attending the sessions.

Emily Van Laarhoven, Southborough
Families with children who have special needs have trouble finding qualified babysitters. In order to have child care they have to hire a specialist at $25-30 an hour, or rely on older siblings. This is often detrimental to the family dynamic and creates additional strain both financially and mentally on parents. Van Laarhoven’s project, Training Course for Babysitting Kids with Special Needs, trained volunteers to recognize and understand specific special needs diagnoses, creating a pool of knowledgeable and skilled babysitters at a reasonable rate.

Stephanie Wasiuk, Maynard
Wasiuk’s project, Music for the Future, organized the high school band’s music into an easy-to-use system, making resources easily available to students. She restored over 200 boxes of organized material, made note of missing pieces, and documented the contents. She also created a how-to manual for the system and a shelving unit to track music being returned and ensure its proper storage.

Laura White, Reading
White's project, Spreading Shakespeare, helped people appreciate Shakespeare by exposing them to his work. With the assistance of volunteers dressed in costumes from the 1500s, she held workshops for teens at the library's Teen Summer Reading program and worked with younger children at Camp Rice Moody. She also helped middle school students put on a performance of Twelfth Night. A recording of the performance and how-to videos can be found on YouTube.

Anna Willms, Wellesley
Willms' project, Preparing Children for an Eye Examination, addresses children's fear and anxiety concerning eye exams. She created a video and booklet to educate children on what an eye exam entails. The video and booklet have been given to Mass Eye and Ear and Children's Hospital to help alleviate their young patients' fears.

By Laura Gomez, Globe Correspondent

The Mall at Chestnut Hill announced Monday that it will welcome The Cheesecake Factory to join its mix of stores and restaurants at the end of the year, according to a press release.

“The addition of The Cheesecake Factory, continues our reputation as the premiere, high-end shopping destination in the area,” said Justin Feldhouse, mall manager at Mall at Chestnut Hill. “We offer a variety of unique restaurants for our shoppers and are sure they will enjoy their dining experiences at the mall.”

Known for its extensive menu and desserts, The Cheesecake Factory features more than 250 menu selections and more than 50 signature cheesecakes and desserts that were distinguished as America’s “best desserts” in Zagat's 2012 National Restaurant Chains Survey.

To accommodate the new restaurant, Mall at Chestnut Hill converted an already existing retail space, formerly occupied by Barney’s New York, into a restaurant space that will feature front patio seating, according to Feldhouse.

The Cheesecake Factory's decor will feature limestone floors and decorative columns, hand painted murals, contemporary lighting and an abundance of cherry wood, the release said.

“Mall at Chestnut Hill is a wonderful shopping destination and we look forward to joining its impressive roster of tenants and continuing to serve our loyal guests from the Chestnut Hill community,” said Alethea Rowe, senior director of public relations, The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated.

The current location of The Cheesecake Factory at the Atrium Mall, 300 Boylston St. in Chestnut Hill, is expected to close with the new opening at Mall at Chestnut Hill, 199 Boylston St.

“We currently believe we will be closing our Atrium Mall location in conjunction with our new opening at the Mall at Chestnut Hill,” said Alethea Rowe, senior director of Public Relations of The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated, in a statement.

By Evan Allen, Globe Staff

The Newton School Committee voted unanimously Monday night to eliminate or reduce a slew of student activity fees, saying the steep cost of admission can sometimes prove the difference between a child trying something new and taking a pass.

“I would say this is a significant move,” said Committee Chair Claire Sokoloff. “There were significant changes made that will have an impact on families, and hopefully make participation in activities increase.”

After more than an hour of discussion, the committee voted to eliminate the high school student activity fee entirely, making activities such as newspaper, ping pong, and mock trial free to participate in, though sports and drama will still require fees. The committee also reduced the total amount of fees a family can be expected to pay from $1,800 to $1,200.

Committee members lowered the parking fee for Newton South students from $360 to $310, and reduced the grade four and five instrumental music fee and All City Music fee from $200 to $150. Students who pay the grade four and five instrumental music fee will no longer be required to pay the All City Fee also.

Monday night’s cuts went further than the original proposal introduced at a June 10 meeting, which did not include the reduction to the music fee, though it would have made a larger cut to the parking fee.

The changes to the fee structure, made possible by a budget surplus and by one-time health care savings, will go into effect in the coming school year. The committee will continue to discuss the possibility of more fee reductions for future school years.

“In isolation, nobody likes fees, nobody wants fees that are going to deter children from participating in activities,” said Sokoloff. “And yet every district has fees, we’ve had fees for a very long time. We need to be very careful, if we eliminate a recurring revenue source, that we know what the tradeoffs would be.”

