For his contribution to the series of murals along the fence leading to EMC Park, Hopkinton High School senior Owen Fitzpatrick is looking for the community to lend a hand — in more ways than one. Fitzpatrick’s mural (part of the Hopkinton Cultural Council Diversity...
Jerry Spar
Select Board roundup: PFAS back over state limit; Alltown Fresh grand opening Aug. 18
As the town continues to take steps toward both mitigating the PFAS in its water and making a connection to the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority water supply, the latest PFAS test results showed Hopkinton’s water again is over the state’s acceptable limit. The...
Select Board finalizes Special Town Meeting warrant
The Select Board on Wednesday finalized the warrant for the Aug. 18 Special Town Meeting, with the School Department putting forth the only article. The schools are seeking Town Meeting’s approval of $850,000 to cover the additional construction costs to add four...
Hopkinton duo return to Town Common on Sunday with Electric Youth
Electric Youth, the teenage song-and-dance troupe based at the Franklin School for the Performing Arts, returns to the Hopkinton Town Common this Sunday (July 31) as part of the Concerts on the Common series. It marks a homecoming for the group’s two Hopkinton...
Upper Charles Trail Committee debates MassTrails design grant for Marathon School area
The Upper Charles Trail Committee discussed future goals at Wednesday’s meeting and debated whether or not to push forward with a preliminary design of a segment of the trail in the area of Marathon School. The School Committee did not support a proposal to design a...
Hopkinton State Park swimming locations closed due to high bacteria count
With the town in the midst of a heat wave, two prime swimming locations were taken offline Wednesday afternoon. The main and upper beaches at Hopkinton State Park were deemed unfit for swimming by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) due...
Independent Thoughts: Downtown construction main focus of summer
It’s time for some light summer reading, as we unpack the notebook of the mind. Here are some miscellaneous thoughts compiled while sitting in downtown traffic. — In case the town is thinking about changing the name of the Main Street Corridor Project, I have a few...
Select Board roundup: Main Street might see night work; Special Town Meeting Aug. 18
The Main Street Corridor Project came up for discussion at Tuesday’s Select Board meeting, with the board and town officials discussing possible ways the work could have less of an impact on downtown traffic. Since the road was ripped up last week and one lane was...
Health Director: COVID still spreading but not as virulent
With Hopkinton currently carrying a medium risk designation for COVID-19, Hopkinton Health Director Shaun McAuliffe is urging residents not to let their guard down. He said attendance at the department’s most recent vaccine clinics was “terrible,” leading to concerns...
Resident set for Appalachian Trail adventure
Tom Dawson loves the outdoors, and he’s putting that love to the test this year when the longtime Hopkinton resident embarks on a hike of the entire Appalachian Trail — all 2,193 miles, from Maine to Georgia. “Doing the whole AT is something I’ve had as a goal for my...
Independent Thoughts Local sculptor Alfano opens Boston exhibit
If you’ve been to the Town Common, you likely are familiar with one of Michael Alfano’s sculptures, as his statue of George Brown firing the Boston Marathon starting pistol sits on the park’s northeast corner and has become a local landmark since its debut in 2008....
Big jump in water rates on tap as town prepares for move to MWRA connection
Clean water is a valuable — often underappreciated — commodity, and it’s about to become a lot more expensive in Hopkinton. At the June 21 Select Board meeting, the board approved a 9.5 percent increase in water use fees for fiscal year 2023. And town officials...
Select Board roundup: Members mourn Hoffman; water rates to rise substantially
At Tuesday’s Select Board meeting, members took a moment to express condolences following the passing of Rebeka Hoffman, who had served on multiple town committees and was a substitute teacher in the local schools. Hoffman, 68, died June 11 after a one-year battle...
HPS turnover includes departures of HMS principal, assistant principal
The end of each school year brings with it staff changes, and this year's changes are more significant than usual — especially at Hopkinton Middle School, where the top two administrators have taken positions in other communities. HMS Principal Alan Keller will become...
Independent Thoughts: Allessio reflects on Senior Center legacy
When Judi Allessio first started working for the Senior Center in 2007, the “center” was the basement of Town Hall — a far cry from the stand-alone facility on Mayhew Street that currently serves the town’s older residents. “I started working at Town Hall about two...
Start Line Brewing will remain open after minor fire in garage
The Hopkinton Fire Department responded to a small fire at Start Line Brewing on Hayden Rowe Street Tuesday morning. The fire was in a utility building in the back of the facility. Update, Tuesday, 5 p.m.: Start Line owner Ted Twinney reports that the fire was...
Community flag retirement ceremony Tuesday night
The annual community flag retirement ceremony will be held on Flag Day, Tuesday, June 14, at 6 p.m. at the Woodville Rod & Gun Club. Local Scouts and veterans partner to organize the event, which is open to the public. Flags can be dropped off in advance at the...
Police Chief Bennett: ‘We will address any threat to our schools wherever they are, very quickly’
During Tuesday's Select Board meeting, the board discussed setting goals for the police chief, among others. Toward the end of the discussion with Police Chief Joseph Bennett, the issue of school safety came up — with last month's school shooting in Texas still fresh...
Select Board roundup: Center School, Upper Charles Trail updates presented
The former Center School at 11 Ash Street currently sits vacant, but there are discussions taking place about the future of the property across from the Town Common. On Tuesday night, Dan McIntyre, chair of the Permanent Building Committee, provided the Select Board...
Town Manager Khumalo will not be offered city manager position in Cambridge
The Cambridge City Council on Monday voted to offer its city manager position to Yi-An Huang, meaning Hopkinton Town Manager Norman Khumalo will remain at his current job, at least for the time being. Khumalo was among the four finalists and was praised despite not...