Educate Hopkinton Blog

School Committee to Enter Contract Negotiations With Dr. Steven Hiersche (from Framingham Schools) as Interim Superintendent

2012-07-19T15:00:00.000-04:00

To recap the process to date, Assistant Superintendent, Dr Mary Ann DeMello, is now the Acting Superintendent through July 31, 2012. An Interim Superintendent Search Screening Committee was formed in June, consisting of two School Committee members and four HPS Administrative Team Members. (Names were drawn out of a hat, to select the two out of five School Committee members to be on this committee.) The Screening Committee members are: Nancy Burdick, Jon Graziano, Alan Keller (Middle School Principal), Mary Ann DeMello (Assistant Superintendent), Kim Pulnik (Director of Human Resources) and Marijane Hackett (Director of Student Services / Special Education). The Screening Committee received 18 applications for the position of Interim Superintendent, they selected five semi-finalists, but two of those candidates withdrew their applications. The three remaining candidates, Mr Dennis Duquette, Dr Steven Hiersche and Mary Ellen Johnson, were interviewed in open televised school committee meetings on July 9 and 11. You can watch the interviews on the HCAM website http://www.hcam.tv/government-meetings. After interviewing the three candidates, the School Committee voted to move one candidate, Dr Hiersche, forward for further consideration. Members of the School Committee and HPS Administration called Dr Hiersche’s colleagues in the districts where he previously worked. Dr Hiersche also met with members of the HPS administrative team. At last night’s School Committee meeting, the School Committee voted three to two to select Dr Hiersche as Interim Superintendent. Pending successful contract negotiations, Dr Hiersche will start August 1, 2012.

Dr. Steven Hiersche holds a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Sarasota. He also holds Master of Education in Secondary Administration and Bachelor of Arts degrees from Westfield State College. He was recently the Superintendent for Framingham Public Schools, and previously served as Superintendent for Watertown and Plymouth Public Schools, as well as the Orleans Southwest Supervisory Union in Vermont. Prior to those positions, Dr. Hiersche held various principal and assistant principal posts. He began his career as a mathematics teacher in Enfield, CT.

New Childcare Transportation Waiver for 2012-13 School Year

2012-07-19T14:50:00.000-04:00

New for the 2012-13 School Year, in order for parents to have their children bussed to an alternate bus stop (not their home residence) such as a daycare, the daycare provider must contract with the school and pay a $100 fee per child. (The fee may be passed down to the parents from the daycare.) Parents must also sign a waiver form from the Hopkinton Public Schools releasing them from liability. This form is similar to forms in other districts and similar to what parents regularly sign for field trip permission forms. See links below for more information.

HPS Childcare Transportation Letter 2012-13
http://hopkinton.schoolwires.net/cms/lib4/MA01001785/Centricity/Shared/Transportation/DaycareLetter2012-13.pdf

HPS Waiver Form - Transportation to an Alternate Location
http://hopkinton.schoolwires.net/cms/lib4/MA01001785/Centricity/Shared/Transportation/WaiverDaycare.pdf

Sample HPS Field trip Waiver Form
http://www.hopkinton.k12.ma.us/high_1/pdf/FanBusForm.pdf

Bus waiver worries some Hopkinton parents
By Michael Morton, Hopkinton Crier
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x345282544/Bus-waiver-worries-some-Hopkinton-parents

Hopkinton parents say day care bus waiver unfair
By Michael Morton, Hopkinton Crier
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x1225004636/Hopkinton-parents-say-day-care-bus-waiver-unfair

Downtown Initiative Steering Committee (DISC) Update

2012-07-19T14:40:00.000-04:00

After failed town meeting votes on the expansion of the Bill’s Pizza parking lot behind town hall and on the undergrounding of utilities on Main Street downtown, the Downtown Initiative Steering Committee (DISC) has regrouped to come up with a modified plan that will have more support from business owners and residents. According to the Hopkinton Crier, a new plan for modifying the intersection of Route 85 and Route 135 has the support of Sandy Varnum of Colella’s Supermarket. Read more on the Crier website:

Hopkinton downtown deal benefits business, developers
By Michael Morton, Hopkinton Crier
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x1052258698/Hopkinton-downtown-deal-benefits-business-developers

Board of Selectmen, Town Committee Openings and Road Closure Updates

2012-07-19T14:30:00.000-04:00

After the May Town Election, the Board of Selectmen reorganized as they do every year. Ben Palleiko was elected Chair and John Mosher was elected Vice-Chair. Congratulations to them both from the Educate Hopkinton board! Town Hall also has two new faces this month. Welcome to Jamie Hellen, the new Operations Assistant to the Town Manager (replacing Geri Holland), and welcome also to Christopher Ketchen, the new Finance Director (replacing Heidi Kriger). Contact info is below. The Board of Selectmen typically meet the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 6:30pm at Town Hall, 2nd Floor Hearing Room. Meetings are usually televised on HCAM-TV. Comments from the public are welcome at the beginning of each regular meeting. There are many openings for volunteers on town boards and committees, please contact Jamie Hellen if you are interested in applying for a position.

Legacy Farms Construction Updates: To stay informed about road closings, be sure to sign up for ALL THREE of the following town email lists:
HPD Traffic Updates: https://groups.google.com/a/hopkintonpd.org/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/hpdtraffic
DPW Updates: https://groups.google.com/a/hopkintonma.gov/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/dpwworks
Water/Sewer Department Updates: https://groups.google.com/a/hopkintonma.gov/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/watersewer

New Town Contact Info:
Ben Palleiko, Chair, Board of Selectmen ben@palleiko.com
John Mosher, Vice Chair, Board of Selectmen jmindesign@gmail.com
Todd Cestari, Board of Selectmen tcestari@hopkinton.org
Michelle Gates, Board of Selectmen mgates@hopkinton.org
Brian Herr, Board of Selectmen bherr@hopkinton.org
Norman Khumalo, Town Manager nkhumalo@hopkintonma.gov
Jamie Hellen, Operations Assistant to the Town Manager jhellen@hopkintonma.gov

School Committee Update and School Council Openings

2012-07-19T14:20:00.000-04:00

After the May Town Election, the School Committee reorganized as they do every year. Nancy Burdick was elected Chair and Scott Aghababian was elected Vice Chair. Congratulations to them both from the Educate Hopkinton board! Contact info is below. Elmwood School has a new principal this year, David Ljungberg, who was the formerly the Assistant Principal for both Elmwood and Hopkins Schools. As Mr Ljungberg becomes principal, Elmwood teacher, Tim Kearnan, will take Mr Ljungberg’s position as Assistant Principal. The School Committee typically meets every other Thursday during the school year at 7:30pm in the Middle School Library and meetings are usually televised on HCAM-TV. Comments from the public are welcomed at the beginning of each regular meeting. During the summer the School Committee usually has non-televised working sessions in the Administration Building. The public may still attend, but working sessions are not televised and there is no public comment period.

School Council: There are many openings for volunteers to be on the School Council at each of our schools. School Councils were established by the Education Reform Act of 1993 to increase collaboration among school and community stakeholders and to strengthen teaching and learning for students. Parent representatives to the Council meet regularly with the principal, selected teachers, and a community member to formulate a plan for improving our schools. A School Council member is a two-year positions. This is a once-a-month volunteer commitment that can give you valuable input and insight into our schools. For more information or to apply to be on a School Council contact HPTA School Council Coordinator, Lee Burns at schoolcouncil@hptaonline.com. Candidate biographies are due at the end of August and elections (if needed) will be held at the Back-to-School Nights in September.

New School Contact Info:
Email the whole School Committee at once: hpsschoolcommittee@hopkinton.k12.ma.us
Nancy Burdick, Chair, School Committee, nburdick@hopkinton.k12.ma.us
Scott Aghababian, Vice Chair, School Committee, saghababian@hopkinton.k12.ma.us
Rebecca Robak, School Committee, rrobak@hopkinton.k12.ma.us
Jean Bertschmann, School Committee, jbertschmann@hopkinton.k12.ma.us
Jonathan Graziano, School Committee, jgraziano@hopkinton.k12.ma.us
Mary Ann DeMello, Acting Superintendent, mdemello@hopkinton.k12.ma.us

Support Educate Hopkinton via Amazon.com or Direct Donation

2012-07-19T14:00:00.000-04:00

Thank you so much to the 13 families who have donated to Educate Hopkinton this year! We have raised over $180 so far, which represents one third of this year’s fundraising goal of $545. We have enough to cover our website hosting fees which are due this month and some of our other administrative costs for the coming year. If you haven’t donated yet, please consider making a small donation of $10, $15 or $25.

Click here to Donate Online Via Paypal

Donate by Check:
Tara Sanda, Educate Hopkinton Treasurer, 4 Equestrian Drive, Hopkinton MA 01748

Don’t forget Amazon.com!
If you purchase any item from Amazon.com via the Educate Hopkinton Amazon Store, Educate Hopkinton will receive a portion of the proceeds. Check it out! http://astore.amazon.com/educahopki05-20

Interim Superintendent Interviews Tonight and Wednesday

2012-07-09T16:06:00.003-04:00

At their June 7 meeting, the School Committee voted to appoint Dr Mary Ann DeMello the Acting Superintendent for July 1 to July 31, 2012. They also voted at that time to move forward with a search for an Interim Superintendent for the 2012-13 School Year. The Interim Superintendent Search Screening Committee has identified three candidates for further consideration by the School Committee. The six member Screening Committee included representation from the School Committee, the Hopkinton Public Schools administrative office, and building level administration. The Screening Committee reviewed the resumes of 17 applicants for this position, two of whom later withdrew from consideration. At the conclusion of its review, the Interim Superintendent Search Screening Committee put forth the following slate of candidates (in alphabetical order) to the School Committee for further consideration:

Mr. Dennis Duquette holds a Master’s in Education from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Siena College in New York. He served as the Superintendent of RSU #16 in Maine, and prior to that position, held various principal and assistant principal posts. He began his career in education as a social studies and language arts teacher. His early career in the private sector includes extensive experience in sales operations management.

Dr. Steven Hiersche holds a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Sarasota. He also holds Master of Education in Secondary Administration and Bachelor of Arts degrees from Westfield State College. He was recently the Superintendent for Framingham Public Schools, and previously served as Superintendent for Watertown and Plymouth Public Schools, as well as the Orleans Southwest Supervisory Union in Vermont. Prior to those positions, Dr. Hiersche held various principal and assistant principal posts. He began his career as a mathematics teacher in Enfield, CT.

