Weekly News Roundup – 01/31/2021
Covid-19 Vaccine, Updates & Precautions • Map: Vaccine signups for 75 and older start today. Find a Mass. COVID vaccination site near you • Town Election 2021 – Candidate Update • Hopkinton Cultural Council announces grant recipients • School Committee supports Town Meeting article seeking stabilization funds • State to hold virtual meeting on I-90 bridge replacements in Westborough, Southborough • Select Board roundup: Town manager presents pair of FY22 budget options • Select Board considers resident’s request for stricter gun regulations following issue with neighbor • Planning Board reconsiders best approach to commercial solar zoning • Boston Marathon announces Oct. 11 race date if reopening plans allow • Select Board Actions Taken 01/26/21 • Select Board Actions Taken 01/19/21
Covid-19 Updates & Precautions
This page provides information, maps and resources about the coronavirus response in our local area.
Visit Hopkinton, MA – Coronavirus Response Hub
As of 01/28/21, Hopkinton’s Health Department is reporting 647 total confirmed COVID-19 cases; 53 of those cases are active, with 577 recoveries and 17 deaths. You can see historical tracking and updates on Hopkinton’s Community Impact Dashboard
The most recent update from Jan 29th includes:
- Covid-19 Vaccine in Massachusetts – REMINDER
Massachusetts is preparing for the safe, equitable, and effective delivery of an FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine. Click here to learn about the approach and when you can expect to get vaccinated.
Vaccine plan: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-covid-19-vaccine-information
Vaccine FAQs: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-vaccine-frequently-asked-questions
If you are in an eligible group, sign-up for an available appointment here: https://www.maimmunizations.org/ (Please note that there are many more residents eligible for the vaccine, than doses currently available. Please be patient and check back regularly as new doses arrive and more appointments open up.) - Massachusetts Department of Public Health COVID-19 weekly Public Health Report
RELATED NEWS:
Map: Vaccine signups for 75 and older start today. Find a Mass. COVID vaccination site near you
The state released a map showing where these sites will be located. The map is color-coded, with some sites carrying certain restrictions. Clicking on the map will bring up instructions for each site and, when on line, how to register for a vaccine.
Seniors 75 and older can begin registering for a COVID vaccine on Wednesday at https://www.mass.gov/covid-19-vaccine. Those vaccinations will begin Feb. 1.
Town Election 2021 – Candidate Update
Most races have at least one candidate, however there are still openings in the School Committee, Planning Board and Cemetery Commission races – There are no contested races yet.
Hopkinton Cultural Council announces grant recipients
The Hopkinton Cultural Council, which supports community-based projects in the arts, sciences and humanities, recently announced its grant recipients for 2021.
Recipients are: Amazing Things Art Center, Discovery Museum, Sean Fullerton, an acoustic concert for Seniors, Hopkinton Center for the Arts, Hopkinton Freedom Team, Hopkinton Garden Club, John Root, a nature class on birds, butterflies and bees, Janet Schwartz, a pastel class, and the South Asian Circle of Hopkinton.
School Committee supports Town Meeting article seeking stabilization funds
School Committee members on Thursday unanimously supported placing an article on the May Town Meeting warrant that would allocate a still undetermined amount of money from the stabilization account to balance the school budget.
The amount has yet to be set, school and town officials said, because the town is “very early in the process’’ of setting final budget figures, town manager Norman Khumalo said at the special meeting of the School Committee, which was held strictly to vote on this issue. “The closer we move to Town Meeting, the clearer our picture becomes.’’
State to hold virtual meeting on I-90 bridge replacements in Westborough, Southborough
The state Department of Transportation will host a virtual public information meeting on the work, dubbed the Acceler-8 I-90 Bridge Replacements Project, at 6 p.m. on Feb. 9 via Zoom.
The meeting will include a presentation and discussion on the project, which will replace bridges on the eastbound and westbound sides of the Pike over Flanders Road, Parkerville Road, Cordaville Road and Woodland Road. Those bridges date back to 1957.
Select Board roundup: Town manager presents pair of FY22 budget options
Town manager Norman Khumalo on Tuesday presented the Select Board with two Fiscal Year 2022 budget options, one with a 2.5 percent tax impact on existing property owners, the other with a 1 percent tax impact.
Khumalo termed the budget for FY22 a “recovery budget,” addressing the COVID-19 public health emergency while recognizing that the economic hardship and recovery could last for a few more years.
Select Board considers resident’s request for stricter gun regulations following issue with neighbor
A request from a resident to restrict gun use in town led to concerns from Select Board members that a change might adversely affect hunters, but the board agreed Tuesday to hold a spot for a potential article on the Town Meeting warrant while more information is gathered.
A resident of Hill Street (off Spring Street, near the border with Westborough) brought the request to the board’s attention after what he said has been three years of loud and frequent gunfire from a neighbor.
