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Archived Page 182

November 14, 2010 - November 20, 2010

November 20, 2010 - Members of the First Community Church of Southborough held their annual pie sale today downtown.  They also have a new sign up on the Highland Street side of their church.

November 20, 2010 - The larch trees around the Library and Common Street began changing colors last week and will drop all their needles soon making them look like dead pine trees.

Bay Circuit Alliance Announces Key Trail Connection

photo: John Whitney, Staples Director of Engineering and Construction draws in the new section of trail on the Bay Circuit as Alan French Chairman of the Bay Circuit Alliance looks on. (contributed)

ASHLAND- On November 18, the Bay Circuit Alliance dedicated an important new section of trail that crosses over the Mass Turnpike to connect 200 miles of trail that extend through Boston’s suburbs.

Representatives from Mass. DOT, Staples Inc., and Sudbury Valley Trustees were among those present to celebrate the partnership that helped to forge this keystone piece of trail.  

The Alliance negotiated a public access license on an 11 acre triangular piece of wooded land traversed by rugged rock ledges abutting the Mass. Turnpike in Ashland in June of 2009. Last summer volunteers laid out, constructed, and marked a trail that connects the existing BCT on Staples property in Framingham with the I-90 Oak Street Bridge to Ashland.  Now on property of The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (Mass.DOT), the new trail eliminates a long, dangerous, and decidedly unpleasant road walk along Route 9 and Oak Street. Refer to baycircuit.org – map#8 for trail details.

The Bay Circuit Trail is a 200-mile trail and greenway around Boston from Kingston Bay on the south to Plum Island on the north.  Founded in 1990, the Bay Circuit Alliance (BCA) is a non-profit, organizational coalition that serves as a catalyst for making this trail a reality. The Sudbury Valley Trustees is a regional land trust that conserves land and protects wildlife habitat in the Concord, Assabet, and Sudbury river basin for the benefit of present and future generations.

This year’s Dr. Ed Bell Forum will present “Wildlands and Woodlands – a Vision of the New England Landscape.  

photo by Linda Hubley - View from top of ledge Davco Conservation lands, Breakneck Hill Road looking NW to Mt. Wachusett.

What are the implications and opportunities for local communities?” on Wednesday, December 8^th, 2010, from 7:30 – 9:00 pm, at Indian Hill Music, at 36 King Street, Littleton, MA. Jim Levitt, Director of Conservation Innovation at the Harvard Forest will showcase the innovative ideas underlying  this groundbreaking study.  Recently featured in the Boston Sunday Globe Magazine, this study was co-authored by an interdisciplinary team of 20 researchers and practitioners from area universities, land brokers, non-profits, and government.  The W&W study has reached some startling conclusions which promote both economy and environment, while preserving much of the New England Landscape as we know it today.  Of special interest are the ideas of private ownership of woodlots, protection of wildlands preserves and “working landscapes” such as farms and sustainable forests, and the implementation of innovative techniques such as aggregation and mitigation funding.  The Dr. Ed Bell Forum is an annual conservation-oriented lecture of regional interest sponsored by the Littleton Conservation Trust. The public lecture is free and open to all. Light refreshments will be served.  For more information call 978-952-2706 or visit www.wildlandsandwoodlands.org .

November 20, 2010 - The ARHS girls Field Hockey team came to a stop today when they were beat by Andover 3 - 1.

November 19, 2010 - Last night Gulbankian Farms Garden Center and Florist Shop held their annual shopping night and Stonewall Kitchen tasting event.  Many flowers and wreaths were on display along with a beautiful and tasty spread of cheeses, jams and crackers.  The shop is an awesome place to stop by and pick up that special bouquet and gift for someone special.

November 19, 2010 - Tonight family, friends and employees met for an open house tonight at their newest location on Route 9 in Southborough.  New England Dental has another office at 661 C Boston Road, Marlborough which will remain open. 

Hello Southborough/Northborough Friends and Neighbors: 

Some of you have already donated household furnishings to the non-profit charitable organization known as Furnishing Options (FO) in Marlboro, and we'd like to thank you.  Your donations have made many needy families in this area a little more comfortable in their new surroundings. Right now, FO is teaming up with the Marlborough Junior Woman’s Club to hold a blanket and linens drive to help those families stay warm this winter. 

There’s a generic email address on the attached flier, but if you prefer to work through local channels (in Southboro), please contact me at turnerbc@aol.com.  I can either pick up your clean, bagged and labeled goods at your house, or you can deliver to my barn at 7 Central Street (corner Reservoir Drive) or directly to the FO store in Marlboro where the goods will be distributed.  (The attached flier also describes exactly what goods are needed.)

