Enjoy your Independence Day. I’ll be taking a little time off for the holiday.
So, time for another open thread. For those of you new to the blog, the open discussion thread is your place to ask questions, sound off on town issues, or share information with other readers. Here are some suggestions to get you started:
- Ask questions about programs in town or the town itself
- Post a note about things that you’re selling or giving away, or things that you want
- Share notices about upcoming events (Southborough or otherwise)
- Register your thoughts on town issues or news stories
- Point out interesting or helpful resources
You can add comments to the thread throughout the week. Check back often to see new comments. (If you read the blog via email or RSS, you might want to check the site from time to time for new comments.)
To view past open discussion threads, click here.
(photo from Flickr by abracapocus_pocuscadabra)
Just received paperwork in the mail to re-up for transfer station sticker.
It’s requiring the sticker to be placed on the front of the car! odd switch after all these years…
Can someone recommend a great dry cleaner? Not loving the one on rt 9 by Tomasso….
Hillside Cleaners in Hopkinton is good, as is Pirde in Westborough (no credit cards there, though)
we are very happy with the dry cleaner next to Dunkin Donuts on Rt 85.
Like Southsider, I have a thought on Transfer Station stickers. Does it strike anybody else as onerous that we must photocopy our driver’s license and car registration every year? That’s a lot of bureaucracy to access a small-town dump. How about a “no changes since last year” option, and a signature stipulating that we speak the truth?
I have had good luck with Brite Kleen in the Town Center Plaza.
I would assume the sticker location change is to make it easier to see the sticker when parked at the recycle center, this will have the opposite effect when someone backs up to the hopper to unload. ?????. I wonder how many peoples views will be impeded because of a sticker on the drivers windshield?
I have also heard a rumor there are plans to close the metal section from residents picking good items and taken them home for there personal use, the best form of recycling. I have heard the argument for someone getting hurt. I have never heard of anyone getting hurt since the transfer station has been opened. I have also heard an argument that the town doesn’t get the money for any precious metals someone may have taken. The fact remains on this argument that unless the precious metals have been separated from the other metal, metal salvage yards pay no more money if the precious metals are there when co-mingled.
My last two lawnmowers came from the metal section and I find it helpful deferring my sticker cost, especially as I subsidize more and more of the seniors sticker cost (which I am more than happy to continue to do).
Added to all this all the new signs at the hopper about MA 310 CMR 19.017. Interesting reading by the way.
Why the big crackdown all of a sudden. Power trip????? For people following the rules it sure does make a person feel uncomfortable.
Pay more money and get less???? Again???? Who thinks this stuff up.
I found it interesting lately that we are paying a guy to sleep in the booth at the Transfer Station. Twice now I have driven up and the guy is laying back in the chair with his eyes closed. I am not sure any of us would be allowed to sleep on the jobs that we have. Joe, the regular guy must be on vacation. I am thinking it is likely that we are paying these guys overtime money to cover him after their shift but, they should have enough sense not to be sleeping for all to see. Does anybody ever check on them or is it just a free for all up there?
Sleeping. Wow. I have never seen that. I was just having a conversation recently about how busy the guys usually are when I go there. Maybe it’s Joe that sets the pace and him being on vacation the guys are taking a break. I do believe it us a unsupervised position and there are plenty of them in the world. Let’s hope the problem solves itself when Joe returns.
Don’t forget to check on your elderly neighbors in this heat! I sure wish Southborough had a public swimming pool, splash pad, or beach during these hot days!
that would be a good idea!
+1 for Brite Cleen
The rules for picking up metal at the dump have not changed. Check the language in the document. It only states that you cannot salvage parts, nothing about retrieving whole items. Also having just talked with a staff member I found out that the metal is given away to the same person who takes the refrigerators and AC’s. all for free, so there is a sort of trade going on but it seems to be a fair one.
Finally I think we should be more concerned how much we pay as tax payes to dispose of hazardous materials dropped off by our neighbors. The workers at the dump have to collect the CRTs and other illegal items and put them on palets in the container by the metal section. Once a year they pay good money to get rid of it. Another example of an imperfect system dealing with imperfect people. But it’s really just a first world problem so maybe we should relax a little.
Anyone notice how tired looking the Cordaville Triangle is getting? That super duper walkway is breaking up and there is trash strewn everywhere. Perhaps there needs to be a Town provided trash receptacle there. It may help improve things just a bit.
Where did the big piece of metal go from the front to the right of the Cordaville section? I don’t see any tires tracks so I doubt it was damaged, would someone steal it for scrap metal?
All of the metal panels are still there. None are missing. They are embedded in huge concrete footings that go about 6 feet underground.
I thought for sure that it was a complete arc on both sides of the text. It seems that big gap to the right is a bit out of place.
Thanks!
Still no trash receptacle.
I am amazed at the amount of poison ivy along Southborough’s sidewalks, roadsides, and walking trails. Shouldn’t Southborough’s Public Works and/or the SOLF spray to get rid of this? It’s gotten really bad on the roads and our lovely trails. It’s almost impossible to walk a dog or push a stroller anywhere except down the middle of the road!