Dr. Mary Ellen Johnson holds a Doctor of Organizational Leadership degree from Columbia University, a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Antioch University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Delta State University in Mississippi. She has previously served as Superintendent for Sandwich Public Schools, and for the New York City Board of Education. Prior to those positions, Dr. Johnson held various curriculum director and principal posts. She began her career as a teacher in the Boston and Brookline Public Schools.

The School Committee will interview the semi-finalists during televised working sessions at the Middle School Library tonight and Wednesday. Members of the public are welcome to attend in person or watch on HCAM-TV (Comcast Channel 8, Verizon Channel 30, Streaming Live www.hcam.tv). The interview dates and times are:

Monday, July 9
7:30pm Mr. Duquette
8:30pm Dr. Hiersche

Wednesday, July 11
7:30pm Dr. Johnson

The HPS administrative team will have the opportunity to meet with the finalists prior to the School Committee’s selection. The School Committee plans to announce its selected candidate for the position of Interim Superintendent of Schools at its scheduled working session on July 18, 2012.

Documents and Recent News Articles on the Superintendent’s Resignation

2012-07-09T16:03:00.001-04:00

Superintendent Transition Plan - HPS Press Release June 8, 2012
http://educatehopkinton.com/pdf/Superintendent-Transition-Plan-6-8-12.pdf

Superintendent Resignation Announcement - HPS Press Release May 25, 2012
http://www.hcam.tv/news/landman-resigns-effective-june-30-2012

Settlement and Severance Agreement Between Dr Landman and Hopkinton School Committee (pdf) - May 17, 2012
http://educatehopkinton.com/pdf/Superintendent-Landman-Settlement-05-17-12.pdf

Dr Landman’s Letter of Resignation (pdf) - May 17, 2012
http://educatehopkinton.com/pdf/Landman-Resignation-Letter-5-17-12.pdf

Dr Landman’s Original Contract - April 28, 2011
Approved by the School Committee in a 3 to 2 vote. Members Jean Bertschmann, Rebecca Robak and Troy Mick were in favor. Members Nancy Burdick and Richard de Mont were opposed. Both Burdick and de Mont expressed support for Dr Landman the person, but not for the terms of the contract. Landman’s contract was for three years at a salary of $180,000 a year.
Meeting Minutes - http://www.hopkinton.k12.ma.us/newweb2/schoolcommittee/agenda_minutes/04-28-11_MINUTES.pdf

Watch previous School Committee meetings on the HCAM website:
http://www.hcam.tv/government-meetings

Read School Committee agendas and meeting minutes on the district website:
http://hopkinton.schoolwires.net/domain/89

Hopkinton to choose from retired superintendents to fill open post
Read more by Michael Morton in the Hopkinton Crier http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x478683484/Hopkinton-to-choose-from-retired-superintendents-to-fill-open-post#ixzz204G6Fg5o

Quiet exit for Hopkinton school chief was part of severance
Read more by Michael Morton in the Hopkinton Crier http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x1222859668/Quiet-exit-for-Hopkinton-school-chief-was-part-of-severance#ixzz204KPlKID

Records show Hopkinton school chief (Dr Landman) resigned before election
Read more by Michael Morton in the Hopkinton Crier http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x345282568/Records-show-Hopkinton-school-chief-resigned-before-election#ixzz204FnHzNM

Hopkinton residents want answers about school chief’s resignation
Read more by Michael Morton in the Hopkinton Crier http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x345280531/Hopkinton-residents-want-answers-about-school-chief-s-resignation#ixzz204GyiyR0

Hopkinton superintendent who resigned to receive $105K in severance
Read more by Michael Morton in the Hopkinton Crier http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x1982680682/Hopkinton-superintendent-who-resigned-to-receive-105K-in-severance#ixzz204HGFhwj

Marlborough pays former superintendent $99k - The School Committee has agreed to pay former Superintendent Anthony Pope nearly $100,000, according to a separation agreement released Friday.

New: Subscribe to Town Emails, Traffic Updates and More

2012-07-09T16:00:00.001-04:00

Have you checked out the new Town of Hopkinton website http://www.hopkintonma.gov? Thanks to Chris McClure, the town’s new IT Director, town government information is now a lot more accessible. You can subscribe by email to meeting agendas, traffic/road closure updates, police log, youth commission announcements and more http://www.hopkintonma.gov/home/about/follow. This is extremely helpful if you need to know when the roads around Legacy Farms are open or closed. You can also follow various town departments on Twitter https://twitter.com/hopkintonma. You can even subscribe to the official government meetings calendar using any ical compliant calendar program, such as Google Calendar and Apple iCalendar: http://www.hopkintonma.gov/home/government/towncalendar. Be sure to check it out. Thank you Chris McClure for making this possible!

Criteria for the Solution to the Challenges at Center School and Elmwood School

2012-07-09T15:57:00.003-04:00

The Criteria Working Group (CWG) comprised of several community members, as well as town and school employees, has been working since March on developing a set of criteria to address the constraints at Center School and Elmwood School. On June 7, the CWG presented their report and their 11 recommended criteria to the School Committee. CWG members were:

Pat Baratta, Council on Aging Representative
Kim Brennan, Community Representative
Ben Chirco, Ballot Question Committee Representative
Kenneth Clark, Fire Chief, District Safety Committee Representative
Laura Connolly, Sustainable Green Committee Representative
Mary Ann DeMello, Ed.D., Assistant Superintendent
Greg Denon, Community Representative
Ron Foisy, Community Representative
Trina Macchi, Real Estate Agent Representative
Greg Martineau, Hopkins Principal, Elementary School Principal Representative
Erika Maurer, Special Education Advisory Council Representative
Thomas Nealon, Chamber of Commerce Representative
Pam Pendleton, Hopkinton Teachers’ Association Representative
Tara Sanda, Educate Hopkinton Representative

[NOTE: Frank Sivo, Community Representative, resigned from the CWG on May 31, and did not wish for his name to be associated with the final recommendations]

Eleven Recommended Criteria:

The solution should minimize safety concerns including: safe building access, safe pick up and drop off area, clearly identified school zone, safe playground area, free of known, or the potential for future, environmental hazards and issues.
The facility (or facilities) is conducive to contemporary educational practices for student learning, such as: small group activities (student collaboration), whole class instruction, small group instruction (teacher directed), technology integration, virtual learning, laboratory space for problem and project-based work.
The facility (or facilities) includes appropriate measures to accommodate emergency safety needs, including but not limited to fire, medical, disaster and lockdown.
The solution must resolve or remove the need to resolve facility issues as identified in the most recent Capital Asset Assessment document as prepared by Habeeb and Associates related to the Elmwood and Center Schools.
The facility (or facilities) supports the strategic visions for the Hopkinton Public Schools and the Town of Hopkinton.
Adequate space is provided to accommodate professional services and meetings conducted within the school including, but not limited to: nurse’s health area, guidance offices, art & music spaces, therapeutic rooms, speech and language services, and consultation areas.
The facility (or facilities) allows for flexibility to accommodate resources for students with documented needs, including but not limited to, a therapeutic space.
The solution identifies costs outside the domain of the school district including but not limited to town services such as water, sewer, utilities, signaling lights and signage, roads and sidewalks.
If either Center or Elmwood Schools are decommissioned as school buildings, the solution should address the financial impact of maintaining or disposing of either property.
The solution considers cost and operational efficiencies in each of the following categories including, but not limited to: administrative, educational, and operations and maintenance
The feasibility study for the Center and Elmwood Schools must include options for expansion and renovation of existing school buildings and new construction.

View the full CWG Final Report
http://educatehopkinton.com/pdf/CWG-Report-Recommendations-06-07-12.pdf

Support Educate Hopkinton via Amazon.com or Direct Donation

2012-07-09T15:55:00.000-04:00

Thank you so much to everyone who has donated this year! We have received over $100 so far and we really appreciate it. If you haven’t donated yet, please consider making a small donations of $5, $10 or $25 to help us cover our administrative costs this coming year. Our proposed budget for next year is $545, which covers insurance, website hosting and photocopies. We need your donation today.

Click here to Donate Online Via Paypal

Donate by Check:
Tara Sanda, Educate Hopkinton Treasurer, 4 Equestrian Drive, Hopkinton MA 01748

Don’t forget Amazon.com!
If you purchase any item from Amazon.com via the Educate Hopkinton Amazon Store, Educate Hopkinton will receive a portion of the proceeds. Check it out! http://astore.amazon.com/educahopki05-20

Town and School Building Survey Results

2012-06-07T16:53:00.000-04:00

Recently the Permanent Building Committee, in conjunction with the School Committee, did a survey of all Town and School Buildings. We are including a brief summary below, but you may click here to read the full results. The group was charged by Board of Selectmen and School Committee to study ALL Town and School Buildings for condition and necessary repairs. The study did NOT review buildings for suitability of use. The study strictly analyzed buildings as currently used with no feasibility analysis. For example these repairs would not expand any older buildings that may now be considered too small for a town of Hopkinton's current size. It would not enlarge any classrooms in Center School, where classrooms are currently smaller than rooms at the other two elementary schools. Any projects related to buildings which are to be replaced MAY reduce or eliminate cost. Required ADA compliance was factored into cost estimates given in the survey results.

