At its Tuesday night meeting, the Select Board voted to delay Town Meeting again, pushing it back from June 22 to a likely September date still to be determined. Town Election remains set for June 29. With Town Meeting being held after the close of the fiscal year on...
Norman Khumalo
Khumalo: Main Street Corridor Project ‘fully funded’
During Tuesday night’s Select Board meeting, Town Manager Norman Khumalo announced that he had “two good things to report” regarding the Main Street Corridor Project. One is that the project now is “fully funded,” as on April 30 the state approved the budget in the...
Anticipating financial issues, town initiates hiring freeze
The Select Board voted at Tuesday night's meeting to place a hiring freeze on town employment effective immediately due to the anticipated financial issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The vote came shortly after a presentation by Town Manager Norman Khumalo, who...
Town to runners: ‘Thank you for not starting here’
Editor's note: Town Manager Norman Khumalo sent out the following press release Wednesday morning. The Town of Hopkinton is happy to report that its message to runners to refrain from coming to the start line in Hopkinton or attempting to run the marathon course on...
Schools settle for 8.26 percent budget increase
Town taps into Legacy Farms HCA to help make ends meet By a 3-2 vote, Hopkinton School Committee members on March 12 approved a fiscal year 2021 budget of $51.9 million, a reduction of $323,000 from the amount the school district had requested but more than the town...
Business Briefs: Country Farm to become liquor store
Country Farm to become liquor store The owners of the Country Farm convenience store at 3 Cedar St. (next to the Post Office) plan to change the business to a liquor store, and the Subway restaurant located inside will cease operation, a representative for the owners...
Developer considers legal options regarding Claflin house
The owner of the Aaron and Lucy Claflin home at 76 Main St. continues to examine legal possibilities after Town Meeting voters designated the property as a historic district, thwarting his plans to demolish the structure and build a mixed-use building with a...
Town Meeting to address potential future use of Center School
Town Meeting voters this spring may be asked to bring in design consultants to help shape the future of Center School. The consultants would be asked to present a feasibility study to determine options to convert the school to municipal use. Several potential...
Downtown parking plans progress slowly
As the town grows, parking spaces downtown have become more scarce. Plans are in the works to ease the parking crunch, but it will take time, Town Manager Norman Khumalo said. In May, Town Meeting voters approved the town’s purchase of 6 Walcott St. with 32 spaces...
News Briefs: Legacy Farms residents push for early street acceptance
Legacy Farms residents push for early street acceptance Residents of Legacy Farms North, frustrated with the lack of progress on the bus stop issue in their community, sought to take advantage of the Dec. 9 Special Town Meeting by pushing to have Legacy Farms Road...
Select Board lauds town manager, police chief, fire chief
The downtown project was on everyone’s minds when the Select Board met on Oct. 8 and discussed the annual performance evaluations of Town Manager Norman Khumalo, Police Chief Edward Lee and Fire Chief Steve Slaman. In the end, all three received annual ratings of...
Downtown debate continues
Frustrated abutters plead to Select Board Frustrated residents and business owners got their chance to state their case against the Downtown Corridor Project at the Select Board’s Sept. 24 meeting, but the board made it clear the project will not be abandoned. “This...
Water/sewer rates expected to increase dramatically
Each year in June, the Select Board votes to set Hopkinton’s water and sewer rates for the upcoming fiscal year. The decision is based on a review of both the water and sewer funds, with information provided by DPW director John Westerling, Water and Sewer...
Costs increase for Main Street corridor project
Included in the town manager’s report portion of the May 28 Select Board meeting was the news that the cost of the Main Street corridor project had gone up. Since the submittal of the 75 percent design plan to MassDOT in March, the increase in cost is estimated at $1...
Operating budget passes as underride vote nears
A total of 24 articles were voted on the first night of Hopkinton’s 2019 Annual Town Meeting on May 6 at the Hopkinton Middle School auditorium, some with little or no discussion, and others that brought several residents to the microphone with comments both for and...
In long run, Hopkinton gets financial boost
Town benefits from BAA contributions, donation of bibs for charity The Boston Athletic Association, through the generous support of principal sponsor John Hancock, makes financial contributions each year to Hopkinton and all of the communities along the route of the...
Selectmen discuss possible underride
Discussion and review of the Fiscal Year 2020 budget continued at the March 5 Board of Selectmen’s meeting, with Town Manager Norman Khumalo bringing the board up to date with changes made since the original budget presentation to the board on Jan. 29. “In the weeks...