April 10, 2015 — Hopkinton Republicans elected individuals to be placed on the May ballot, choosing many who had already taken out nomination papers, but also  a couple of surprises. Choose the Election 2015 icon to see who. NOTE: Apologies. Those clicking on the link before 9:00 am Saturday got the old version of the candidate list. It is now updated.

April 10, 2015 — Work moved quickly on Friday at Sandy Island parking area to replace a small culvert with two 48" culverts to move water from the brook that feeds the lake. Above, a crane removes a structure that was used to keep the excavation from  caving in while workmen prepared it. The brook travels down the hillside, fed by the geography and impervious surfaces at businesses on South Street. Director of Public Works, John Westerling said the project was approved at Town Meeting for $300,000. The large culvert piping will keep the road from getting flooded, as well as stop infiltration of the sewer pumping station that was sometimes a problem during heavy rainstorms. Below is a slow shutter speed (1/15 of a second) photo of part of the brook, turning the flowing water into wispy strands.

Democrats Elect Candidates at Caucus

April 10, 2015 — Democrats elected candidates for local office last evening, but did not choose any for the top spots, bowing to the current candidates for Selectman and School Committee who have taken out nomination papers. The only race thus far in the election is the School Committee, where only two unenrolled and one Republican candidates have taken out papers. Three candidates for two seats.
            The Republican caucus is this evening in Room 211 of Town Hall from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm, which could elect additional candidates, or just confirm those already having taken out papers. Choose the icon to see  all of the candidates

Transcend at Faith Community Church

HOPKINTON, MA -- (April 9, 2015)
Wesley Korir, winner of the 2012 Boston Marathon will be present at Faith Community Church on April 17, 7-9pm for a screening of the documentary, Transcend, based on his career. As a Christian, Wesley’s faith has inspired his training and his career as a member of the Kenyan Parliament. Join us for a viewing of the documentary, a Q&A opportunity with Wesley and a reception following. The event is free but registration is required for seating capacity. Please register online at www.fcch.org .

April 8, 2015 — Theresa Boyce and Lisa Volpe-Hachey hold their sign to announce the re-opening of Snappy Dogs at their previous Grove Street location at the corner of Colella's parking lot on Monday, April 13, 2015. The new owners of the property, Crosspoint, have agreed to allow parking for their business for at least the time being.

           Theresa said that they will be using the commercial kitchen at St. John's Parish Center to prepare their specialty products, like homemade relish and other toppings. She said they will be getting their rolls from Roche Brothers Supermarket in Westborough.

           Please enjoy a reprise of a Snappy Dogs video, complete with outtakes, below. 

           

April 8, 2015 — Yesterday, Detective Sergeant Daniel McCarthy of the Greenfield Police Department contacted the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section and requested assistance in tracking down a man who, while out on bail and wearing a GPS electronic monitoring bracelet, had cut off the device and gone on the run.

The wanted man, 24-year-old DEREK LECOMPTE of Greenfield, was out on bail for charges which included Posing a Child in the Nude, Withholding Evidence from Criminal Procedure, and Resisting Arrest. After cutting off the GPS bracelet, LECOMPTE reportedly threatened that he would not be taken alive by police.

After conducting an extensive investigation in Western Massachusetts with assistance from the State Police Special Tactical Operations (STOP) Team, members of the fugitive unit developed information which indicated that LECOMPTE was at a Greyhound Bus Station in Miami, Florida. They then enlisted the services of the Miami Dade Police Department Fugitive Unit, who subsequently located LECOMPTE this evening at the bus station and took him into custody without incident.

 

April 8, 2015 — Last evening, the Board of Selectmen recognized 3 month-old Lyla Hendrick (choose thumbnail to enlarge), born January 8, 2015 as the Town-Clerk-certified, first baby of  Hopkinton's fourth century of incorporation as a town. Her parents are Nina and Mark. One person said her life expectancy is 103 years-old.

        Hopkinton Marathon Committee Chair Dorothy Ferriter-Wallace was on hand to offer ways her committee has made  the event more desirable to people visiting the common and watching the race on the morning of the 119th BAA Boston Marathon. Her committee has selected three well-known representatives of  Hopkinton residents to start three waves of the race: Dave Kumlin, Dale Danahy and  Dr. John Duffy. She also introduced Race Director Dave McGillivray and Start Coordinator Andy Deschenes to the gathering. BAA Executive Director Tom Grilk also addressed the Selectmen, calling the Boston Marathon "the greatest marathon in the world."

        State Senator Karen Spilka and State Rep Carolyn Dykema related a $1.8 billion state budget deficit, largely as a result of health care challenges. They sponsored legislation to change the look-back of a school bus driver applicant's driving history to 15 years, from the current 5 years, inspired by the arrest for OUI of a school bus driver in Hopkinton returning with students from a sporting event one evening last year. They also sponsored legislation to require that all prescribed opioids be applied for online.

        Attorney Andrea McCarthy, appeared on behalf of Ekta Patel and Kinja Patel, who applied for a wine and beer package store license for 89 West Main Street, the former Golden Spoon location, where a Starbucks an a Unibank will also be locating. She said they will have bread, milk and other staples to provide one-stop shopping, as they do at their other location.

        Selectman Ben Palleiko asked, "Does this make the community a better place." He was concerned that it was really a package store masquerading as a convenience store, and that the floor space for the alcohol would increase after the approval.

        Selectman Michelle Gates said, "We denied one last year on the premise that a convenience store invites young people." It was actually because the location included a Subway.

         Rather than grant or deny the license, the selectmen continued the hearing.

