Good morning, Hopkinton! Welcome to the daily update we call Hopkinton Today — a quick recap of yesterday’s news, highlights of what’s on tap, and a photo of the day.

‘Abundance’ of invasive snails found during recent herbicide testing

FILE PHOTO/JOHN CARDILLO

Health Director Shaun McAuliffe reported to the Board of Health on Monday that he had identified an “abundance” of invasive snails while conducting herbicide sampling at Lake Maspenock.

“We’re hoping that the cold weather right now and the drawdown are going to kill the invasive snail population,” McAuliffe said in the meeting.

Viviparus georgiana, also known as the banded mystery snail, first was identified in Lake Maspenock in 2019. The identification came about following a mass die-off event, which was attributed to elevated water temperatures.

McAuliffe told the Independent in a follow-up interview that a recent die-off of the snails was conflated with the use of herbicides last year to control invasive weeds. 

“Those two had nothing to do with each other,” said McAuliffe. “What caused the die-off was the high water temperatures in the lake.”

McAuliffe said that at the time of the event, the lake had reached over 75 degrees, with some shallow areas even feeling “like bathwater.” However, he admitted that the banded mystery snails are a harder challenge to eliminate from the lake than weeds. The only method he cited for eradicating the snails was lowering the water level.

He also added that while he was awaiting testing data from his recent survey, he anticipated there would be no residual herbicides detected. “I firmly believe that the soil will be free from any residues,” McAuliffe said.

— NICK SCHOFIELD

Latest News

The Permanent Building Committee on Tuesday saw conceptual plans for the redevelopment of Center School into a shared use facility between the town and the Hopkinton Center for the Arts.

The Economic Development Advisory Board met with realtor Chuck Joseph on Tuesday to learn more about the current real estate environment for both commercial and residential properties.

Parks & Recreation Director Jon Lewitus met with the Commission on Disability on Monday to discuss the need for more accessible seating options at the Town Common.

This week’s Police Log features reports of a collision involving a school bus and an Amazon van, a vehicle doing doughnuts on the Reed Park athletic fields and a hunter trespassing on private property.

This week’s Arts Residency highlights Hopkinton High School senior Emily Evans, a recipient of the 2025 Visual Arts Department Award who explores complex emotions and physical sensations through art.

Our latest Move in Style Athlete Spotlight shines on Johnny Murray and Tanush Vuda, standouts on the HHS unified basketball team who “embody everything it is to be both a Hiller and a unified athlete,” according to coach Jay Golden.

Jacqueline Hall, 89, of Hopkinton passed away Nov. 30.

Town meetings tonight include the Community Preservation Committee (7) and School Committee (7).

Photo of the Day

Work continues Wednesday on the development at the site of the former Hopkinton Drug building

PHOTO/JERRY SPAR