The Tree of Life, an annual celebration for those who have survived cancer, who have battled the disease or who just want to celebrate life, will be held on Monday, December 3, 2012 at Milford Regional Medical Center. This year’s celebration will begin at 5:00 p.m. with entertainment and refreshments in the cafeteria, followed by the tree lighting in front of the Medical Center.

For additional information, please contact Milford Regional Medical Center, Foundation Office at (508) 422-2228.

November 21, 2012 — The "Town Fathers" took their places at Town Meeting in the front of the room on Monday. From left, Jamie Hellen, Assistant Town Manager, Selectman Brian Herr, Selectman Michelle Gates, Selectman Todd Cestari, Selectman Vice-Chair John Mosher, Selectmen Chair Ben Palleiko, Town Manager Norman Khumalo.

Visit the Senior Center

THRIFT SHOP

Stockings, Santas, mugs, 

Christmas jewelry and more

Bring the youngsters to shop for gifts-

Many items 25 or 50 cents.

Open Mon.-Thurs. 9-3

Fri. 10-2

Above, right, Finance Director Christopher Ketchen confers with Town Manager Norman Khumalo and Selectman Chair Ben Palleiko about how best to explain to Town meeting the difference between a Prop 2½ override and a debt exclusion.

 

by Robert Falcione

November 26, 2012 — Town Meeting finally convened at 7:10 pm tonight, after ten minutes of waiting for the necessary 100 voters to arrive and form a quorum. When the appointed hour, 7:00 pm came without enough voters to call the meeting to order, Town Moderator Dr. Bruce Karlin quipped, "This is one time you are allowed to use your cell phones," hoping people might call a family member to come to the meeting and boost the numbers.

         Article 1, to appropriate $1.1 million for the repair or replacement of the deteriorating 24 year-old roof of Elmwood School, passed after much discussion, not about whether it should be done, but the funding mechanism to achieve it.

         The original motion  was to fund the roof with a debt exclusion, which would trigger a borrowing over and above the tax levy for a period of ten years. At the end of the ten years, the town would no longer collect that money in taxes, shrinking the levy by that amount. There is another way the Board of Selectmen could have moved to appropriate the money.

          The Selectmen can raise taxes up to 2½ % a year over previous years, notwithstanding taxes from new growth. It is the so-called Proposition 2½ imposed by popular referendum years ago in response to out-of-control town government spending across the Commonwealth.

            Hopkinton Selectmen have been even more conservative than that by not even raising the entire 2½% each year. However, the  amount not raised one year can be held as a sort of rainy day fund to tap in a year when the Selectmen feel there is a dire need. The 2½% increase is a permanent increase in the tax levy, and cannot be undone, as opposed to the debt exclusion the Selectmen wanted, which expires when the debt  is paid, and in the case of the Elmwood roof, ten years later.

           Ken Weismantel, speaking at the microphone as a resident,  offered an amendment to the motion by deleting a paragraph, and suggested changing the funding to a straight 2½ override, which would have remained on the tax levy even after the debt was paid. He believed the Special Election to approve this measure on December 3, 2012 would be unnecessary with his deletion, but Dr. Karlin disagreed with that conclusion, saying the election would move forward nonetheless. Some in the room were hoping to bypass the election and remove any chance of losing the funding.

            Selectman Michelle Gates spoke against the amendment, saying, "I prefer the residents have the choice [at the ballot box]." 

            Selectmen Chair Ben Palleiko admitted that the board had considered the method proposed by Mr. Weismantel, but decided to continue its fiscally conservative approach and voted to seek a debt exclusion instead to fund the roof.

           Mr. Weismantel's amendment failed, and the Article passed unanimously.

         Article 2 was articulated best by Ken Weismantel, who said that when Phase VI of the sewer plan was put  in place, the town failed to complete its plan. He said the property was bettered, but the sewer never installed. Town Meeting voted overwhelmingly to approve $220,000 to extend the sewer 650 feet  down Lumber Street Extension.

          Article 3 was the simple acceptance of a small parcel of land already given to the Town of Hopkinton by the Colella's Supermarket  family to facilitate the recent upgrade of the intersection of Grove and Main Streets. It passed unanimously.

Below, Town Moderator Dr. Bruce Karlin stands at the podium with Town Clerk, and Town Counsel and his assistant to his left. Seated at the table are members of the Appropriations Committee, Finance Director, and at the end of the table, Deputy Town Moderator Muriel Kramer.

November 25, 2012 — Ten year-old Olivia Druffner and thirteen year-old sister Abigail pause by the warmth of the wood stove in the biting cold at Weston Nurseries after picking out ornaments and a fresh-cut 7' Frasier fir from Weston Nurseries Garden Center, as the Moon competes with the artificial lights for attention in the background. According to Weston sales associate, Bob O'Connell, the Frasier fir is a long lasting cut tree, and can withstand the weight of ornaments, two reasons why Weston Nurseries carries them exclusively. They have  a thousand more trees to choose  from, he said.

