For almost two years now I’ve posted stories on this blog nearly every weekday — to the tune of more than 2,200 posts in all — and I’ve decided I’ve earned myself a little break. So, for the next two weeks I’m going to enjoy some time off from the blog, a blogcation if you will.
But just because I’ll be taking a hiatus doesn’t mean the conversation has to stop. While I’m gone, you can use this open thread to talk about any interesting stories that come up, to announce events going on around town, or just to chat with your fellow residents — simply add your thoughts to the comments below.
I also have a few posts lined up for the next two weeks, so be sure to check back from time to time. I’ll be back to my normal posting schedule on July 26. See you then!
Sitting in front of Mauro’s the other day, heading westbound, I noticed an ugly, faded sign just past the driveway (for the pizza/nails bldg), before the back driveway for the old post office.
It seems to be a sign for the upcoming intersection, but it’s so old and grubby, it’s pretty worthless. Can it be replaced? I’ll call the DPW too.
Enjoy your posting vacation! You deserve it. As a new resident, your blog has been such a great resource for us.
Thank you Susan. Your blog is fantastic. Have a great vacation! You deserve it!
Make that Channel 12 for the Selectmen’s meeting broadcast. I wrote Ch. 13 but that’s the ARHS School Committee. Check one or the other for the local school committee…
Since I’m making a correction, I’ll note that the missing words when I said something about watching TV while doing other things are, of course, “multi-tasking.” Don’t bother to make sense out of it if you didn’t read my original comment.
As a former Southborough resident, I still enjoy reading your blog and keeping up with what’s happening around town. Have yourself a wonderful vacation, you deserve it!
Thanks for all your efforts.
Yes, Susan, we promise to be good citizens and wait to have our on-line arguments till you get back!! lol
Saw that the street sign at the intersection of Framingham Rd & Rte. 30 was replaced, tip ‘o the hat to the DPW.
I noticed that the blue St. Mark’s truck delivery sign at the corner of School St. and Rte. 85 was blacked-out with spray paint.
What’s up with that?
Just wanted to thank the person who planted the sunny yellow marigold in the historic horse trough/planter featured on Fox.
Does anyone know a good art instructor that can do private art lessons in our home in Southborough? Many thanks!
Contacting the Southborough Arts Center is probably a good place to start.
I teach children and adults in collage and encaustic art. I can teach collage at your home, but encaustic (painting with hot wax) would need to be done at my studio on Clifford. Feel free to email me to discuss it.
Regards.
Catherine
I’m not sure the DPW is doing enough to prevent fraudulent dump stickers. They need our driver’s licenses, our vehicle registrations – child’s play for the many diabolical Russian crime rings that toil 24/7 forging dump stickers for small New England towns! How about a DNA sample, or perhaps some sort of fingerprint-recognition technology?
What kills me is the number of vehicles without a sticker anywhere in view that swing in, dump the trash, pick the recycleables, then go on their merry way. How about some of them pitching in 140 buck for a sticker?
How about that field at the corner of St. Mark’s, Route 85 and Route 30? VERY ATTRACTIVE entrance into Southborough’s lovely downtown area.
Almost as attractive as their vandalized sign? (I’m assuming that if St Mark’s wanted to remove the “No trucks” sign on their front gate, they would have taken it down instead of spray-painting it.)
The Garfield House is up for auction….Aug 17th. 2 buildable lots on it…
http://oakrealtyonline.com/southborough/
Thanks for posting that – very interesting historical info and pictures.
Ohh! If only I had a few million stashed away somewhere!! I hope whoever buys it truly loves it and gives it plenty of TLC.
I should think Fay School might be interested in this property…if they buy it, that’ll be at least another $23K/yr Southborough will lose in property taxes.
I am an admirer of this stately home from afar. I visit Southborough once a year to see my husband’s family who has lived in town and on Parkerville Rd. since the early 70’s. I am captivated by the property every time I take a walk and have always wondered about its history. I only hope someone doesn’t level it to put up up a new home. (s) That would be a tragedy. Can it be designated a historical landmark?
I agree with Sue. I have always been awestruck when driving past this house and property, dreaming of what it was like to live in a home like that at the turn of the century. Always wanted a tour of the inside. This might be my chance! I hope that the whoever purchases the house and the adjoining lots will keep it and treasure it for its historical value and not turn it into three separate lots with homes.
Open Meeting Law Changes.
The changes in the law now requires agendas to be posted along with the meeting notice. Visit the townhouse and look at the cluttered windows full of meeting agendas! We are not even in the season when all the many town committees meet yet. We will either have to install more windows at the town house or spend money for a large enclosed fixture to post meeting agendas. The changes in the law was supposed to make things easier and more open. What the changes have done is impose a new burden on the town with the requirements for posting meetings and production of meeting notes. Unbelievable!
