Weekly News Roundup – 07/11/2021

Main Street Corridor Project – Weekly Update • Town of Hopkinton Receives Host Community Agreement Payment • Town of Hopkinton Select Board/ Planning Board Meeting • Parks & Rec roundup: Summer programs gain momentum, dog park progresses • Wilson Street solar project ordered to pause after tribal officials claim disregard for Indigenous artifacts • Select Board hesitant to play hardball with solar developer • Select Board roundup: Town hires new assistant senior services director • LaGoy blazes trails, seeks to preserve them • Crack sealing work to begin on town streets Thursday

Main  Street Corridor Project – Weekly Update

What to Expect for the Week of July 12, 2021

• Continuation of the Drainage Installation along West Main Street (from 111 West Main Street to 91 Main Street)
• MassDOT Survey Crews to continue to locate limits of easements within the corridor
• Delivery of Drainage Materials

https://hopkintonmainstreet.com/

RELATED: Live Construction Video Feeds are available for the Main Street Corridor Project, check where crews are working and traffic / weather conditions before you leave your home or office.

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Town of Hopkinton Receives Host Community Agreement Payment

Town Manager Norman Khumalo is pleased to report that the Town of Hopkinton has received the latest Host Community Agreement payment from the developers of Legacy Farms. Baystone Development issued the Town a payment of about $1.7 million on June 30, 2021.

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TOWN OF HOPKINTON SELECT BOARD/PLANNING BOARD MEETING

The Select Board & the remaining members of the Planning Board will interview candidates Shahidul Mannan & Curtis Smithson, and consider voting to fill one Planning Board vacancy with a term to expire at the May 2022 Town Election.

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Parks & Rec roundup: Summer programs gain momentum, dog park progresses

Summer Programs: Summer programming through the town’s Parks & Recreation Department is near pre-pandemic levels after its first week, and it is expected to rise, director Jay Guelfi announced at the Parks & Recreation Commission’s meeting Wednesday evening.

Fruit Street: Guelfi said he would be meeting with a turf consultant this week to assess the condition of the turf at the athletic fields off Fruit Street prior to them undergoing a 12-point testing analysis.

Sandy Beach: Sandy Beach has been well utilized by residents so far since the institution of resident passes. The beach is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Wilson Street solar project ordered to pause after tribal officials claim disregard for Indigenous artifacts

Two cease and desist orders were filed last week against Grasshopper Energy to stop construction of a 2.4-megawatt solar farm between Wilson Street and Cedar Street after allegations were made by the Narragansett Indian Tribal Historic Preservation Office that artifacts sacred to the tribe’s culture were destroyed.

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Select Board hesitant to play hardball with solar developer

A resident’s push for the town to take aggressive measures to prevent a solar development on forested land off Frankland Road was not well received by the Select Board at Tuesday night’s meeting.

Select Board members expressed concern with an aggressive approach, especially invoking eminent domain. Brendan Tedstone noted that the town reached out to the owner of the property to discuss a potential sale, but “they were unwilling to even entertain an offer.”

Said Mary Jo LaFreniere: “People who own their own property don’t want other people telling them what they can do with it. As much as I feel we need rules and regulations and bylaws and that sort of thing, if these people don’t want to sell us their property, I don’t see really how we can make them do it.”

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Select Board roundup: Town hires new assistant senior services director

Numerous positions approved: Among those named to board and committee positions Tuesday were: Nelicia Bowen to the Personnel Committee, Nancy Drawe to the Council on Aging, Kenneth Parker to the Sustainable Green Committee and Nancy Peters to the Woodville Historic District Commission as the Historical Commission nominee.

The Spoon OK’d for permanent outdoor seating: The board approved a request from The Spoon restaurant to amend its license to allow for an increase in the area for permanent outdoor seating.

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LaGoy blazes trails, seeks to preserve them

Peter LaGoy has enjoyed the use of trail systems much of his adult life. From his early days to present position as chair of Hopkinton’s Trails Coordination & Management Committee, the creation, maintenance and enjoyment of trails has become his passion.

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Crack sealing work to begin on town streets Thursday

Select Board Actions Taken – 07/06/2021

6:40 PM CONSENT AGENDA
4. i. MINUTES – The Select Board will consider approving the Minutes of the June 15, 2021

meeting.
ii. AMBULANCE FUND GIFTS – The Select Board will consider accepting the following Ambulance Fund gifts in memory of Lawrence Tedstone: a) $75.00 from Joseph & Anne Roberts; b) $100.00 from Mary and Bill Terry.
iii. LIBRARY GIFT ACCOUNT – The Select Board will consider accepting a $400 gift from the Hopkinton Public Library Foundation for the Library’s gift account.

