With Halloween next Tuesday, the Hopkinton Police Department recently alerted the community to a holiday-related trend that has spooked some residents and prompted calls to the station. "In the past weeks, we have responded to multiple 911 calls from concerned...
Mary Ellen Gambon
Community Preservation Committee kicks off FY 25 grant application review process
The Community Preservation Committee at its meeting Thursday night opened the process for reviewing the 15 grant applications received for the fiscal year 2025 cycle. A brief overview of the projects was given to committee members during the public hearing. The CPC...
Select Board appoints new police officer, reviews HPD goals
The Select Board at its meeting Tuesday night unanimously appointed Brian Ziniti as a Hopkinton Police Department officer and focused on the department’s goals. Police Chief Joseph Bennett, who attended the meeting via Zoom, introduced Ziniti to the board. “Hopkinton...
Parks & Rec approves EMC Park allergen signage, eyes skateboard event for Nov. 12
The Parks & Recreation Commission voted 3-0 to approve a sign at EMC Park to alert visitors to the dangers of eating near playground equipment for people who have food allergies. The concept of the sign originated with Reese Robledo as a class project when she was...
Town hires environmental engineering firm to provide unilateral flushing program in response to water discoloration
The Water Department on Tuesday announced that Weston & Sampson, an environmental engineering firm that provides consulting for the town, has been contracted to provide a unilateral flushing program for the area. "Crews have already begun the preparation work,...
Lack of state PFAS guidance frustrates Health Department, residents
The Board of Health at its meeting Monday evening discussed the lack of state guidance on PFAS levels and Hopkinton’s leading role in its regional health collaborative structure. Health Department Director Shaun McAuliffe told board members that no state guidance from...
Planning Board approves stormwater management permit for 87 Hayden Rowe Street office building
The Planning Board at its half-hour meeting Monday night voted 5-0 to approve a stormwater management permit for a two-story office building at 85R and 87 Hayden Rowe Street, allowing the redevelopment project to move one step closer to approval. The property is next...
Entwistle, convicted in Hopkinton 2006 double murder, seeks new trial
A British man convicted of murdering his wife and baby girl in their Hopkinton home on Cubs Path is seeking a new trial, according to multiple news sources. Neil Entwistle, 44, is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole after he was...
Water Department: Irrigation system activity may be contributing to water discoloration
The Water Department on Thursday morning announced that some of the water discoloration the town has been experiencing over the past two weeks may be related to irrigation systems set on automatic timers. "We think this latest issue may be related to the amount of...
Construction of PFAS filtration system begins at Well 6
Town Manager Norman Khumalo and Director of Public Works Kerry Reed announced Thursday morning that construction for Hopkinton’s Well 6 PFAS filtration system has begun. Bay State Regional Contractors Inc. began digging a foundation at Hopkinton’s Fruit Street Well 6...
Conservation Commission roundup: Grasshopper solar array request gets negative feedback; fined Leonard Street developer threatens to reopen lawsuit against town
The Conservation Commission at its meeting Tuesday night focused on two long-standing cases. They included a fee waiver request from a controversial solar array development and fines assessed against a Leonard Street developer for violations that prompted him to...
Fire chief, DPW director respond to recent water discoloration issues
As the town works to resolve several instances of water discoloration over the past two weeks, the town’s interim fire chief explained that one cause was from a power outage Thursday morning in the neighborhood near the Eversource LNG facility. “A security guard at...
Select Board roundup: FY 25 budget message calls for level-service funding; police hiring policy discussed
The Select Board during its meeting Tuesday night approved by a 4-0 vote a budget message that stressed frugality to town departments when making their fiscal year 2025 budget requests. The town is bracing for a challenging budget season, with a current projected...
Open Space Preservation Commission discusses guidelines for land donation
The Open Space Preservation Commission at its meeting Thursday night discussed the need for OSPC to review land slated to be donated to the town before it is conveyed because this had not been done in the case of Turkey Ridge Estates open space earlier this year....
Eversource addresses Maple Street gas leak after 2 weeks of complaints
On Friday morning, an Eversource crew began to dig up the yard in front of 1 Maple Street to repair a leaking gas line in response to residents’ complaints of a pervasive noxious odor for the past two weeks. The Independent began investigating the issue Thursday after...
Rijhsinghani hired as assistant town accountant
Town Manager Norman Khumalo announced this week that Poonam Rijhsinghani has been hired as the as the town’s new assistant town accountant. Rijhsinghani comes to Hopkinton from H&R Block Tax Services, where she served as a senior tax analyst since 2000. She worked...
Tractor-trailer rollover in Hopkinton leads to I-495 off-ramp closure
A tractor-trailer rollover Wednesday morning at the interchange of the Massachusetts Turnpike and Interstate 495 in Hopkinton caused garbage to spill onto the roadway, leading to the temporary closure of the ramp for a few hours. The crash occurred at 9:15 a.m. on the...
Select Board sets dates for November’s Special Town Meeting, election
At a 10-minute meeting Tuesday night, the Select Board voted 4-0 to set the date for the Special Town Meeting for Monday, Nov. 13, and the Special Town Election for Tuesday, Nov. 28. The primary goal of this Special Town Meeting (STM) is to vote on the proposal for a...
Whisper Way subdivision dominates Planning Board meeting
The Planning Board at its meeting Monday night granted an extension of time for the donation of open space at a 12-unit subdivision on Whisper Way in a 7-0 vote after a procedural error hampered the process. Five additional acres also will be donated to the town that...
Commission on Disability works on town survey, accessibility checklist
The Commission on Disability at its meeting Monday night made progress on the creation of a town survey and event accessibility checklist to increase community awareness about the need for venues and documents to be accessible to people with disabilities. According to...