WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE – 11/19/24

SPECIAL TOWN MEETING RESULTS

Town Passes MBTA Communities Act Article 8.  At Special Town Meeting last night, members voted, 236-167, to approve Article 8, a zoning overlay proposal recommended by the Planning Board to bring the town into compliance with the state mandated MBTA Communities Act. This article was considered first due to anticipated debate, which covered nearly 90 minutes. The Planning Board presented this proposed area as a balance between complying with the state and choosing an area they do not deem likely to be developed in the near future, to avoid overburdening schools and traffic. Public comment ranged from criticism of the plan, particularly as it could affect residents of the included zoning overlay areas of The Preserve and Walcott Valley, to concerns over losing state funding and leaving the town open to litigation by the state. Ultimately, the Article passed, bringing Hopkinton into compliance with the state statute. Special Town Meeting passes Article 8 to adopt MBTA Communities zoning (Article by Mary Ellen Gambon, 11/18/24)

All Other Articles Passed. The remaining seven Articles on the Warrant were all passed. Article 7 to adopt a special meals tax passed by a 186-113 vote, while all others passed by unanimous voice vote. 

See the Full Results here.

Watch HCAM coverage of Special Town Meeting.

SELECT BOARD 

Performance Review of Police Chief. At its Tuesday meeting, the Select Board conducted a performance review of Hopkinton’s Police Chief Joseph Bennett from the preceding 6 months. Bennett was commended for increasing public outreach and community engagement. His efforts in fully staffing the department were also noted. Recruitment efforts have resulted in seven new hires this year, and a second school resource officer position has been created and will be filled by Augusto Diaz as soon as his current position can be filled by an incoming officer. Bennett will continue to focus on community engagement and providing training opportunities for new employees for 2025.  Select Board, in performance review, credits HPD chief for improving engagement (Article by Mary Ellen Gambon, 11/13/24)

Tax Issues Addressed. The Select Board also discussed tax issues at its Tuesday meeting. They considered the challenges identified by the Senior and Disabled Tax Relief Committee in being able to continue to provide tax relief assistance to all eligible senior and disabled residents who have exhausted other means of assistance. This tax relief program is entirely funded by voluntary community donations and gives tax credits to qualifying residents to partially offset their property tax bill to allow them to remain in the community. Current economic conditions and the loss of a major corporate donor to this fund has resulted in an increase in qualified applicants and significant decrease in available funds. The Board considered ways to increase public awareness of this program and the option to contribute. 

In a separate issue, the Board voted 4-0 to maintain the current single rate for both residential and commercial taxes. Select Board tackles tax concerns (Article by Mary Ellen Gambon, 11/13/24)

SCHOOL COMMITTEE 

School Project Updates. At the last School Committee meeting, school project updates reported that the Hopkins renovation is on schedule with the expanded building being ready for students by August 2026, and that the new Charleswood School is currently $1.2 million under budget and is expected to open in 2028. The Charleswood School update further noted that, in response to a submitted environmental impact report, a certificate from the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Act office is expected in December which will allow the town to begin receiving reimbursement from the MSBA.

Additionally, a public hearing by the Conservation Commission is expected in the future regarding street improvement in the area of the new school.  The School Committee also discussed, but took no action on, the proposed school calendar; approved a full-time ABA paraprofessional position, and heard a presentation by the Special Education Parent Advisory Counsil (SEPAC).  School Committee get building project updates, discusses school calendar (Article by Susan Gonsalves, 11/15/24)

Superintendent to Retire. Superintendent Carol Cavanaugh has announced her intention to retire at the end of the 2024-2025 school year. Superintendent Cavanaugh announces retirement at end of school year (Hopkinton Independent, 11/15/24)

WEST MAIN STREET GAS STATION UPDATE 

West Main Street Gas Station Project Pulled by Developer. At last Wednesday’s Board of Appeals meeting, where they expected to vote on a variance request by the developer seeking to build a gas station at 290 West Main Street, the matter was quickly put to rest when the developer’s attorney requested to withdraw the application without prejudice. There had been much protest by residents regarding this issue, and the developer’s representative noted its hope of coming up with something that residents would like better in a different part of town in future.  Hopkinton Today for Thursday, Nov. 14: Gas station project withdrawn (Hopkinton Independent, 11/14/24)

PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION 

At its Tuesday meeting, the Parks & Recreation Commission considered, at the Community Preservation Committee’s directive, the priority level of the projects it presented previously to the CPC for funding. The projects presented for funding were: feasibility studies for both Reed Park and a splash pad at Sandy Beach; water fountain / refill stations installation at Sandy Beach, the Town Common, and the Fruit Street Dog Park; and driveway construction at Pyne Field. It was agreed that the fountains / refill stations would be presented to the CPC as the top priority for funding, while Reed park would be the lowest priority.  Parks & Rec Commission debates priorities for CPC funding (Article by Nick Schofield, 11/13/24)

COMMUNITY PRESERVATION COMMITTEE

At its Thursday meeting, the Community Preservation Committee continued its review of projects submitted for Community Preservation Act funding. This funding must be allocated among the designated areas of open space, historic preservation, outdoor recreation and affordable housing projects, with the remaining undesignated funds available for any category. While the submitted historical and open space projects are likely to be funded with designated money, the CPC debated whether accessibility improvements (including a handrail for the sloped walkway and a push-button door) for the front entrance to the Public Library could fall under the umbrella of historical funds. The Parks & Recreation Departments’ prioritized list of projects were further considered. The Committee’s “tough decisions” regarding all funding requests will be forthcoming.  CPC faces ‘tough decisions’ as it reviews FY 26 funding applications (Article by Mary Ellen Gambon, 11/15/24)

CONSERVATION COMMISSION

At its Tuesday meeting, the Conservation Commission voted to allow building permits to be issued for the Newbury Glen subdivision, as wetland replication work has been substantially completed to date. Additionally, the Commission approved the Department of Public Works’ request for exploratory boring installation on Granite Street ahead of a proposed culvert replacement.  Conservation Commission approves Newbury Glen building permit release (Article by Mary Ellen Gambon, 11/13/24)

MAIN STREET CORRIDOR UPDATE

Eversource is expected to continue its underground work throughout this week, while the town is continuing to await Verizon’s schedule for completing the overhead utility transfer work on the west side of the project. See project updates.