• The Select Board approved Consent Agenda items i and iii. (5-0)
• The Select Board accepted gifts to the Ambulance Fund in memory of Lawrence Tedstone: $75 from Joseph & Anne Roberts, and $100 from Mary and Bill Terry. (5-0)

6:45 PM PUBLIC HEARING – THE HOPKINTON SPOON, 1 LUMBER ST., SUITE 102 – ALTERATION
5. OF PREMISES, CHAPTER 138 SECTION 12 WINE & MALT LICENSE

The Select Board approved an amendment to the Section 12 Wine & Malt alcohol license for The Hopkinton Spoon to allow service at 24 outdoor seats in the patio location shown on the submitted plan, provided that the fencing surrounding the service area be extended to the back door. (5-0)

6:55 PM PUBLIC HEARING: ENTERTAINMENT LICENSE – WESTON NURSERIES
6. 93 EAST MAIN STREET; AND SPECIAL TEMPORARY ALCOHOL LICENSE

The Select Board approved a Special Temporary Alcohol License and a single event Entertainment License for the “Blooms, Brews & BBQ Festival” to be held on Saturday, September 18, 2021 from 11a.m. to 7p.m., and to grant a waiver of application fees because it is a charity fundraiser event. (5-0)

7:15 PM ANNUAL APPOINTMENTS

• The Select Board appointed the following, to the terms indicated: (5-0)
  • Town Counsel – Miyares and Harrington, LLP, term 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2022
  • Labor Counsel – Mirick O’Connell, term 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2022
  • Select Board Chair’s Designee to the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority Advisory Board –
  • Mary Jo LaFreniere, term 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2022
  • Traffic Constables, terms 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2024:
    – Patrick O’Brien
    – Kenneth Clark
    – Ryan Reilly
    – Brenda Stanley
    – Kiley Davis
    – Nicole Corsi
    – Michael Prescott
    – Kevin Riess
    – Farai Sithole
    – Robert Caron
    – Sara Jordan
• The Select Board confirmed the following Town Manager appointments, to terms from 7/1/2021 to 6/30/2022: (5-0)
  • Inspector of Animals – Elizabeth Jefferis
  • Animal Control Officer – William Proctor
  • Plumbing & Gas Inspector – Charles Dabritz
  • Assistant Plumbing & Gas Inspector – Peter Zereski
  • Assistant Plumbing & Gas Inspector – Dan Hunt
  • Wiring Inspector – Kevin Bouret
  • Person to cut wire in case of fire – Kevin Bouret
  • Assistant Wiring Inspector – Jonathan Shepard
  • Sealer of Weights and Measures – Louis Sakin
  • Public Weigher – John Palmer
  • Public Weigher – Jaynne Adams
  • Public Weigher – Jaime Wright
  • Public Weigher – Chelsea Adams
  • Public Weigher – William Robinson
  • Public Weigher – Will Crofton

• The Select Board appointed the following individuals to boards and committees, as follows: (5-0)
  • Nancy Drawe to the Council on Aging, to a term expiring 6/30/2024
  • Nelicia Bowen to the Personnel Committee, to a term expiring 6/30/2024
  • Kenneth Parker to the Sustainable Green Committee, to a term expiring 6/30/2024
  • Kenneth Parker to the Upper Charles Trail Committee, to a term expiring 6/30/2024
  • Nancy Peters to the Woodville Historic District Commission, Historical Commission nominee, to a term expiring 6/30/2024

7:20 PM APPOINTMENTS – NEW EMPLOYEES

• The Select Board confirmed the appointment of Jessica Migneault, Assistant Director, Senior Services (5-0)
• The Select Board confirmed the appointment of Lucas Ferreira, Data & Application Support Specialist (5-0)

7:45 PM FY21 BUDGET TRANSFERS
13. The Select Board will consider approving FY21 Year-End Transfer Requests.

The Select Board approved Fiscal Year 2021 budget transfer requests totalling $126,000 as follows: (5-0)
Transfer From Health Insurance $126,000.00
Total: $126,000
Transfer To Town Counsel $126,000.00
Total: $126,000

8:00 PM TOWN MANAGER REPORT
15. i. Main Street Corridor Project Update

ii. The Town Manager and Select Board will discuss lifting the hiring freeze that has been in place during the COVID 19 pandemic, or alternatively, exempting the hiring of Fire Chief, Library Director, Principal Assessor, Youth and Family Services Program Coordinator positions.
iii. The Town Manager will announce the release of Executive Session Minutes.

The Select Board removed the hiring freeze that it instituted during the Covid-19 pandemic. (5-0)

8:10 PM LIAISON REPORTS/BOARD INVITES
16. The Select Board will clarify that the Board member liaison to the Marathon Fund Committee is not a member of the Committee.

The Select Board rescinded its vote of June 15, 2021 appointing Muriel Kramer to the Marathon Fund Committee and confirmed that Muriel Kramer is the Board’s liaison to the Committee. (5-0)

View Full Select Board Actions Taken 7/6/21 with Meeting Packet and Video