John
I agree that some of the open meeting provisions are counter productive and antique at best. For example board discussion on a blog is limited. I would argue that a blog is much more accessible to the typical citizen than a “public” meeting where you have to know when and where it occurs and then show up.
The idea that posting things at the Town House is a reasonable way to encourage openness is silly.
That is assuming that everyone has regular access to a computer which some would say is an unfair assumption. Also assumes that everyone is computer literate or savy which is also not a fair assumption.
While participation in govermnet should take a little effort it should not require $$$ or computer skills.
Resident
Your concern is valid but let’s flip the coin.
The “traditional” way assumes that a citizen regularly travels to Town Hall to keep track of meetings and has a car or other transportation assets that will permit him or her to attend a meeting at a distant point. It also assumes that the citizen has time available to attend at a specific time. Alternately, if you want to observe but cant attend some of the meetings it requires cable service and a television.
The “traditional” vision of open meetings makes use of 18th century technology. While it is the devil we know, it does impose considerable barriers to participation. A blog, in my opinion, also imposes barriers but i would submit that these barriers are substantially less than the traditional system.
John,
Does the open meeting law requirement re posting agendas allow them to be posted on line only? Since the town library offers free access to the Internet, perhaps that would satisfy the access for anyone who does not use a computer.
Also, take a look at this site: http://www.localocracy.org/
Its an interesting concept re town involvement.
To save money, could we get just black out the agendas in advance and save the special legal fees?
Dotcom, that last line made me laugh out loud. It’s really a shame what’s been going on with our BOS, isn’t it?
New Subject: I have been watching the work being done on the triangle at Cordaville and Southville since….it was an overgrown vacant lot. A few years ago, there was a tree planted at the south end of the triangle and surrounded by cobblestones. Rumor then was that it was to be in memory of Willie Colleary. Since then, there has been landscape construction, moving of trees, and so on. My wife commented this morning that the tree that was supposedly in Willie’s memory is surrounded by the stones in a different spot, and the tree is dead. I don’t think it’s dormant, it looks dead. Anyone have any idea what the original intent of this tree was, and why it is now standing dead as a doornail? Perhaps Charlie Gaffney? I believe he was the person who planted the tree and surrounded it in stone in it’s original location….right around where the bell is now.
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/top_stories/x1070618081/Southborough-shops-makes-sweet-gesture
‘Today and tomorrow, Panzano’s will support Taza’s in full force. When customers spend $50 or more at Panzano – including two or more Taza chocolate products – they’ll receive a free Taza Cocoa and Massachusetts Farmers Market tote bag.
“The staff here will also be wearing Taza’s T-shirts as a show of support on those days,” said Mullins, who also agreed to knock 15 percent off the price of all Taza’s products.”
the home on Main is really quite stately, almost has an Addams family quality about it. We (husband and i) have always been fond of the garage/barn in the back just as you approach the water. From what i hear it is going to cost a lot of money to bring it up to code and the reality of heating it, well, Falconi would be in heaven on that scheduled delivery once a month.
In my fantasty world Fay or St. Marks buys the property and does not subdivide the lots, i was devestated, yes devestated when Deerfoot was ripped apart (bye, bye sheep and llama with the sweet sounding bells around their collars) to put in eyesore homes that never do seem to be all full of dwellers at the same time…… Perhaps one of the schools could use the home as housing for faculty or for administrative purposes; it would actually make an amazing cultural arts center.
The house is one of the few in town that generates close to sufficient tax revenue to pay for the services required if the owners decide to send their children to our schools.
If one of the schools purchases the property then that will effectively negate the contributions that they made to help fund the “quint”. The Town will still get the approx $23k in tax revenue. The bill will be divided up and given to the rest of us property owners.
FYI re the Garfield house…I’m one who would hate to see it go! The column I’m writing now for the Villager of Friday, the 30th, is about the house and something of the family–I interviewed Elinor Garfield not long before she died and have talked to some of her children about what it was like growing up there, etc. There is a Garfield connection to Pres. Garfield, too–not that he ever lived there. I offer this as background for some of the comments because the history is not well know.
My interview is part of the oral history project I have been working on for the Southborough Historical Society. Eventually there’ll be two books based on people’s memories; the first that I’m working on now is about Fayville, based on interviews with many people who grew up there and have lived there all their lives.
I hope people will read the column next Friday…I can’t submit it in its entirety to this blog. If all else fails, e-mail me and I’ll send you a copy.
I would love to have a copy of the oral history, Southboro and Fayville. Thanks Donna.
Thanks… the only thing in print now is the column for July 30-th. I’ll send it to you if you give me your e-mail address.
The Fayville book should be finished by Thanksgiving..the other one by next summer.
You’ll see more about both of them, thanks to the Historical Society.
Glad you’re interested!
Donna
Donna, i would love to know of the connection to president Garfield–amazing. Looking forward to reading the article this Friday, really interesting and i have always wanted to know the who/what and where about that home.