SERVICE GUIDE

Inference

March 4, 2012 — These beavers looked like a clump of marsh grass from a distance today, that is until they moved. One is in the center of the hitherto unidentified pond, and the other (inset) is on the same pond around the side of a familiar building, which is inferred by a very small part of its construction. Beavers, which are rodents, appear have become ubiquitous in Hopkinton, and in most cases, cause problems when they construct their dams and their lodges in populated areas.

 >   YOUR VEHICLE   <

Out for a Walk

March 4, 2012 — The snowperson above on Glen Road appears to out for a walk with its pet, whereas its Winter Street counterpart below shows his true love for a sport.

>   FOOD AND BEVERAGE   <

March 4, 2012 — A reader was hoping that this photo from her collection could accompany the announcement of the next DISC meeting. However, it is just as well to show the presumed irony of the photographer of this photo of the demolition of a listing building damaged by the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 and the sign in the foreground.

Abigail Adams "Speaks" at Hopkinton Historical Society

March 4, 2012 — Linda Myer entertained guests of the Hopkinton Historical Society this afternoon by taking on the persona of Abigail Adams, the wife of President John Adams. The society offered this program free of charge.

Mother and Child Reunion

March 4, 2012 — An American bald eagle and its offspring provide the foreground as other wildlife floats by in the background on Lake Maspenock today.

SERVICE GUIDE

Hopkinton High school Drama Ensemble proudly presents...

William Shakespeare's
Much Ado About Nothing
 March 8, 9 and 10
Hopkinton High school

The Hopkinton High School Drama Ensemble’s latest theatrical project is mounting William Shakespeare's comedy, Much Ado About Nothing.  The cast includes 40 students, featuring the work of Mehr Kaur as Beatrice, Kate Brush as Hero, Alex Kirshy as Benedick, Aiden Connelly as Claudio, and Liam Horsman as Don Pedro.  We are setting the play at an Italian Villa in Tuscany in the mid 1980's.  For more information go to Much Ado About Nothing sub-page. 

Performance dates and times
Thursday March 8 at 4 PM
Friday and Saturday March 9 & 10 at 7:30 

More info at https://sites.google.com/a/hopkinton.k12.ma.us/hhsdramaensemble/ or
contact Valerie Von Rosenvinge at vvonrosenvinge@hopkinton.k12.ma.us

YOUR HOME

Reported Car Fire

March 2, 2012 — Officer Linda Higgins speaks with the driver of a vehicle, as well as another individual, in front of Town Hall today, while awaiting the Fire Department to arrive in response to a report that the Buick was on fire. Firefighters discovered no coolant in the system.

• ability to collaborate with others;

• excellent listening and communications skills;

• problem-solving and creative abilities; and

• outstanding research skills.

Interviews will be conducted by the Assistant Superintendent Dr. Mary Ann DeMello, as well as Mrs.Nancy Burdick and Mr. Scott Aghababian from the School Committee on March 13 and March 14, 2012. The final membership will be recommended to, and appointed by, the School Committee at its March 15, 2012 meeting. The first meeting of the CWG will take place on Tuesday, March 20, 2012 at 7:00 pm.A final report of all brainstormed criteria with a consensus opinion regarding the viability of each suggestion will be submitted to the School Committee. The criteria will be weighed alongside feedback offered by HPS staff, other town departments, and feedback from a community forum. The School Committee will have the responsibility for generating the final list of Criteria for Evaluation of Alternatives for the Feasibility Study.

A Message From Highway Manager 

As we approach the start of our roadway resurfacing season I would like to thank the residents of Hopkinton for their continued support of our Pavement Management Program. We had a very successful 2011 season and hope to continue that in 2012 as funding allows. Each street that is on this year’s list has been inspected and evaluated to determine which treatment method is best based on its current condition. This will help ensure that we are maximizing the use of our Chapter 90 money and Pavement Management funds in the most effective way. 

Every year our goal is to begin Pavement Management work as soon as school ends in June and finish in September when school begins. Due to the inevitable weather related issues, mechanical breakdowns & scheduling conflicts it is difficult to hold to a strict time schedule. We will post updated construction dates as we move forward with each project. 

Under the Town of Hopkinton’s Road Opening Permit Policy, No permit will be granted for a period of 5 years on newly paved streets except in the case of an emergency. If your street is on this year’s list and you are considering having any utility work done to your home that would require the road to be cut I would recommend contacting the appropriate utility company and schedule the work to be done before June 11^th, 2012. This will ensure that you get the work you need done before we begin resurfacing that street. 

Please visit our web page www.hopkinton.org/highway/index.htm and click on 2012 Tentative Roadwork Schedule to view a complete list of planned Pavement Management work. You will notice that the date column is blank. This will be updated as we get closer to construction season; however an estimated timeframe would be June 18^th – Sept 1^st.  

Once work begins on each project please expect delays and plan accordingly. The DPW appreciates your patience and cooperation during this 2012 construction season. 