Town Buildings: The total cost of repairs needed over the next five years in current dollars is approximately $2,658,782 (2.6 million dollars). The following town buildings need repairs that exceed the value of the building itself: Public Library and DPW Wood Street Highway/Water Building. The following town buildings need repairs that exceed the 30% value of the building, requiring full ADA compliance: Woodville Fire Department, DPW Wood Street Sand Shed and DPW Facility on Mahew Street. Read Executive Summary of Town Building Report https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B_Dg3BMNzeU4VEg2SVF1RTY4bDA/edit?docId=0B_Dg3BMNzeU4TmFKQUwzd0VYUkk

School Buildings: The total cost of repairs needed over the next five years in current dollars is approximately $14,354,617 (14.4 million dollars). The following school buildings need repairs that exceed the value of the building itself: Center School and Elmwood School. The other buildings only need repairs less than 30% of their value. Read the Executive Summary of School Building Report https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B_Dg3BMNzeU4VEg2SVF1RTY4bDA/edit?docId=0B_Dg3BMNzeU4dXR0OE5CdlJGUFk

Building	FY13	FY14	FY15	FY16	FY17	Totals	Building Value*	Building 30% Value
White House	$23,760	$263,790	$22,680	$0	$20,142	$330,372
Middle School	$0	$270,000	$307,800	$24,975	$334,800	$937,575	$7,825,300	$2,347,590
High School	$0	$0	$0	$461,700	$0	$461,700	$24,248,000	$7,274,400
Hopkins School	$90,450	$465,750	$315,900	$0	$0	$872,100	$7,443,400	$2,233,020
Center School	$823,000	$189,203	$4,508,325	$0	$184,005	$5,704,533	$2,661,000	$798,300
Elmwood School	$1,474,200	$136,080	$4,249,058	$0	$189,000	$6,048,338	$4,316,100	$1,294,830

Public Library	$ 138,217	$ 322,430	$ 434,287	$ 94,167	$ 405	$1,029,143	$ 499,400	$ 149,820
Fire Department- Main Street Facility	$ 39,675	$ 33,737	$ 37,463	$ 36,612	$23,963	$ 264,275	$ 2,468,400	$ 740,520
Woodville Fire Department	$ 8,178	$ 19,103	$ 1,553	$ 85,509	$ 2,233	$ 135,926	$ 349,600	$ 104,880
Police Department	$ 55,215	$ 2,700	$ 675	$ 16,200	$ 3,375	$ 102,600	$ 2,300,000	$ 690,000
Senior Center	$ 5,535	$ 2,025	$ -	$ 17,753	$ -	$ 25,313	$ 3,168,900	$ 950,670
DPW - Wood Street Highway/Water	$ 25,562	$ 299,936	$ 5,333	$ 324,405	$37,395	$ 733,401	$ 143,800	$ 43,140
DPW Wood Street - Sand Shed	$ -	$ -	$ -	$ 56,025	$20,050	$ 76,075	$ 100,000	$ 30,000
DPW - Fruit Street Garage	$ 10,868	$ 2,025	$ 174,657	$ 6,548	$ 2,025	$ 247,490	$ 857,000	$ 257,100
DPW Fruit Street Administrative Building	$ 7,250	$ -	$ 16,583	$ 10,125	$ -	$ 59,668	$ 247,900	$ 74,370
DPW Facility at Mayhew Street	$ 675	$ 10,800	$ 9,591	$ 11,138	$13,716	$ 71,773	$ 75,000	$ 22,500
Town Hall	$ 62,465	$ 60,885	$ 6,075	$ 87,305	$16,335	$ 233,943	$ 1,151,900	$ 345,570

Previously Identified Projects - Library	$69,661	$27,000	$20,635	$0	$0	$117,296
Previously Identified Projects - Town Hall	$400,000	$251,000	$0	$0	$0	$651,000

Totals	$3,234,711	$2,356,464	$10,110,615	$1,232,462	$847,444	$18,102,520

Red indicates that needed repairs exceed building value.
Purple indicates that needed repairs exceed 30% building value, requiring full ADA compliance.

*School Building values obtained on the Hopkinton Assessor's Office website: http://hopkinton.patriotproperties.com/
All other information in the chart came from the Permanent Building Committee's presentation available on the town website: https://docs.google.com/a/hopkintonma.gov/folder/d/0B_Dg3BMNzeU4VEg2SVF1RTY4bDA/edit#

Printable PDF version of the Chart http://educatehopkinton.com/pdf/EH-Chart-BuildingSurveySummary.pdf

Read all the details and documents on the town website:
https://docs.google.com/a/hopkintonma.gov/folder/d/0B_Dg3BMNzeU4VEg2SVF1RTY4bDA/edit#

School Committee Meeting Tonight - Many Important Topics

2012-06-07T16:50:00.000-04:00

Attend tonight or watch on HCAM-TV http://www.hcam.tv/ (Verizon 30/Comcast 8). Highlights include
7:00pm Report of the Criteria Working Group with recommendations on the criteria for the solution to the Center School challenge.
7:40pm Public Comment - Residents may make comments on any school topic.
8:15pm Superintendent Transition Plan
9:10pm 1:1 Laptop Initiative Pilot 2012-13 Participation Update
Please note that all times are approximate. It will depend on how much discussion there is on each issue.

Read the full agenda at http://hopkinton.schoolwires.net/cms/lib4/MA01001785/Centricity/domain/89/2011-12/agenda/06-07-12.pdf

The Milford Casino is back in the news! Stay informed - Read more...

2012-06-07T16:45:00.000-04:00

http://casinofreemilford.com/
http://www.change.org/petitions/neighbors-for-a-casino-free-milford

Rival: ‘Scrutiny’ needed in Caesars’ Mass. casino bid - Nunes still wants to build in Milford - Boston Herald
http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20220607rival_scrutiny_needed_in_caesars_mass_casino_bid/srvc=home&position=also

Suffolk Downs offers casino proposal; Milford rival stands by plan - Metrowest Daily News
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x1067106771/Suffolk-Downs-offers-casino-proposal-Milford-rival-stands-by-plan

Support Educate Hopkinton via Direct Donation or Amazon.com

2012-06-07T16:40:00.000-04:00

Thank you so much to everyone who donated last year and to the two people who donated this week! Our annual website hosting bill of $59.88 is coming due in July. Small donations of $5, $10 or $25 are desperately needed to help us cover our administrative costs this coming year. Our proposed budget for next year is $545, which covers insurance, website hosting and photocopies. We need your $5 donation today.
Donate Online Via Paypal
Donate by Check: Tara Sanda, Educate Hopkinton Treasurer, 4 Equestrian Drive, Hopkinton MA 01748

Have you ordered Father’s Day gifts yet? How about a Kindle, a GPS or a popular new book like The Hunger Games? If you purchase any item from Amazon.com via the Educate Hopkinton Amazon Store, Educate Hopkinton will receive a portion of the proceeds. Check it out! http://astore.amazon.com/educahopki05-20
Kindle Fire $199: http://astore.amazon.com/educahopki05-20/detail/B0051VVOB2
Kindle $79: http://astore.amazon.com/educahopki05-20/detail/B0051QVESA
Garmin GPS $126.99: http://astore.amazon.com/educahopki05-20/detail/B003ZX8B2S
The Hunger Games $9.98 Hardcover, $5.00 Kindle: http://astore.amazon.com/educahopki05-20/detail/B002MQYOFW

Our Annual Member Meeting is coming up this Saturday, June 9 at 4:00-7:00pm at the Sandas, 4 Equestrian Drive, Hopkinton. For planning purposes, please RSVP online at http://www.punchbowl.com/parties/4216008-eh-annual-meeting-family-cookout. Only members can vote on our budget. If you are not a member, use the link at the bottom of this email to become a member.

Bertschmann and Graziano Win School Committee, Only 4 of 10 Ballot Questions Pass, Harris Wins Library Trustee

2012-05-21T22:51:00.000-04:00

1829 Voters participated, which is slightly higher than last May's Town Election, but still a fairly low turnout. We tried to accurately transcribe the results as the Town Clerk read them on HCAM-TV, but please forgive any typos. Thank you to HCAM for covering the election results live every year!

SELECTMEN, For 3 years, Vote for 2
Blank 974
Michelle A. Gates, Republican, Incumbent 1384
Todd A. Cestari, Incumbent 1279
Write-In 24

BOARD OF ASSESSORS, For 3 years, Vote for 1
Blank 389
John H. Duffy, Incumbent 1437
Write-In 3

BOARD OF HEALTH, For 3 years, Vote for 1
Blank 509
Paul R. Winshman, Republican 1315
Write-In 5

BOARD OF LIBRARY COMMISSIONERS, For 3 years, Vote for 1
Blank 510
John G. Belger, Incumbent 1316
Write-In 3

BOARD OF LIBRARY COMMISSIONERS, Unexpired Term 2013, Vote for 1
Blank 529
Stanley D. Pulnik 1300
Write-In 0

BOARD OF LIBRARY COMMISSIONERS, Unexpired Term 2014, Vote for 1 - Contested Race!
Blank 268
Richard O. Duggan, Democrat 595
June A. Harris, Republican 965
Write-In 1

CEMETERY COMMISSIONERS, For 3 years, Vote for 1
Blank 468
Thomas F. Pratt, Democrat, Incumbent 1353
Write-In 7

COMMISSIONERS OF TRUST FUND, For 3 years, Vote for 1
Blank 490
Thomas J. Garabedian, Republican, Incumbent 1338
Write-In 1

HOPKINTON HOUSING AUTHORITY, For 5 years, Vote for 1
Blank 560
Renee A. Gilson, Republican, Incumbent 1268
Write-In 1

HOPKINTON HOUSING AUTHORITY, Unexpired Term 2014, Vote for 1
Blank 594
Warren E. Johnson 1235
Write-In 0

PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSIONERS, For 2 years, Vote for 2
Blank 1208
Robert T. Dobinski, Republican, Incumbent 1257
Daniel F. Terry, Republican 1186
Write-In 6

PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSIONERS, Unexpired Term 2012, Vote for 1
Blank 558
Brian T. O’Keefe 1268
Write-In 3

PLANNING BOARD, For 5 years, Vote for 2
Blank 1179
Kenneth R. Weismantel, Republican, Incumbent 1266
Matthew P. Wade, Republican 1206
Write-In 8

SCHOOL COMMITTEE, For 3 years, Vote for 2 - Contested Race!
Blank
Jean B. Bertschmann, Incumbent 1088
Francis J. D’Urso, Democrat 591
Frank E. Sivo, Republican 746
Jonathan E. Graziano 836
Write-In 1

Question 1: Fire Department Tender Truck $367,000
Blank 64
Yes 1090
No 675

Question 2: Design of a Department of Public Works headquarters facility $250,000
Blank 93
Yes 7747
No 989

Question 3: Hopkinton High School Track $278,500
Blank 46
Yes 986
No 797

Question 4: Drainage Improvements on Lakeshore Drive $300,000
Blank 91
Yes 757
No 981

Question 5: Library Electrical Wiring Replacement $50,000
Blank 62
Yes 1041
No 726

Question 6: High School Loop Road $96,025
Blank 70
Yes 757
No 1002

Question 7: Traffic signal at the intersection of School Street and West Main Street $540,000
Blank 48
Yes 1020
No 761

Question 8: Tractor-Mower for School Athletic Fields $64,000
Blank 71
Yes 761
No 997

Question 9: Paving a section of Lumber Street that is currently gravel $50,000
Blank 78
Yes 692
No 1059

Question 10: Design of Undergrounding Utilities on Main Street $580,000
Blank 67
Yes 594
No 1168

Don't Forget to Vote Tomorrow - Polls open 7:00am-8:00pm

2012-05-20T18:05:00.004-04:00

There are contested races for School Committee and Library Trustee, as well as 10 ballot questions. See below for more info. All Hopkinton precincts vote at the Middle School. Polls are open 7:00am-8:00pm.

