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Selectmen vote to recommend millions in debt exclusions Disapprove of dam maintenance Article Budget kept to .67% increase, less than 1%
by Robert Falcione March 21, 2007 — The Selectmen met in Room 211 this evening, starting with a discussion of the Lake Maspenock dam, and continuing with Warrant item actions. It was not televised. Members of the Lake Maspenock Preservation Association (First two rows of audience, below) joined in the discussion about the dam that was voted to purchase at last year's Town Meeting. Many members have taken it upon themselves and in conjunction with the Selectmen, to investigate water rights, insurance issues, and safety and repair. Member Julie Crawley found three towns with dams and similar issues. Chelmsford, she said, paid a total of $1,100 for insurance for three dams. Previous quotes have placed similar insurance at $25,000, a figure that officials have balked at. Selectman Mike Shepard said that Representative Paul Loscocco thought that a $100,000 grant from the state looked good. Mr. Shepard also said that it would be advantageous to see if the State would take it over. "I am not convinced the Town should be in the dam business," he said.
After a lengthy discussion that was coming to an end, a Lake Association member
said he had to report the "I need help in answering why we have yet to purchase the dam..." "You have just listened to why," said Mr. Shepard. "We are charged with doing the best we can for the Town. So you can ask until you're blue in the face," he said. The group did not stay for the discussion of Town Meeting Warrant Articles. Ironically, the first Article on the list was whether to recommend the appropriation of $90,000 for maintenance of the dam. A majority of the Selectmen voted to disapprove. The Selectmen reiterated their "no override" position that they made public last Tuesday. Since then, they have met with representatives of the School Department. "Nobody is happy," said Selectmen Chair Muriel Kramer. "But we agreed the share would be spread out proportionately." The Town Manager and Appropriations Committee will look over the "Town" side of the budget, all that is not schools, and the School Department will make their own cuts. The School Department had been talking about letting 18 combined teachers and staff with a previous budget increase of 2.1%. The latest budget provides for less than a 1% increase. After the meeting, School Committee Chair Rebecca Robak said, "We are not sure how we are going to meet additional cuts. There's no getting around cutting services." Both the Board of selectmen and the School Committee agreed that more collaboration between them is the key for the future. Some of the capital items the Selectmen voted to recommend at Town Meeting were $3.5 million for Fruit Street athletic fields, $3.6 million toward the waste water treatment facility, and nearly $3 million for the Middle School wall repairs. These and several more money Articles will be voted on at Town Meeting. Those passing will be put on the ballot as debt exclusions for voters to ultimately decide upon. The Selectmen voted to put each debt exclusion on the ballot separately. To encourage participation at Town Meeting, Mr. Shepard asked, "Could the Moderator pull the Articles out of a hat?" It is common knowledge that special interest groups pack Town Meeting for their agenda items and often leave leave after their vote. Appropriations Chairman Stuart Cowart, who was on hand for the discussions, said that some towns, "Had a little Bingo thing and they call the Article and that's the one they discuss." Although the DPW and the Fire Department also had capital spending Articles, Chief of Police Thomas Irvin had none. |
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Danger in Snow Banks by Robert Falcione March 20, 2007 — What person has not slid helplessly into a fluffy snow bank the first year they got their driver's license? Let's hope there is nothing under the soft snow, like a steel guard rail or large boulder. But the snow banks framing our streetscapes on this date are not those benign cushions. They are very dangerous. After a combination of snow, sleet and rain, the banks on the sides of the roads are as hard as ice, strong enough to support a vehicle. Catching the right wheel against the snow bank could pull a vehicle up the embankment, but even worse, could pull the wheel sharply while elevating the vehicle on the right side, causing it to tip onto its side. This phenomenon even happens at low speeds. Even a simple tip-over could cause serious or fatal injuries, but the risk increases with speed. More crashes than ever at high speed result in roll-overs, and many of them result in a fatality or two. The phenomenon that causes roll-overs on back roads can increase the possibility of death the faster a person drives. Tell the kids. The snow is dangerous. |
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ESL and HCAM-TV to Hold Hopkinton Idol Competition Live Weekly Show to Feature Local Aspiring Singers
“Since there are so many talented people in this town we thought it would be fun to host our own ‘Idol’ competition,” said Kelly Grill (Photo, in white), a co-founder of ESL. “Being able to broadcast this live on HCAM-TV and have viewers email their votes makes this a truly interactive community event. It should be very exciting!”
