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Selectmen Say "NO" to new Fruit Street Committee Discuss 10-year financial plan
Above, Selectmen show off the gift they are offering to Marathon, Greece, Hopkinton's Twin City, which will be delivered in person. President of the Hopkinton Athletic Association, Timothy Kilduff, smiled when Chairman Muriel Kramer asked who was delivering it. The gift is a boxed set of mugs that display the words Hopkinton and Est. 1715 separated by a design that looks like an olive branch or laurel wreath.
October 17, 2007 — Town Manager Anthony Troiano gave a report Tuesday evening on the work of the Financial Plan Working Group, which is made up 15 members, 14 of them municipal employees. Appropriations Committee Chair Stuart Cowart and School Committee member Phil Totino Co-Chair the group that has had several public meetings, but asked the press to leave during the last documented one, saying that they needed to discuss sensitive issues like personnel. The group believes there will be an $8.8 million shortfall over the next 11 years unless some of their measures are implemented soon.
Former Selectman Ron Clark, who was also the Chairman of the Fruit Street Development Committee that was disbanded after not having met for about a year, was there to address the issue. Surrounding him were supporters who also spoke. He followed Hopkinton business owner and former resident Joe Strazzula, who had a heated exchange with the Chair, and insisted that his words should have stood without rebuttal. Mrs. Kramer and Mr. Zettek said that the professional staff at Town Hall and in Town government could handle the task of managing the Fruit Street property. The Town Manager agreed when asked. "We have to look at it from a professional standpoint at Town Hall. We don't need a committee. I don't like to see the professional staff compromised," Mr. Troiano said.
The reason, said Mrs. Kramer, was because the conceptual plan shows a road for the Waste Water Treatment Facility going through some buildings on the conceptual plan. There is only a gravel road through the site now, over which large tank trucks will need to travel on in all weather to haul out sewer sludge, a byproduct of the WWTF. Appeals over the WWTF approvals have tied the process up in court and in bureaucracy. Two of several Revenue Enhancement bullets of Mr. Troiano's presentation suggested lobbying for the repeal of the telecomm tax exemption as well as selling or leasing Center School or Town Hall. Some Expense Reduction ideas he suggested were to combine certain school / government operations and to combine services with neighboring communities. As it stands, Ashland Fire Department answers Hopkinton needs for a ladder truck at a fire. The Selectmen voted to authorize Town Counsel to assist in the lawsuit over drainage issues at the residence of Thomas Brock at 283 Hayden Rowe Street, as well as several hours of legal work to look over an agreement written by Legacy Farms to develop a well on Town property. The legal cost is expected to be reimbursed by the developer. |
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No Bullying Allowed
October 16, 2007 — Middlesex County District Attorney Gerry Leone was the keynote speaker at a presentation at the Middle School Lecture Hall this evening to raise awareness about bullying in Middle Schools, and the steps to take to provide positive family role models to prevent it. |
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 HAA to Proffer Gift to Marathon, Greece In honor of the Athens Marathon and the role that Marathon, Greece plays in that race, President of the HAA (Hopkinton Athletic Association) Timothy Kilduff has suggested a token gift for the Selectmen to send to Spyros Zagaris, the Mayor of Marathon, Greece.
According to Dimitris Kyriakides, whose father Stylianos Kyriakides was the winner of the 1946 Boston Marathon, said, "There are a lot of activities in Marathon City this year, whereas from this year on, because of Spyros's vision and what he saw in Hopkinton last year, the city is taking more responsibility in the organization of the Athens Marathon. Mr. Zagaris was in Hopkinton for the unveiling of the statue dedicated to Stylianos Kyriakides on East Main Street in 2006. The Hopkinton Athletic Association will be sending a representative to Greece so the gift will be delivered in person at a meeting of the City Council of Marathon and cement the Twin-City relationship between the two municipalities as well as the Mayor and the Board of Selectmen. |
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Thurs., Oct. 18 @ 9:30 Are you sure that you are getting the most for your health care money? Do you understand all the options that are available to you? Are there any changes in your plans? We are now entering the open enrollment period when Medicare beneficiaries must decide whether to make changes in health insurance. This program will help you to better understand your options. ~ Senior Center |
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Middlesex County Justice/Crime
Medford Man Arrested In Connection With 2006 Murder Will Be Arraigned In Cambridge Superior Court This Morning
CAMBRIDGE - Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone informed the public today that a Medford man has been indicted and arrested in connection with the 2006 murder of Paula Doherty, also of Medford.
