This owl, found stuck in a soccer net on Cherry Lane, was taken to Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in Grafton for rehabilitation. PHOTO/HOPKINTON POLICE

It’s been a rough summer for owls in Hopkinton. Most recently, on July 20, one got caught in a soccer net on Cherry Lane, in the Legacy Farms North development. Just over a week later, a resident found an owl next to Lake Whitehall hanging from a fishing line, dangling off a tree.

While the first owl was able to recover, the second suffered a fracture of its humerus, and personnel at Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in Grafton determined it was not reparable, so the bird was euthanized.

“Nature would not be kinder,” lamented Ed Harrow, who, along with his wife, Sheryl, discovered the owl and called for assistance in an attempt to save it.

The owls’ misfortunes are a continuation of a trend in town.

“The one in the soccer net was hunting when it flew down and got tangled,” explained Bill Proctor, the town’s animal control officer. “The one hung up in the fishing line was just a sad mishap.”

Proctor has been very busy lately with calls about various animals venturing into residents’ yards, getting hit by vehicles or, as with the owls, random interactions.

“It’s weird, because animal calls run hot and cold,” he said. “You could get 50 in one week, then five in another week — no rhyme or reason. Although, I think the fact that the weather is all messed up isn’t helping them any. The weather can be very hot and rainy, then not hot.

“Obviously the winter always plays a factor,” he continued. “When we have a light winter like we had this year, not a lot of snow, the deer can move around and make more deer, and it affects all the animals.”

The ever-present construction in town also plays a role pushing more animals toward the center of town, added Proctor, who noted that there have been some recent bear sightings in town.

An owl hangs from a fishing line at Lake Whitehall. PHOTO/ED HARROW

Proctor advises residents not to approach wildlife. Oftentimes deer leave their fawns alone while they look for food, and it can appear that a fawn is abandoned or injured when it’s not the case.

“My general advice for people is not to touch wildlife in general,” Proctor said. “You just never know. As many years as I’ve been doing it, I still don’t always know what to expect. That said, if people see things, they are more than welcome to call and let us know. I get people who call and say they saw a bobcat or other things. It’s good for us to know.”

Proctor just has one request: Make sure you are calling the right Hopkinton.

“We get calls about things in the Hopkinton in Rhode Island and New Hampshire,” he said. “People will start describing roads, and I’m like, ‘You’re not talking about our Hopkinton.’ ”

Main Street work back on

New Select Board chair Brian Herr promised he would lean hard on Eversource to deliver the long-awaited transformers that have held up the Main Street Corridor Project, and he was true to his word.

Herr works in the solar business and is familiar with the transformer situation. Since the pandemic slowdown, transformers have become a hot commodity. Herr said he believes the transformers originally targeted for Hopkinton were reallocated to other projects.

After a few pushy phone calls, and with continued help from some other VIPs, six of the transformers made their way to town last month, with the other six due in early August.

“A lot of people pitched in here to make it happen,” Herr said, acknowledging Town Manager Elaine Lazarus and state Senate President Karen Spilka in particular. “Then with [him pushing for them] and making it clear I wasn’t going to go away, Eversource became very responsive when they realized we were serious about this. It all kind of came together at the right time.”

Meeting to discuss the Main Street Corridor Project recently were (from left) Town Manager Elaine Lazarus, VHB Engineering representative Matt Chase, Select Board chair Brian Herr and Town Engineer Dave Daltorio.

While the transformers are key, Herr noted that there is a lot more aesthetic work still to be done on the project. First is the obvious — removing the poles downtown and finishing the sidewalks. But there’s a lot more. While those unhappy with the bike lanes — and that’s a very long list — are unlikely to be satisfied, at the very least, the area should look more appealing when the project is completed.

“Everybody thinks it’s basically done, but aesthetically we haven’t even started this thing,” Herr said. “When we get the bricks to replace the concrete and install the trees, it’s going to look a lot nicer. We’re trying to get started on the bricks [this month], and what that entails is cutting out about 2 feet of the bike lane and installing bricks the entire length of the bikeway [to create a delineation between the sidewalk and bike lane]. Then there will be a yellow line painted down the middle of the bikeway and little images of bicycles so people know exactly what it’s for.

“All that aesthetic work has just been so slow in coming, but a lot should happen this year, and we’re going to push like heck to get this done by December 31st.”