The Auditions Auditions for Hopkinton Idol will take place on Saturday, April 7th at 10:00 am at the HCAM studios (77 Main Street, Hopkinton). Interested singers (pre-teenagers to adults) are encouraged to register for their spot in line by emailing Enter Stage Left at esltheater@comcast.net Singers should be prepared to sing a two-minute song of their choosing a cappella. Singers must be residents of Hopkinton. The Competition
The broadcasts will be done at HCAM studios in front of an audience, which is open to the public. Each week, the two performers with the lowest number of votes will not continue to the next round. The judges for the show will change each week and will include voice and drama experts such as Amanda Maffei, Barbara Kessler, Steve Spector, Robert Falcione, Dan MacMillan and Valerie VonRosenvinge. The Final Show The final Hopkinton Idol show will take place on May 31st and will feature clips from the entire competition. There will also be a finalist concert at ESL’s studio at 30 Main Street this spring/summer.
For more information call 508-435-2114 or visit www.enterstagelefttheater.com |
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AOL Video has recently taken a page from the YouTube playbook in allowing embedding of their video content on external websites. Because AOL is posting this content, it is reasonable to assume that they are providing it legitimately, unlike the millions of YouTube videos of professional performances uploaded by users, and not the artists themselves. Above, enjoy a song from the last network TV performance by singer Bobby Darin before his untimely death in 1973 at 37 years-old. VERIZON FIOS USERS: An ActionTec router provided by Verizon does not support AOL streaming video content. It took several hours with Verizon to figure this out. The fix was, at Verizon's cost, to install a d-Link router. |
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Ninety-second Pizza
HopNews Welcomes Country Farm and Subway to their list of advertising supporters. All of our advertisers live or work in Hopkinton. Please support them all by clicking on their advertising buttons and seeing what they offer. Click on the SubWay button now and see how High School students and Senior Citizens save $1.00! (Psst. Please tell them you saw them on HopNews.com.) |
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Real Estate Transfers for Hopkinton for Past Week Most recent first Compiled by Eric Montville for HopNews.com
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6:57 am Officer Jacob Campbell came upon a vehicle that was stopped in the middle of the road on South Street...
2:17 pm An employee of a Cedar Street business reported that a smaller gray sedan just pulled into the parking lot, with a lot of front end damage. The operator also appeared to be intoxicated...
12:35 pm A caller from Main Street reported that her ATM card was stolen out of her house by the contractors who boarded up the house after a fire... |
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Claire Bear
Above, Amanda Maffei sings a sing-along song from her March 10 performance at ESL Theater Coffeehouse. |
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Viaggio Interotto
by Howard Rouse
Shortly after arriving, Dante
married an Italo-American lady, Maria, and they settled in
Salem, Massachusetts, not very far from where he worked, in a
local foundry. He would ride the bus to work each day and never
owned an automobile throughout his lifetime. Both of them lived
into their nineties and had been married 65 years when Dante
passed away at 96 years-old, with Maria following shortly at the
age of 94. |
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The 10 models selected for this year’s event are Cindy Bernardo, Karen Abrams, Julie McGuirl, Alicia Shambo, Ellen Wright, Carol Walsh, Mary Ellen Kelleher, Trina Macchi, Therese Collins, and Rebecca Robak! New this year, a contest was held to choose the recipient of a hair/makeup/outfit makeover. Entries were submitted of someone deserving of a makeover and the winner is Leda Arakelian! Tickets are on sale now for $40. Please call 508-497-9388 or send an email request to hopkintonwc@verizon.net . File photo, Cathy Flynn at last year's event. |
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Police Association Dance
The dancers above enjoyed a momentarily spacious dance floor just before it got packed with people dancing to the sounds of Tailspin.
