Train Rider from the Train Stopping blog reports a person tried unsuccessfully to hop on a moving commuter rail train as it left the station in Southborough this morning: We slammed to a halt immediately (you can always tell when the emergency brake is engaged) and sat there for a few minutes. My understanding is Read the full article → from How not to board a train
News
Residents weigh in on zoning questions
“We’re digging in our heels, rolling up our sleeves, and getting ready for 18 months of zoning fun.” That’s what Town Planner Vera Kolias told a group of about two dozen residents and committee members who assembled last night at the Town House to discuss zoning bylaw review. Fueled by free Starbuck’s coffee and chocolate Read the full article → from Residents weigh in on zoning questions
Some tips on paying your excise tax
If you’re like us, you got your excise tax bills in the mail this week. How many envelopes arrived in your mailbox? Two? Three? Four? We got two, one for each car we own. My ever-thrifty husband wondered why the bills weren’t mailed in the same envelope. The Board of Selectmen and Advisory Committee wondered Read the full article → from Some tips on paying your excise tax
A picture is worth 40,000 words
Southborough’s main zoning bylaws — Chapter 174 of the town code — contain 6 articles, 47 sections, and almost 40,000 words. In all that text, there are a total of two pictures. Two. That’s not a particularly good image-to-text ratio. One of the goals of the zoning bylaw review project is to make the bylaws Read the full article → from A picture is worth 40,000 words
Southborough in the news
Quotes from stories in the local media that have a Southborough connection, and for the second week in a row, video! It’s a wonder more Southborough residents aren’t missing teeth “It was probably the best party in the middle of winter. It was 15 degrees and everyone had a great time.” -Southborough resident Alex Alpert Read the full article → from Southborough in the news
Madoff scandal hits close to home
The talk has been all about the high-profile investors: Kevin Bacon, John Malkovich, Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Sandy Koufax. But once you get past the big guys on the list of potential Madoff victims, you’ll find a couple of names from Southborough. A complete list of Madoff investors was released recently as part of Read the full article → from Madoff scandal hits close to home
Why you should care about zoning review
Frontage, setbacks, minimum lot sizes, floor area ratio, subdivisions, use regulation. It all sounds rather dull, doesn’t it? And it’s exactly what you might expect from something called the Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw Review and Update Project. But look below the surface and you’ll find something a bit more interesting. Something that will play a major Read the full article → from Why you should care about zoning review
Your chance to meet the Algonquin principal candidates
The two finalists vying for the job of Algonquin principal will do a meet-and-greet for students and parents this week. Here are the details. Tuesday: Tom Mead, assistant principal at Andover High School, 3:00 to 4:00 pm or 6:30 to 7:30 pm in the Algonquin library Thursday: Linda Murdock, principal at Trottier Middle School, 3:00 Read the full article → from Your chance to meet the Algonquin principal candidates
Algonquin has a high graduation rate
That’s probably not ground-breaking news, is it? Numbers released last week by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education revealed Algonquin’s graduation rate is significantly higher than the state average. Across the state, 81.2% of students who started high school as freshmen in 2004 graduated in 2008. At Algonquin that number was 97.2%. That’s up Read the full article → from Algonquin has a high graduation rate
More pretty pictures of Main Street
Hot off the presses, here are the latest in a series of images showing what Main Street could look like without above-ground utility wires. This set of images show Main Street near the Common (in front of the Library). They depict what the area might look like after the Main Street reconstruction project and utility Read the full article → from More pretty pictures of Main Street
The week in town government
Here are the department and committee meetings for the week. I’m still waiting for details on the agenda for the Planning Board, Board of Selectmen, and Zoning Board of Appeals. I’ll update this post when I have them — hopefully later today. Of note this week is the Zoning Advisory Committee meeting on Wednesday. As Read the full article → from The week in town government
Algonquin winter choral concert
The Algonquin Chorus will stage their winter concert tomorrow night at 7:30 pm in the auditorium. Read the full article → from Algonquin winter choral concert
Algonquin sports wrap-up (1/30-2/5)
It was a bittersweet week for the Algonquin girls basketball team. Southborough’s Theresa Logan became only the fifth person in Algonquin history to score 1,000 points, but the team suffered their first loses of the season to Shrewsbury and Westborough. But another girls team – the gymnasts – continued their winning steak this week. Here’s Read the full article → from Algonquin sports wrap-up (1/30-2/5)
Algonquin assistant principal looking for a new job
Algonquin is already looking for a new principal, and now they might be down an assistant principal, too. John Harrington, assistant principal for curriculum and instruction, is among five finalists for principal at Littleton High School. A hiring decision is expected in mid-February according to Wicked Local Littleton. Last month Algonquin announced two finalists in Read the full article → from Algonquin assistant principal looking for a new job