At the start of the month, Public Works warned that Main Street Reconstruction work would begin in April with dates TBD. As I previously shared, this year’s work will focus on tree clearing and drainage.
Today, Monday, April 22nd, the Town updated:
Tree work is starting on Main Street this week.
Water by-pass will begin by end of week. By-pass work will start near Sears Road.
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Here is a selection of the committee and board meetings for the week along with my selected highlights from the agendas. Most of these meetings are open to the public, so you’re welcome to stop on by. (I noted the exceptions.)
Be aware that changes to the meeting schedule are known to happen throughout the week. For an updated list of meetings, visit the town website.
Monday, April 22, 2019
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Wednesday, April 24, 2019 [click to keep reading…]
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Above: It’s Earth Day today – but the annual celebration is on Saturday, with the community invited to help clean up our Town. (image from flyer)
Here are highlights of what’s happening around town this week.
[Note: The highlights don’t include ongoing weekly programs. For those listings and more, check the Event Calendar.]
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Wednesday, April 24, 2019
Thursday, April 25, 2019
Friday, April 26, 2019
Saturday, April 27, 2019
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Above: The 495/MetroWest Partnership is continuing to push the importance of a 495-MassPike interchange construction project for the regional economy.
A meeting held by the 495/MetroWest Partnership included a subject that impacts many commuters and businesses in our town – the state’s project to improve the 495-MassPike interchange. Local media coverage included some details worth sharing – like potential costs.
Wicked Local’s coverage of the meeting in Marlborough focused on our neighbors’ US Congress Representative Laurie Trahan. According to the article she showed support for the project.
The meeting brought together state and federal officials and developers. Some of the talk centered on the need to reduce traffic for businesses based in our region. The 495-90 project was seen as a critical part of that:
Jonathan Gulliver, highway administrator for the state’s Department of Transportation, said transportation is key to economic development. The state is working to redesign the 495-Mass Pike interchange to handle increased freight traffic and getting employees to work.
The new high-speed connection will help ease congestion with a higher traffic capacity and improve safety.
The price tag is expected to be $296 million to $413 million, depending on which option is selected. A 25 percent design public hearing is expected in 2020.
Trahan, who is still within the first 100 days of her congressional term, said she signed a letter of support for an infrastructure grant for the interchange along with other members of the state delegation.
“We’re proud to do that,” she said. “You look at how vital that intersection is not just from freight and transportation point of view but also for safety.”
You can read the full article here.
Although the Metrowest Partnership in the past has championed the need for improvements with the nearby Route 9/495 interchange, there was no mention of that in the article. The project map continues to outline the 495 section of the project as starting just south of the Rte 9 cloverleaf.
Looking at the state’s information on the project, it doesn’t look like there has been any official status change since I shared news last August. The project is still listed as under environmental review with eventual construction envisioned from 2022-2026.
And it appears that they are still accepting comments. (That interactive map does also allow you to comment on issues for nearby roads in our town, including Route 9, and it looks like some people already have.) You can read more here.
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Above: Town seniors – want to do some gardening without all of the kneeling and stooping? The Senior Center is recruiting gardeners for the raised bed gardens donated through an Eagle Scout project last year. (contributed photo)
Sorry for waiting until the last minute to share this one. Today, the Southborough Senior Center is holding a meeting about their Raised Bed Gardens.
The Center’s newsletter shares:
Would you like to be involved with the raised bed gardens at the Senior Center. If you would like to do some gardening in this confined and comfortable way, please join us. Possible plants include herbs, vegetables, some flowers and at least one pollinator. The fruits of our labor will be shared. The gardens will be tended by the group when it is convenient . Please attend a gathering to find out about becoming involved.
Monday, April 22nd at 11:00am
There will be a light lunch following the meeting. No Charge
If you have questions, you can call the Senior Center at 508-229-4453.
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Above: Campers can again enjoy Southborough Recreation Department’s summer camps at Finn and Woodward. (Images from photos courtesy of the Southborough Recreation Department and/or their Facebook page)
The Southborough Recreation Department is again offering its popular half day summer camp programs. Sign up by April 24 to take advantage of the early bird discount.
Camp at Finn School is open to children ages 2.9 to those entering first grade, while the Woodward program (actually held at Woodward this year) is open to children entering grades 2 through 6. The program will run from June 24th to August 9th.*
Each week offers dedicated themes (like Carnival Week and Barn Yard Fun) with special activities and visitors. The WW camp also offers occasional special outings, and most weeks include a swim at St. Mark’s.
For more information, or to register, see the camp flyer for Finn or the camp flyer for Woodward. You can fill out the forms in the pdfs or register online here.
The early bird rate for both camps $155 per week – except for 4th of July week which is $128.
For even older kids looking for something to do, there’s the CIT program at both camps. It’s geared for children entering grades 7-9:
A CIT (counselor in training) is a camper enrolled in a specialized camp leadership program. Through practical experience CIT’s learn about behavior management, risk management, safety awareness, decision making, program planning and team building. This program is meant to develop future leaders for camp and all other areas of life. Our goal is to give CITs the opportunity to gain confidence, pride along with a sense of community and accomplishment.
(click to enlarge)
For more details, check out the description cropped from the brochure (image right). Registration for the uber popular option isn’t available online, and Rec doesn’t offer an early bird discount for the program. To register, you need to fill out the mail in form, available here.
When deciding which weeks you want to sign kids up for, you may want to first check on the schedule for other one-week specialty camps this summer. There are a few sports camps and some programs focused on fun with science or engineering. There are also the usual ongoing classes/camps over the summer for tennis, golf, and horseback riding. You can view the the spring & summer brochure here.
*Note: Barring any more unforeseen cancellations, the last day of school will be Monday, June 17th. School resumes for the next school year on August 28th.
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