COMMUNITY BRIEFING

The Boston Globe (Boston, MA) October 21, 2007 GLOBE WEST 3 ASHLAND CHANGES TO CHARTER – Selectmen will present a review of the town charter to voters at next month’s Town Meeting in chunks, separating the revisions into separate warrant articles. One change would make the Board of Health an appointed board, rather than elected. The proposed changes are a result of a charter review that the town completes every five years. Town Meeting is to start at 7 p.m. Nov. 14 at Ashland High School. – Calvin Hennick BELLINGHAM HIGH SCHOOL BIOTECH BOOST – Bellingham High School will begin exposing its students to biotechnology this academic year with the help of two grants. Earlier this month, the school’s guidance department was awarded $7,000 for career exploration in the field. The grant is in addition to $14,000 that was awarded last spring to allow students to participate in biotechnology labs. “This is an incredibly fantastic opportunity for us,” said JoAnn Masterson, head of the school’s science and technology department. web site bellingham high school

- Calvin Hennick DOVER PTO GOING GREEN – The Dover Parent Teacher Organization kicks off its first “Going Green” initiative this month. Members of the PTO are sponsoring the performance group “Bash The Trash” to teach kindergartners through fifth-graders at Dover’s Chickering School about environmental awareness. The group, started in 1987 by John Bertles, performs not only in schools, but in locations like New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. The performers use materials such as recycled trash and old children’s toys to create instruments. They use them to perform music and teach kids about the three “R’s” of going green: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. The group will perform two shows on Oct. 29. The first show is at 8:45 a.m. and the other at 9:30. Julie Hayes, curriculum enrichment coordinator for the PTO, helped organize the event. “They’re empowering kids to take an active part in bettering their community. It helps them have an impact on their school environment and it helps the future of where they’re going to live.” Hayes said it cost the PTO $1,200 to put together the show, money that came from last year’s fund-raising efforts. – Nadia Salomon FRANKLIN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS TRAINING – The Norfolk County Retired and Senior Volunteer Program will partner with the American Red Cross to sponsor an emergency preparedness training class at the King Street firehouse Tuesday from 9 a.m. to noon. The course is free, but registration is required. To register, or for more information, contact the volunteer program at 781-329-5728 or rsvp@norfolkcounty.org. – Calvin Hennick HOLLISTON TRAILS COMMITTEE GETS GRANT – The sporting goods company REI announced last week a grant of $10,000 to the Holliston Trails Committee. The money will support the committee’s efforts to create bike trails in Holliston that would eventually connect with recreational trails in Ashland, Milford, and Sherborn.

- Calvin Hennick HOPKINTON INTERVIEWS FOR TOWN COUNSEL – The Board of Selectmen will begin interviewing candidates to become the town’s next legal counsel on Oct. 29. The interviews will be held at the town offices beginning at 6:30 p.m. and will be open to the public. At an Oct. 4 meeting of the board, Town Manager Anthony Troiano told selectmen that he had narrowed the list of candidates to three law firms: Miyares and Harrington LLP of Watertown, and two Boston-based firms, Deutsch Williams, and Kopelman and Paige P.C. Selectwoman Mary Pratt requested that the current town counsel, Richard DeAngelis, also be considered. His contract expired recently but was extended for 90 days to allow the town time to evaluate all the applicants. In making its decision, the board said, it will consider the firms’ experience working with town governments, accessibility, and fee structures. – David Cogger MEDFIELD SEEKING AID FOR COMPUTER SYSTEM – Medfield will apply for a state grant of $350,000 to pay for a computer system that would monitor the town’s wells and sewer pumping stations, Town Administrator Michael Sullivan said. Town Meeting voters last spring appropriated $150,000 from water and sewer user fees to pay for the project’s costs above the grant amount. – Calvin Hennick MEDWAY PROMOTION TO POLICE CHIEF – Allen M. Tingley, a lieutenant with the Medway Police Department, took over the reins of the force last week as its new chief. Tingley, who started at the department as a part-time dispatcher in the early 1980s, was chosen over two other internal candidates, Detective Sergeant William Kingsbury and Sergeant Jeffery Watson. Tingley said he is still adjusting to his new post, and his main goal for now is to continue to provide a safe community. “We have an outstanding department,” he said. “We have a great group of guys.” – Calvin Hennick MILFORD NEW TARGET FOR POWER BOOST – International Power America last week resubmitted a request to expand its Milford power plant after an initial request was denied. The company is now seeking an expansion that would allow it to deliver the additional electricity by 2011, not 2010 as originally planned, according to a spokeswoman. Plant officials said earlier this month they were notified by ISO- New England that the plant didn’t qualify to participate in an auction to determine which area power plants will be allowed to expand by the 2010 delivery date. International Power spokeswoman Kelly Tomblin said that the project would not be included in the auction because the connection between the plant expansion and the transmission system will not be completed by the proposed delivery date. The plant currently provides 140 megawatts during peak usage periods. The proposed expansion would add a gas turbine to increase capacity during peak loads by 170 megawatts. Tomblin said officials resubmitted qualification documents last week for an auction with a 2011 delivery date. “We have to go through the qualification process again,” she said. “We intend to do that.” – Nadia Salomon MILLIS COMCAST WANTS LOWER SURCHARGE – Representatives from Comcast last week told selectmen they want to reduce the surcharge that pays for cable access programming in town from 4.5 percent to 4 percent of customers’ bills. Selectmen said they need to study the local cable station’s needs, and will meet with Comcast again on Nov. 19. The town’s 10-year contract with the cable provider expires Jan. 8.

