Good Morning, this is Fire Chief / Emergency Management Director Ken Clark

Your Public Safety Agencies and the DPW would like your support and cooperation in the following area(s); we strongly recommend that all residences with natural gas, propane and oil fired appliances insure that all make up air, vent pipes and flues at grade level are free of snow. Insure Carbon Monoxide detectors are functioning and be aware that exposure to Carbon Monoxide can produce flu-like symptoms such as headaches, nausea, dizziness, confusion and fainting. Please call 911 if you need assistance with locating and or clearing these devices. If able, check in with your neighbors who may need assistance. The Governor’s State of Emergency and Vehicular Travel Ban are still in place. Due to current conditions even traveling on foot in the roadways is not advised. To allow our DPW the opportunity to efficiently clean our roadways please insure that all vehicles are secured off the roadways and do not push, blow or throw snow into the roadways. While the storm appears to be winding down its affects are far from over. The DPW reports all roadways are open to facilitate the response of public safety vehicles but many are still narrow and need additional work. The DPW will need many more days to complete their cleanup operation. The snow removal operation has been prioritized and due to the heavy snow fall sidewalks, high snow banks and parking lots will be completed as resources become available. As always dial 911 for any emergencies and access the Town of Hopkinton website at www.hopkintonma.gov/emergency  for additional information. Thank you for your continued support.

 >   FOOD AND BEVERAGE   <
    
 

BEFORE...

School Committee Okay with Parking Buses in Hopkinton - Needs Site

Half-days discussed

by Muriel Kramer

February 8, 2013 — In response to the Planning Board’s inquiry regarding potential zoning changes for Annual Town Meeting in May that could include zoning that allows a school bus depot,  the School Committee was unanimous in support of any and every effort in that regard.  Director of Finance Ralph Dumas provided detail that suggests a potential annual savings of $111,000 if the lot was in Hopkinton and centrally located in town.  The Town could save $15,000 in excise tax annually that currently goes to Ashland, $10,000 in rent for the lot and up to $86,000 annually in labor and gas savings with drivers not having to make the 16 mile round trip to Ashland daily.  The lot would need to be 20,000 to 25,000 square feet to accommodate buses and 25 driver-owned private vehicles; additionally a fuel tank truck would need to be able to access and fuel the buses on a weekly basis.  The SC unanimously voted that “Every opportunity to park our buses in Hopkinton should be pursued.”

There was less consensus on the issue of sidewalks.  The Planning Board had also sent a letter to the School Committee requesting feedback as part of their effort to update the 2007 Master Plan for Hopkinton. The PB asked if there were any areas in the vicinities of the schools that could benefit from sidewalks; further they asked the SC to quantify any potential savings in student transportation costs if sidewalks were added to connect specific roads or neighborhoods.  While the SC discussed feedback regularly received that Ash Street is treacherous and needs sidewalks, they acknowledged the difficulties of pursuing sidewalks on the scenic road.  Further, there was little data available to support the idea that adding sidewalks there or anywhere would definitively reduce traffic congestion or transportation costs.

The Draft School Calendar for next year was discussed and there are some distinct difficulties ahead.  The public is encouraged to provide feedback now to the discussion if interested.  As always early release days are a hot topic with parents of elementary students; the early release days are part of the current contract and provide necessary opportunities for professional development.  Currently the draft calendar is looking to make those ½ days fall on Fridays rather than Wednesdays to provide instructional continuity in the week and perhaps ease the circumstance for parents needing to arrange work schedules to accommodate for child care on those days.  Interim Superintendent Dr. Steven Hiersche offered, “As a long term goal we need to figure out a way to not lose professional development time and minimize those ½ days.”  Another challenge is to accommodate the ½ days in the Fall that support parent teacher conferences; the draft calendar contemplates concentrating them in November, so October and December can have greater instruction time continuity.  The draft calendar for November includes two days off for Election Day and Veteran’s Day, 4 early release days and an early dismissal day for the Thanksgiving break.  Another concern is the start of school currently set as Wednesday September 4^th.  Rosh Hashanah is the 5^th, so there would only be school on Wednesday and Friday that first week.  While no in-depth discussion was held on the topic, there was some suggestion that the SC might look at eliminating the religious holidays—Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur (this year falls on Saturday) and Good Friday.  SC member Rebecca Robak offered, “Currently we only offer days off for Christian and Jewish holidays, not other holidays that other members of the community might observe.”  Now is the time to contact the Superintendent or SC members with concerns or input on the calendar for next year.

