Above: The old ice pond on Beal’s Preserve (Photo by Beth Melo)
It’s time for another open thread. What’s on your mind this week, Southborough?
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So happy to see the progress being made on the Burnett House. Also the person who purchased the Lundblad house on Main Street is doing a grand job of rehabbing and renovating the house. Kudos to everyone who is helping with both huge projects. Now to the red house on Main Street that is fading and has every weed in the world growing around it and no one living there for several years!!
Which red house on Main Street are you referring to?
Funny, I noticed that yesterday. What is the story with that? Also, the bright blue house on Boston Road has the same type of weeds and looks horrible! Why is this allowed to happen without the home owners taking responsibility? Both these houses look awful.
I agree Pat D! Those two homes are looking wonderful, each in their own way. I don’t know anything about the plans for red house on Main St. but speaking of a yard of weeds, the old Donahue house on Boston Rd. looks horrendous. Mrs. Donahue must be turning in her grave. Did anyone happen to watch this week’s planning board meeting? 28 Boston Rd. is going to be razed and the developers have submitted two plans for approval. One has two duplexes and two houses, the other has seven houses. What a shame they can’t take a lesson from what is happening at 85 Main St. and refurbish the existing house. New homes in that neighborhood will certainly change the feel of it, which is what I thought we were trying to avoid when we voted in the Historical Commission’s new bylaws concerning demolition of homes built before 1925.
Those new houses will be needed when Worcester wins the Amazon second headquarters bid. We’re going to need more schools and at least one more ladder truck as well. Might have to rethink the golf course plans. There’s going to be a spending spree and housing boom like we have not seen before. Don’t laugh – could happen. Only real negative is Logan airport (ok – maybe high taxes as well). One or two times through there is enough to make you quit traveling altogether.
28 Boston Rd. was on the market for $400,000, but it’s a mess inside. That price looked to me like part of the plan to tear it down all along. Of course, I could be wrong, that’s just a guess.
It would be very reasonable at a lower price to convert it to a two-family, since there are existing entrances on opposite sides, but the town allowed the new owner to put in a 3-bedroom septic system when the house clearly calls for a 5-bedroom system. (Maybe the motive for ignoring the finished third floor was to make the house easier to sell – I’m not alleging anything nefarious.)
I believe that the septic system was replaced before the sale went through.
I guess that’s possible, but the realtor told me it was a foreclosure, and the timing suggested the new owner did the work.
In any case, the Title V rules for the house should have applied to any owner. I recall putting in a 4-bedroom system for a much smaller house, at which time the town told me the rule was basically number of rooms divided by 2. I was ok with that, since my house had four bedrooms, even though we were using one as an office (and it was tiny).
Kelly, I am sorry, but you have been missed informed. 28 Boston was owned by the Donahue family. Helen was a good freind of mine. Her grandfarher was the original owner of that house. It most defiantly was not a foreclosure. I wonder what other lies the realator told you and what the motive was? As far as how many bedrooms the house has, I would imagine the town would have that on record. There is no heat on the 3rd floor, but that there is a full 3rd foor is very uncommon in Southborough.
Oh my goodness! My post has so many typos! Eeks…sorry….
Thanks, DR. Never mind typos!
Beth, do you know where I can go to find plans for whats currently being done on Flagg Road? I’ve been seeing a lot of paint markings on the road and i have no clue what going in or out. Yesterday there was a cement block with bolts installed and i presume something is being mounted on that. Any direction on this would be appreciated.
If you are referring to some kind of roadwork, you can always contact Public Works at (508) 485-1210. I don’t know what you are referring to, but DPW said they would be installing driver feedback signs. And they also have plans to redesign the intersection with Deerfoot Road.
You can read past coverage here: Yellow line on Flagg: Resident reaction and DPW response (driver feedback signs coming this fall)
I have a question, may be someone can answer it.
If there is a crosswalk painted across the street from sidewalk to sidewalk should there be a pedestrian/crosswalk sign at that crosswalk warning drivers ? if a sign is required southborough needs to add some.