The week in government (Updated)

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. 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, September 8, 2025

• Council on Aging Meeting, 10:00 am @ Southborough Senior Center (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Updates on programs (upcoming and past), marketing, Mass COA conference, clubs, and gardening
• Planning Board Meeting, 6:30 pm @ Town House Hearing Room and zoom (agenda and packet) Agenda Highlights: Discuss updating Subdivision Rules & Regs; Update on revising the 55+ Housing Bylaw; Native Species Plants Guidance Info; Public Hearings on amending zoning to add Highway Major Retail use to Industrial Park District, 2 East Main St (site plan & permit for Multi-Family Bldg), 34 Sears Rd (remove/replace stonewall), updating zoning language for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), and amending zoning to update and expand uses in the Industrial Park Zoning District
  • Affordable Housing Trust Meeting, pm @ Planning Board Meeting (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Participate in discussion of the 55+ Housing Warrant Bylaw Update

Tuesday, September 9, 2025

• Board of Health Meeting, 9:00 am @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Vaccination Clinic; Food Trucks; Letter to DEP & Marlborough re Brox Industries; Designate Staff to Check Tobacco Regs Compliance 
• Golf Committee Meeting, 9:00 am @ Public Safety Training Room and zoom (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Course improvement planning and maintenance projects
• Municipal Technology Committee Meeting, 6:30 pm @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Transfer Station video monitoring of bins & License plate-based passes; Meeting Room Technology; Open Meeting Management System; Surveys (including Pre-K through 8 Building Survey); Tech trends that will impact Southborough; other tech updates and strategic planning
• Combined School Committees’ Policy Development Subcommittees Meeting, 7:00 pm @ webinar only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Annual policy review; Proposals for New Policies on School Admissions, Cell Phone, and Competency Determination; Review policies on Teaching of Controversial Issues, Immunization Requirements, ARHS Class Standing, Medication Administration, and Wellness

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

• Personnel Board Meeting, 8:00 am @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Employee Transition Report; Compensation for Interim Building Commissioner; Request for IT professional development funding
• Southborough School Committee Meeting, 6:30 pm @ Trottier Middle School (agenda and packet) Agenda Highlights: Updates on School Reoopening, Transportation, PreK to 8 School Building Committee, School Building Tasks; Votes on for Feasibility and Schematic Design for Trottier Middle School Roof & Warrant Article for Neary Roof; Annual School Inspections; Finn and Neary schools Environmental Assessment and Mold Mitigation
• Tricentennial Committee Meeting, 6:30 pm @ Public Safety Training Room and zoom (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Discuss financial disbursements and protocol; planning for 2025 Heritage Day; Suggested event: Health and Wellness Fair with local businesses; Updates on working groups and fundraising efforts

Thursday, September 11, 2025

• Affordable Housing Trust Meeting, rescheduled to 8:45 am @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Discuss 55+ Housing Bylaw Update, strategies for affordable housing, and potential parcels for acquisition; Added discussions of the old Atwood Water Tower parcel and a potential Community Preservation Act application
• Conservation Commission Meeting, 7:00 pm @ zoom only (agenda and packet) Agenda Highlights: Public Hearings on Applicability/Notice of Intent for 6 Dairy Farm Ln (installing shed), 13 Foley Dr (inground pool), 6 Brook Ln (new septic), 34 Sears Rd (driveway and pipe removal), 26 Granuaile Rd (garage addition), Latisquama Rd & Boston Rd (utility poles &road improvements), 3 Bridge St (replace septic), MBTA Commuter Rail (boundaries); Certificates of Compliance for 8 Dairy Farm Ln, 120 Turnpike Rd, and 20 & 22 Turnpike Rd; Ken’s Invasive Species Removal request Amendment; 250 Turnpike Rd Enforcement Order for Stream Restoration Plan and 40B comment letter; Commission Reorganization; Update on Breakneck Hill Farm Dump
• PreK-8 School Building Committee Meeting, 7:00 pm @ Public Safety Training Room and zoom (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Updates on Survey and Matrix
• Youth Commission Meeting, 7:00 pm @ zoom only (agenda and packet) Agenda Highlights: Dept highlights & updates; Special Town Meeting Article on Salary Adjustments; Outreach

*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:
  • Subcommittee meetings and some special meetings are only available to attend/view live (in person or by “webinar”) with no later rebroadcast.
  • Regular Southborough School Committee meetings are generally broadcast live by Southborough Access Media here and on Verizon-37 and Charter-192. (Video replays are also usually made available through their YouTube channel within a couple of days.)

Updated (9/10/25 11:19 am): I don’t usually post updates during the week (since I warn readers to check the Town website for them). But a member of the Affordable Housing Trust alerted through a comment that their meeting was moved up this week. (Usually, rescheduling pushes further out.) I updated the schedule and added newly added agenda items. While making those updates, I added tonight’s Tricentennial Committee Meeting.