WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE – special town meeting edition

SPECIAL TOWN MEETING – THIS THURSDAY – DECEMBER 4TH 

SAVE THE DATE: Special Town Meeting will be held this Thursday, December 4th at 7:00 pm at the Hopkinton High School Auditorium at 90 Hayden Rowe St. to adjust the town budget. 

• .There is only one article on the warrant:
  • Article 1: Amend FY 2026 Operating Budget (Sponsor: Select Board)
    
    To see if the Town will vote to amend the Fiscal Year 2026 Operating Budget approved in Article 5 of the Annual Town Meeting held on May 5, 2025, by amending the General Fund budget to align with actual costs for debt and insurance.
• .A quorum of 131 registered town voters is required

For more information, check out eHop’s Special Town Meeting page. 

Come on out and vote! 

CONSERVATION COMMISSION

At its Tuesday meeting, the Conservation Commission discussed needed Loop Road improvements with school construction project managers who sought the commission’s input due to several “overlapping resource areas.” Because the project will work within the framework of the current road, the commission chair informed that the project will need a request for determination of applicability (RDA). The commission also heard from the Trails Committee chair about long-term goals for the Chamberlain Street / Loop Road connection before continuing the hearing until December 16th, as the plan is still awaiting a file number from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. 

In other business, the commission approved the following: an exemption to permit a trail bridge to be built by the Hopkinton Area Land Trust at Mighton Woods, a certificate of compliance (COC) for Legacy Farms North following the removal of construction debris and erosion controls, and several COCs requested by Toll Brothers for lots at the Chamberlain-Whalen subdivision. Additionally, new member Walter Garland was welcomed to the commission. One open seat remains. 

Conservation Commission, School Department discuss proposed Loop Road maintenance (Article by Mary Ellen Gambon, 11/26/25)

PLANNING BOARD 

At its Monday meeting, the Planning board approved a modification to a subdivision plan at Auciello Drive, made 34 years ago, to strike a clause that requires property owners to maintain its private road rather than the town. This will allow Auciello Drive residents to proceed with requesting Town Meeting approval to accept the street as a town road. The road was originally intended for the property owner and his children, however, subdivision lots were eventually sold. The town plowed the road in past years but did not do so last year, creating a difficult situation for residents and preventing postal and oil trucks from making deliveries. 

In other business, the board allowed the applicant’s withdrawal of the proposal to add parking spaces to the Starbucks/UniBank parking lot, and continued the hearing on the Pyne Field redevelopment proposal until December 15th at the request of the Parks & Recreation Department. 

Planning Board confronts ‘unique’ case in Auciello Drive amendment request (Article by Mary Ellen Gambon, 12/02/25)

TOWN COMMON

Parks & Recreation Donation. A donation of $11,240, made up by individual and business contributions, as well as other fundraising efforts, has been given to the Parks & Recreation Department to fund the Town Common holiday lights, which had to be cut from the department’s FY26 budget during budget negotiations. The fundraiser was organized by Juanita Hanson, and the lights are expected to be installed prior to the December 6th Holiday Stroll and Girls Scouts caroling event. 

Holiday lights fundraiser surpasses goal (Article by Hopkinton Independent, 11/26/25)