SCHOOL COMMITTEE, For 3 years, Vote for 2
Jean Bertschmann, Incumbent http://jeanforsc.com/
Frank D’Urso, Democrat facebook.com/CandidateDUrso
Frank Sivo, Republican http://sivoforsc.org/
Jon Graziano facebook.com/JonGrazianoForSchoolCommittee

BOARD OF LIBRARY COMMISSIONERS, Unexpired Term 2014, Vote for 1
Richard O. Duggan, Democrat
June A. Harris, Republican

Question 1: Shall the Town of Hopkinton be allowed to exempt from the limitation on total taxes imposed by Chapter 59, Section 21C of the Massachusetts General Laws (Proposition 2 ½, so-called) the amounts required to pay for the bond issued to provide for the purchase of a Fire Department Tender Truck?

At the 2011 Annual Town Meeting (ATM), the voters voted to borrow $350,000 for the purchase of a tender truck, accessories and any other related costs. At the 2012 ATM, this amount was increased to $367,000. This borrowing was made contingent on the passage of a debt exclusion under Proposition 2 1/2, authorizing a temporary increase in the Town’s levy limit to cover the cost of borrowing for this item. A YES vote would mean that the funds are approved and the expenditure will proceed. A NO vote would mean that the funds are disapproved and the expenditure cannot proceed without a future ballot vote within 90 days of the ATM.

Question 2: Shall the Town of Hopkinton be allowed to exempt from the limitation on total taxes imposed by Chapter 59, Section 21C of the Massachusetts General Laws (Proposition 2 ½, so-called) the amounts required to pay for the bond issued to provide for the design of a Department of Public Works headquarters facility, along with all related costs?

At the 2011 Annual Town Meeting (ATM), the voters voted to borrow $250,000 for the design of a DPW headquarters facility, along with all related costs. This borrowing was made contingent on the passage of a debt exclusion under Proposition 2 1/2, authorizing a temporary increase in the Town’s levy limit to cover the cost of borrowing for this item. No such vote was taken, however, within the 90-day period prescribed by statute. Therefore, any borrowing for this purpose would need to be approved at a future Town Meeting. A YES vote would mean that, if the funds are approved at a future Town Meeting, the levy limit will be temporarily increased to cover the cost of the borrowing. A NO vote would mean that no temporary increase will be authorized at this time.
Read more: Hopkinton Department of Public Works Asks for Yes Vote at Ballot...
Read more: New DPW Powerpoint Presentation...

Question 3: Shall the Town of Hopkinton be allowed to exempt from the limitation on total taxes imposed by Chapter 59, Section 21C of the Massachusetts General Laws (Proposition 2 ½, so-called) the amounts required to pay for the bond issued to provide for the design, repair, maintenance, renovation and improvement of the track at Hopkinton High School?

At the 2012 Annual Town Meeting (ATM), the voters voted to borrow $278,500 for the design, repair, maintenance, renovation and improvement of the track at Hopkinton High School. This borrowing was made contingent on the passage of a debt exclusion under Proposition 2 1/2, authorizing a temporary increase in the Town’s levy limit to cover the cost of borrowing for this item. A YES vote would mean that the funds are approved and the expenditure will proceed. A NO vote would mean that the funds are disapproved and the expenditure cannot proceed without a future ballot vote within 90 days of the ATM.

The existing track was installed approximately 16 years ago. It was resurfaced in 2003 with a material that cannot be resurfaced. The track is in very poor condition as evidenced by buckling, peeling and other signs of deterioration. The track’s uneven and hardened surface is a safety risk for shin splints, falls and injuries. Because the surface no longer has any grip, the corners are now slippery in the sprints and 400 meter hurdles. The high jump pad is falling apart. Due to the safety risks, the use of the track for the HS athletics program beyond this spring season will not be viable. With design fees, the cost for the track renovation will be $278,500, and would be paid for via a Proposition 2 1/2 Debt Exclusion.

Question 4: Shall the Town of Hopkinton be allowed to exempt from the limitation on total taxes imposed by Chapter 59, Section 21C of the Massachusetts General Laws (Proposition 2 ½, so-called) the amounts required to pay for the bond issued to provide for the design and construction of drainage improvements on Lakeshore Drive?

At the 2012 Annual Town Meeting (ATM), the voters voted to borrow $300,000 for the design and construction of drainage improvements on Lakeshore Drive. This borrowing was made contingent on the passage of a debt exclusion under Proposition 2 1/2, authorizing a temporary increase in the Town’s levy limit to cover the cost of borrowing for this item. A YES vote would mean that the funds are approved and the expenditure will proceed. A NO vote would mean that the funds are disapproved and the expenditure cannot proceed without a future ballot vote within 90 days of the ATM.

To design and construct adequate drainage to prevent the sewer pump station from being flooded which would discharge sewage across the beach and into the lake.

Question 5: Shall the Town of Hopkinton be allowed to assess an additional $50,000 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of making Library Building envelope repairs and replacement of the knob and tube electrical system for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2012?

At the 2012 Annual Town Meeting (ATM), the voters appropriated $50,000 for Library Building envelope repairs and replacement of the knob and tube electrical system. This appropriation was made contingent on the passage of a capital outlay exclusion under Proposition 2 1/2, authorizing a one-year increase in the Town’s levy limit to cover the cost of this item. A YES vote would mean that the funds are approved and the expenditure will proceed. A NO vote would mean that the funds are disapproved and the expenditure cannot proceed without a future ballot vote within 90 days of the ATM.

This type of wiring system is found in older houses built before the 1920’s and 30’s. This process of knob-and-tube wiring is a safety hazard because the junctions are not housed in junction boxes (especially in insulated areas), it is a two-wire system, hot and neutral which has no ground wire. Wires are at least 80-90 years old.

Included in this request also are miscellaneous building envelope repairs to eliminate active leaking areas (window wells and other basement penetrations), minor roof repairs for leaks and wild life entry and general sealing of the building envelope for energy savings.

Question 6: Shall the Town of Hopkinton be allowed to assess an additional $96,025 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of designing, repairing, maintaining, renovating and improving the main entrance of the High School loop road for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2012?

At the 2012 Annual Town Meeting (ATM), the voters appropriated $96,025 for the design, repair, maintenance, renovation and improvement of the main entrance of the High School loop road. This appropriation was made contingent on the passage of a capital outlay exclusion under Proposition 2 1/2, authorizing a one-year increase in the Town’s levy limit to cover the cost of this item. A YES vote would mean that the funds are approved and the expenditure will proceed. A NO vote would mean that the funds are disapproved and the expenditure cannot proceed without a future ballot vote within 90 days of the ATM.

This Article would support repairs of an 1100 foot section of the Loop Road leading from Hayden Rowe Street towards the Hopkins School; this section, which is in poor condition, ends at the Loop Road fork between the back of the High School and the Hopkins School. According to an engineering study conducted in 2008, not including cars exiting the High School, this section of road is used by approximately 670 cars, trucks and school buses on every day that school is in session. An engineering study by Fay, Spofford and Thorndike places the project cost at $116,025, with an estimated service life of 14 years. The school district, still has $20,000 remaining from an earlier capital article for work on the Loop Road. Therefore, the cost of this Article is set at $96,025. It would be paid for via a Proposition 2 1/2 Capitol Outlay Exclusion.

Question 7: Shall the Town of Hopkinton be allowed to exempt from the limitation on total taxes imposed by Chapter 59, Section 21C of the Massachusetts General Laws (Proposition 2 ½, so-called) the amounts required to pay for the bond issued to provide for the final design and construction of a traffic signal and intersection improvements at the intersection of School Street and West Main Street?

At the 2012 Annual Town Meeting (ATM), the voters voted to borrow $540,000 for the final design and construction of a traffic signal and intersection improvements at the intersection of School Street and West Main Street. This borrowing was made contingent on the passage of a debt exclusion under Proposition 2 1/2, authorizing a temporary increase in the Town’s levy limit to cover the cost of borrowing for this item. A YES vote would mean that the funds are approved and the expenditure will proceed. A NO vote would mean that the funds are disapproved and the expenditure cannot proceed without a future ballot vote within 90 days of the ATM.

To install traffic signal and improvements. This intersection had the highest crash rate of non-signalized intersections in town 2009-2011.

Question 8: Shall the Town of Hopkinton be allowed to assess an additional $64,000 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of purchasing a new 12-foot wide tractor-mower for maintaining the schools’ athletic fields for the fiscal year beginning July first 2012?

At the 2012 Annual Town Meeting (ATM), the voters appropriated $64,000 for the purpose of purchasing a new 12-foot-wide tractor-mower for maintaining athletic fields. This appropriation was made contingent on the passage of a capital outlay exclusion under Proposition 2 1/2, authorizing a one-year increase in the Town’s levy limit to cover the cost of this item. A YES vote would mean that the funds are approved and the expenditure will proceed. A NO vote would mean that the funds are disapproved and the expenditure cannot proceed without a future ballot vote within 90 days of the ATM.

The existing tractor-mower has been in use since 2005. This vehicle is used to sow, aerate and seed all twenty acres of HPS athletic fields. Athletic fields are mowed several times each week, and any down time for this vehicle impacts rhe district's ability to maintain that schedule. The vehicle has been used for 1,767 hours to date, which is the equivalent of 150,000 miles for a motor vehicle. In the past two years, approximately $4,000 has been spent on repairs to the unit. If purchase is delayed, future models will cost approximately 20% more due to new emissions regulations. The cost to replace the vehicle is $64,000 and would be paid for via a Proposition 2 1/2 Capital Outlay Exclusion.

Question 9: Shall the Town of Hopkinton be allowed to assess an additional $50,000 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of paving of Lumber Street?

At the 2012 Annual Town Meeting (ATM), the voters appropriated $50,000 to provide for the paving of Lumber Street, including any necessary grading, repairs and preparation for paving. This appropriation was made contingent on the passage of a capital outlay exclusion under Proposition 2 1/2, authorizing a one-year increase in the Town’s levy limit to cover the cost of this item. A YES vote would mean that the funds are approved and the expenditure will proceed. A NO vote would mean that the funds are disapproved and the expenditure cannot proceed without a future ballot vote within 90 days of the ATM.