Yes, poison ivy is very annoying, but, to set the record straight, (as a SOLF trustee) S.O.L.F. (Southborough Open Land Foundation) is a small foundation of volunteers with a mission of protecting open land in town. We do try to keep invasive species from overtaking our properties – but poison ivy eradication on town roadsides is not under our authority nor in our very meager budget!
Town budgets continue to be strained every year and next year it is going to be even worse. Expecting public grounds to be in good shape is not unreasonable but we can’t expect it when our department budgets continue to shrink. Something has to give when funds start to diminish.
Then get the guy out of the booth at the Transfer Station who is sleeping and have him clean it up. We are paying him enough – he shouldn’t be sleeping on the job! The same old “budget shrinking” story is getting old. My budget at home is shrinking too! I can’t afford any Recreation Programs for my kids. You have a whole building over there, that is a luxury. Count your blessings and make due with what you have, just like the rest of us do at home! DPW has more than enough men on the job to go over and clean up this small area. I know several of them and they continually joke about making sure they catch their favorite TV shows every day. I doubt that is really a joke!
I’m sure they aren’t sitting around watching TV, however, the Grounds truck is based out of the old fire station #2. It goes by the park on a very regular basis. Perhaps….just perhaps, if a trash receptacle was there, the driver could at least check it and see that it gets emptied on a routine basis.
Doreen
Let us be clear. Budgets are not shrinking. Every year 95+% of the budgets in town government are greater than the year before. That is not shrinking. That is growing.
Classic, Al. Good reminder.
I wonder if there is any possibility of little areas like this getting local business sponsorship, kind of like highways do?
One of the local business could put up a small sign saying “Park kept clean courtesy of…” I can’t imagine the cleanup would take more than a few minutes a day for someone.
I leave early every day to drive into work in Boston. I’m amazed how trusting people are that walk/jog/run on Parkerville Road. Many people are almost into the center of one of the lanes. With all the texting, coffee drinking, etc. going on, aren’t these people aware how easily they may be hit by a distracted driver. Many teenagers are driving and it scares me to think of what might happen. Please, be aware of this, I don’t want to hear of someone getting hurt.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/164235177089470/
Check out the Southboro’s Ongoing Yard Sale group on Facebook. It is a place for you to advertise your yard sales and sell items you may not want anymore. For Southboro residents only.
I would love to have more small businesses along Main Street and a Dunkin Donuts where the old gas station used to be. Unless Mauro’s minds. But something that is a little bit upscaping,, small independent niche stores and to use the Sovereign Bank building as a place people which encourages people to stop by. I would love any drive through coffee spot for on the way to work, Anyway, I do understand that the area would have been upgraded already, if it was possible.
Aside from the fact that I’m about 90% sure the town passed a bylaw banning drive-thrus after Wendy’s came in, and disregarding the Dunkin Donuts we already have in town, I’d hate a DD (or anything like it) on that corner. Traffic is bad enough there during the day. I would not want to deal with it if there was some sort of drive-thru fast food joint on the corner. Besides, that is a very small lot. I’m not sure they could fit anything of the sort there.
Frankly, I’d much rather they just turn it into a nicely kept park. Stone walkway, planted trees, shrubs & flowers, a couple benches, and maybe a picnic table or two. Nothing overly fancy, just a nice place to take a little stroll and enjoy some greenery. It would be a wonderful addition to downtown, IMHO – far better than some fast food joint. Just my opinion.
I agree with Ruth–though I don’t personally prefer a drive through. As a small business owner (I rent an office at 11 Main street), I would love to have another option downtown! Yes, Mauro’s is very nice, and the pizza place is fine, but I would love to see a coffee bar or health food/organic oriented cafe. So if any restaurant entrepreneurs are listening, it may be worth investigating demand in the area!! Hey Red Barn people: I know you just built the Rt 9 east location not too long ago, but maybe a small location??
BE AWARE of the online transaction for your new Transfer Station sticker. I just made my attempt and found a few glitches that were annoying. Most important is that using a credit card adds on a $10.00 FEE!!!! from the bank handling the transaction. I think this is an outrageous fee, and a surprise since the town is encouraging you to save money by paying online. If you give a check routing number they only charge $.25 but there are other issues with this link.
First, if you only need one sticker, the second registration is required and won’t proceed unless you type “none” in the fields. Second, The Bank tries to get you to login to their system so they can keep your record. This is not necessary. Skip past those two requests. Also, if you get to the end and don’t want to go further because of the $10 fee or if you need to edit your request, the way to do this is to click on the checkout cart in the top black section. (do not use your browser button to go back) I recommend that you click the red “X” on the checkout cart. Otherwise your info stays in the bank’s system even if you try to cancel your transaction.
In all, I’d say you may be better off making a copy of your vehicle registration and paying by mail, that is, unless your time is worth the $10