March 17, 2007 — The Hopkinton Police Association held their annual Dinner-Dance at the sold-out Portuguese Club in Milford this evening. They raffled prizes donated from local businesses and individuals in between dinner and dancing. The Association holds a fishing derby in the spring and a senior citizen dinner in December with the proceeds. |
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21 Years, but who's counting
March 18, 2007 — Greg Brady made his yearly pilgrimage to Cornell's for St. Patrick's Day, where he plays his only gig of the year. A few years ago, Mr. Brady gave up playing out to have a full-time family. He plays his mix of Irish music, Jethro Tull and Allman Brothers, leading up to the all-time favorite sing-along, American Pie to end the evening. Mr. Brady started playing there 21 years ago. |
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Winter Wonderland
March 17, 2007 — The storm was a vivid reminder that it is still winter. The weatherman promised a glimpse of the sun, and that is exactly what he gave, as evidenced above on West Main Street just before the sun set, as it broke through the blue-grey clouds and lit up the icy tree limbs. TIP for budding photographers: The scene that lasted only a minute was captured because the photographer had a camera with him. |
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The Metrowest Symphony Orchestra
Hopkinton High School Auditorium 7:30PM pm on Saturday, April 7, 2007
March 17th, 2007 — The MSO proudly announced a partnership today with the Hopkinton Athletic Association in kicking off the 111th running of The Boston Marathon, the country’s oldest and finest! Hopkinton, the official starting point of the Boston Marathon, will begin “Marathon Week” with a special Pop’s Concert presented by the Metrowest Symphony “Boston Marathon” Orchestra. The concert will take place in Hopkinton High School's beautiful Auditorium on Saturday, April 7th, 7:30PM Hopkinton High School, 90 Hayden Rowe Street, Hopkinton, MA. The evening will feature an array of popular pieces, such as Fanfare for the Common Man, Chariots of Fire, Man of La Mancha, music from Harry Potter, Superman, Pirates of Penzance, and “Jupiter” from 'The Planets’, with an encore selection from Dvorak’s 8th Symphony. Our special Guest Artist, Senior Master Sergeant Michael Cross, USAF (RET), will be singing our National Anthem and God Bless America. A guest celebrity “conductor” will make an appearance to lead the symphony in a rousing march. Tickets are $15 for Adults, $6 for Students and Seniors, and may be purchased at the door or through our website at www.metrowestsymphony.org . For further information or ticket reservations, please call (508) 453-4734, or email president@metrowestsymphony.org The whole family will enjoy this event - come and celebrate Hopkinton’s “Marathon Week” kickoff event with the MSO! “We are pleased to be asked to do this concert,” says MSO President Rob Ocasio. “We have been performing regularly in Hopkinton for over five years so we feel like their hometown orchestra. The fact that we have been asked to kick off a major international sporting event makes me proud of all the musicians of the MSO who have worked so hard for this. This concert is made possible by the Hopkinton Athletic Association and Hopkinton Chamber of Commerce, and funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, an agency that funds your local cultural council, and by the generosity of many donors in your community. A splendid time is guaranteed for all! |
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Extremely Irish
Olivia Handrahans’ Irish Igloo…..waiting for the Eskimo Leprechauns. Age 9 |
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Tom Phelan and Brett Baker at ESL Coffeehouse March 31, 8:00 pm
Hopkinton resident Tom Phelan and Brett Baker will team up to perform duo versions of classic jazz tunes from bebop to bossa nova to contemporary acoustic jazz at the ESL Coffeehouse at 8:00 p.m. on March 31. Tom and Brett have performed at many area venues, most often in a quartet setting with the MetroWest Jazz Project. Their performance on March 31 will take place at ESL’s intimate studio setting at 30 Main Street in Hopkinton. Tickets are $15.00 per person. |
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School Budget Still Undetermined Committee discusses forcing override at Town Meeting
“We’re not on the same page even
though we’re 2/3rds of the town’s budget” ~ Dave Stoldt |