Tom Evans, of Medford, was indicted on Monday by a Middlesex County Grand Jury on one count of murder and one count of armed robbery. He was arrested yesterday in Somerville by Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. He will be arraigned this morning in Middlesex Superior Courtroom 10B in Cambridge. READ MORE |
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Hopkinton Village Center Plan Scrutinized "This [parking plan] jeopardizes our livelihood" David Phillips, Hopkinton Gourmet
by Robert Falcione October 16, 2007 — Developer Ron Roux appeared before the Planning Board Monday evening in the continuance of a Public Hearing to update the Board on his appearance before the Design Review Committee, to address abutters' issues, and to answer comments made by the engineering firm for the town, Faye, Spofford and Thorndike. Mr. Roux plans to build a 45,000 square foot building on two existing lots behind buildings at 25 and 35 Main Street, comprised of retail, office and residential condominiums. The entrance will be next to the Hopkinton Gourmet, and the egress will be next to the driveway for 17 Main Street. A sidewalk will lead into the property next to each driveway, but will be the only sidewalks onto the property. According to Planning Board Vice-Chair RJ Dourney, St. John's Church, the property abutter on the southern side, wants to do reserve the right to do something with their property and would not agree to a connecting sidewalk. Mr. Roux said that he had removed the planned sidewalk leading onto his Grove Street property, in part because of liability issues. Mr. Roux described plans to plant Bradford pear and clump birch in the development and addressed drainage issues with Grove Street neighbor Garrett McClean, who also asked for more privacy screening from people and vehicles that will be looking down into his property when the project is complete. He said he was not comfortable with Mr. Roux's request for an easement over his property for drainage. "We can get it done without it," Mr. Roux replied. Planning Board member Sandy Altamura, who consistently asks developers to install fewer outdoor lights in their projects, said, "There seems to be an awful lot of light. Perhaps you could have candles on the tables," referring to an outside seating area. The roughest moments of the hearing came when the subject came up of the impact of the planned removal of at least one space in front of the Hopkinton Gourmet to accommodate the new entrance. At least two other spaces will also be removed on that side of the street. Someone suggested that the entrance driveway be moved so that both spaces in front of the Gourmet could be saved, but Mr. Roux replied in the negative, saying trees would need to be taken down. "You are eliminating someone's livelihood as opposed to someone's trees. The spaces do exist," stated Member Evan Ballantyne. "They shouldn't," replied Mr. Roux. "If someone complained to the DPW, they'd be gone," warned the engineer appearing with Mr. Roux. "You are asking us to create one business at the expense of another," said member John Coolidge. "We are looking to be neighborly," said Chairman Mark Abate. After debate about keeping or moving the space, versus parking up the street, Mr. Abate said, "He [David] knows what drives his business." The hearing was continued to another date. |
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The students at HHS are
proud to announce: |
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Hopkinton Parks and
Recreation
will hold its annual Halloween Party on Friday, October 26th from
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65-Year-Old Everett Man Arraigned In Connection With The Murder Of His Ex-Wife