        Elementary School Building Committee Chair Joe Markey presented the committee's choice for the new elementary school location as the Irvine property on Hayden Rowe Street adjacent to EMC Park. The Selectmen, as well as the attending School Committee, unanimously endorsed the committee's recommendation. Mr. Markey said the committee chose the Todaro site as a secondary choice in case the Irvine acquisition falls through. But the large attendance last night was not due to any of the above.

        Lake Maspenock Preservation Association [LMPA] devised a plan and took a vote of over 50 attending members at a meeting earlier this year to apply a pesticide to reduce large-leaf pond weed, a native species that is choking the lake, which took over with room to grow after the successful treatment of mil-foil and fanwort in previous years. The group formed a weed committee that fostered the plan through the Conservation Commission to use the herbicide diquat, and a $60,000 item was placed on the DPW budget to facilitate its application. A few disgruntled past and present members of the association spread alarm about the use of the herbicide, bringing both sides of the issue (photo above) to the meeting last evening.

        The large-leaf pond weed is about to infest the town beach, said one speaker. 

        Veterinarian, Dr. Margo Roman spoke against it, because animals are getting cancers at a higher rate. However, no one presented any data to support any danger from diquat. It is approved for use by the EPA, and has been since the 1950s. Dr. Roman also protested a Dunkin' Donuts being approved adjacent to her practice last year, because she thought health food would be a better choice than coffee and donuts.

        The root of the problem, said one speaker, is the addition of phosphates to the lake, some of which are fertilizers, and some which act as nutrients, allowing nuisance weeds to  grow.

         Despite the alarm and the misinformation—one speaker claimed falsely that people could not enter the water for 14 days—the matter was settled for other  reasons. Read  what the EPA says here.

         Selectman Todd Cestari  was concerned that the actions of a private group could affect residents in other towns.

         Selectman Vice-chair John Mosher expressed concern that a private group was setting policy.

         Selectman John Coutinho said, "Unless we spend a couple of million dollars [for dredging],  we're screwed, to put it bluntly."

         After all of the discussion, the matter was decided for this year by one overriding factor: The budget item is for FY 2016, which begins on July 1, 2015, but the treatment needs to begin in June.

Hopkinton Public Schools:
Director of Student Services Finalist Announced

 

Hopkinton, MA 4/7/2015 - Hopkinton Superintendent, Dr. Cathy MacLeod, is pleased to announce that she and members of the administrative team have identified an outstanding candidate for further consideration for the position of Director of Student Services. The process began with initial interviews held by a Screening Committee, which included representation from building level administration, professional teaching and specialized instructional support staff, as well as a parent representative.

The Screening Committee interviewed five applicants, and recommended three for second-round interviews with the Central Office administrative team. The Central Office administrative team has recommended the following finalist for consideration by the School Committee:

Dr. Karen Zaleski holds a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from Boston College, and a Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology from Assumption College. She is currently the Director for Pupil Personnel Services in the Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District. She previously served as Assistant Principal of the Knox Trail Regional Junior High School, and the Mary E. Wells Junior High School in Stockbridge. She began her career as a Crisis Intervention Specialist with the UMass Medical Center’s Emergency Mental Health department.

Dr. Zaleski will be interviewed by the School Committee on Thursday, April 9th at 6:00 PM, in the High School Library. Interested parties are invited to attend.

The current Director of Student Services, Mrs. Marijane Hackett, has been with the district since 2011, and will retire on June 30, 2015.

by Robert Falcione

April 4, 2015 — A caller to the Hopkinton Police claimed to have two hostages in the Public Library as well as a bomb in an incident that lasted from late afternoon until 8:00 pm.
        After first responding, police received another call telling them to back off. Other towns sent cruisers, and the State Police sent dogs and bomb units, as well as other resources. There was at least one sniper staged, and one officer with what appeared to be an automatic long rifle. See the photos below. Thanks to Ed Thompson of WMRC 1490 am for the tip.

       

The Hopkinton Police sent out the following release at 8:30 pm:

"On April 4th, 2015  at 5:27pm the Hopkinton Police Department received a bomb threat at the Hopkinton Public Library. Members of the Hopkinton Police and Fire Departments responded to the area. A safe perimeter was established. Additional assistance was requested from outside agencies including the Massachusetts State Police and the Central Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council.
"At 8:00 pm it was determined that the incident was a hoax. At no time was any member of the public in danger. The Hopkinton Police Department is actively investigating this incident. If you have any information please call the Hopkinton Police Department at (508) 497-3401."

 

         The businesses surrounding the area on Main Street were asked to evacuate and close. Main Street was closed at Grove, and people were not allowed to travel, even up the sidewalk or near the library, which was cordoned off and a perimeter set up.

         Apologies to HopNews readers who checked the webcam, but about an hour into the situation, this writer was escorted to the office to shut the webcam off, because they said, they believed if there was an individual in the building, he could watch police activity on the webcam.

         The incident  turned out to be a hoax, and Chief of Police Ed Lee addressed it on camera, as did writer Paul McNamara, a columnist for Network World, who said from the start that it was "swatting," a known spoof that has hit celebrities. He said he was writing a story about it.

         The video is now above.

         Disappointed members of St. John the Evangelist Church were turned back, the Easter Eve service cancelled.

         Some of the last few pizzas were allowed to be delivered from Vinny's Pizza at the corner of Walcott and Main Streets to outside the perimeter, where customers were waiting for the fresh just-out-of-the-oven pies. However, as more police resources arrived, the tone of the police became more hardened and the last food orders were not allowed out. An officer with an automatic weapon was stationed at the corner.

 

Sorry for camera shake above. Long lens, low light, and no access to office where low light camera sat wanting.