The Conservation Commission met for more than three hours Tuesday night and voted 6-0 to continue a notice of intent hearing on the Massachusetts Laborers Training facility’s proposed gas line so that alternative routes proposed during the hearing could be reviewed....
Mary Ellen Gambon
Planning Board makes affordable housing planning a goal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZu4j4un4b8&list=PL8WekT6kxX1CwNNgtVPivQYbM7NakFJ_T&index=1 The Planning Board at its 90-minute meeting Monday night decided to make planning for affordable housing a key priority for this year, noting that the proportion of...
Community embraces diversity at MLK Interfaith Day
More than 60 people gathered at the Islamic Masumeen Center of New England on Sunday afternoon to celebrate the legacy of civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at an interfaith celebration that explored how King’s work is reflected in this increasingly diverse...
UCTC discusses communication strategy, ‘holistic view’ of trail system
The Upper Charles Trail Committee (UCTC) at its 90-minute meeting Wednesday night discussed the inclusion of previous data from emails and a survey on the town website to help the public better understand the committee’s initiatives as well as to increase...
Parks & Rec reviews plans for pickleball courts off Fruit Street
The Parks & Recreation Commission at its two-hour hybrid meeting Thursday evening received an overview of the revised design plans for the public pickleball courts slated to be built off of Fruit Street, across from the dog park. Consultant Andrew Leonard...
Conservation Commission continues major hearings at request of applicants
Because only four of the seven commissioners on the Conservation Commission were able to attend Tuesday night’s virtual meeting, the applicants for the Massachusetts Laborers Training property on 37 East Street and The Trails development requested continuances of...
Planning Board approves warrant articles, talks goals
The Planning Board held its first in-person meeting of the post-pandemic era on Monday evening, and it unanimously approved several Town Meeting warrant articles and discussed board goals. Several proposed articles previously discussed in board meetings were...
As COVID surges, Health Department offers free test kits
The Board of Health at its meeting Monday evening discussed the latest variant of the COVID-19 virus and announced that the Health Department has an abundance of test kits to issue to residents who need them. Public Health Nurse Simone Carter said that “there has been...
Public pushback to proposed regional dispatch center grows louder
At a hybrid informational meeting Wednesday night held at the Hopkinton Senior Center, residents urged the town to take a step back from joining Grafton, Southborough and Westborough in a proposed regional emergency communications center (RECC), citing concerns about...
Regional dispatch discussion highlights positives, negatives
More than 20 people met with town officials Tuesday afternoon in a one-hour hybrid meeting to hear the pros and cons of Hopkinton potentially joining a regional emergency communications center (RECC). For those on Zoom, the meeting was marred by poor sound quality,...
Conservation Commission releases units for development at The Trails
The Conservation Commission at its two-hour meeting Tuesday night voted 4-1 to release two units on the open space mixed-use development (OSMUD) site plan for The Trails after some prolonged debate. The hearing was continued because the commissioners continued to...
Planning Board approves Morse Lane family subdivision, sets up site walk for The Trails
The Planning Board at its Monday night meeting voted 6-3 to remove a 1992 condition that restricted the number of allowable lots on the Capobianco family subdivision to four on Morse Lane, paving the way for a fifth lot to be configured on the property. At the start...
CPC approves $1 million cricket pitch request for CPA funding
At a brief public hearing Thursday night, the Community Preservation Committee approved several applications for fiscal year 2024 funding via the Community Preservation Act, including a $1 million proposal for the redesign of Pyne Field to include a cricket pitch....
Parks & Rec discusses CPC requests, progress on initiatives
At its hour-long meeting Thursday night, the Parks & Recreation Commission discussed its applications for funding before the Community Preservation Committee that met later that evening, noting the positive momentum for a cricket pitch at a reconfigured Pyne...
Proposed Pyne Field cricket pitch dominates CPC discussion
The Community Preservation Committee on Thursday reviewed several applications under consideration for fiscal year 2024 funding via the Community Preservation Act, with the proposal for a $706,000 cricket pitch at Pyne Field generating the most discussion and support....
Conservation Commission continues Mass Laborers hearing, gives ultimatum on The Trails
The Conservation Commission at its virtual meeting Tuesday night continued to seek more information on two longstanding town projects, the Massachusetts Laborers Training property on 37 East Street and The Trails in what Chair Jeff Barnes called “a challenging...
Planning Board makes progress on Morse Lane, continues hearing
The Planning Board at its meeting Monday night voted to continue the hearing on the Capobianco family subdivision on Morse Lane after nearly an hour of discussion to allow Principal Planner John Gelcich time to draft clearer language on the findings and conditions...
Parks & Rec discusses sustainability, pending projects
The Parks & Recreation Commission at its Wednesday meeting learned about the efforts of the town’s Climate Action Workgroup to promote sustainability and discussed potential ways in which the commission can work with the group. The Climate Action Workgroup is a...
Fruit Street bridge remains closed as MassDOT interchange improvement project enters construction phase
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation recently held a virtual meeting detailing the beginning of the construction phase in December of the remodeled interchange between Interstate 495 and Interstate 90, which straddles Hopkinton and Westborough. As part of...
SACH’s DiwHoliday Gala returns after pandemic pause
The South Asian Circle of Hopkinton (SACH) is continuing the spirit of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, with its DiwHoliday Gala on the evening of Dec. 10, an event highlighting the achievements of 12 women of South Asian diaspora. The event, SACH’s largest...