The Planning Board on Monday considered two preliminary subdivision proposals that brought concerns from both the board and the public as a “bait and switch” to preserve the zoning for a potential solar array development. Matt Cote represented the applicant,...
Mary Ellen Gambon
Parks & Rec roundup: Dog park will be rice stone; Common trees a concern
The Parks & Recreation Commission met in person Monday for the first time since the pandemic, although there was a remote option available for those who could not attend. Several topics were discussed, including progress on the dog park, the need for removal of...
As summer begins, new policies in place for Sandy Beach
Memorial Day unofficially kicks off the long-awaited summer season. In Hopkinton, it also marked the start of new policies in effect at Sandy Beach, where a residents-only sticker policy is being implemented. “Prior to last summer, Sandy Beach has always been open to...
Memory of Hopkinton twins inspires playground communication board
Annie and Charlotte Masters were twin sisters from Hopkinton who loved playing outdoors during their brief lives. Despite battling a neuromuscular disease and then epilepsy, the girls communicated their joy through their radiant smiles, according to their speech...
Parks & Rec gains momentum with dog park, skate park
The Parks & Recreation Commission welcomed newly elected commissioner Amy O’Donnell to the team at its meeting Wednesday and discussed projects that are gaining momentum, including the dog park and the EMC skate park. O’Donnell replaces longtime member Bob...
ConCom approves group of Chamberlain/Whalen lots
The Conservation Commission debated a number of projects during a lengthy meeting on Tuesday night. The meeting was shortened because a key project, the renovation of the Massachusetts Laborers Training Facility at 37 East St., had been removed from the agenda because...
School Committee votes to rescind mask policy immediately for outdoor usage
Hopkinton Public Schools students will no longer be required to wear masks outdoors, as the School Committee voted unanimously at Thursday's meeting to rescind the mandatory mask policy after reviewing vaccination data and guidance from both the Department of...
Planning Board discusses Connelly Farm project, Growth Study report
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQv73bCGJW0&list=PL8WekT6kxX1CwNNgtVPivQYbM7NakFJ_T&index=1 The Planning Board held two hearings at its meeting Monday, the most widely discussed being the Connelly Farm special permit for an Open Space and Landscape...
Conservation Commission continues work with Chamberlain developer, gets trails update
The Conservation Commission heard a number of issues at its three-hour meeting on Tuesday, ranging from updates to the Chamberlain/Whalen project to trails creation. Several major items were continued to the meeting on May 25. Requests had been received before the...
Voters approve solar farm restrictions but not overlay district
Town Meeting shed some light on how it wants to pursue its solar energy policy, voting 126-14 to approve restrictions on commercial solar photovoltaic installations. However, there was not enough support for a proposed commercial solar photovoltaic overlay district...
Town Meeting roundup: Brief break for quorum issue only hiccup; budget passes with no discussion
Saturday’s Town Meeting was an amicable affair, with only one article on the schools having any debate during the morning hours. But the process was nearly halted when the quorum was called into question by developer Ron Nation at noon, as there were only 101 voters...
Freedom Team’s bystander training seeks to help defuse issues
Freya Proudman is a Hopkinton High School alumna who moved to the United States as a child. Yet until she attended a recent training as a member of the Hopkinton Freedom Team, she said she hadn’t felt a true sense of belonging in the town. “I come from a cultural...
School Committee candidates debate COVID recovery strategies at forum
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9kCKIHBcJk The three candidates for School Committee talked about their views for educating Hopkinton’s children after the fallout from the pandemic at an HCAM candidates forum Tuesday evening. School Committee chair Amanda Fargiano,...
Hopkinton Sustainable Green Committee springs into action for Earth Day and beyond
The Hopkinton Sustainable Green Committee is springing forward with a number of initiatives to protect the town’s environmental health and educate the public how to safeguard resources. The group originally formed in 2008, but vice chair Rebeka Hoffman said it was...
Know Your Vote forum addresses budget, schools items in preparation for Saturday’s Town Meeting
Residents got a Town Meeting primer Monday night via the ninth annual Know Your Vote forum sponsored by eHop and broadcast on HCAM. The nearly two-hour event featured a number of town officials and board members who explained the most crucial articles for Annual Town...
Town Election candidates share views at virtual forum
Hopkinton voters got a chance to hear from the candidates running in the May 22 Town Election thanks to a virtual forum hosted by the Hopkinton Women’s Club on Wednesday night. This is the 33rd time the...
Conservation Commission roundup: Laborers Training Center plans expansion; Aiken Park bridge to be stabilized
The Conservation Commission met for four hours on Tuesday night to consider a variety of projects, the highlights of which are included below. Laborers' Training Academy expansion A notice of intent (NOI) was filed by the Massachusetts Laborers' Training Trust Fund...
Growth Study Committee presents ideas about managing town’s future to Planning Board
The Planning Board on Monday heard a final report presentation prepared by the Growth Study Committee that recommended a number of initiatives to encourage development in Hopkinton, including the hiring of an economic development director. Growth Study Committee...
Planning Board roundup: Article seeking town trash pickup at garden apartments not supported
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3BQmTQ1190 The Planning Board on Monday voted against recommending Town Meeting passage of a citizen-submitted article that calls for the rescinding of a prohibition on town trash pickup at garden apartments. The vote was 8-1, with...
Parks & Rec addresses Town Common safety concerns
At its meeting Monday night, the Parks & Recreation Department addressed a couple of safety concerns that recently arose at the Hopkinton Town Common. The first, according to Parks & Rec director Jay Guelfi, was a “Frisbee-sized chunk of brick” at the corner...













