WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE – 03/11/25
SELECT BOARD
Budget
At its Tuesday meeting, the Select Board continued its review of budget requests from town departments including the Department of Public Works, the Department of Health, the Parks & Recreation Department, and the Land Use, Planning & Permitting Department. The presented requests focused on urgent needs / equipment, maintaining level services, and necessary personnel. Town departments are also working jointly to cut expenses. The Human Resources Department’s training budget will be allocated toward funding town department employee training, rather than paying outside consultants, and property maintenance will be spread among departments to reduce the DPW budget.
Budget requests take center stage at Select Board meeting (Article by Mary Ellen Gambon, 03/05/25)
The Select Board will vote on a balanced budget on March 11th, which will be passed to the Appropriation Committee. The Appropriation Committee will begin its series of budget review meetings on March 12th, following which it will vote on its recommendations to the Select Board and Annual Town Meeting. A public hearing will be held by the Committee for public questions, comment and recommendations. Budget documents and Town Meeting information will be continually updated at this link as the process goes on: 2025 Annual Town Meeting & FY2026 Budget Documents.
Town Manager Weekly Update – March 6, 2025
Marathon, FY24 audit report, new jail diversion clinician
In additional business, the Select Board approved the parade permit request for the 129th Boston Marathon, to be held on April 21st, which will mark the 250th anniversary of Patriots’ Day and the 50th anniversary of the first marathon participant to race in a wheelchair. The board also received a positive FY24 audit report, with a strong reserve ratio with “significant reserves” going into FY25, and were introduced to Lyan Albino, the town’s new jail diversion clinician, serving in crisis scenes to assist individuals having a mental health crisis.
Select Board approves Boston Marathon permit, gets positive FY 24 audit review (Article by Mary Ellen Gambon, 03/05/25)
PLANNING BOARD
At its Monday meeting, the Planning Board addressed an ongoing complex case dealing with the property at 0 Benson Road, whereupon the property owner has sought approval of a proposed amended definitive subdivision. Two decades prior, a definitive subdivision plan on the property was approved establishing that the owner would donate a parcel to the Hopkinton Area Land Trust (HALT) in exchange for a dead-end road extension. After the owner’s failure to donate the land for over a decade, HALT was no longer interested in the property, and the owner now wishes to build on the land. Upon input from town counsel raising concerns over potential consequences should either or both properties be sold in the future, in light of the original approval by the board, the board unanimously voted not to approve the proposed amended definitive subdivision plan.
In additional business, the board voted, in a 6-2-1 decision, not to support a Town Meeting article seeking to rezone a building located at South Street and Hayward Street from a residential lakefront district to a rural business district. An article to this effect was voted down at Town Meeting in 2023. The board also voted unanimously to recommend four administrative articles for the warrant for Annual Town Meeting.
Planning Board unanimously votes down amended subdivision plan for Benson Road (Article by Mary Ellen Gambon, 03/11/25)
OPEN SPACE PRESERVATION COMMISSION
At its Thursday meeting, the Open Space Preservation Commission heard an update about the land at Frankland Road that solar development company Agilitas intends to donate to the town. It was clarified that a dam on the property, which had been created for auto crash testing by a prior owner, was unregulated. The dam’s present condition was described and a report should be forthcoming to address needed repairs, permit requirements, and a long-term operational management plan. Clarifying information was also given regarding the size of the buffer zone between the Agilitas and open space lands, as well as the easement bisecting Agilitas property, which was explained to be a utility easement for a gas line, rather than a pedestrian easement, although it was noted that nothing physically prohibits pedestrian travel on the easement at present.
The commission also discussed drafted text for historical signs proposed at the Hughes Farm and Colella trails, which will be discussed further at its April 3rd meeting, and voted not to have an article on the warrant at Annual Town Meeting. A placeholder article to purchase an open space parcel had been submitted but is no longer needed.
OSPC gets update on Frankland Road open space parcel from solar rep (Article by Mary Ellen Gambon, 03/07/25)
BOARD OF HEALTH
Health Director Shaun McAuliffe presented issues with a lack of outbreak reporting by public school nurses to the Board of Health, which he deemed to be an ongoing issue. The state reportedly has requested Health Department coordination to monitor the School Department. McAuliffe acknowledged in an interview with the Hopkinton Independent challenges to outbreak reporting including the reliance on complete reporting by parents / guardians to inform the nature of school absences, as well as the nature of the illness itself and whether a diagnosis has been made. HPS’s district nurse Sarah Patterson also pointed to the insufficient or incomplete information provided for absences, as well as lacking access to diagnostic tools and databases for tracking and monitoring. Both agree that communication between departments is essential, particularly in light of the legal responsibilities to communicable disease outbreak follow up and management. Collaboration is reportedly underway.
Outbreak reporting issues in public schools prompt response from town, state (Article by Nick Schofield, 03/04/25) A response by HPS and Sarah Patterson, HPS District Nurse Leader has been posted in the comments section of the article.
TOWN ELECTION 2025 UPDATE
A candidate is still needed for Constable. Nomination papers must be submitted by interested candidates by March 31, 2015 at 5PM.