For the paving of a section of Lumber Street. Necessary to improve safety and reduce DPW maintenance costs. (Previously voted in 1987 by town meeting to maintain as a gravel surfaced road.)

Question 10: Shall the Town of Hopkinton be allowed to exempt from the limitation on total taxes imposed by Chapter 59, Section 21C of the Massachusetts General Laws (Proposition 2 ½, so-called) the amounts required to pay for the bond issued to provide for the design of underground facilities to replace poles, overhead wires and associated overhead structures in connection with the provision of public utilities upon, along or across Main Street?

At the 2012 Annual Town Meeting (ATM), the voters decided not to borrow $580,000 for the purpose of designing underground facilities to replace poles, overhead wires and associated overhead structures used in connection with the provision of public utilities upon, along or across Main Street. Any borrowing for this purpose would need to be approved at a future Town Meeting. A YES vote would mean that, if the funds are approved at a future Town Meeting, the levy limit will be temporarily increased to cover the cost of the borrowing. A NO vote would mean that no temporary increase will be authorized at this time.

BEFORE: Main Street and Hayden Rowe now WITH Wires

AFTER: Main Street and Hayden Rowe WITHOUT Wires

BEFORE: Main Street Westbound now WITH Wires

AFTER: Main Street Westbound WITHOUT Wires

School Committee Candidate Q and A

2012-05-17T18:54:00.003-04:00

Educate Hopkinton posed the following nine questions to our School Commiteee Candidates, including why are you running (question #1), skills and experience (#2), ideas for improvements (#3), your experience on town committees (#4), what are your budget priorities (#5), working with the Selectmen on the budget (#6), the Center School challenge (#7), the next elementary school building committee (#8) and thoughts on improving communication with other committees (#9). We thank them for their responses and for their commitment to Hopkinton. In addition we recommend voters watch the HCAM News Candidate Debate and the Women's Club Candidates Night, both available on the hcam.tv website.

SCHOOL COMMITTEE, For 3 years, Vote for 2
Jean Bertschmann, Incumbent http://jeanforsc.com/
Frank D’Urso, Democrat facebook.com/CandidateDUrso
Frank Sivo, Republican http://sivoforsc.org/
Jon Graziano facebook.com/JonGrazianoForSchoolCommittee

QUESTION 1: Why are you running for School Committee?

Jean Bertschmann
For the past 15 years, I have volunteered in our schools, often on a daily basis. I have served on multiple school projects and committees, and held dozens of roles in the HPTA, including three years as its President. I have a deep understanding of how our system works - its strengths, weaknesses, and potential. I have been a constant contributor to the tremendous growth and success the district has experienced during those 15 years, and am committed to continuing that same level of engagement by running for a second term on the School Committee. Our state and national rankings continue to rise, as does our student performance on state and national testing metrics, as well as in co-curricular activities such as athletics, music, art and performing arts. My primary goals for my second term on the Committee would be:

to continue to strengthen our district by engaging the community in a refresh of our Strategic Plan;
to continue to work with other town leaders and residents to identify a non-districted solution to the educational and operational constraints of Center School; and
to continue to monitor all expenses to keep increases to the operating budget and requests for capital projects at a reasonable rate for the taxpayers.

Frank D'Urso
I am running for School Committee because of the situation with the Fruit Street School project last year. That project was brought forward with maximum tunnelvision and willful ignorance of feedback from constituents. I think that we can do a better job as a town to address the needs of our public schools, and I bring a unique combination of skills that can help us further deliver on our promise of excellence. I know that even as 72% of the town agreed with my position on Districting and the Fruit Street School, many of the Educate Hopkinton members disagreed. I have always thought that open and honest discussion can help people move forward from difficulties. Thanks for providing this forum. I met with Educate Hopkinton last year, at Jon Graziano’s house, and spoke with you in the aftermath of the Fruit Street School project and I think we found some common ground, let’s see how we are situated this year.

Frank Sivo
I am running for School Committee because I believe a great education is the most important responsibility of a community to its children. I believe I have the objectivity, the 21st Century skills and experience to help our community make the right choices to continuously improve educational outcomes through prioritized investment.

Jon Graziano
When my wife and I moved to Hopkinton two years ago the schools were one of the main reasons why we chose the town. I have 3 young children ages 6, 4, and 1 so I have a vested interest in the continued success of the schools. While the performance of the schools has been strong, I want to be a member of the School Committee to help Hopkinton continue to have top performing schools. I have a passion for education. I’m the son of an elementary school teacher and my wife was an elementary school teacher for 7 years until the birth of our daughter. When I think about volunteering my time for the betterment of the town, I think that helping ensure the best education for Hopkinton’s students is the best way I can do that.

QUESTION 2: What skills/experiences do you have that you feel makes you qualified to serve on Hopkinton’s School Committee?

Jean Bertschmann
I am informed, experienced, pro-active, and responsive. In addition to my 15 years volunteering in the schools through several support organizations, I have served on the School Committee for three years. I have held several roles on the Committee: Chair; Vice Chair; ADA Committee Liaison; Youth Commission Liaison; TEC Liaison and Clerk; 300th Anniversary Celebration Liaison; Budget Advisory Group Liaison; Appropriations Committee Liaison; Board of Selectmen Liaison; Legislative Liaison; and Communications Co-Chair. The opportunity to fill these various roles has given me a solid understanding of how the school and town budgets are developed, and how the schools and the town can work collaboratively for the benefit of the residents and taxpayers. My extensive work in the schools has allowed me to develop strong relationships with faculty, staff and administrators, and I have worked hard to be involved in and support the tremendous strides forward taken in our district over the past 15 years. In all my volunteer roles, I have been dedicated to working hard, listening to others, setting priorities, and embracing feedback.

Frank D'Urso
I represent Hopkinton on the Keefe Regional Technical High School Committee. In May 2011 I was sponsored by Michelle Gates to be her replacement on the Keefe Tech School Committee, and I was nominated by Brian Herr and appointed unanimously by the Board of Selectmen. I’ve helped bring new energy to Keefe Tech School Committee meetings, where I am the next youngest member among many who have served together for decades. We kept our budget increase this year to 3.03%, and this was unanimously approved by the Board of Selectmen and Town Meeting, (thank you.) I have gotten Keefe students involved with the North Mill Park renovation project, as well as the upcoming outdoor classrooms project in the courtyard of the Hopkinton Middle School. I believe that students should be a vital and active part of our community. Do you know that Keefe students are currently building a house in Hopkinton? I have a Master’s degree in Management and over 25 years of professional experience, from small technology start ups to some of the largest companies in the world, I have seen and learned much that can be applied to our school system.

Frank Sivo
I have four children who all have attended Hopkinton schools since pre-K. I already have 26 school-years of experience, and have another 30 school-years to go. This gives me a deep experience base with our schools and the opportunity to benefit from wise choices we make moving forward.
As a professional, I have 25+ years of experience helping organizations large and small find ways to drive continuous improvement within acceptable fiscal constraints. I currently lead strategic planning processes and the Global Operations Excellence program at Genzyme, a global biotechnology company. I routinely do business across the globe (Europe, Asia, Latin America), and recently lived a year in Japan. Additionally, I have worked my career in knowledge-centric areas such as advanced materials, software development, management consulting, and biotechnology. I am very knowledgeable on technology matters, having been a Director of Product Operations at Oracle and a member of an eBusiness start-up. I am an entrepreneur, patented inventor, and published author. On a daily business, I live the 21st Century Skills we are teaching our children.

Jon Graziano
As a member of the Appropriation Committee I serve as the liaison to the School Committee. For the past year I have been intimately involved in all of the discussions in the formation of the FY13 school budget. This role educated me on the overall school budget process as well as the challenges of balancing the increased costs of educational initiatives with the need to maintain a fiscally responsible budget. I have seen firsthand the difficult decisions that must be made and I have participated in the process of making them.
In my professional role I run the Productivity and Innovation department for New York Life Retirement Solutions. In this role I have experience in reviewing and improving processes and products as well as bringing unique solutions, whether they be new technology or ideas from outside my industry, to challenges my company faces. I think that both of these skills would serve me well as a member of the School Committee.

QUESTION 3: Most prospective School Committee members have several areas in which they are particularly interested and for which they have some ideas for improvement. What are yours?

Jean Bertschmann
In the Hopkinton Public Schools, we have much to celebrate. We have a strong faculty and administration, a curriculum database used as a model by other districts, and tremendous student achievement. We were just recognized by Newsweek Magazine as the #3 high school in the state, and the top public high school for the second year in a row. The vision and dedication that brought us to our current level of success will continue to lead us forward and enhance the educational program we offer our students. In addition to the goals I listed in Question 1 above, I feel we need to:

find creative, cost effective ways to broaden our world language and culture offerings;
continue to explore the use of technology as a tool for supporting instruction, and strengthening relationships between staff and students; and
finalize work on our Facilities Use Policy and Procedures, to streamline and support community use of school facilities.

Frank D'Urso

Parking the bus fleet in Hopkinton would, according to business manager Ralph Dumas, save us over $100,000 a year on fuel costs and excise taxes. As a member of HopGreen I have submitted several ideas that the administration is considering. This is something that we can do for immediate impact. We have 25 buses parked in Ashland, driving at least 8 extra miles everyday (some of the buses go back and forth 4 times), and we pay for all that extra fuel 180 school days a year.
HopGreen has recently earned Hopkinton a Solarize Massachusetts grant, with this we can add further Solar panels to our schools, the Solar panels that we currently have save us money every day that the sun shines (at no additional cost to our town!). This program is also available for our homes and businesses, see hopgreen.com for details.
Hopkinton Schools generate 6.5 Million copies per year, that’s over 1900 copies per student per year, this is a cost that can be examined and reduced. I’d like to see us lower this amount by 50% by 2013. (The administration pays a set cost per copy.)
Win , lose or draw, I will work with the Conservation Commission to help find ways to make Loop Road a public way, and qualify for state funding for road repair.
I will work to increase recycling efforts in our schools, our students are willing, we just need to provide better and clearer methods for them to participate. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
I support the Outdoor classroom initiative of Middle School Vice Principle Maryellen Grady. Her group has raised private funds of almost $9000 towards a brand new external double door to the Interior courtyard at the Middle School. This under-utilized resource will get a beautiful restoration and be a wonderful asset to the Middle School. I applaud this type of creativity and positive thinking from our educators.