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Reader shares letter to Selectmen Editor, Muriel, Lenny, Mary, Mike, and Ron I am watching with serious concern over the way this budget process is proceeding. I know the town charter changes roles and process, however, there is something to be said for the Appropriation Committee knowing in such detail , and with shared history, the school district budget. I sat for 6 March Saturday mornings with them and know the level of commitment they put into really understanding the issues around education and funding. FULL LETTER |
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Traffic Advisory – Department of Conservation and Recreation Declares Snow Emergency Today, at approximately 4:15 p.m. the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) declared a “Snow Emergency”. As a result of that declaration any vehicles that are parked on or remain standing on any DCR roadways may, and will, be towed at owner’s expense. The Massachusetts State Police asks all citizens of the Commonwealth to ensure DCR roadways remain clear ensuring the most efficient snow removal possible. |
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Eva C. Grant, 103, of Hopkinton died
Thursday, March 15, 2007 at the Westborough Healthcare Center. Born in
Lawrence, MA she was the daughter of the late Randolph and Lillie (DeLong)
Nicholas. She was also the wife of the late William A. Grant who passed
away in 1949. |
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John J. ``Jay'' Nobilini, 64, a resident of Framingham and Hopkinton for many years, died Wednesday, March 14, 2007, at Massachusetts General Hospital after a brief illness. Born in Framingham, son of Philomena (Cafarelli) Nobilini and the late Reno Nobilini, he was a graduate of the Framingham High School vocational class in 1957. He served in the Army in Korea from 1966 to 1968. Following his time in the service, he started his roofing contracting business, J. Nobilini Roofing, which he continued until his retirement. He enjoyed vacationing at a family cottage in Litchfield, Maine, and racing vintage cars. ARRANGEMENTS COMPLETE |
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Meeting of the Hopkinton Historical Society this Sunday! Hope to see you
there! If you need additional information, please call 508-435-0074.
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Good News from a Grave FCCH Kids Choir
presents "Good News from a Grave" a Kathie Hill Musical. Bring friends,
neighbors, and the entire family to this lively energetic musical
production featuring the FCCH Kids Choir accompanied by a live band and
complete with awesome choreography. Fun for the whole family! |
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Girls 5th grade Basketball Champs!
Taylor Sokol, Hannah Elliott, Jenna Yaggy, Jane Hart, Rebecca Plunkett, Jasmine Dieb, Kathryn Lentoni, Kendall Missaggia, and Kelsey Babigan. The Team's Name was "The Bluewave" and they were coached by Chris Elliott, Dickran Babigan and Jim Hart. They won their final game (a true barn-burner) by 1 point. |
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However, the position may become moot, and those elected may find themselves without a position, if the Selectmen get their way to place the DPW entirely under the control of the Town Manager. To keep abreast of election goings on, check out the Election 2007 button. |
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Former ConCom Chair files in Superior Court against ConCom and DPW
The lawsuit looks similar to the petition filed in February to the DEP and signed by 30 residents, including Mr. Morrison. However, in this action, a lawsuit in Superior Court, Mr. Morrison is the sole plaintiff. In a February 5 article, HopNews reported: The major complaints are that the project is too dense, the WWTF is located in a wetlands buffer and near Whitehall Brook, that the travel time for the waste water is too short before entering the brook, and that the plant should have been located on another part of the property or another area in Hopkinton. Many of the same complaints are registered in this latest appeal, which must be settled, according to the documents, in one year. File photo of Mr. Morrison taken March 8, 2007 at Planning Board meeting. |
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HopNews gives away $500.00
