WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE – 08/19/25

SELECT BOARD

At its Tuesday meeting, the Select Board interviewed attorneys from four law firms interested in representing Hopkinton as its town counsel. The four candidates were current town counsel Harrington Heep; KP Law; Mead, Talerman & Costa; and Brooks & DeRensis. Town counsel is appointed by the Select Board annually. This year the board extended current counsel’s contract, set to expire on June 30th, to have time to interview other firms. The board will make its decision at a future meeting. Read about what each law firm had to say or watch the linked Youtube video from the meeting below: 

Select Board interviews law firms vying for town counsel role (Article by Mary Ellen Gambon, 08/13/25)

SCHOOL COMMITTEE 

At its Thursday meeting, the School Committee approved updates / clarifications in the new student handbook, which address student cell phone use, attendance, and complaint resolution. The Hopkins principal talked about the “off and away” cell phone policy, noting the decrease in cell phone distractions and that parents who must contact their student can call the office to have a message passed on. The middle school principal outlined the process for parents to voice concerns by reaching out to the teacher to schedule an appointment for a discussion, and the athletic director similarly outlined the point of contact hierarchy for complaints in athletics. The interim high school principal spoke about student absences and tardiness policies and the potential effect of an excessive amount of these on school and extracurricular activities. 

In other business, Superintendent Evan Bishop gave an overview of his entry plan for the school year and plans to conduct school visits, listening sessions, and a community survey to provide a strategic plan with district leaders and the community in April to support student success. The school start dates were announced; a Hopkins construction update was provided; donations were accepted; and a full time paraprofessional C was requested by the new director of student services to meet “an unexpected need” at the middle school.   

School Committee discusses changes to school handbooks (Article by Susan Gonsalves, 08/15/25)

BOARD OF HEALTH 

At its meeting last Monday, the Board of Health addressed the current state of uncertainty with healthcare in light of federal funding cuts. The Governor’s office is anticipating over $100 million in health care budget reductions in Massachusetts resulting from these cuts. The board is in the process of drafting a statement regarding these cuts and their impact on the town. Health Director Shaun McAuliffe noted that the town’s health department budget is funded by resident taxes so the impact of the federal funding cuts may be less direct. The board also discussed vaccine availability in light of federal funding cuts and polity changes. Public health nurse Simone Carter expressed her anticipation that emergency medical services will be strained and that there will be higher admissions for preventative diseases due to difficulty accessing preventative care. The board is awaiting an official update by the State on this matter. 

Board of Health discusses response to federal funding cuts (Article by Nick Schofield, 08/12/25)

In other news, McAuliffe has been named co-chair of the Metro Regional Preparedness Coalition (MRPC) Executive Committee, which serves 60 communities in the state, addressing potential emergency situations including hurricanes, floods, bioterrorism, disease, and temperature extremes, and coming up with plans to coordinate regional and municipal responses to these situations and to return services to the public as quickly as possible in their event.  

Hopkinton Today for Thursday, Aug. 14: McAuliffe named co-chair of regional emergency preparedness board (Article by Hopkinton Independent, 08/14/25)

PLANNING BOARD 

In a brief Monday meeting, the Planning Board voted to continue, at the request of the applicants, the two hearings scheduled. The first, regarding the UniBank/Starbucks parking lot project, was continue to September 22nd, while the second, regarding a special parking permit in the downtown business district for a four-unit development on Claflin Street, was continued to September 8th. Also, vice chair Matthew Wronka was appointed as the Planning Board representative to the Zoning Advisory Committee. 

Both Planning Board hearings continued in brief meeting (Article by Mary Ellen Gambon, 08/19/25)

WATER-SEWER DEPARTMENT 

Water Use Advisory. The Water-Sewer Department has issued another water use advisory due to reduced groundwater levels following weeks of little rain. It was stressed that residents must continue to conserve and adhere to restrictions on non-essential water use such as law watering, washing vehicles and filling pools as it is jeopardizing the water supply. Continued non-permitted use could result in warnings or fines, or suspension of water service for continued violations. 

No rain, low groundwater prompts water use advisory from Water-Sewer Department (Article by Hopkinton Independent, 08/14/25)

MAIN STREET CORRIDOR PROJECT 

The latest Main Street Corridor Project Update has reported that Comcast is off all project poles and will return for minor touch up work, while all project work has been completed by Comcast and AT&T. Verizon had committed to four on-site days per week – Tuesday through Friday, and Amorello is committed to mobilize after Labor Day.