Frank Sivo
My number one priority is to support the building and execution support for the continuous improvement system for education in Hopkinton. The continuous improvement system includes several critical components. First the curriculum (Common Core) needs to be broken-down into assessments that provide teachers, students, parents, and administrators direct information on the learning progression of every child. Next, truly collaborative professional learning communities (PLCs) must be fully supported so that teachers can learn from peer-mentors how to adapt and tailor teaching practices to improve learning. Next, we must have well-designed interventions to support improvement and enrichment. These topics are all part of the structure called Pyramid Response to Intervention. Last, I would support building an educators and administration performance management system that reinforces this approach. Though the district has started down this path, it is critical to provide structure, support, and change management to the roll-out of this transformative approach to education.
Finally, I think it is incredibly important that students and parents have full transparency on assessment performance and a student’s response to the applied interventions/enrichments. The common focus of students, parents, and educators on expected academic outcomes will create a shared responsibility, coordinated set of actions and, ultimately, a shared sense of reward.
I have a large amount of experience helping organizations plan, execute and support transformative programs like this.

Jon Graziano
My top priority is addressing the increasing challenges facing the operating budget. We are facing the increasing cost of supplies and equipment. In order to comply with the state mandate to align with the Common Core Curriculum, our teachers will need new textbooks and specialists to help them with the transition. Necessary advances in classroom technology bring additional costs. These are necessary and worthy advances, but they come at a cost, and it’s important that we ensure maximum value for our tax money. As technology evolves, we need to be mining every possible way of making it work for us – from an educational standpoint as well as an economic one.
Budget-tightening also shouldn’t force us to lose sight of what’s important to our children’s education. This year’s budget discussion initially proposed cutting the Middle School Drama program. An outpouring of public support not only saved that program, it served as a reminder of what we’re really trying to do here. Programs that enrich and broaden our children’s education should be preserved and expanded where possible, not treated as frivolous fat to be trimmed. The argument is that some of these programs are too expensive given the level of interest in them, but there are ways to continue offering these valuable opportunities in spite of that. We can leverage some of our collaboratives that offer online enrichment programs for students curious about different learning opportunities. We have begun this with the TEC collaborative, but expanding it would offer another way of delivering better education in a cost-effective manner.
Another priority is the creation of a long term facilities plan. We have many short term needs including a solution to Center School and some much needed repairs at Elmwood but we need a long term plan showing the upcoming capital needs of all of the buildings as well as an expected replacement or renovation schedule. This should be done in conjunction with all town assets so that the town can make priority decisions based on all of this information. I know that this work has begun but it needs to remain a priority.

QUESTION 4: Describe one activity, committee or subcommittee you’ve been involved with within the school or town. What it meant to you? How it shaped town/school? Impact on schools/town?

Jean Bertschmann
I have learned a great deal from all of my liaison roles and work on the School Committee. One role that I think is critical, and which I feel has strongly benefited the town, is our new role of Communications Co-chairs. The School Committee has always worked hard to communicate with the community, but this year we have identified Communications Co-chairs to focus our efforts to enhance our community wide communications. We have created and executed a School Committee Communications Plan, which will be reviewed and revised annually. We have conducted two community wide surveys – one to learn how best to communicate with all sectors of the community; and the other to learn more about community priorities for a potential Elementary School Building Project. The School Committee is most effective when it is well informed about community priorities, and we are working hard to strengthen those lines of communication across the entire community.

Frank D'Urso
As a member of HopGreen I had an important role in earning the “Green Communities” Designation for our town. That has allowed HopGreen (through the excellent work of Aubrey Doyle and John Keane, among others) to apply for and receive grants of over $140,000. This money was directly applied to energy conservation measures that have reportedly saved the schools over $200,000 dollars already. I am the only candidate who has saved the school system money, and I am the only candidate to actually have been a teacher.

Frank Sivo
Several years ago, I attended a SPEAC (Special Education Advisory Council) wherein the performance of Hopkinton’s special education sub-group was discussed. In the presentation, there were some indications that the year to year performance of this group (~14% of the total enrollment in Hopkinton schools) had gone down. Concerned by the performance drop, I performed some analysis. My analysis indicated that the SPED literacy performance trend in early elementary grades in Hopkinton had been declining for several years. I shared my analysis with most building principals, Dir. of Student Services, Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, SPEAC, and ultimately the School Committee. I later became a Board member of SPEAC to advance this discussion and find ways to help our children needing specialized services in responsible ways.
Ultimately, I was able to convince all involved that there was an issue with early SPED literacy. Further, I offered evidence that if we did not improve the situation, not only would it underserve our commitment to these children, but it would prove extremely expensive; as “playing catch-up” in later grades is very expensive and can increase the number of costly out-of-district placements.
Since then, the district has taken on the Reading A-Z program to increase SPED literacy through Dr. Ilda King. So, while it may be premature to claim victory, there was a strong improvement in early education literacy for the SPED population, 2010-2011. I cannot take credit for this program, but I do know my advocacy helped to justify a commitment to a seemingly successful program.
This experience helped me to understand that citizens and committees can make a big difference in the education of our children. Sometimes, making a difference starts with just being curious. Finally, it reinforces to me that educational performance and budget need not be thought of in a trade-off manner. In this case, by introducing a programmatic solution to address a very high-leverage problem, the long-term costs (compared to status quo) are likely to be substantially reduced.

Jon Graziano
I have been a part of the Appropriation Committee this year. I have really enjoyed the experience. The role of the Appropriations Committee is to recommend to the town a budget, including capital articles, that creates a healthy financial plan for the town. As a member of the committee it is my responsibility to ask questions of all town departments on their budget and capital proposals to understand the need and priority of all proposals. My work on the committee has allowed me to have a deeper understanding of the town budget needs and process and help educate the town on the priorities of the town’s budget to allow citizens to make informed decisions at town meeting.

QUESTION 5: As a School Committee member, you will have to make some budgetary decisions. How do you define your priorities?

Jean Bertschmann
The Strategic Plan really guides our budget priorities, and supports our focus on the primacy of learning. Built upon community input, the Strategic Plan is our roadmap for the next several years. Currently, we are in year 3 of a 5 year Strategic Plan. Many of our goals have been met, and some have had to be re-thought in light of the economic constraints of the last several years. We are currently engaged in the process of refreshing our Strategic Plan goals so that we can gather community feedback and make additional revisions as necessary. We have made great strides in the areas of curriculum, assessment, communications, and Full Day Kindergarten. Budget constraints have slowed the progress toward our goals in the area of foreign language, and we need to completely revise the goal related to the Elementary School Building Project to reflect the preference stated by the town in our recent survey for a non-districted configuration for our elementary schools. We continue to protect class size, and the needs of our students remain at the forefront of our decision making.

Frank D'Urso
Teachers drive classroom decisions, Principles manage their schools and the Superintendent leads the show. I rely on our professional educators to tell us what their needs are, and my business knowledge to find ways to accomplish these things. If there is not enough money in the budget, we can find other ways, through grants, and proper planning and saving in advance so that the budget isn’t always expanding in leaps.

Frank Sivo

Making schools safe for all students
Driving academic excellence for all students
Better maintaining existing educational assets
Deliberatively and objectively investing in new educational assets

Jon Graziano
In making budget decisions, my priority would be to make sure that we are getting the best value for the tax money paid by the citizens of Hopkinton. With the current approach to our budget process, we will struggle to meet state mandates, advance our strategic goals, and maintain a reasonable tax and fee impact. We need to think differently about how we approach our expenses and how we deliver education to our students and my top priority will be to find new ways to approach expenses to ensure that we can meet all of these goals.

QUESTION 6: In recent years the Selectmen have requested the School Committee reduce its budget after submission to the Town Manager. What proactive steps would you take to keep communication lines open with the Board of Selectmen to prevent these surprise budget cuts?

Jean Bertschmann
Frequent communication is essential as the town and school budgets are developed. For many years, there has been a Budget Advisory Group facilitated by the Town Manager which allows for budget priorities and challenges for all town departments to be communicated in a timely manner. No town department should operate in a vacuum; it is essential to understand the priorities of all departments in order to collaboratively build a budget that reflects the needs and priorities of all members of our community. I think it is imperative to strengthen this process and continue to work collaboratively with all department heads across the town.

Frank D'Urso
“Surprise budget cuts” = poor planning. There has to be scenario planning involved in budget decisions so that the town isn’t presented with an “All or nothing” approach to budgets as this question seems to indicate. Meanwhile concerning “communication lines” I have pretty good rapport with the current Board of Selectmen, one of the best that we have elected. I served with John Mosher as founding members of Hopkinton Sustainable Green Committee (HopGreen). My children are classmates with Todd Cestari’s and Brian Herr’s children. I get along well with Ben Pallieko. I am a huge fan of Michelle Gates and all that she has done for our town. I think I would closely follow the model of Troy Mick, who was always open to a conversation and in contact with everyone in such a positive manner. (It’s a true loss to our town that Troy decided not to run this year.)

Frank Sivo
I have significant experience dealing with budgeting processes. In fact, I once led the reengineering effort for the US Army (Pentagon) process. This budget encompassed greater than $200 Billion and covered a 7 year process cycle. I have also managed and improved budget processes for many other organizations.
Fundamentally, budgeting processes described in the question are likely to have some of the following problems:

Budgetary targets are not well established (by governing bodies)
Priorities are not clearly established (by those seeking funds)
Since targets and priorities are not clearly established, funding requests will exceed acceptable levels.
Conflict/distrust between those seeking funds and governing body begins to develop.
Governing bodies makes cuts that those seeking funds find irrational or draconian.

In order to avoid some of these pitfalls in the school system, I suggest several things. Budgetary targets must be set by Town Management (TM) and Board of Selectmen (BoS), with some accommodation for truly unpredictable circumstances. The SC must then establish and use a prioritization process that is often drawn from a Strategic Plan or other prioritization tool. Those who come to the SC seeking fiscal support must clearly appreciate the priorities set forth by the SC. SC must show that it is willing to make objective decisions based on a prioritized plan. Budget conflict and organizational distrust will start to wane as proposed budgets get closer to targets. Trust will develop, in the process fewer cuts will be made at the TM/BoS layer.
Building trust in the budgeting process is what it is all about. In my experience, this can take a few cycles for all parties to start acting differently.

Jon Graziano
Through my work on the Appropriations Committee I have formed a strong working relationship with the Town Manager. I would ensure that throughout the school budget creation process that there was regular communication with the Town Manager to understand not only the overall budget message but also what other town department needs are that may impact the amount available to the schools. This would include inviting the Town Manager to all budget discussions and, if he is not available, making sure that regular meetings occur through the school budget process.

