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"The News Starts Here!" 24 Main Street, Hopkinton, MA 01748 Editor@HopNews.com E02/16/2008 10:44:46 AM

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Halloween Spooktacular!
Friday, October 26
6:30pm-9pm

METROWEST YMCA
45 East Street, Hopkinton

Come for a night of fun and frightful entertainment.
Activities include the torch-lit zip line, haunted hay rides,
and games crafts, candy, food and prizes.

$10 Member Family / $15 Potential-Member Family

Contact the Hopkinton branch at(508) 435-9345 for questions or more details.

October 27 – 9 am to 2 pm – Colella’s Market.

That’s the day, time and location of the next Lions Club recyclable bottles and cans collection. Can you help fill their truck with your empties? All proceeds go to help others. The Lions will also be collecting outdated/unused cell phones for the Hopkinton Senior Center during their recyling hours. Thanks for your help.

Friends Of The Hopkinton Senior Citizens

    The Friends of the Hopkinton Senior Citizens, Inc. is officially underway to raise funds that will help educate, organize, promote, and support services that enhance the well-being, quality of life, independence and happiness of our Hopkinton Senior Citizens! 

Please mark your calendar for Saturday, October 13^th from 1-3 p.m. to come celebrate the very first birthday of the new Hopkinton Senior Center located at 28 Mayhew!  Cake and ice cream will be served from 1 – 3 p.m.

     Looking ahead, the annual general membership meeting and election of officers is going to be held at the Senior Center on Wednesday, October 17th beginning at 2:00 p.m.  Welcome new Friends Margaret Mighton, Russell and Mary Lou Ellsworth, Ken Ferguson, Peter Morse, Ellen Wright, 3e Susan Lynds, Cathy Harrison, Gail Ryan, Rita Pierce, Fredrick and Lilo Betz, and Marguerite Paolino.

Good Samaritan

October 10, 2007 — A good Samaritan stayed with a vehicle whose female driver was experiencing an unknown medical condition and had a child in her car until police and fire arrived on West Main Street at South.

Pumpkin Heaven

October 10, 2007 — Pratt's Pumpkin patch is a throw back to an earlier time when farms were abundant.

Full House Yard Sale

Outdoors and In

10 Downey Street

Saturday, October 13, 2007

8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Antiques, collectibles, toys, furniture

St. Paul’s Fall Rummage Sale October 20

If you’re seeking big bargains on clothing, toys, and other miscellaneous items, you need look no further than St. Paul’s Fall Rummage Sale on Saturday, October 20 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. There you’ll find some great deals on adult and children’s apparel and accessories, books, and other items for your household!

Anyone wishing to donate items to the Rummage Sale is welcome to drop off items (with the exception of computers, TVs or air conditioners) at the church between 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, October 19. To schedule pickup of large items, call 508-435-4536 or 508-344-9127.

Board of Public Works Chairman asks Member to Abstain

Fruit Street stance is the reason

October 10, 2007 — "Brian Morrison is appealing the dismissal of his appeal. It will cost about $5,000 to defend that," said Dan McIntyre, Chairman of the Board of Public Works. The Board of Public Works is trying to move forward the plan of building a sewage treatment plant and disposal beds on the Town's Fruit Street property, a plan that has been championed by the Chamber of Commerce and others as a way to soften the effects of the residential tax burden by opening up sewage capacity for business development.

     The appeal by Mr. Morrison of a Fruit Street decision was dismissed by a judge who said he lacked standing. Mr. Morrison has since appealed that dismissal.

     "I'd like Kevin [fellow Board member Kevin Kohrt] to abstain from this issue because of his involvement in this issue. I don't want the vote to be tainted," said Mr. McIntyre. Mr. Kohrt was one of the signers of an appeal of a Fruit Street decision before he was elected to the Board.

    "Now that you sit on this  Board, we're entrusted with fulfilling what Town Meeting requested us to do.

    "They entrusted us three members to do that and we have to move forward and do that," said Mr. McIntyre.

     "Town Meeting has approved money to be spent on this project," stated Mr. Kohrt.

     "That's right," answered Mr. McIntyre.

     "Town Meeting also approved money to be spent on a school. Are we going to sue the school, because they pulled their project?" asked Mr. Kohrt rhetorically.

     "Town Meeting has approved to move forward with the treatment plant and have entrusted the Public Works Board to move that forward" said Mr. McIntyre.

     "There are some people that are opposed to that who have filed appeals against that, and you are one of those members.

     "This board has to defend against those appeals, and if we went onto executive session to defend a lawsuit, would you bring in the appellant?" Mr. McIntyre asked, rhetorically.

      "If we wanted to discuss Fruit Street, we couldn't do that in private if you were a member of the board," he added.

      "If you wanted to discuss the DEP review of a ConCom permit issuance, then we can have a detailed discussion on what level I can and should be involved in," Mr. Kohrt said.

       "I am trying to help the town get to a good solution. To say I have to shut up because you don't like what I am saying is ridiculous. And it's kind of insulting," he said.