George Philbrook, age 65, of Everett, was arraigned Friday on charges of murder, possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition, possession of a defaced firearm used during a felony, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Philbrook pleaded not guilty to all charges and Cambridge Superior Court Judge Patrick J. Riley ordered Philbrook to remain held without bail. According to authorities, police responded to a reported shooting at 34 Sea Street in Everett at approximately 8:22 p.m. on Friday, August 17. Police arrived to find the victim laying outside her house, suffering from apparent multiple gunshot wounds to her head, back and neck. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Everett Police and Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office initiated an immediate investigation into the circumstances of the shooting, speaking with witnesses in the area and gathering evidence at the scene. Through several eyewitness reports, Philbrook was identified as a suspect and authorities began an immediate investigation into his whereabouts. Later in the evening on August 17, at approximately 9:15 p.m., Malden police found Philbrook at a liquor store in Malden purchasing alcohol and cigarettes. Officers approached him and, after a struggle, placed him under arrest in connection with the shooting. Police seized from Philbrook a fully-loaded semi-automatic firearm, an extra clip of ammunition, and an additional 50 rounds of ammunition. According to several people with knowledge of the circumstances, the victim and defendant were divorced for a number of years but lived together for the past 25 years at the Sea Street residence. Philbrook was previously arraigned in Somerville District Court on August 20 where he was ordered held without bail by Judge Lee Johnson. Philbrook will next appear in court on November 13, 2007 in Cambridge Superior Courtroom 6B for a Pretrial Conference. |
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Pedestrian Fatal Crash on Route 3 in Norwell
Preliminary investigation by Trooper Daniel
Crespi indicates that 35 year-old John M. Taylor of West Tisbury was
operating a 2004 GMC box truck on Route 3 South in the right travel lane
when 50 year-old Wayne D. Anderson of
This crash remains under investigation with the assistance of the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, the State Police Crime Scene Services Section and the State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section. The Norwell Fire Department, Norwell EMS and MassHighways assisted troopers at the scene. |
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Today, October 15, 2007
11:04 am A person from Rafferty Road wanted to see an officer to intervene in a dispute over custody of an adopted dog...
5:03 pm A caller reported that youths were playing hockey on the Greenwood Road soccer field with flaming objects...
1:21 am A caller from School Street reported finding a bag of dog excrement that was left on her door step...
4:44 pm An outside worker on Gibbon Road reported that a female was screaming inside a residence... |
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Tagging - Stop the Defacing
The teen and a 20 year-old from Northbridge had caught the attention of a store owner, who saw them walk behind Town Hall, which was closed. The store owner became concerned because of the recent break-in at Milford's Town Hall, and because of the suspicious behavior of the youths. He started recording video, and called Police. Officers Gregg DeBoer and Aaron O'Neil performed a basic pincer movement with their cruisers, each entering the parking lot from different driveways, with Officer DeBoer claiming to have seen the 17 year-old in the act and arresting him immediately, reading him his rights. The 20 year-old was also arrested. Above photos, the tag on the mailbox and the tag on the one-way sign are alleged to have been committed by the 17 year-old on Sunday. "Tagging," or the painting and marking of sings and buildings, has been a problem in Hopkinton for a long time. The parking sign above on the doghouse at EMC Park appears to have the same signature, but at this writing, it is unknown when it was done. EMC Park has been plagued with defacing, as well as vandalism and thefts for far too long, showing up in the police long several times a year. Each young man has been charged with Deface Property (Tagging) and Malicious Destruction of Property, Under $250.
