The week in government

Here are the posted open, public Southborough committee and board meetings for this week* along with my selected highlights from the agendas.

As always, be aware that changes to the meeting schedule (and agendas) are known to happen throughout the week. (Scroll down for details on any meetings that popped up after last Monday’s post.) For an updated list of meetings, visit the Town website.

These days, most (but not all) meetings, can be participated in, watched live, and replayed from home.)**

Monday, May 19, 2025

• Wastewater Study Committee Meeting, 12:00 pm @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Discuss One Stop grant applications and potential sites
• Planning Board Meeting, 7:00 pm @ zoom only (agenda with packet) Agenda Highlights: Public hearing on Site Plan Fay School’s 48 Main St addition; Discuss Chestnut Meadow subdivision Covenant Extension Request

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

• Select Board Meeting, 6:30 pm @ Town House Hearing Room and zoom (agenda with packet) Agenda Highlights: Appoint police officer and Rec Commission member; Stormwater status and permit requirements (under state regs being updated); Discuss path forward with Neary School; annual Staff Appointments; Vote to support One Stop grant application and matching funds for wastewater; Annual election of board officers
  • Neary Building Committee Meeting, 6:30 pm @ Select Board Meeting (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Joint Meeting with Select Board and Southborough School Committee on next steps related to
    Neary Building Project
  • Southborough School Committee Meeting, 6:30 pm @ Select Board Meeting (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Joint Meeting with Select Board and Neary Building Committee on next steps related to
    Neary Building Project
• Cultural Arts Council Meeting, 7:00 pm @ Cordaville Hall Rooms A&B (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Prioritize strategies including for budget planning and promoting grant cycle

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

• Regional School Committee Meeting, 6:30 pm @ Algonquin Regional High School Library (agenda with packet) Agenda Highlights: Public Hearing and vote on School Choice; Presentations from Math Dept and Food Services; vote on Food Services contract; Approve Student Handbook updates and Program of studies for next year; 
• Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting, 7:00 pm @ Town House Hearing Room and zoom (agenda with packet) Agenda Highlights: Public Hearings on permits for 154 Turnpike Road wall sign, and 250 Turnpike Rd wall sign and 40B

Thursday, May 22, 2025

• Community Preservation Committee Meeting, 6:30 pm @ Public Safety Meeting Room and zoom (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Discuss updating application and handbook; Next steps on open projects; Signage for complete projects; Public forum in June; Vote on Transfer of Halloran Property Bond Funds
• Conservation Commission Meeting, 7:00 pm @ zoom only (agenda with packet) Agenda Highlights: Public Hearings on Woodland Rd and Richards Rd (sidewalk installations), 45 Southville Road (addition and septic), 48 Main St (Fay School addition), 26 Meadow Ln (development); Discuss fill on property at 259 Cordaville Rd and potential violations at 25 & 27 Parkerville Rd; Wastewater Treatment Disposal discussion with Wastewater Committee and Sudbury Valley Trustees; Updates on Chestnut Hill Farm and Breakneck Hill farm dump restoration; open seat for rep on CPC

Looking Back:

Below are meetings from last week that were posted after I ran last week’s list:

Thursday, May 15, 2025

• Scholarship Advisory Committee Meeting, 6:00 pm (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Review redacted applications and determine awards
• Neary Building Committee Meeting, 7:00 pm (agenda, video) Agenda Highlights: Discuss Special Town Meeting and Ballot vote results and next steps
• 21 Highland Future Use Committee Meeting, 7:15 pm (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Recap April 22 Property Tour; Review collected reports and docs and info still needed; timeline for recommendations; plan public forum

*I don’t list meetings that are only closed Executive Sessions unless the agenda indicates the possibility of some action in an open public session at the opening or closing of the meeting.

**Details on watching meetings remotely:

• Town Committee/Board Meetings:
  • If in-person meetings don’t also advertise a zoom option, assume that it won’t be broadcast or captured on video.
  • To remotely participate in meetings that allow zoom, click here.
  • To live stream (or view later) remote or hybrid meetings (even those covered by Southborough Access Media) over the internet, use the Town’s YouTube Channel for Remote Meetings. (The meetings covered by SAM can also be streamed on their website here, and eventually on SAM’s YouTube Channel.)
  • Cable Access — Southborough Access Media broadcasts the regular evening meetings for the Select Board, Planning Board, and Zoning Board of Appeals that take place in the Town House Hearing Room. (Those meetings will still allow zoom participation.) View SAM’s live and replayed broadcasts via their Government cable access channel (Verizon-37 and Charter-194).
• School Committee Meetings:
  • Regular Regional School Committee meetings (or Combined meetings based at Algonquin) are live broadcast by Northborough Cable Access here and on Southborough’s Education Channel (Verizon-29 and Charter-194). The meetings are also eventually rebroadcast and available through NCAT’s VideoOnDemand player and YouTube channel (though that can take several days).