Here is a selection of the committee and board meetings for the week along with my selected highlights from the agendas. All these meetings are open to the public, so you’re welcome to stop on by.
Be aware that changes to the meeting schedule are known to happen throughout the week. For an updated list of meetings, visit the town website.
Monday, January 30, 2017
- Open Space Preservation Commission, 6:00 pm @ Town House, Hearing Room, 17 Common St (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Attending Public Safety Building Commitee meeting
- Southborough Planning Board, 6:00 pm @ Town House, Hearing Room, 17 Common St (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Attending Public Safety Building Commitee meeting for their presentation
- Northborough – Southborough Regional School Committee – Naming Subcommittee, 6:00 pm @ Algonquin Regional High School, Room D110i (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Discussion on approved nominations
- Public Safety Study Committee, 6:00 pm @ Town House, Hearing Room, 17 Common St (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Discussion with other town boards & public
- School Committee – Operational Budget Subcommittee, 7:30 pm @ Margaret A. Neary Elementary School, Office of the Superintendent, Conference Room (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Budget discussion with Advisory Committee liaison
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
- Recreation Commission, 7:00 pm @ Recreation Office, 21 Highland Street (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Lights at Mooney Field and Richardson Tennis Courts
- Advisory Committee, 7:30 pm @ Cordaville Hall, Rooms A and B, 9 Cordaville Road (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Review Budgets & Warrant Articles for EDC, Building Dept, ZBA, and DPW; Reserve Fund Transfer request from St Marks Golf Course Master Plan Committee to pay for consultant
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
- St. Mark’s Master Plan Committee meeting, 7:00 pm @ Cordaville Hall, Rooms A and B, 9 Cordaville Road (agenda) Agenda Highlights: General concerns of all community members
Friday, February 3, 2017
- Economic Development Committee, 7:45 am @ Town House, Hearing Room, 17 Common St (agenda) Agenda Highlights: EDC Bylaw
(Photo by Susan Fitzgerald)
Have you seen the lights at Woodward, do you really think those are appropriate for the surrounding homes rec department? How about the people who like on Mooney and on Parkerville directly across from the field. Those lights rival those at for instance BU field. I know there is progress and all but you all who always tout to keep Southborough’s quaintness should chime in. They also look horrendous.
I vaguely remember the article at a recent town meeting to allocate funds to replace the lights. I don’t remember seeing examples of what the replacements would look like. This is what happens when people vote on articles with no knowledge of what it entails. I agree with you, very industrial looking for the quaint town of Southborough.
I agree. These are totally inappropriate for the center of town. My fear is what are the traffic lights going to look like now that we are taking state funding for Main Street? I hope someone is on top of this and not allow something like this to happen there as well. The traffic lights should not be like the one’s used on route 9. Don’t ruin the character of this town!
Chime: I believe the new lights are safer, more efficient/greener, and more cosmetically appealing than the tilted, telephone-poled ones. Kudos to the town. It will be nice for the kids to be able to play soccer under a well-lit field in their quaint hometown.
I have been intending to run a post on the subject, since I know some residents are concerned. I just haven’t found the time yet. But it is the reason that I highlighted the meeting in the headline.
The Tuesday meeting is a public one. Those who are concerned should feel free to attend the meeting to raise their concerns and/or ask questions.
(Sorry – I referred to Wednesday by mistake earlier.)
You are confused about what the bylaw that was voted down represented. It didn’t abolish the committee or its budget.
The EDC was created years ago as an Ad Hoc committee. Ad Hoc committees are appointed by selectmen, but intended to have a temporary charge. However, Town Officials value its work and want it to continue. (And Town Meeting voters in April voted to approve their budget again to continue operating. That is why they have a budget.)
To come out of “Ad Hoc” status and become a permanent standing committee, members asked voters to authorize making them the (long-defunct) Industrial Development Commission. (They would still operate under EDC as its public name.) Opponents said it wasn’t a good fit, objecting to some of the language in the related state law defining the committee. (Including 5 year terms.) Opponents argued that the EDC should instead come back to Town Meeting with a request to form that committee, with language appropriate to their actual mission.
I haven’t seen the language of the article they are presenting. But presumably it is following up on their efforts. So, it’s not fishy for them to head back to Town Meeting with a bylaw. It was the expected next step.
You can read more about the history here.