QUESTION 7: Based on the recent survey results, how do you suggest the town to move forward with the Center School challenge? What process would you suggest to gain consensus among community members seeing as none of the hypothetical solutions in the survey had support from the required 2/3rds majority?

Jean Bertschmann
At this point, it would be premature to identify a solution to the challenges presented by Center or Elmwood Schools. There are many more steps to the process which need to be accomplished, and vetted with the community. With my School Committee colleagues, I have developed a project timeline for a potential Center School project (available on the district website) which outlines the entire process with the MSBA, and identifies ongoing work to ensure that we are ‘MSBA ready’ when we receive an invitation to re-enter their project pipeline. The timeline identifies all of the steps in each of the eight MSBA project modules, and identifies the community communications process the School Committee will undertake for each step along that path. Using feedback data from the community forums, community survey, and results of the Criteria Working Group, the School Committee will have a more firm understanding of the community priorities for this project.

Frank D'Urso
I think, in regards to Center School, we have put the cart before the horse. That building should have been maintained no matter what plan was being followed for future school buildings. We have a responsibility to those students and families to keep up with repairs and proper maintenance. Meanwhile WHAT are the questions we are trying to solve? In the long term a new school building is a good idea, but we need to approach that on our own schedule, many people think that it is not yet time (for many different reasons.)
I think the core argument for more space came with the Full Day Kindergarten Pilot, that year showed that there is great interest in a tuition based program. I have heard that we’d need to have 2 or 3 more classrooms in order to accommodate demand. My suggestion is to bring in Modern Modular construction that is solid, energy efficient and can be accomplished swiftly and paid for by slight increases in the FDK tuition over a ten year span. Harvard University uses EXACTLY this type of building for their daycare center in Cambridge.
I think the question should be “What do we NEED for our schools?” instead of “How can we get a NEW school?”
There eventually will be consensus, the best answer for our town will form, and we will move forward.

Frank Sivo
In my personal research and as a member of the Criteria Working Group, the fundamental problem is trust. Many members of the community feel that the School Committee did not approach the elementary school challenge in an objective manner. Many people feel the districted solution proposed by the School Committee was born out of a very narrow objective with which most people in the town do not agree. Absent, in many people’s opinion, was transparency to the process by which the proposed solution was picked. Once picked, the rationale for picking the solution was not well communicated. In the process, many people have referenced arrogance of professional staff and the School Committee. Many feel they were told the staff and SC “knew best”, and the community should not question the proposal, its impact to home owners/students/parents or the high building cost and its impact on tax payers. Finally, a majority of the town is very concerned about cost, including costs associated with potentially “leaving behind” a school building.
In order to learn from our past, and get 2/3rds of the town to support a new proposal, the following must be done:

School Committee and Administration must show willingness to not only “listen to the community”, but also “act on what they hear”.
A fully transparent and objective process for (separately) remediating concerns at Center, and subsequently, Elmwood should be conducted.
The process must include evaluation of renovation options, in addition to, new building options.
The process should avoid dogmatism associated with districting and longer grade spans.
Criteria Working Group (CWG), of which I am a member, must provide objective, actionable criteria.
The School Committee and Administration should accept the recommendations of the CWG.
A full set of options should be explored by a Building Committee against the established criteria.
Feasibility studies for these options should be conducted on 2-3 options.
The best value option should be selected
A “road show” communication plan should be established to inform all facets of the community on the process, outcomes of the process, and projected benefits of the solution to the students and to the town.

Jon Graziano
One thing that has frustrated me is the lack of progress on this project since the vote in March of 2011. While the town did not agree on the solution, Center School continues to be a challenge to the talented staff that educate our youngest students. The survey results show that the town does not have a strong sense of what the available options are. What I would propose is a very public process that outlines all considered options and specific reasons why they were or were not pursued. I was struck in the last process that some straightforward answers to questions were not available like why renovating was not an option. The next proposal needs to be able to provide answers to all questions about alternative solutions. The survey results made it clear that there are options that the town will not support. Clearly any solution that involves a change to a districted school model should are not options at all. While no option got the 2/3 in the survey it’s because all of the hypothetical options were available. As we eliminate the less feasible options, we can create a consensus.

QUESTION 8: What are your thoughts on the implementation and timeline of the next Elementary School Building Committee and Working Group?

Jean Bertschmann
The School Committee has appointed a Criteria Working Group to propose the next set of criteria to be used to evaluate the merits of alternatives developed through the next Feasibility Study. The results of that work are slated to be presented to the School Committee, Board of Selectmen, and community on June 7. At that time, the School Committee will also discuss with the Board of Selectmen the timing and membership for the next Elementary School Building Committee. The membership on this committee is mandated in large part by the MSBA, but the School Committee has worked hard to creatively suggest qualifications for community membership which would strengthen the work of the Elementary School Building Committee, along with identifying the tasks and responsibilities of that committee.

Frank D'Urso
I think that we have some great people involved with these ideas, (and we had great people involved before), it’s important to remember that ALL the community needs to be included in decision making at this scale, and we should come up with real answers to real questions.

Frank Sivo
As long as it takes to execute the deliberate, objective and process outlined in question 7. In the meantime, all required maintenance repairs that impede safety or would avoid additional building deterioration at Center and Elmwood, should be addressed quickly.

Jon Graziano
The use of the Criteria Working Group seems beneficial to creating a consensus among the town for how the town should select the preferred option to solve the Center School challenge. It appears that the process outlined will allow the amount of transparency that the town is seeking. I think this is a great first step to ensure a thoughtful, thorough and inclusive process.

QUESTION 9: What can the school committee do to better collaborate and communicate with other committees?

Jean Bertschmann
Communication and a willingness to compromise are the keys to collaboration. As Chair of the School Committee, I have created agendas which included presentations to the School Committee from several other town departments, so that we could understand their perspective and benefit from their wisdom on matters pertaining to the schools. Additionally, I have scheduled reports from all School Committee liaison roles, to keep the Committee and the community informed about the important work of other committees and boards. I have been proactive about reaching out to other town departments, and attended many additional meetings to learn more about the work being done across the town. As a result, I have several suggestions for improving communications and collaboration across all town committees, boards, and departments:

I believe that it is essential to develop a volunteer training for new community volunteers to help them understand what all of the departments in town are responsible for, and how they are interrelated. Understanding the broader scope of how our town operates strengthens our ability to make connections and work collaboratively with other town departments, which ultimately will improve the ability of all elected town leaders to present budgets and capital articles that meet the needs of all residents in a responsible, cost effective way.
I also feel that it is critical to develop a volunteer training for newly elected volunteers to explain the intricacies of municipal finance, so that budget and capital requests which are moved forward can be comprehensively and collaboratively built by informed committees.
Finally, I think an annual, post-Town Meeting de-brief session to reflect upon the budget and capital process and develop positive suggestions to strengthen that process for the following budget cycle would strengthen the process for all committees, and improve the Town Meeting experience for all residents.

As we approach the ten-year review date for the Town Charter, many of these suggestions will be relevant for the committee which undertakes that work. These are simple but concrete steps which would enhance communications and collaboration among all town boards and committees.

Frank D'Urso
Liaisons to other committees should continue, and the School Committee should remember that just because they have a meeting about something, they should be careful to consider the feedback. As a member of the Conservation Commission and HopGreen I participated in Fruit Street School discussions, and it was so frustrating that feedback was not taken to heart. Even after last year’s STM and election, watching SC meetings would be so frustrating because there seemed to be a lack of acceptance among some members of the results. I think that the SC has made some progress since then, and I think that I can work with the current SC and whoever gets elected to improve this situation.

Frank Sivo
It appears through liaison processes; the School Committee already puts a great deal of hours into working with other committees. Perhaps areas for improvement is to develop some join goals that can cross-pollenate into each other’s strategic plans, and would turn participation into action with benefits.

Jon Graziano
More than other departments, the schools seem to be on their own island when it comes to budgets and building improvements. The process of developing the school budget is thorough and open, but while the schools make up 53% of the town’s operating budget I think that it would benefit the schools as well as the town overall for the school’s budget and capital needs to be developed in conjunction with those of other town departments. This would involve more constant communication with the Board of Selectmen and the Town Manager. I also think that the School Committee should more closely involve town resources such as the Permanent Building Committee in their assessment of building needs and large scale replacement or renovation projects like the Center School project.

Don’t Forget To Vote Monday, May 21!
Polls are open 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM in the Middle School Gym, 88 Hayden Rowe St (enter by Grove Street). There are two contested races: School Committee and Library Trustee as well as ten ballot questions. Click to read the 10 Ballot Questions. Click to read the List of All Candidates.

Debate Tonight - School Committee Candidates

2012-05-14T14:47:00.001-04:00

In response to requests from its viewers and readers, HCAM News will be conducting a School Committee Candidate Debate TONIGHT, Monday, May 14 at 7:00pm in the HCAM Studio. The debate will be broadcast LIVE on Comcast 8 and Verizon 30, will stream live on the HCAM website, and limited seating will be available in the HCAM Studio, 77 Main Street, Lower Level.

Panel members for the debate will include Michelle Murdock and Chuck Joseph. The debate is scheduled to last for one-hour, but may be extended if the panel feels there are still issues to be covered. All four candidates, Jean Bertschmann, Frank D'Urso, Jon Graziano and Frank Sivo have agreed to participate. Watch live or set your DVR.

Please keep an eye out for the Educate Hopkinton will present a School Committee Candidates Q and A on May 17. Here are some additional links for more info:

SCHOOL COMMITTEE, For 3 years, Vote for 2

Jean B. Bertschmann, Incumbent
http://www.hcam.tv/news/candidate-statement-jean-bertschmann
http://jeanforsc.com/

Francis J. D’Urso, Democrat
http://www.hcam.tv/news/candidate-statement-frank-durso-0
https://www.facebook.com/CandidateDUrso

Frank E. Sivo, Republican
http://www.hcam.tv/news/candidate-statement-frank-sivo-school-committee
http://sivoforsc.org/

Jonathan E. Graziano
http://www.hcam.tv/news/candidate-statement-jon-graziano
https://www.facebook.com/JonGrazianoForSchoolCommittee

Milford Casino Back in the News

2012-05-14T14:30:00.000-04:00

Now that the Foxboro Casino is out, the Milford Casino is back in the news. Links to some recent news articles are listed below. Over 1,000 people have already signed the Petition to Keep Milford Casino-Free. If you would like to read or sign the petition, here is the link: http://www.change.org/petitions/neighbors-for-a-casino-free-milford

The Boston Herald
http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1061130267
Meanwhile, developer David Nunes, who wants to build a casino and 350-room hotel plus retail and restaurants in Milford, had a message for any Suffolk Downs honchos who might have been popping champagne bottles yesterday. “I’d keep the foil on those corks,” Nunes said. “I absolutely will give them a challenge — unequivocally.”