- Calvin Hennick NATICK COTTAGE STREET OK’D AS PUBLIC WAY – Town Meeting members voted Wednesday night to make Cottage Street a public way, which means Natick will take over responsibility for upkeep and repairs on the busy roadway, which is badly in need of repairs. The main thoroughfare, which bisects the town south of Natick Center, was among many unincorporated roads in town legally classified as private ways, and not eligible for public repair funds. Town Meeting is scheduled to resume on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in Wilson Middle School. A full list of warrant articles is available at Town Hall or online at natickma.gov.

- Erica Noonan NORFOLK TOWN MEETING ON TUESDAY – Town Meeting voters on Tuesday will decide whether the position of town clerk should be appointed by the Board of Selectmen, rather than elected. If passed, the measure would subsequently have to be approved by voters at the ballot box. Town Meeting voters will also decide whether to change the town’s bylaws to drop the requirement for a fall Town Meeting. Selectman Jim Lehan said the change would give the town more flexibility in scheduling the meetings as needed.

- Calvin Hennick PLAINVILLE CROSS STREET CUL-DE-SAC APPROVED – Selectmen last week approved the installation of a cul-de-sac on the eastern part of Cross Street, which connects to South Street. Residents, concerned that a planned industrial park in the area would increase the number of trucks in their neighborhood, had asked the board to find a way to close the road to through traffic. The cul-de-sac will include a gate that can be activated by emergency personnel to access the other side of the road, which connects to High Street. this web site bellingham high school

- Calvin Hennick SHERBORN ART UPSTAIRS AT LIBRARY – An exhibition titled “Bright and Beautiful” is on display in the upstairs conference room in the Sherborn Library. Artist Ann Marie O’Dowd uses acrylics over photographs to bring her subjects to life in vibrant colors. Her subjects range from dogs to still-life paintings of fruit and floral arrangements. Tricia Caldicott, chairwoman of library exhibits, describes O’Dowd’s work as a mix of Henri Matisse, Vincent van Gogh, and Andy Warhol. One of her works, “Little Witch,” is on auction through Saturday at 5 p.m. as a fund-raiser for the library’s general fund. The painting features two pumpkins and witch’s shoes. All of O’Dowd’s paintings are also for sale. Her works will be on display through mid-November. – Nadia Salomon UPTON HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR – The Broadway Youth Dance Theater, a nonprofit organization operated by Upton-based dance teacher Diane Scouras, will stage its sixth production of “The Holiday Spectacular” Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. at the Northbridge Middle School, in the Whitinsville section of the neighboring town. There will also be a 2 p.m. performance on Nov. 18. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased by calling 508-529-9124. – Calvin Hennick WRENTHAM INTERIM CHIEF FOR POLICE – Selectmen last week tapped Lieutenant Richard J. Gillespie to serve as an interim police chief after Joseph Collamati retires from the position Nov. 17. The board also temporarily promoted Sergeant James E. Anderson to serve as lieutenant in Gillespie’s stead. Both officers earned exam scores that make them eligible for the permanent chief’s position. – Calvin Hennick AROUND THE REGION BERLIN ACROSS ARCTIC ALASKA – A thousand-mile journey across Alaska will be the subject of a free talk at the 1870 Town Hall on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Torsten Bentzen, an area native, will discuss his adventures and present a slide show. Bentzen followed a traditional Eskimo route across the northern reaches of Alaska, and encountered musk ox and caribou, as well as the remains of a woolly mammoth in remote hot springs, along the way. – John Dyer FRAMINGHAM HEARING ON TOLL HIKE – Framingham will host the second public hearing on the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority’s recent vote to approve 25-cent toll increases at both the Weston and Allston- Brighton toll plazas. The session is slated for tomorrow from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Nevins Hall at the Memorial Building, 150 Concord St. Area commuters who use the Pike to reach Boston will end up paying more than nine times as much in gas taxes and tolls – the state’s two user fees for drivers – as commuters on the South Shore or in the northwest suburbs, according to official estimates. A Framingham driver commuting 220 days to Boston now pays a little over $800 in tolls. The increase would bring the driver’s annual cost to over $1,000, Mass. Pike board member Mary Z. Connaughton has said. This is the last public hearing before the turnpike board takes its final vote during its Oct. 29 meeting. – Tanya Perez-Brennan NEWTON HAVE TAILS, WILL LISTEN – The preschool class from Lasell College’s early childhood education program will practice their reading skills by reading to dogs. Led by developmental psychologist Amy Wagenfeld, the program is designed to make children comfortable reading aloud. From 3 to 4 p.m. on Oct. 30, the children will take turns reading to a greater Swiss mountain dog named Cider, two English pointers, Isabel and Callie, a brindle boxer named Blaze and a miniature schnauzer called Gracie. As registered therapy canines, the dogs are trained to work with young readers and be good listeners.

- Megan Woolhouse