       "But just because I asked the DEP to review a decision they made on a ConCom question doesn't mean I can't say the word 'Fruit Street' in public. That's ridiculous," he said.

        "The question is, can you participate in questions involving this Fruit Street Appeal?" Mr. McIntyre said.

        "We want you to talk to the Ethics Commission. That's the question we want you to ask," Mr. McIntyre said.

        Mr. Kohrt said he did speak with the Ethics Commission and that they were not concerned with his situation because he has no financial interest at stake.

        Mr. Kohrt has filed a Disclosure Statement with the Office of the Town Clerk detailing his "numerous public comments" made regarding Fruit Street documents and submissions. He did not detail any financial interests.

        However, both Chairman McIntyre and Board member Jim Pyne have also filed Disclosure statements that do detail such interests. Mr. McIntyre is a professional engineer who appears before boards on behalf of his clients, and Mr. Pyne is the president of and principal stockholder of Pyne Sand and Gravel, which supplies those types of materials to the Town of Hopkinton. It is the Pyne Sand and Gravel property that the town purchased on Fruit Street and is now the object of intense discussion.       

Summer Skiing

October 9, 2007 — Brett Rutledge uses Hopkinton State Park as a training ground for his February cross country ski racing, a ski marathon of 30-50 kilometers, which he lays claim to having completed at Lake Placid and Sugarloaf. Above, he "roller-skis" on the paved surfaces of the park.

 Scene Around Hopkinton

North Spooky Street

October 9, 2007 — North Street appears to have an uncharted gravesite, where the corpses (see right, rear) appear to be coming OUT of the ground.

 Scene Around Hopkinton

Not Your Father's Drain Machine

October 9, 2007 — Highway worker Frank Torento takes his time making sure this drain on Wood Street is as clean as it can be by not only vacuuming the contents, but washing the sides with water in the process. This modern machine is a powerhouse compared to the machines of another generation, that cleaned the drain contents with a device similar to a swinging arcade claw that drops to pick up a toy — if you're lucky!

ESL LIVE! All New Material - Starting this FRIDAY

Friday October 12, Saturday October 13, and Friday October 19 at  8:00 p.m.
At Woodville Rod and Gun Club
Rte. 135, Hopkinton, MA

$15 presell, $20 at door (if available)
This show usually sells out, so call for tickets soon. 508-435-2114
*This show is for audiences 18 years old and over.  The Rod and Gun's bar will be open.

Get a photo of the alligator at the State Park and win TWO Free Tickets.

First to stop by HopNews office starting at 10:00 am Wednesday with the photo gets the tickets (No emails, please).

Get a personal video invitation from mayor Mennino below.

Real Estate Transactions for Hopkinton, Massachusetts Compiled by Eric Montville for HopNews.com, October 9, 2007
Address	Buyer	Price	Date	Seller
219 Pond Street	Heather M. Wightman & David R. Kraus	$622,200	Oct.  05, 2007	Joseph A. Strazzulla & Diane M. Strazzulla
81 Front Street	Dennis F. Knapp, Patrice M. Knapp & Daniel F. Knapp	$388,000	Oct.  05, 2007	Mark E. Renner & Sacha D. Atkinson-Renner
27 Tammer Lane	Joiy Holder	$650,000	Oct.  03, 2007	John F. Norden & June B. Norden
280 West Main Street	Jeffrey Doherty	$175,000	Oct.  02, 2007	Paul Doherty
11 Patriots Boulevard	Rogerio Belmonte & Amy D. Roberts	$173,500	Oct.  01, 2007	Stagecoach Heights Realty, LLC
254 Pond Street	Paul Apkarian	$500,000	Oct.  01, 2007	Sheila A. Apkarian
Previous update:
2 Washington Lane	Marianne Dempsey & Neal Dempsey	$760,000	Sep.  28, 2007	John A. Westerfield & Alexie C. Westerfield
11 Donna Pass	Ruthellen Gaccetta & Daniel A. Gaccetta, Jr.	$530,000	Sep.  28, 2007	Cartus Financial Corporation
11 Donna Pass	Cartus Financial Corporation	$530,000	Sep.  28, 2007	John O. Crawford & Jean A. Vickers
15 Thayer Heights Road	Gregory McNally & Stacy Lynn McNally	$472,500	Sep.  28, 2007	Elizabeth M. Throckmorton
9 Patriots Boulevard	Jill I. Scannell & Christopher D. Tolson	$173,500	Sep.  28, 2007	Stagecoach Heights Realty, LLC
37 Connelly Hill Road	Timothy P. Grady Sherry A. Grady	$1,238,235	Sep.  27, 2007	Connelly LLC
14 Hill Street	Kevin Clancy & Jessica Clancy	$425,000	Sep.  27, 2007	Ruth M. McIntyre
128 Clinton Street	Neelardi Roy	$307,000	Sep.  27, 2007	Steven M. McCarthy
279 Wood Street	Craig R. Nation & Lyndse April	$395,000	Sep.  26, 2007	Ronald Nation
27 Patriots Boulevard	Tyler J. Yip & Katrina H. Yip	$410,000	Sep.  25, 2007	Stagecoach Heights Realty, LLC
13 Westcott Drive	Tariq Malik & Sohail Masood	$375,000	Sep.  25, 2007	Tariq Malik
60 Ash Street	Newbridge Construction Company	$227,500	Sep.  24, 2007	Leslie L. Koch & Susan J. Koch
See Full List back to February 1,  2007

A Tale of Two Polls

October 9, 2007 — Close to 90% of Friday's poll participants, left, believe that public safety officials should be tested for drugs and alcohol. This poll came about after the revelation of autopsy results of two firefighters, who lost their lives on the job, that allegedly showed one with three times the legal blood alcohol level and the other with cocaine in the blood. We asked people in that poll to consider no other variables.

