https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dedwnVvF7fU The Select Board at its meeting Tuesday night decided unanimously to slow down the process for hiring a deputy police chief despite the process reaching its penultimate stage in order to allow for the review of police manual...
Mary Ellen Gambon
Planning Board discusses MBTA Communities Act compliance in light of ATM defeat; indoor pickleball/padel facility proposed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-OdN0844Eg&ab_channel=HCAM The Planning Board at its meeting Monday night debated how it should move forward on achieving compliance with the MBTA Communities Act after the proposed zoning bylaw was shot down at Annual Town Meeting...
HDTC chair reflects on recent resignations, future course
Hopkinton Democratic Town Committee chair Amy Groves lamented the resignation of two key HDTC members last month and discussed how their departure will affect the organization moving forward. Shahidul Mannan, the HDTC vice chair and former Select Board vice chair,...
Multi-vehicle crash ties up traffic on Main Street
A three-vehicle collision on Main Street near Pleasant Street on Monday afternoon tied up traffic, prompting the Hopkinton Police Department at approximately 2:30 p.m. to urge motorists to avoid the area via a post on the HPD Facebook page. "A landscape truck was...
State housing head, rep share information on housing goals
Ed Augustus, the state secretary of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities and the state’s first housing secretary in more than three decades, met with area housing advocates Thursday for a discussion at Holliston Town Hall to share information about...
PFAS community forum Thursday; proposed advisory group will address town drinking water concerns
The town is hosting a meeting Thursday evening with updated information about a group of chemicals known as PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and the town’s remediation efforts in response to concerns over PFAS in drinking water over the past two...
After years of anticipation, tennis/pickleball courts set to open Friday
The Parks & Recreation Department will host a grand opening celebration for its highly anticipated tennis/pickleball courts this Friday (May 31) at 3 p.m. Located at 17 Pratt Way, off Fruit Street and across from the dog park, there are four courts dedicated...
LaFreniere explains decision to pass over Mannan for Select Board leadership position
As the new vice chair of the Select Board, Mary Jo LaFreniere said she will be confronting some of Hopkinton’s most difficult challenges during her final year in office. Some of her deepest concerns revolve around helping Hopkinton’s older residents and addressing the...
Mannans, Casady resign from HDTC
Select Board member Shahidul Mannan and his wife, Nasiba Mannan, the Board of Health's vice chair, on Tuesday night resigned from the Hopkinton Democratic Town Committee via an email to HDTC members. "It has been a pleasure knowing you all and working with you on our...
Herr urges Select Board to take slower pace with new town manager hire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWm02rwdyDs&ab_channel=HCAM New Select Board chair Brian Herr urged the town to slow down the hiring process for the new town manager during Tuesday night’s meeting, calling for public engagement with the finalists for this key town...
Town Clerk releases updated election vote totals, indicates results should stand
Town Clerk Connor Degan on Wednesday released updated vote totals from Monday's town election, which produced a high voter turnout and number of mail-in ballots. Indepndent candidates Joe Clark and Brian Herr won seats on the Select Board in the election's only...
Herr voted Select Board chair after public outcry supporting his leadership
Joe Clark and Brian Herr joined the Select Board Tuesday night after winning their seats in the previous day’s election. In an unprecedented move, the board elected Herr, a previous member of the board for 12 years, to be the chair after receiving strong public...
Clark, Herr sail to unofficial victory in Select Board race; Hopkins project leads in close vote
Native Hopkintonian Joe Clark and former Select Board chair Brian Herr cruised to unofficial victory in Monday's Annual Town Election, easily besting contenders Kyla McSweeney and Peter Mimmo for the two open seats on the Select Board in a high-turnout contest. Clark...
Select Board race offers town mainstays, fresh faces
On May 20, voters will have the opportunity to choose from four candidates running for Select Board to succeed outgoing members Muriel Kramer and Irfan Nasrullah. The Independent recently interviewed Brian Herr, Joe Clark and Peter Mimmo about their respective goals...
Trails Committee touts success of ‘Dogs on Trails?’ forum, partial Article 44 victory
The Trails Committee at its meeting Wednesday night talked about its “Dogs on Trails?” forum on May 1. But it noted the event’s success did not translate to Town Meeting approval of all parts of the article the committee proposed regarding the leashing of dogs. “As...
UCTC completes revised charge draft as some members decry animosity toward committee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sr1_L5suOyI The Upper Charles Trail Committee at its meeting Wednesday night completed its final draft revisions to its charge. But discussions unearthed tensions as to why the UCTC was compelled to complete this process in the first...
Teamwork between HPD, Hopkinton Country Club patrons leads to arrest of reckless driver on golf course
Smart thinking by patrons at the Hopkinton Country Club on May 4 and the teamwork displayed between them and the Hopkinton Police Department led to the arrest of a driver who sped through the club's fairways. Detective Sergeant Gregg DeBoer shared that officers...
Early morning fire breaks out at Bill’s Pizzeria
A fire broke out at a popular downtown restaurant early Wednesday morning, causing an hour-long road closure of Main Street. The call came in about the fire at 6:19 a.m., according to Hopkinton Police Department Lieutenant Scott van Raalten. "It was not large at all,"...
Parks & Recreation Commission questions proposed student parking fees at EMC Park lot
The Parks & Recreation Commission tackled a hefty agenda Tuesday night, with student parking at the EMC Park parking lot and the potential for charging fees generating the most discussion. Parks & Rec Director Jon Lewitus discussed the continuing problem with...
Stormwater management issues dominate Planning Board discussion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXnjignskUA&ab_channel=HCAM Following a prolonged discussion, the Planning Board at its meeting Monday voted 5-0 to approve the stormwater management permit request for the Elmwood Farms III subdivision after reviewing new plans....