Fees are expected to generate $2.4 million toward the district’s $178.8 million budget this fiscal year, according to school officials. The cuts to the fees will take $135,500 of recurring revenue out of the district’s budget in the next fiscal year.

Superintendent David Fleishman said he was pleased that the cuts the committee voted on struck a balance between reducing fees and protecting rich programming for students.
“We’re always trying to achieve that balance,” he said. “I think the committee has the same interest.”

The district expects to end this fiscal year with a budget surplus of $922,000, and it also realized $1 million due to one-time savings on projected health care costs. After putting money into its reserves for emergencies next year and the city’s rainy day fund, which helps reduce borrowing costs, the district would be left with $1.3 million.

Most of that $1.3 million will be spent on new technology, but some will go to offset the cost of the fee cuts. Sokoloff said the district also expects an increase in funding from the state, which could help offset some of the cost as well.

Several Newton residents braved the pouring rain to listen to the School Committee decide what fees to cut.

Kate Martenis, a 15-year-old freshman at Newton North High School, told the committee about her older brother, Ned, who has played the flute since fourth grade. When he first started, she said, he didn’t know if the flute was right for him – and the fee could have dissuaded her parents from taking the risk. She read a statement from her brother urging the committee to eliminate the music fee.

“Music may not be for all people, but all people should be able to enjoy it freely through the Newton school system,” she read.

Some committee members lobbied for deeper cuts to the fees.

Geoffrey Epstein argued that all fees on arts and student activities should be waived for a year, so the district can study whether student participation in activities, which has dropped in some areas as the fees have gone up, would rise again.

He voted for the final proposal, but said the cuts to fees for the arts did not go far enough.

“I’ll vote for it,” he said, “but I think it’s a sad day for the arts.”

Angela Pitter-Wright suggested dropping the cap on fees a family pays to $1,000 instead of $1,200, and Steven Siegel suggested cutting the music fee to $100.

Other members, however, said there was simply not enough data about the effects of the fees on student participation to warrant sweeping cuts, and cautioned that cutting recurring revenue because of a one-time surplus could become costly down the road.

“The worst thing that I think I could do is overreach at this point,” said committee vice-chair Matthew Hills. “I would define overreaching as making too many changes based on some very shaky assumptions which we have no way of knowing are true at this point.”

Sokoloff said that while the fees for the next school year will not be changing any further, the committee will continue to discuss the possibility of more reductions in future years.

“If there’s a consensus on anything, it’s a sentiment that we don’t have enough information … to make big, big changes, because there’s a lot of different ways that people are looking at how to make the biggest impact given fiscal responsibility,” she said during the meeting. “We are going to continue this conversation one way or the other.”

Evan Allen can be reached at evan.allen@globe.com.

By Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondent

The MBTA says it will make its 15 busiest bus routes faster, more reliable, and more accessible through a series of changes this summer, which include relocating some stops and eliminating others.

Construction on some of the bus routes will begin this week and upgrades to all of the effected routes are expected to be made by the end of August, officials announced Monday.

The 15 “key” routes carry about 40 percent of the T’s total bus ridership. The routes run more often than other bus routes to serve high-density travel corridors, primarily in Boston, but also stretching to Arlington, Belmont, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Newton, Revere, and Watertown.

The T hopes to make each route about 10 to 15 percent faster by moving some stops and removing others. The goal is for there to be a bus stop every 750 to 1,320 feet, or about four to seven stops per mile. Many stops now are as close as 200 feet.

The agency also hopes to run more reliable bus service by better adhering to schedules and by trying to reduce “bunching,” when two or more buses on the same route are traveling close to each other.

More “passenger amenities,” including new bus shelters at 85 stops, as well as benches and trash barrels, will be installed. Some sidewalks will be improved and some curb extensions will be built.

New signs and pavement markings will be installed to provide better route-related details and to keep drivers from stopping or parking at bus stops.

Traffic signal improvements are expected to be made along some routes.

Work will include bringing bus stops into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act to improve accessibility for seniors and people with disabilities, officials said. In some cases, that will mean lengthening the bus stop area.

The T also plans to install new "Park and Pedal" bike parking cages at Alewife Station and the Beverly Garage in July and at Wollaston, Back Bay, Dudley Square and Wonderland stations in August.

Funding for the program includes $7 million in federal stimulus money and another $3 million in federal transportation funding.

Over the past two years, more than 50 public meetings have been held about the “Key Bus Routes Improvement Program.”

