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Select Board supports IMA with Southborough to address water supply; DPW gives update on dirty water

by | Mar 14, 2023 | Featured: News, News

The Select Board at its meeting Tuesday voted to support an intermunicipal agreement with Southborough to purchase water for Hopkinton.

While the water comes from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, Hopkinton would purchase the water directly from Southborough.

The plan is designed to address Hopkinton’s issues with PFAS in its current water supply.

The agreement is for 25 years and allows for Hopkinton to purchase 2.7 million gallons per day, with the potential for more in the future, Town Manager Norman Khumalo explained.

Hopkinton would pay for all design and construction costs for the two new water mains that would be installed and also pay for some upgrades to Southborough’s system Additionally, Hopkinton would contribute $1 million for three water-related projects in Southborough as an incentive.

Southborough’s Annual Town Meeting is March 25, and Hopkinton is to send a representative to discuss the arrangement and seek support.

While the town will address its water needs with this agreement, Khumalo previously said town officials will continue to talk with MWRA representatives about alternatives, including “convincing the state to bring a water line under [Interstate] 495.”

Dirty water issue updated

DPW Director John Westerling provided an update on the weekend water main break on Wood Street at the intersection with Elm Street.

The issue led to many residents seeing dirty water in their homes.

Westerling credited DPW employees for working through the weekend — first Saturday night to fix the break, then “all day Sunday flushing hydrants to try to flush out the dirty water that was disturbed.”

“There are still some pockets of dirty water in town,” Westerling said. “We ask for our residents to continue to be patient as that water settles down and as it continues to flush through people’s lines.”

Comcast deal will boost HCAM

Attorney Bill August, representing the town, explained that Hopkinton has completed a 10-year agreement with Comcast as part of the cable company’s renewal process. The deal will provide the maximum 5 percent funding from Comcast’s annual revenues in town for Hopkinton’s cable access station, HCAM. The percentage matches the contribution from the town’s other cable provider, Verizon.

August added that as part of the deal, Comcast will for the first time offer one of HCAM’s channels in high-definition and upgrade two other stations to SD-SDI.

“It is a good contract,” HCAM program director Jim Cozzens said, crediting Khumalo for his “passionate” support of the station.

Misc.: Board approves new hires

Diane Hendrickson’s promotion to the position of town treasurer/collector was approved by the board. She has been serving as assistant treasurer since 2012 and has worked for the town since 2006.

Also approved as was the appointment of Allison Keaney as circulation and technical services supervisor at the Hopkinton Public Library. Keaney most recently served as head of circulation at Dover Town Library. …

The board voted to authorize the town manager to sign forms for the town to participate in national opioid settlements with pharmaceutical manufacturers Teva and Allergan and pharmacies CVS, Walgreens and Walmart. The settlements require the settling manufacturers and pharmacies to pay a total of more than $20 billion to abate the opioid epidemic. Of this amount, approximately $17 billion will be used by participating states and subdivisions to remediate and abate the impacts of the opioid crisis.

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