Sincerely, Mike Mansir, Highway Manager

>   FOOD AND BEVERAGE   <

Marathon Waivers Will Not Last Long

The Hopkinton Lions Club is looking for two individuals willing to run the Boston Marathon while raising money for the Hopkinton Lions. The waivers are available to the first two individuals willing to raise at least $2000.00. The waivers allow the individual to run in the Marathon without the required qualifying times.  The proceeds from the waivers will be earmarked for local charitable events, free vision testing for the poor, as well as international eye research. These waivers are being offered on a first come first serve basis. The first two individuals to commit to the minimum $2,000.00 goal will be awarded the waivers.  Interested parties should contact Brian Thomas at 508-435-6388 or via email at bthomas@phippsinsurance.com.

 >   YOUR VEHICLE   <

Prom Request

March 2, 2012 — Connor Zanini had some help from the mother of Kerri McBride, who told her daughter to look out the window at the beautiful snowfall. There, she saw instead Connor standing with a bouquet of roses and his request sprayed in red on the snow-covered lawn. Good job!

NOTE: Got an unusual way of asking YOUR date to the prom? Send to: Editor@HopNews.com

SERVICE GUIDE

My Very First Igloo !

March 2, 2012 — Don't worry, Joey Fonesca and son Josh placed boards across the top of the walls of this igloo they built yesterday to keep it from caving in.

Get Important HopNews Tweets 

by Robert Falcione

March 2, 2012 — Shortly before 4:30 pm yesterday, we got word of the serious accident on East Main Street and heard the police officer inquire if the ambulance was rolling, as expected. It was.

        But to hear the officer ask for assurance was to know that he saw an urgent need, that the situation demanded an elevated level of response. One occupant was trapped, and the Jaws of Life, a powerful hydraulic tool, was needed, one officer said.

       There was another very tragic time a few short years ago that we heard a similar urgency from the first officer on scene. That accident resulted in two deaths.

        The HopNews office is centrally located, and so the photographer is sometimes on the scene before the firefighters. However, we have slowed down response in many cases to let the scene develop. But yesterday was different.

       It was on East Main Street several years ago that someone lost their life on that stretch. In another incident, this writer was hit head-on on Wood Street in 1995 by a driver who lacked skill. The driver went to slow down and her brakes locked on ice, and rather than pumping them to regain control, she kept her foot floored. sending her barreling into my lane at 35-40 mph. I am pretty sure I had come to a stop by then. But anyone in an accident knows that they happen faster than a person can think — otherwise, they wouldn't occur. The vibrating feeling in my hands from the crash finally went away after more than a year.

       "Your response time is slowing down," said one officer, tongue-in-cheek, upon my arrival at a scene a couple of years ago.

       Last June, I heard a call about a black bear (thumbnail, right) at the bird feeder behind the residence of a Spring Street family.

       "Took you a while to get there," said one police officer the next day.

       Actually, I was on Spring Street when the call came in, and drove past the house — windows up and doors locked — several times before cruisers arrived there. In the meantime, I circled the geography and found a great shot of a doe (thumbnail), about a half mile away as the crow flies — that is if indeed crows ever flew in a straight line.

       I never did get a shot of the bear (the homeowner contributed the one above) — one officer reported it crossing Spring Street the next day — even though I returned to that area faithfully every day for longer than I care to admit. Back to yesterday's accident.

         Due to the deteriorating road conditions and the "greasy" condition of East Main Street yesterday afternoon, this photographer decided to have one less vehicle in the mix. The DPW sander was actually bogged down, stuck in the traffic, trying to get to the scene from Frankland Road.

         Instead, readers who visited HopNews were kept informed of the situation, and Twitter followers got a "Tweet" warning them of the driving conditions and of the situation on East Main Street — and the fact that an additional accident occurred moments later near Hopkinton Lumber.

         So, for those who would like to be informed of these types of important incidents — bad crashes, manhunts or loose animals — and areas to avoid, please click on the Twitter icon and sign up for urgent messages. And for those reluctant to do so because they are already electronically overwhelmed, at least look at the HopNews Twitter site and give it a chance. It shows how seldom we use the feature, but how important it can be in informing people instantly of these types of occurrences.

YOUR HOME

Low Visibility

March 1, 2012 — Hopkinton Reservoir was wind-whipped and in fog today, as snow fell and temperatures dropped, and a few vehicles crashed.

 >   YOUR VEHICLE   <

Seating... Finally!

March 1, 2012 — The focus at Water Fresh Farm Marketplace today was on the new tables and chairs following approval by the Selectmen of the store's common victualer's license. The wood which makes up the tables is Parawood, from which latex is extracted; and then the wood can be used for furniture. After hearing customer after customer suggest seating, principals Donna Todaro and Jeff Barton acted on their requests. They said customers can now enjoy a bowl of Uncle Mike's Famous Tomato Bisque, a hot Panini, or fresh roasted coffee before leaving the shop.

>   FOOD AND BEVERAGE   <

The Annual Student Government Breakfast is Friday, March 23, from 7:25 - 8:30 AM in the Hopkinton HS Cafeteria.  Town Officials are reminded that they should RSVP to the Selectmen's office if able to attend.  508-497-9700.

YOUR HOME