Thanks in advance for your help with this worthy cause to keep those less fortunate a little warmer this winter!  For further info about the FO program, please go to http://www.employmentoptions.org/FurnishingOptions.shtml

Pre-Thanksgiving Bake Sale at Epicurean Room

Are you hosting the family and friends for Thanksgiving this year? Is it your turn to bring dessert to the in-laws for the feast? Plan to stop by the Fourth Annual Culinary Arts Giant Bake Sale at Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School for the answer to your dessert dilemma. Visit the Epicurean Room Restaurant at the school on Tuesday, November 23rd, from 8:30 AM until 1:30 PM.  Chef Wilson and her Pastry Shop has been gearing up so you will be able to choose from delicious pies, cannollis, cakes, cheesecakes, cookies, breads, rolls, or breakfast items, all conveniently packaged. The school has the entire day before Thanksgiving as vacation, so everything will be available on Tuesday only. The prices are reasonable and the selection is large, but, come early, for once it’s gone, it’s gone!

The school is located at 215 Fitchburg Street in Marlborough. There is a parking lot at the rear of the school at the Epicurean Room for your convenience. For more information, contact the restaurant at 508-485-9430, ext. 1119.

The Nutcracker Ballet

Massachusetts Culinary Arts and Farm Events

Statewide (click at right)

November 17, 2010 - Southborough Firefighters honor one of their own.  Mr. Charles Brewer passed away late last week. Charlie served as a call firefighter for over thirty - two years.   Mr. Brewer was also a WWII veteran serving on the USS San Diego that saw lots of action in the Pacific theatre.

Southborough Gardeners

Present…

“A Traditional New England Christmas”

with Mark Hagopian

Thursday, November 18^th, 2010

10:00 am

Pilgrim Church

15 Common Street, Southborough

-          Intersection of Route 30 & Route 85    –

v Floral Design Presentation

v Holiday Boutique

v FlowerArrangements to be Raffled

v Tea, Coffee & Refreshments

Tickets  $5.00 in advance;  $10.00 at the door

                   Call 508-951-8997 for advance tickets 

Proceeds benefit town beautification, education & scholarship   

First Community Church of Southborough Pie Sale

Annual                                           Sale  

 If You Bake It, They Will Come

Our annual Church Pie Sale, will be held on Saturday, November 20, from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM or until we are “sold out.”  Just in time for Thanksgiving Day, the pie sale is held at Mauro's (the old McCarthy's i.e. “The Spa”) in downtown Southborough with tables set up outdoors.  Weather conditions have ranged from the balmy 50’s to the frigid teens with brisk winds.  The pie hawkers are shaded by the building and bundle up appropriately.

Over the years, we have been very fortunate to have a good variety of pies available for sale.  We are often asked which pie was made by a particular, well known, chef.  The people who have bought pies from our previous sales know just what they are looking for -- blueberry, lemon meringue, banana cream, and the always popular “apple pie.”  All breads are an added delight.  Please label all your donations and make sure to indicate with or without nuts.

Please think about what you could bake for the sale and then consider doubling it.  The pie sale is one of the biggest fundraisers in our Church.  Last year $978 was raised.

Mrs. PPW (Pushy Pastor’s Wife) alias Darlene Sanderson, has again offered to coordinate the list of baked goods needed.  If you are able to bake anything (including cookies, breads, apple crisp, etc.) please tell Darlene.  If you don’t, she is apt to hunt you down!

Pies can be left at the church Friday night, or delivered to the “spa” before 10:00 AM.

Marlborough Hospital Named to 2010 Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Honor Roll

Marlborough, MA (November 18, 2010) - Marlborough Hospital has been named to the 2010 Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Hospital Honor Roll for the continuing success of its quality improvement initiatives. The Honor Roll recognizes hospitals whose performance is among the top 25 percent of hospitals measured nationally on a set of quality metrics. The community hospital is one of 19 hospitals in the Commonwealth selected for the Honor Roll and one of 40 in New England.

Marlborough Hospital has received a number of awards recently. It ranked number two in the state for heart attack survival by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and was also a recipient of the 2009 Betsy Lehman Patient Safety Recognition Award.

“We are grateful to be recognized by Harvard Pilgrim for our continued efforts at excellence in caring for our patients,” said John Polanowicz, Marlborough Hospital president and CEO. “Being selected for this award is another example of the commitment by our staff to ensure patients’ confidence that the care provided at our community hospital is among the best in New England.”

The quality metrics are based on Hospital Quality Alliance measures, as reported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Hospital Compare, and Leapfrog patient safety measures. Hospital Compare measures how well hospitals care for patients with certain medical conditions or surgical procedures and results from a survey of patients about the quality of care they received during a recent hospital stay. Leapfrog is a national coalition of business leaders and major health care purchasers formed in 2000 to promote the increased safety of inpatient care.

To determine the Honor Roll, Harvard Pilgrim used Centers for Medicare and Medicaid data for quality measures in the treatment of heart attack and chest pain, heart failure, pneumonia and the surgical care improvement project. In addition, data from Leapfrog was used in comparing the prevention of medical errors, appropriate ICU staffing, steps hospitals take to avoid harm and the reduction of in-hospital injuries.

For more information on the Hospital Honor Roll, click here.

November 17, 2010 - The soccer team took a tough loss tonight at the state semi-finals 2 - 1.