Planning Board reconsiders best approach to commercial solar zoning
During its meeting Monday night, the Planning Board voted to hold spots for two commercial zoning articles on the Town Meeting warrant, one dealing primarily with more aggressive screening rules and the other the previously submitted solar overlay district map.
The Zoning Advisory Committee last week had forwarded proposed bylaw changes that dealt primarily with the more strict screening rules, following advice from town counsel that the more restrictive options ZAC had discussed — including limiting commercial ground-mounted solar to industrial zones or on previously disturbed land — would be difficult to defend in court.
Boston Marathon announces Oct. 11 race date if reopening plans allow
Twice postponed leading to the race not being held in 2020, the Boston Athletic Association announced on Tuesday “with a cautious optimism” that the 125th edition of the Boston Marathon will be held on Oct. 11.
SELECT BOARD ACTIONS TAKEN 01/26/21
MATERIALS FOR THIS MEETING:
6:30 PM CONSENT AGENDA
i. MINUTES – The Select Board will consider approving the Minutes of the Jan. 11, 2021 meeting.
ii. GIFT FOR THE VETERANS CELEBRATION COMMITTEE – The Select Board will consider accepting a $5,000 gift from a charity runner, for the Veterans Celebration Committee.
iii. NOTICES OF TAKING, LEGACY FARMS NORTH – The Select Board will consider signing Notices of Taking for Legacy Farms North, in accordance with Article 21 of the September 12, 2020 Annual Town Meeting.
The Select Board approved the Consent Agenda. (5-0)
6:35 PM 2021 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING
The Select Board will consider submitting articles into the 2021 Annual Town Meeting Warrant.
Supporting Exhibits: Potential 2021 ATM Select Board-Town Manager Warrant Articles ; Draft Articles – New Trench Safety Officer Bylaw, Dog Licensing, Street Opening Permits, Obstructing Public Way/Streets and Sidewalks, Discharge of Firearms, Tree Preservation ; 2021 ATM Timeline & FY22 Budget Schedule
The Select Board submitted the following articles into the Annual Town Meeting warrant: (5-0)
● New Trench Safety Officer Bylaw
● New Street Opening Permit Bylaw
● Amend Dog Licensing Bylaw to comply with state statute with respect to the fine for failure to license dogs
● Amendments to Obstructing Public Way/Streets & Sidewalks Bylaws
● Transfer from General Stabilization Fund
● First Year of Union Contracts
● Acceptance of Town Reports
● Last Fiscal Year Supplemental Appropriations and Transfers
● Unpaid Bills from Previous Fiscal Years
● Excess Bond Premium
● Set the Salary of Elected Officials
● Current Fiscal Year Operating Budget
● Revolving Fund Spending Limits
● Chapter 90 Highway Funds
● Transfer To Other Post Employment Benefits Liability Trust Fund
● Transfer to General Stabilization Fund
● Pay-As-You-Go Capital Expenses
On a motion to submit an article into the Annual Town Meeting warrant to adopt a Tree Preservation/Tree Cutting bylaw, the Board voted 1-4.
The Select Board kept a placeholder on the Annual Town Meeting warrant regarding the discharge of firearms, with the caveat that if there is not a clear and concise article by the time the warrant is signed, the article will be removed. (5-0)
6:50 PM TOWN MANAGER REPORT
i. Main Street Corridor Project Update
ii. Hiring Freeze exemption – 2 Police Officers and Executive Assistant to the Town Manager
The Select Board allowed the hiring of two Police Officers and the Executive Assistant to the Town Manager. (5-0)
7:00 PM PUBLIC HEARINGS
i. Section 12 All-Alcohol On-Premises License, Application for Alteration of Premises, Cornell’s Irish Pub, 229 Hayden Rowe – Permanent Outdoor Dining The Applicant proposes to increase the area for permanent outdoor dining to accommodate 50 seats within a fenced area behind the restaurant, within a former parking area.
The Select Board approved the Alteration of Premises with the following conditions: 1) Contingent on Site Plan Approval by the Planning Board; 2) After 10:00 PM, no music being played outside is to be heard off the premises; 3) No light shall spill off the property after 11:00 PM.
SELECT BOARD ACTIONS TAKEN 01/19/21
MATERIALS FOR THIS MEETING:
6:20 PM CONSENT AGENDA
i. MINUTES – The Select Board will consider approving the Minutes of the Jan. 5, 2021 meeting.
The Select Board approved the Consent Agenda. (5-0)
6:45 PM 2021 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING AND FY 2022 BUDGET UPDATE – The Select Board will consider discussing its own potential Annual Town Meeting (ATM) articles and vote to submit articles into the ATM warrant. The Board will consider FY 2022 budget updates.
Supporting Exhibits: Potential 2021 ATM Select Board-Town Manager Warrant Articles ; Draft Articles – New Trench Safety Officer Bylaw, Dog Licensing, Street Opening Permits, Streets and Sidewalks
The Select Board voted to submit a placeholder article into the 2021 Annual Town Meeting warrant regarding the discharge of firearms. (5-0)