The SC also discussed the extensive list of capital items they voted last week to put forward as place holders for articles at ATM in May. 

1.       Elementary School Feasibility Study                 $600,000

2.       Joint Telephone System Installation                                $  50,000

3.       Emergency Generator – Hopkins                      $205,000

4.       Upgrade Fire Alarm System – MS                     $185,000

5.       Buildings & Ground Equipment, mower         $  80,000

6.       MS Auditorium Upgrades                                     $  32,000

7.       Loop Road Repair                                                     $  96,000

8.       Elmwood School Feasibility Study                     $300,000

9.       Ceiling Tile Replacement – Hopkins                  $203,000

10.   Buildings and Grounds Storage Facility           $250,000

The discussion led to a vote to defer requests for four of the line items this year; the SC voted to remove #4 (not a safety concern, an ease to repair circumstance according to members), #8, #9 and #10.  Robak also advocated for deferring #6 at this time given that large increase in budget request put forward this year, but other members did not support that idea at this time.

 >   FOOD AND BEVERAGE   <
    
 

Boston CBP Seizes Liquid Cocaine at

Logan International Airport  

Drugs Concealed in Cosmetic Containers

BOSTON — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations officers at Boston Logan International Airport were not deceived by a traveler’s creative drug concealment method when 24 pounds of a liquid cocaine mixture was discovered and seized in small cosmetic containers.

On Jan. 28, the alleged smuggler, 38-year-old Johanna Carolina Ortiz, a U.S. Citizen, arrived on a flight from Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic, and was referred for a secondary enforcement examination.

During the baggage examination, CBP officers located a large and suspicious amount of cosmetic products in Ms. Ortiz’s suitcase. Further testing and examination confirmed 24 pounds of a liquid cocaine mixture, concealed in 25 bottles and canisters, labeled as hair products and hand lotion.

“The vigilance and experience of our CBP officers has prevented an alleged smuggler from introducing harmful narcotics into our communities,” said Kevin W. Weeks, director of Field Operations in Boston. “This arrest exemplifies the extreme measures criminals will undertake to smuggle contraband, and CBP’s mission and determination to intercept persons and contraband that pose threats to our country.”

Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) agents were contacted, and Ms. Ortiz, the narcotics and her personal belongings were turned over to the Massachusetts State Police Logan Airport Narcotics Task Force for further investigation and prosecution by the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, Massachusetts.

The charges and allegations contained in criminal complaints are merely accusations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

For more on CBP’s border security mission at our nation’s ports of entry, please visit the CBP Web site. (http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/border_security/port_activities/)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws

Hillers to Harvard for Award

I am writing on behalf of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association to announce that Hopkinton High School will be awarded the 2013 Division II Boys' Winter Swimming and Diving Team Sportsmanship Award.
 
Please accept our congratulations for this outstanding accomplishment. Presentation and recognition for this achievement will take place during the MIAA Swimming & Diving State Championship on Sunday, February 17, 2013 at Harvard University. Award presentation time will be 12:25 pm.
 
It would be appropriate that at a minimum, the high school principal or athletic director, swim coach and team captains are present to receive this honor. Other team members who contributed to this honor are welcome to be our guests at the meet. 
 
Congratulations again. We are looking forward to appropriately recognizing your swim program for this great award. 
 
Best Regards,
 
Ned Doyle
MIAA Assistant Director

 >   FOOD AND BEVERAGE   <
    
 

Kudos to the School Committee

Dear  Editor,
Last week the Hopkinton School Committee selected Cathy MacLeod to serve the citizens of Hopkinton as the next Superintendent of Schools.  Their decision followed a very thorough process I was pleased to participate in, along with several other Hopkinton residents, as a member of the Superintendent Search Committee. 

The Superintendent Search Committee reviewed dozens of resumes, pared the list of candidates down to those that met specific qualifications articulated by the community, interviewed each of the semi-finalists over several nights, scored those interviews numerically, and finally, voted a slate of candidates to move forward to the School Committee.  Thereafter, the School Committee conducted further interviews, conducted background searches, checked references, visited each of the candidates’ current districts and sought additional public input on the finalists.  The slate of finalists were top notch people with very bright futures ahead of them.  Selecting just one individual was not an easy task!  The deliberations last week by the School Committee to reach a final decision were done in public and were the culmination of a highly professional process.

I congratulate the Hopkinton School Committee for their thoughtful and thorough hiring process.  Please join me in thanking them for their dedication to our community.  

Brian Herr, Selectman

February 6, 2013