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Scene Around Hopkinton Tangled Web
October 14, 2007 — This spider on Downey Street, upper right corner, needs to go back to Webs 101 to relearn how to spin a respectful web. |
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Garden Club October Open House Local floral experts to speak Thursday, October 25 6:00-9:30 pm High School Auditorium
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Milford Police seek public's help
(Milford, MA.) On
Saturday October 13, 2007 the Milford Police Department investigated a
breaking and entering at the Milford Town Hall. Suspect(s) had smashed a
glass window and then entered it in the rear lower handicap entrance of
the Town Hall. This entrance directly faces 16 Court Square but
otherwise not very visible to the public. After the suspect(s) gained
entry there were several offices broken into inside the building. The
doors received extensive damage after being pried open and many desks
were ransacked. A large amount of cash was stolen from inside a safe in
the Tax Collector’s Office. Milford Detectives processed the crime
scene, interviewed several employees, canvassed the area and are
continuing their investigation. The crime is believed to have occurred
sometime Friday night and Saturday morning between the hours of 9:30 pm
and 7:50 am. |
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Not Your Father's Do
Members of the 2007 Hopkinton High School varsity football team displayed team unity and spirit for their game against the Millis Mohawks Friday noght. The precision haircuts (shown below) worked well as the Hillers defeated the Mohawks 21 to 7 Friday night in Millis. Pictured are (front row, on ground, left to right): Willy Morningstar and Jeff Doyle; (second row) Dylan Hayes, Chris Mills, Jack Nealon, Kyle Rudden, Dylan Marsland and Kelly Cook; (back row) Stephen Hrusovsky, Ray Capobianco, Mike Stanley, Corey Thalheimer, Kevin Cassata, Sean Clark, JJ Baillargeon, Jake Brown, Conor Mahon, Luke Warren, Billy Huelme, Zach Carroll and Dan Donohue. Photo by Joy Donahue. |
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Rescue Me
October 14, 2007 — Firefighters from eight towns participated in a trench rescue drill at the Laborer's Training Center on Saturday. Above, they shore up a wall and prepare to lift the "patient" in a Stoke's basket with the aid of a ladder. See the Video below
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Lake Whitehall Cleanup
October 14, 2007 — Winter Street resident and Conservation Commission member Andre Griben looks like he just won a prize at the carnival booth, but he is actually taking a discarded muffler that he found at lakeside to the dumpster at Lake Whitehall boat landing parking lot on Saturday during the Lake Cleanup. |
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Something for Everyone
October 13, 2007 — The Woodville Baptist Church sidewalk sale had plenty of cars stopping on Saturday for their bargain-priced offerings. |
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"The
News Starts Here!"
A key recommendation was Mr. Troiano's slogan, "Act as One Town having
One Problem with One Solution." That hope was dashed before the meeting
was over as Selectman Brian Herr (Photo) was insistent on the formation of a
Fruit Street Committee to "steer" the further development of the land,
when that topic came up later, and Chairman Muriel Kramer (Photo) and Selectman
Matt Zettek made it clear they would not support the idea. Both
Selectmen Mary Pratt and Mike Shepard step off the Board during Fruit
Street issues.
Mrs. Kramer suggested developing a spine road through the Fruit Street
property, and a plan to replace the conceptual plan that was tendered by
the Fruit Street Development Committee in its multiple submissions to
the State for approval; and to "Carve out the parcels."
"Health
Care Options for Seniors"
Senior
Girls vs. Junior Girls Accompanied by their classmate and teacher
coaches! Special Half-time Show!
CAMBRIDGE
October
15, 2007 — Today, at approximately 12:30 p.m. troopers assigned to the
State Police Barracks in Norwell responded to a pedestrian crash on
Route 3 southbound south of Route 228 (exit 14) in Norwell that resulted
in one fatality. 
October 15, 2007 — "Defacing property in
front of a Police Officer is an arrestable offense," said Officer Gregg
DeBoer to a very surprised 17 year-old who was caught on video allegedly
painting and tagging signs — and the parking lot itself — Sunday
afternoon behind Bill's Pizza, with a spray can and a pen.
On
THURSDAY OCTOBER 25 from 6:00-9:30 pm, the Hopkinton Garden Club is
hosting its October Open House fundraiser. This year the Club will
provide a different twist to its usual presentation by featuring three
local floral and gardening favorites who have helped the Hopkinton
community get through all kinds of celebrations as well as sorrows. 
attendee will have the opportunity to purchase tickets throughout the
evening. This year promises many exciting raffle items including gift
baskets and items donated by local business and garden club
members. There will also be a drawing for several Pot of Gold raffle
items that are valued at $100 or more. For the ticket price of $10,
attendees will be entered into the door prize, offered refreshments
(appetizers, desserts, and coffee compliments of Red Barn Coffee
Roasters and other beverages) and treated to music provided by
Hopkinton’s own Betty Wyckoff and her daughter Gretchen Pinkava.
Cash
Stolen From Milford Town Hall During B&E
