My Southborough reader Pat Quill was walking her dog this morning when she came across a most unusual sight:
Perhaps on the hunt for water, this poor fox got stuck in a storm drain. Pat called the police and animal control who freed the little guy.
Thanks to Pat for sending in the photo!
{ 0 comments }
Above: Hurricane Earl’s projected path (from the National Hurricane Center)
Hurricane Earl is on it’s way, and while it looks like it will be staying off the Massachusetts coast, Earl is still expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain to our area.
Fire Chief John Mauro Jr. has been tracking the storm through twice-daily conference calls with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service. Mauro said the storm is expected to pass within 75 miles of Nantucket as a Category 2 or 3 storm.
Mauro said the heaviest rain in Southborough will likely be between 3:00 and 4:00 pm on Friday, with a total of two to four inches falling over the course of up to 12 hours. Rain is expected to end by 1:00 am on Saturday.
Winds are expected to be below tropical storm levels in our area, but gusts could reach nearly 40 miles per hour, Mauro said.
The storm is expected to be more intense on the Cape, with winds at hurricane force speeds for as many as six hours. If you have property on the Cape, Mauro says preparations should be completed by noon on Friday. The Cape bridges will close if sustained winds reach 70 miles per hour.
{ 0 comments }
Above: The water storage tank on Overlook Drive is in need of repair
Water is already in short supply this summer, and for Southborough residents it will be even more so over the next few weeks thanks to repair work on two of the town’s water storage tanks.
The water tank on Oak Hill Road is being stripped and repainted, while the seams and ceiling are being repaired on the tank on Overlook Drive. Each tank will need to be taken offline while the work happens, one tank at a time.
Taking a tank offline means there’s less water to go around, so the Department of Public Works is asking residents to take extra steps to conserve water above and beyond the voluntary odd/even water ban that’s already in place.
“We understand that the summer has been very dry and many residents, and the Town, have invested money in landscaping projects,” DPW Superintendent Karen Galligan wrote in a memo to the Board of Selectmen. “It is not our intent to have residents discontinue watering and let those investments die. However, we are requesting that residents with established landscaping and lawns work harder to conserve water over the next few weeks.”
Galligan said in the memo that the Department of Environmental Protection required that the water tank maintenance take place this year.
{ 3 comments }
It takes a village to make Southborough’s annual Summer Nights celebration a success, and Recreation Director Dorren Ferguson passed along these words of thanks to all those who helped out.
What a way to wrap up the summer!! There were so many people that help made Southborough Summer Nights a success and I would like to thank you all. (I hope that I don’t miss anyone, if I do please forgive me)
Robin Martin
Jane O’Sullivan
Sheri Beran
Paula Fagan
Fire Chief John Mauro
Police Chief Jane Moran
DPW Superintendant Karen Galligan
Chris Leroy, DPW
Neal Aspesi, Emergency Management
Volunteers from CERT/MRC: Andy Gleckel, Tony Rea, Sherri Lajeunesse, Carol Willoughby, Jeff Rosenberg, Tonya Bernard, Andy Holland, Terry Holland, Sharon McCarthy, Carol Yozzo, Mark Spruill, Steve Whynot
Fireworks detail: Captain Joe Hubley, Lieutenant Mark Sadowski
Bubbles: Tom Hogan, Tony Alessi
Police: Sean McCarthy, Keith Nichols, Jake Woodford
Skateboarders (helped with set up and breakdown): Ellen O’Hare-Mom, Laura Watkins-Mom, Paul Ferguson, James Watkins, Eric Nogera, James Falconi, Cameo Fucci, Chris Paoletti, Brandon Rivera, Colin Krivanec, Joey & Agela Baptiste, Matt & Sorine Civitkovich, Kelsey Morgan, Cory Travis, Sean Walsh, Michael & Boru O’Hare
Volunteers: Brent Ferguson, Melissa Iannone, Jen Dey, Lori Marcoulier, Diane Root, Ann Atamian, Sue Faccenda, Betina Shakespeare, Amy Sahlberg, Sue Mahony, Rachel Robbins, Jamie Mieth, Wei Tang, Elizabeth Baldelli, Jolene Chapski, David Raevsky, Nancy Vargas, Michael Spataro, Paul Smith, John Walter, Amy Ferguson, Ricky Dimatteo, David Acker & Scouts, Dave Falconi
Board of Health
School Department
Board of Selectmen
{ 0 comments }
Above: All that remains of the Johnson family’s barn is a pile of rubble
Every time I drive by the old gray barn on Northboro Road just east of the Route 495 overpass, I think of stopping to take a photograph. I’ve always loved that barn and how it speaks to Southborough’s rural past. Turns out I should have done it while I had the chance, because as of yesterday, the big gray barn is no more.
The barn has been owned by the Johnson family since it was built in the early 1930’s. Up until the early 1980’s it housed some of the family’s 250 Holstein dairy cows. But with the cows long gone, the barn fell into disrepair. The roof leaked and the wood building started rotting, so the family decided it was time for it to come down.
“It’s emotional just because it’s family history. This is the last standing barn we had,” Josh J. Johnson, whose grandfather was the last to operate a dairy in the barn, told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
You can read more in the local media. Linda Hubley also has some photos of the demolition up on her site SouthboroughNews.com.
{ 0 comments }