November 25, 2012 — Climbing a ladder in a Tower may not be what the Beatles had in mind when they wrote "With a Little Help From My Friends," but Ashland sent their Tower just in case Hopkinton needed a lift today on Hayden Rowe Street for a stubborn chimney fire early this evening. Milford also sent resources. As this incident was wrapping up, another fire broke out from live wires on Spring Street.

 REMINDER FOR Special Town Meeting on Monday:
 Town Meeting Warrant, below, now includes Motions
See Clerk's website for more about meeting and election
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
TOWN OF HOPKINTON
SPECIAL TOWN MEETING WARRANT
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2012
MIDDLESEX, ss.
To any of the Constables of the Town of Hopkinton in said County

GREETINGS:
In the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts you are hereby required to notify and warn all inhabitants of the Town of Hopkinton qualified to vote in elections and in Town affairs to meet at the Middle School Auditorium in said Hopkinton on Monday, November 26, 2012, at 7:00 o’clock in the evening, then and there to act on the following Articles:

ARTICLE 1:
Elmwood Roof Replacement
Sponsor: School Committee
To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, transfer from available funds, borrow or otherwise provide a sum or sums of money to obtain plans, designs, cost estimates, and bid documents, as well as to provide for the acquisition of all materials, labor, equipment, and services necessary or appropriate for the repair, maintenance, renovation and improvement of the roof of the Elmwood Elementary School, located at 14 Elm Street in Hopkinton, Massachusetts; said sum to be spent under the direction of the School Committee and to be used in conjunction with any federal or state grants which may be available for said project .
Pass any vote or take any act relative thereto.

Required Recommendation: Appropriation Committee recommends approval
Capital Improvements Committee recommends
approval

ARTICLE ONE Motion (Appropriation Committee): Move that the Town appropriate $1,100,000.00 (ONE MILLION ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS AND ZERO CENTS) for the plans, designs, cost estimates, and bid documents, as well as to provide for the acquisition of all materials, labor, equipment, and services necessary or appropriate for the repair, maintenance, renovation and improvement of the roof of the Elmwood Elementary School, located at 14 Elm Street in Hopkinton, Massachusetts; and, for the purpose of meeting such appropriation, to authorize the Town Treasurer, with the approval of the Board of Selectmen, to borrow said sum in accordance with Chapter 44, Section 7(3A) of the Massachusetts General Laws, or any other enabling authority; said sum to be spent under the direction of the School Department; provided, however, that this vote shall not take effect until the Town votes to exempt from the limitation on total taxes imposed by Chapter 59, Section 21C of the Massachusetts General Laws (Proposition 2 ½, so-called) amounts required to pay the principal and interest on the borrowing authorized by this Vote.
Vote Needed: Two-Thirds Majority

ARTICLE 2:
Elm Street Sewer Line Extension
Sponsor: Board of Selectmen
To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, transfer from available funds, borrow or otherwise provide a sum or sums of money to design and develop bid documents for, as well as to provide for the construction of, a sewer extension under Elm Street, from its current endpoint at the intersection with the Lumber Street Extension approximately 650 feet to the dead-end of the street; said sum to be spent under the direction of the Director of Public Works.
Pass any vote or take any act relative thereto.

 

ARTICLE TWO Motion (Appropriation Committee): Move that the Town appropriate $220,000.00 (TWO HUNDRED TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS AND ZERO CENTS) for design and development of bid documents for, as well as construction of, a sewer extension under Elm Street, from its current endpoint at the intersection with the Lumber Street Extension approximately 650 feet to the dead-end of the street; and, for the purpose of meeting such appropriation, to authorize the Town Treasurer, with the approval of the Board of Selectmen, to borrow said sum in accordance with Chapter 44, Section 7(1) of the Massachusetts General Laws, or any other enabling authority; said sum to be spent under the direction of the Director of Public Works; provided, however, that while such bonds or notes shall be general obligations of the Town, it is the intent of the Town that such bonds or notes be paid from the Sewer Enterprise Fund revenues.
Vote Needed: Two-Thirds Majority

EDITOR"S NOTE: See agreement.

ARTICLE 3:
Grove Street -Main Street Parcel Acquisition
Sponsor: Town Manager

To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to acquire by gift, purchase or eminent domain or otherwise a certain parcel of land located at the southwest corner of the intersection of Grove Street and Main Street, for the purpose of improving the intersection, said parcel being approximately 40 square feet in size and shown as Parcel A on the plan entitled “Plan of Land in Hopkinton, Massachusetts,” prepared by Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. and dated July 23, 2012, a copy of which is on file at the office of the Town Clerk.
Pass any vote or take any act relative thereto.

 

ARTICLE THREE Motion (Board of Selectmen): Move that the Town vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to acquire by gift, purchase or eminent domain or otherwise, a certain parcel of land located at the southwest corner of the intersection of Grove Street and Main Street, for the purpose of improving the intersection; said parcel being approximately 40 square feet in size and shown as Parcel A on the plan entitled “Plan of Land in Hopkinton, Massachusetts,” prepared by Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. and dated July 23, 2012, a copy of which is on file at the office of the Town Clerk.
Vote Needed: Simple Majority