March 15, 2007 — HopNews Video Editor Davis Sheehan awards $500 to loyal reader Greg Fraser for guessing correctly (Or should we say "calculating" correctly?) when the HopNews visit counter would show 1 million visits. Click twice for the video. |
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Ragin' Hormones
Today was a proud day for a group of students at Hopkinton High School. After four years of playing intramural floor hockey as a team, the Ragin' Hormones, a group of seniors, finally made their dreams reality and won the championship game. Just a day before they beat out a faculty team called the Yankees, a team that had beaten them every year up to this point. |
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Collaborative Services by St. Paul’s, Christ Church, and Grace Methodist
March 15, 2007 – As a means of uniting together in fellowship and faith, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Hopkinton, Christ Episcopal Church in Medway and Grace United Methodist Church in Hopkinton will be conducting joint services during Holy Week. All are welcome to attend these reflective and spiritual services, which will take place at the following times and locations:
Wednesday, April 4 7:30 p.m. Tenebrae Christ Church, Medway Thursday, April 5 (Maundy Thursday) 6:30 p.m. Fellowship Meal St. Paul’s Church, Hopkinton 7:30 p.m. Maundy Thursday Liturgy with Foot Washing, Holy Eucharist, and the Stripping of the Altar St. Paul’s Church, Hopkinton Friday, April 6 (Good Friday) Noon Stations of the Cross St. Paul’s Church, Hopkinton 7:30 p.m. Good Friday Liturgy Grace UMC, Hopkinton Saturday, April 7 7:30 p.m. Great Vigil of Easter Christ Church, Medway Easter services will be held independently at the respective churches.
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Commentary
March
20, 2007 – Enter Stage Left Theater Workshop, Inc and HCAM-TV hope to
find out with their collaborative “Hopkinton Idol” competition, the
answer to, "Is there a Kelley Clarkson in our midst?" The six-week
competition will be broadcast live on HCAM-TV and viewers will be asked
to email their votes to determine which contestants will continue on to
the next round. In addition to “fame and fortune,” the victorious
“Idol” will also win a professionally recorded demo tape.
After 
begin
with live broadcasts
from
March
18, 2007 — This narrative opens with a journey, that is not
interrupted, (interotto), but closes with a voyage that was
interrupted. The first trip brought Dante Pellicelli from the
beautiful Italian village of Monchio delle Corti, to America.
The year, as far as we can determine, was shortly before the
turn of the last century, (1898-99). This was during a time of
increased migration of Italian citizens to the country where the
streets were professed to be, “paved in gold”.
Introducing
the Models for the
called
for a 2.1% increase and then calculated what a 1% increase would
be which comes to approximately $342,469. They then took the
projected deficit against the lower revenue projections and then
pro-rated it against last year’s town budget. The schools’ share
of last year’s budget was 76.6%. When you factor the schools’
share into the projected town-wide deficit of $137,000 against
the revised revenue projections, our share becomes approximately
$104,900. Add that to the $342,000 number (difference between
the 2.1% increase asked for by the schools and the originally
mandated 1% increase), and you arrive at approximately
$447,000.00.”
After
shoveling your walkway this weekend, please join us for a Joint Meeting
with the Ashland Historical Society on Sunday, March 18, 2 pm, at the
Ocean House (2 Myrtle Street, Ashland). The meeting will include a
presentation about the history of the Liberty Mutual Research Institute
for Safety, a commercial and scientific enterprise that straddles the
Towns of Ashland and Hopkinton on Frankland Road. Hear about
technological advances from this facility over the years including
development of prosthetic limbs, machine guarding technology, and
automobile safety standards. Following the meeting (at 4 pm), there will
be a walking tour of the Research Institute (71 Frankland Road,
Hopkinton) for those who wish to see more. 
Jim
Pyne does a first
March
15, 2007 — Brian Morrison, former Conservation Commission Chairman, has
filed suit against that Commission, naming some of those he served with,
as well as the Hopkinton DPW, appealing the Commission's Order of
Conditions for "certain work, including the construction of" the Town's
Waste Water Treatment Facility on the town's Fruit Street property.