    In today's half-day poll, we did ask about the publicizing of the results, and a full 2/3 believe that the autopsy results should be made public, either as they were, or after a grieving period.

Harvest Colors

October 9, 2007 — Friends Jen Davis and Tom Lemon share a laugh and a coffee break in front of the Hopkinton Gourmet this afternoon as fall leaves and fall colors surround them.

Hello Autumn

October 9, 2007 — This cattail, its leaves in a welcoming display, seems to pay homage to the gazebo at Ice House Pond, which has been thrown into a blur to focus attention on the plant, which is not indigenous to the area. However, the purple loosestrife, itself an invasive species, is choking out the cattail in many areas. At the left of the photo at the shoreline is a great blue heron paying its last respects to the pond before it disappears until springtime.

Wrong Nest

October 8, 2007 — The photographer panned a shot of the black bird that flew between the camera and a very large wasps' nest on an island in Hopkinton Reservoir.

Michael's Runners

October 8, 2007 — These members of HHS Field Hockey team, who ran as a team, speak with a volunteer from the Michael Lisnow Respite Center prior to Saturday's race on Hopkinton Common.

4 and 5 year-old Apparently Unrestrained Children Ejected in Route 2 Crash

October 8, 2007 — Today, at approximately 3:00 PM Troopers assigned to the State Police Barracks in Concord responded to a three-vehicle crash on Route 2 in Concord at the intersection with Baker Avenue Extension that resulted in serious injuries.

Preliminary investigation by Trooper Russell Phippen indicates that a 1999 Mercury minivan, operated by Samantha Uch, age 32 of Lowell, was traveling west on Route 2 and attempted to make an illegal left turn at Baker Avenue Extension.  The minivan was struck by a 1992 Lexus sedan traveling east on Route 2 operated by Thomas Galligani, age 47 of Stoneham.  A third vehicle, a 2003 Mazda SUV operated by Betty Cannistraro, age 33 of Westford, was stopped at the intersection facing north.  It was also struck but sustained minor damage.  Cannistraro was uninjured.  Uch and Galligani were transported to area hospitals.  Four female children, ages 7 months, 4, 5 and 15 years old, all passengers in the minivan, were also injured and transported to area hospitals.  The 4 year old passenger and the 5 year old passenger were both ejected from the minivan, and had apparently been unrestrained.  The 5 year old passenger was subsequently transported to New England Medical Center in Boston with serious injuries.

This crash remains under investigation with the assistance of the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section and the State Police Crime Scene Services Section. The Concord Police and Fire Departments, Concord EMS, Emerson ALS, Lincoln ALS and Medstar EMS assisted Troopers at the scene.  

Today, October 8, 2007

9:21 pm Several Officers responded to a call of an attempting breaking and entering in progress...

9:14 pm Fire Department reported a call from a Framingham resident who was kayaking at the State Park at dusk and Observed an approximately 3' alligator in the lake...

9:01 pm A large group of visiting high school football fans were dispersed ...

Click above for the complete Police News

William J. Casey

William J. Casey, 79, died Sunday, October 7, 2007 in Westborough. Born in Somerville, he was the son of the late William and Edna (Brine) Casey. He was a graduate of Watertown High School and earned a B.S. and an M.B.A. from Northeastern University.

He was a U.S. Army and Korean War veteran. He was employed by Dennison Manufacturing and retired from Digital Equipment Corporation. Arrangements Complete

Report of Alligator in Hopkinton State Park

Above, two cormorants seen through the trees on shore getting some sun high and dry on their own little reef which is above the water due to the low level of the Reservoir. The usual water line can be seen on the dam in the background.

October 8, 2007 — At 9:14 pm last night, the Hopkinton Fire Department advised Hopkinton Police and the Hopkinton State Park Supervisor, Jeff Cate that a Framingham resident kayaking in the park at dusk observed an approximately 3' alligator in the Hopkinton Reservoir.

     This morning, Mr. Cate emphasized that the sighting has not been confirmed, and that no on else has seen one.

     "The staff has been made aware and is keeping their eyes open," Mr. Cate said this morning. "The alligator is not indigenous to this area," he said.

     When asked if it is possible a pet was released, Mr. Cate said that anything is possible and that the staff takes every report seriously.

     Mr.  Cate said that if a person sees this creature, they should not take any action themselves, but call the headquarters at 508-435-4303 or the Environmental Police at 800-632-8075.