Last week it was all about the ladder truck and the police station. This week, attention turns to Main Street. There are two public hearings scheduled for this week. The first at the Planning Board on Monday night will be about the undergrounding of utility wires along Main Street. The second on Wednesday night at Read the full article → from This week: A focus on Main Street
Government
The week in town government
Here’s your list of meetings for the week. Of note is a public meeting at the Planning Board on Monday night about the project to bury utility lines along Main Street. And on Tuesday, selectmen will interview four candidates for the position of building inspector. Also interesting on the selectmen’s agenda is an item at Read the full article → from The week in town government
Selectmen meet with legislators
Senator Jamie Eldridge and Representatives Carolyn Dykema (Southborough Precincts 2 and 3), and Danielle Gregoire (Southborough Precinct 1) checked in with the Southborough selectmen this week. The discussion ranged from the gas tax and toll hikes to the bottle tax to local aid to affordable housing. Some highlights: “The residents of MetroWest have been hit Read the full article → from Selectmen meet with legislators
‘Putting life into the building’
Back in November, the Board of Selectmen endorsed a plan for a new 1-story police station to be built adjacent to the current fire station. That plan calls for the existing police station to be torn down. Last night in front of a good-sized crowd of Southborough residents, members of the Historic Commission made a Read the full article → from ‘Putting life into the building’
Ladder committee, selectmen sync up on strategy
“We went from heroes to goats,” selectman Sal Giorlandino said at last night’s Board of Selectmen meeting. He was describing reaction to the board’s decision last week to remove from the April warrant the article on a new aerial ladder truck. Giorlandino said since the decision, selectmen have fielded about 20 emails from angry residents Read the full article → from Ladder committee, selectmen sync up on strategy
Board of Selectmen blackout
The Southborough selectmen were called out in the Boston Globe this weekend for not broadcasting their meetings on public access television. The town spent between $25,000 and $30,000 on cameras and microphones to get the Hearing Room in the Town House cable ready. The equipment has been in place for over 6 weeks now, but Read the full article → from Board of Selectmen blackout
Reconsidering the police station
The Southborough Historical Commission wants to save one of the town’s historic buildings from the wrecking ball. The town is studying the feasibility of building a new police station, and the leading plans call for the demolition of the existing building to make way for a new one. The existing police station was built in Read the full article → from Reconsidering the police station
Why the ladder truck article was removed from the warrant
Last night I had the chance to talk with Selectwoman Bonnie Phaneuf about the recent decision to remove the ladder truck article from the April warrant. Here’s what I learned. Back in January, the selectmen floated the idea of having a special town meeting in the fall to cover all large non-emergency capital items. It’s Read the full article → from Why the ladder truck article was removed from the warrant
Ladder truck removed from April warrant?
This story is still evolving, but apparently sometime last week the Southborough selectmen removed the article to fund a new aerial ladder truck from the April warrant. The news comes just one week after the successful Southborough Fire Ball, which raised nearly $100K toward the purchase of a new ladder truck. At the Fire Ball, Read the full article → from Ladder truck removed from April warrant?
The week in town government
It’s a busy, busy week in town government. On Monday night the Advisory Committee will present a public information meeting on your tax rate. The Board of Selectmen meet on Tuesday and Senator Jamie Eldridge and Representatives Danielle Gregoire and Carolyn Dykema are tentatively scheduled to attend. On Wednesday the regional school committee talks assessments Read the full article → from The week in town government
The difference a vote can make
With Town Meeting only a month away, now is a good time to get educated on just how important your vote can be, and the Southborough Advisory Committee wants to help you do that. The committee is sponsoring a public information meeting on Monday night called “How You Can Control Your Property Tax Rate.” “Many Read the full article → from The difference a vote can make
No new technology approved for the schools
School technology may take a big hit this year. The Southborough schools originally requested $205K for capital technology projects like replacing desktops and network equipment. It was an amount that Director of Technology Jean Tower said would keep them “barely treading water.” But the Board of Selectmen and Advisory Committee have since slashed the schools’ Read the full article → from No new technology approved for the schools
Save the date: Town Meeting starts April 13
Southborough’s annual town meeting is exactly one month away, so get your babysitters lined up. Town Meeting starts on Monday, April 13 at 7:00 pm at Trottier Middle School. Anyone in town can attend Town Meeting, but you must be a registered voter to vote on the warrant articles. The last day to register to Read the full article → from Save the date: Town Meeting starts April 13
Schools to renegotiate health plan with teachers union
The Southborough School Committee last night voted unanimously to reopen negotiations with the teachers union over health insurance plans. The vote came after the Board of Selectmen reduced the K-8 benefits budget by $120K last week. “The town has decided the budget deficit should be borne by the schools,” School Committee member Marybeth Strickland said. Read the full article → from Schools to renegotiate health plan with teachers union