Here is a selection of the committee and board meetings for the week along with my selected highlights from the agendas. All these meetings are open to the public, so you’re welcome to stop on by.
Be aware that changes to the meeting schedule are known to happen throughout the week. For a complete list of meetings, visit the town website.
Don’t forget that today is the Town Election.
Click here for election info.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
- Trails Committee, 8:30 am @ Conference Room, South Union Building, 21 Highland Street (agenda)
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
- Recreation Commission, 7:30 pm @ Recreation Office, South Union Building, 21 Highland Street (agenda)
- Southborough School Committee, 6:00 pm @ Trottier Middle School Library (agenda) Agenda Highlights: School Choice, update on Kindergarten Study Group, election of new officers – Broadcast live and replayed by SAM*
Thursday, May 14, 2015
- Board of Assessors, 9:00 am @ Hearing Room, Town House (agenda)
- Superintendent’s Curriculum Advisory Committee, 3:30 pm @ Algonquin Regional High School Library, 79 Bartlett Street, Northborough (agenda) School announcement explains:
The Superintendent’s Curriculum Advisory Committee invites you to attend its final curriculum forum of the school year. Please join us on Thursday, May 14, 2015, 3:30 – 5:00 PM at Algonquin Regional High School as we welcome Department of Elementary and Secondary Education guest presenters Helen Levine, Literacy Specialist, and Anne Marie Condike, Math Specialist, to the Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough. Our guest presenters will guide participants in an engaging review of the curriculum standards and features of the Massachusetts English Language Arts and Mathematics Curriculum Frameworks. A panel discussion will follow the presentations. The forum will be held in the Library/Media Center. Please contact the Superintendent’s Office for more details.
- Conservation Commission, 7:30 pm @ Hearing Room, Town House (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Review of draft proposed revisions to Southborough Wetlands Bylaw and Stormwater & Erosion Control Regulations; schedule public hearing to accept revisions
*Southborough Access Media will broadcast the School Committee meeting live on Verizon-37 and Charter-192. Click here to see this week’s schedule with rebroadcast times.
(Photo by Susan Fitzgerald)
I don’t see the proposed draft revisions to the town’s Wetlands Bylaw and Stormwater & Erosion Control Regulations anywhere on the town website. I have looked on the main page and on the ConCom page. I can call Beth R and the office, but could you also look into this? This could have significant implications and it would be important to understand what these revisions are and if they are major or minor. I understand that the public hearing is yet to be scheduled but a draft can be made available nonetheless.
I posted as a highlight because I thought some people would be interested and concerned. As you mention, this isn’t the public hearing – so consider it a heads up that one is coming.
I’m assuming that a draft isn’t released yet because they have yet to finalize their position in preparation for public hearings. Hopefully, they plan to share the proposed changes in advance of the hearing.
This may not be a hearing but it is a public meeting where this item is on the agenda. If the draft exists it is a public document. The public should not have to pry these sorts of documents out of the bowels of town hall, They should be on the web and fully accessible.
I followed up with Conservation Administrator Beth Rosenblum. She promised to post something on the Town website soon. She also pointed out that revising the bylaw and intent to scheduling hearings has dated back to December. She explained:
So, of course she was curious why this was being raised as an issue now.
Valid point – so I looked at the past agendas. It turns out that on other agendas there was a phrase missing from this one. Those specified proposed changes to the bylaw “filing fee schedule”. (And in fact, for the first several agendas “wetlands bylaw” wasn’t even mentioned.)
A filing fee schedule change didn’t seem of enough interest to readers to make the weekly agenda highlights, since it wasn’t a hearing or vote. The more vaguely phrased proposed changes to the Wetlands Bylaw did seem something that some readers would be concerned about.
The Conservation Commission updated their website yesterday to include the information. Anyone interested in seeing the proposed changes can look here: http://www.southboroughtown.com/conservation/conservation.htm
Beth, thank you for following up. I am glad that the document is posted and that we are able to see what the proposed changes are. Thank you also to Beth R. and the Commission for agreeing to this. I also spoke with Beth R. and not only did she confirm the information that you have given above, she also mentioned that she would bring up at the Conservation Commission meeting last night that when they post their meetings, they include the information that they have in a packet much like the Selectmen do. I was not able to attend so do not know if this was agreed upon but hopefully it was as it is a great idea.
While talking about town boards and committees, I watched some of the most recent Planning Board meeting and was very glad to hear that Planning and EDC agreed to have representation from the Open Space Preservation Commission included in future subcommittees and meetings for zoning and development discussions. They are certainly a crucial component to the ‘interdisciplinary’ team that would be instrumental to these discussions.
(While I am currently a member of Advisory, I am not posting representing any views other than my own.)