Above: The front page of the Southborough Villager on November 16, 2001
Each week we take a look back at the top stories reported in the Southborough Villager 10 years, 20 years, and 30 years ago. Here are the stories that were making headlines during the week of November 14. If you have memories about any of these events, please share them in the comments.
10 years ago: Southborough votes to expand Algonquin High
After nearly five years of planning and discussion – and contention – the decision about whether to renovate Algoqnuin or build a new high school for Southborough culminated in a four-hour Special Town Meeting debate followed by a vote. In the end, Southborough voted 688-412 to support a $59.2M renovation and expansion plan. The Villager said the debate was punctuated by “a few outburts, some applause and many passionate arguements.” The proposal would still require approval from a Special Town Meeting in Northborough, as well as at special elections in both towns. (Southborough Villager, November 16, 2001)
20 years ago: Temporary fire chief to be appointed
With then-Chief Frank Aspinwall just over a month from his planned retirement, the Board of Selectmen decided to appoint a temporary chief until a permanent one could be hired. (Sound familiar?) The board said they wanted to wait on hiring a permanent chief until an ongoing public safety study was completed. Wrote the Villager, “That study…will analyze the current police and fire department and could suggest the creation of one public safety department. Should that occur, those departments may not require two separate chiefs.” I don’t know what the results of the study were, but seeing as our police and fire departments are still separate, I’m guessing they didn’t recommend consolidation. (Southborough Villager, November 14, 1991)
30 years ago: Southborough water tested for fecal contamination
That’s certainly a headline you never want to read. The Southborough Water Department reported higher than acceptable levels of coliform bacteria at three sites in town, but follow up tests the next day and the day after were within normal ranges. “The implication of that is that the higher readings were caused by human error in the collection process, rather than by the presence of bacteria in our water source,” wrote the Villager. The Water Department said it would make improvements to its collection methods in the future. (Southborough Villager, November 6, 1981)