November 16, 2010 - Emily Bourke celebrating with Liz Holmes after she scored her first of two goals to help win the State semi-finals.

Selectmen Reconsider Dual Tax Rate

November 16, 2010 -Southborough Selectmen met tonight with John Butler of the Advisory Board speaking as a citizen and the members of the 2007 Town Governance Study Committee.   They discussed the merits of bringing forth to the 2011 Spring Town meeting an article for the “Drafting Committee for Town Manager Legislation” to be appointed by the Town Moderator.  They would then bring forth to the 2012 Town meeting a Warrant article to present the draft for vote.

Several changes the committee would like to see (and it is backed by members of several town committees and boards) that Southborough choose a town manager style of government and increase the Board of Selectmen to five, hire human resource personnel, consolidate and/or change several elected positions to appointments.

After the original report was made public, there was a signature petition to get a town charter.  Although they received over 1,000 signatures not all were able to be verified and it thus fell short.  For more information on the 2007 Town Governance Study Committee click here.

Next came the reconsideration for vote on the dual tax rate voted earlier in October by the Board of Selectmen.  The room was fully packed with representatives from large businesses such as EMC to many small businesses such as Southborough Auto Tech, Mauro’s Market, Bartolini Construction, Depietri/Capital Group and many more. 

Speaking for the Corridor 9 Chamber of Commerce was Barbara Clifford.  The chamber yearly writes letters to towns in support of the single tax for businesses and residences alike.  Mark Donahue chair of Economic Development for the chamber reiterated what businesses pay out besides this tax is personal property tax, excise taxes and many contributions to other town wide events and non-profit organizations.  He emphasized that a business is a part of the fabric of the community and that many workers and owners also live in town. 

Mr. William Depietri gave examples of available square footages for lease or rent in several surrounding towns and then told the vacancy rates with Marlborough at 20%, Framingham 15%, Westborough 21% and Southborough at only 9% which he attributed to our lower tax rate.   Nearly all business men and women that got up to speak remarked about the costs of fuel and supplies to keep their business running have increased along with a decrease in rental prospective due to the current economic conditions and that a dual tax rate would only fuel the problem.

Resident and Firefighters Ball coordinator Rebecca Waterfall said that 29 businesses in town contributed to half the cost of the new Fire Department Tower truck, backing up Mr. Donahue’s statement that even in these economic times businesses have continued to donate to groups and events such as summer nights, school raffles etc.

Selectmen John Rooney told the audience his convictions to stay with his original vote for the dual tax hike which included that Southborough homeowners had seen in the early 2000’s a sixty percent increase in assessments and then saw a lot of that fall.  He added that businesses can deduct all their taxes on the federal and state side but that someone such as a senior citizen that does not itemize cannot.  Select woman Bonnie Phaneuf said she was changing her vote after talking with several business owners that had either called or stopped her and explained their situation. After reviewing new information she was one that had called for reconsideration of the vote.  Mr. Bill Boland had been the lone vote for the single tax rate for both business and residential.  He re-enforced his convictions on the reasons as to why he voted as such in the first place. 

Mr. Ed Estella requested that the town continue looking into increasing the PILOT program to bring in more money while Nancy Morris asked what the position of the assessors was.  The Assessors had taken the position a while ago to go with the single rate for both business and residential.  The vote was then re-considered and passed two to one with Mr. Rooney the lone vote for the dual tax rate.

Southborough Gardeners

Present…

 “A Traditional New England Christmas”

with Mark Hagopian

Thursday, November 18^th, 2010

10:00 am

Pilgrim Church

15 Common Street, Southborough

-          Intersection of Route 30 & Route 85    –

v Floral Design Presentation

v Holiday Boutique

v FlowerArrangements to be Raffled

v Tea, Coffee & Refreshments

Tickets  $5.00 in advance;  $10.00 at the door

    Call 508-951-8997 for advance tickets

Proceeds benefit town beautification, education & scholarship   

November 16, 2010 - a 2 - 1 win puts Southborough Girls Field Hockey into the finals after beating South Hadley.  The girls will head to the State championship game this Sat @ 10AM at Worcester State.

Above photo - Liz Holmes' first of two goals

November 15, 2010 - Word has it that this year the Scouting for Food drive produced 11,096 pounds compared to last year's 8300 pounds.

Southborough meetings

November 14 to November 20, 2010

Board of Selectmen Public Hearing - Reconsideration of Allocation of Tax Rate

FY '11 Tax Classification Hearing Information
November 16, 2010
8 :00 pm
McAuliffe Hearing Room, Town House

Senior Center Activities

Southborough Library  website:  Click here

Amnesty Days at the Library – November 8-22

It’s that time of year again. Southborough Library will forgive any  fines or fees on overdue Southborough items – in exchange for a non-perishable food, or paper goods for the Southborough Food Pantry.  We are not able to forgive fines or fees from other libraries, but we can help out on our items.  Volunteers at the Food Pantry tell us that the donation of paper towels, tissue, cleaning supplies and other paper products are always needed.  For more information, stop by or call the Library at 508-485-5031.