“The MBTA is looking forward to improving the quality of amenities and service on some of our most utilized services,” General Manager Beverly Scott said in a statement Monday. “This aggressive and ambitious project will reduce trip times, enhance customer comfort, accessibility, convenience and safety, and make service more reliable and cost-effective.”

A list of the 15 routes and projected timelines for construction are as follows. The schedules are subject to change, T officials said:

Key Bus Routes
Route 1 – July 1st – July 25th
Route 15 – June 24th – July 12th
Route 22 – June 17th – July 17th
Route 23 – June 17th – July
Route 28 – June 17th – August 30th
Route 32 – June 24th – August 8th
Route 39 – July – August
Route 57 – July 15th – August 30th
Route 66 – June 24th – August 1st
Route 71 – August 1st – August 30th
Route 73 – August 1st – August 30th
Route 77 – July 25th – August 26th
Route 111 – August 9th – August 30th
Route 116 – July 19th – August 30th
Route 117 – July 19th – August 30th

For more information on the bus improvement program, click here.

E-mail Matt Rocheleau at mjrochele@gmail.com.
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By Deirdre Fernandes, Globe Staff

Two top lieutenants in the Newton Police Department, who were part of the controversial investigation into a former chief’s secretary, cleaned out their offices and unexpectedly left this week.

The departures of the Lieutenant Edward Aucoin, the head of the department’s internal affairs office, and Lieutenant Hugh Downing, the chief executive officer, are among the latest shakeups in the Newton Police Department.

Downing could not be reached for comment. A woman who answered the phone at Aucoin’s house said he wasn’t available for comment.

Newton Police Chief Howard Mintz said he came in Wednesday to find letters from the two lieutenants stating that they will be using accrued time off and their offices empty.

The two officers have left messages on their department voicemails referring inquiries to other members of the department.

Mintz said he wasn’t expecting their departures, “not the way it unfolded.”

Downing and Aucoin continue to be employed by the city and haven’t officially resigned or retired, Mintz said.

The city hasn’t yet calculated how much time off they’ve accrued and are able to use, but it could take them well into the summer, Mintz said.

“They’re both honorable guys,” Mintz said. “They did what they had to do.”

Mintz, who officially became chief last month after former chief Matthew Cummings was fired, is conducting a 40-day review of the department and recommending changes.

Among the changes, that Mintz said he was considering was to move Aucoin and Downing out of the chief’s office and the police executive department and into the patrol officer’s pay structure.

It is unclear whether they would have earned less money.

Aucoin had been with the department for 33 years and earned $130,163 last year. Downing had almost 30 years of service and earned $118,148 last year.

Both men were part of the investigation into the former chief’s secretary Jeanne Sweeney Mooney and testified against her during her trial for larceny of over $250. She was accused of taking an envelope containing cash that the department collected through various police permit fees.

A jury acquitted Mooney last month. Mooney has filed a federal complaint against the city, contending that the mayor and several Police Department employees violated her privacy rights and illegally retaliated against her for speaking out.

Thomas Drechsler, Mooney’s lawyer in the criminal case, said he is not surprised by the departures of Aucoin and Downing.

“I can only tell you that during the course of the trial I was very critical of the way the investigation was handled,” Drechsler said.

Aucoin’s and Downing’s part in the Mooney case was not “directly related” to his plan to move them, Mintz said.

“I’ve been supportive of both individuals,” Mintz said. “There is a time for changes to be made.”

Mintz said he plans to complete his review of the department in early July. He will hire replacements for both positions, Mintz said.

Deirdre Fernandes can be reached at deirdre.fernandes@globe.com.

By Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondent

Buses will replace commuter rail service on part of the Framingham-Worcester cmmuter rail line Saturday evening while officials test the line’s signaling system, the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company announced.

On June 15, replacement bus service will run between West Natick, Framingham and Worcester stations for the following inbound trains: P564, from Framingham at 9:45 p.m. to West Natick at 9:49 p.m. to South Station, and P566, from Worcester at 12:50 a.m. to West Natick at 1:33 a.m. to South Station; and for the following outbound trains: P565 from West Natick at 9:15 p.m. to Framingham at 9:21 p.m., and P567 from West Natick at 11:46 p.m. to Worcester at 12:30 a.m.

“Part of the process in the transfer of the train dispatching system from CSX to MBCR requires us to test the signaling system,” the company said in an e-mail. “To minimize the impact of this phase to our customers – this work will take place from Saturday evening into Sunday morning.”

“We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this work,” the e-mail added. “We thank you for your patience during this disruption to the service.”

E-mail Matt Rocheleau at mjrochele@gmail.com.
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