The Boston Globe
http://bostonglobe.com/metro/2012/05/08/steve-wynn-drops-casino-proposal/dh4K1OAFNM5yd6sgEJZrMO/story.html
The vote also underscores the difficulties in locating a casino resort within the most populous region.
“Finding a site in Eastern Massachusetts with great highway access in a town willing to work with you is like finding a needle in a haystack,’’ said developer David Nunes, who is pulling together a bid to build a casino in Milford that would compete with the Suffolk Downs proposal. “There will be a limited pool of applicants.’’

South Coast Today
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120508/NEWS/120509910
With its plans for a $1 billion resort, the backing of industry giant Caesars Entertainment, and the support of Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Suffolk Downs would appear to be the favorite for that license, one of three available under the state's Expanded Gaming Act. Its lone remaining challenger is developer David Nunes, who has proposed an $850 million casino along Interstate 495 in Milford.

Meeting Tomorrow on School and Town Building Conditions

2012-05-14T14:00:00.000-04:00

The Board of Selectmen and the School Committee are committed to developing a prioritized plan to address Town and School building needs over time. The two elected bodies have funded parallel studies of existing conditions in all Town and School buildings. These completed studies have now been reviewed by the Permanent Building Committee. On Tuesday May 15, at a Joint Meeting of the Board of Selectmen and School Committee, the Permanent Building Committee will present the findings of these two studies. The meeting begins at 6:30pm, with the discussion of buildings scheduled for approximately 7:30pm on the agenda. You may attend in person or watch on HCAM-TV, Comcast 8/Verizon 30. The School Committee and Board of Selectmen will ask questions about the study findings, and there will be an opportunity for members of the public to ask questions as well. Following this initial presentation on the existing conditions in our buildings, the two boards will schedule a Joint Working Session with the goal of prioritizing facilities projects.

Click here to view the Permanent Building Committee Facilities Capital Reports:
https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B_Dg3BMNzeU4VEg2SVF1RTY4bDA/edit#

Town Meeting Results - Day 3

2012-05-09T23:32:00.004-04:00

GENERAL BYLAW AMENDMENTS

Article 41: Amendment to Alcoholic Beverage, Marihuana or Tetrahydrocannabinol and Tobacco Bylaw (Raise Fines) PASSED

Article 42: Amendment to Wetlands Protection Bylaw PASSED

Article 43: Unregistered Motor Vehicles Bylaw PASSED

Article 44: Secondhand Dealers Bylaw FAILED

ZONING BYLAW AMENDMENTS

Article 45: Site Plan Review Bylaw PASSED

Article 46: Health Services Facility PASSED

Article 47: Medical Office Use PASSED

Article 48: Continuing Care Retirement Community PASSED

Article 49: Restaurants in Industrial B District PASSED

Article 50: Retail Uses - Convenience stores in Industrial districts, amendment to allow open 6:00am-10:00pm PASSED

Article 51: Zoning District of 91 Grove Street (J B Service Station, change from Residence A to Business) PASSED

Article 52: Off-Street Parking Bylaw PASSED

Article 53: Life Sciences PASSED

[Article 54: Amend Zoning Map (EMC Corporation) Previously Voted NO ACTION on 5/7/12]

LAND ACQUISITIONS AND DISPOSITIONS

Article 55: Street Acceptances (Longwood Drive, Emma Drive, Ralph Road, Meadowland Drive) PASSED

Article 56: Acquisition of Property at 2 West Main Street, Motion for NO ACTION PASSED

ADMINISTRATIVE

Article 57: Package Licenses (Additional Alcohol Package Store License for Hopkinton Square) FAILED (53 for/101 against)

Article 58: PerkinElmer TIF (Tax Increment Financing) PASSED

Meeting adjourned until Town Election, May 21.

Town Meeting Results - Day 2

2012-05-08T23:38:00.000-04:00

CAPITAL EXPENSES AND PROJECTS

Article 24: High School Track Renovation $278,500.00 PASSED

Article 25: Lake Shore Drive Culvert $300,000.00 PASSED

Article 26: ADAOC Phase VI $150,000.00 - ADA Upgrades to Center School and the Hopkinton Public Library. PASSED

Article 27: Tender Truck Supplemental Appropriation $17,000.00 PASSED

Article 28: Wood Street Pump Station Improvements $1,750,000 PASSED

Article 29: Water Meter Upgrade to Radio Read $77,000 PASSED

Article 30: Water Supply Study $90,000 PASSED (103 for/75 against)

Article 31: Water Vehicle $43,000 PASSED

Article 32: Sewer Vehicle $43,000 PASSED

Article 33: Sandy Beach Improvements $332,000 PASSED

Article 34: Library – Replace Knob/Tube Electrical System/Envelope Repairs $50,000 PASSED

Article 35: Loop Road Repair $96,025 PASSED (143 for/56 against)

Article 36: School and West Main Street Traffic Signal $540,000 PASSED

Article 37: Pave Lumber Street $50,000 PASSED

Article 38: School Buildings and Grounds Equipment – Tractor-Mower $64,000 PASSED

Article 39: Undergrounding Utilities On Main Street - Motion to Send to General Court FAILED (85 for/103 against) - No Appropriation

COMMUNITY PRESERVATION FUNDS

Article 40:

Motion to Transfer $819,100 to CPA Reserves - PASSED

Community Preservation Recommendations To be Appropriated from CPA Reserves ($620,500 Total):

a. Restore Assessor's tax records, $20,000 PASSED
b. Repairs to historic headstones, and tombs at Mt Auburn Cemetery, $10,000 PASSED
c. Restore Town records from 1798-1999, $8,500 PASSED
d. Construct and Install Signage on H.A.L.T. properties, $7,000 PASSED
e. Acquisition of 6.1 acres on Whisper Way by Cameron Woods, $175,000 PASSED
f. Acquisition of 20+ acre parcel of land on Hayden Rowe Street (access to Milford Bike Trail), $400,000 PASSED

Community Preservation Recommendation To be Borrowed and then Repaid by CPA Funds:

g. Acquisition of 80 acres of land (Elmwood Farm Conservation Project) owned by the Abbott Realty Trust, $1,300,000. PASSED

To be continued on Wednesday, May 9 at 7:00-11:00pm at Hopkinton Middle School Auditorium. Next on the agenda is the rest of the General Bylaw Amendments, Land Acquisitions and Dispositions, and Administrative Items. Only 18 articles left to vote.

It’s Not Over, Please Attend Town Meeting Again Tonight

2012-05-08T15:26:00.000-04:00

Hopkinton Annual Town Meeting Day 2
Tuesday, May 8 at 7:00-11:00pm
Hopkinton Middle School Auditorium
Twenty-four articles were voted last night, but there are 34 more left to go, including many capital projects, such as Loop Road repairs, ADA compliance upgrades, and Sandy Beach improvements. Last night less than 3% of registered voters turned out. The important decisions made at Town Meeting affect us all, please attend Town Meeting and let your voice be heard. The articles left to be voted are listed below. Many articles have links for more information.

CAPITAL EXPENSES AND PROJECTS
Article 24: High School Track Renovation $278,500.00
Article 25: Lake Shore Drive Culvert $300,000.00
Article 26: ADAOC Phase VI $150,000.00 - ADA Upgrades to Center School and the Hopkinton Public Library.
Article 27: Tender Truck Supplemental Appropriation $17,000.00
Article 28: Wood Street Pump Station Improvements $1,750,000
Article 29: Water Meter Upgrade to Radio Read $77,000
Article 30: Water Supply Study $90,000
Article 31: Water Vehicle $43,000
Article 32: Sewer Vehicle $43,000
Article 33: Sandy Beach Improvements $332,000
Article 34: Library – Replace Knob/Tube Electrical System/Envelope Repairs $50,000
Article 35: Loop Road Repair $96,025
Article 36: School and West Main Street Traffic Signal $540,000
Article 37: Pave Lumber Street $540,000
Article 38: School Buildings and Grounds Equipment – Tractor-Mower $64,000
Article 39: Undergrounding Utilities On Main Street $580,000

COMMUNITY PRESERVATION FUNDS
Article 40: Community Preservation Recommendations

To be Appropriated from CPA Reserves ($620,500 Total):
a. Restore Assessor's tax records, $20,000
b. Repairs to historic headstones, and tombs at Mt Auburn Cemetery, $10,000
c. Restore Town records from 1798-1999, $8,500
d. Construct and Install Signage on H.A.L.T. properties, $7,000
e. Acquisition of 6.1 acres on Whisper Way by Cameron Woods, $175,000
f. Acquisition of 20+ acre parcel of land on Hayden Rowe Street (access to Milford Bike Trail), $400,000

To be Borrowed and then Repaid by CPA Funds:
g. Acquisition of 80 acres of land (Elmwood Farm Conservation Project) owned by the Abbott Realty Trust, $1,800,000

GENERAL BYLAW AMENDMENTS
Article 41: Amendment to Alcoholic Beverage, Marihuana or Tetrahydrocannabinol and Tobacco Bylaw
Article 42: Amendment to Wetlands Protection Bylaw
Article 43: Unregistered Motor Vehicles Bylaw
Article 44: Secondhand Dealers Bylaw

ZONING BYLAW AMENDMENTS
Article 45: Site Plan Review Bylaw
Article 46: Health Services Facility
Article 47: Medical Office Use
Article 48: Continuing Care Retirement Community
Article 49: Restaurants in Industrial B District
Article 50: Retail Uses
Article 51: Zoning District of 91 Grove Street (J B Service Station, change from Residence A to Business)
Article 52: Off-Street Parking Bylaw
Article 53: Life Sciences
~~Article 54: Amend Zoning Map (EMC Corporation)~~ Voted NO ACTION on 5/7/12

LAND ACQUISITIONS AND DISPOSITIONS
Article 55: Street Acceptances (Longwood Drive, Emma Drive, Ralph Road, Meadowland Drive)
Article 56: Acquisition of Property at 2 West Main Street $325,000

ADMINISTRATIVE
Article 57: Package Licenses (Additional Alcohol Package Store License for Hopkinton Square)
Article 58: PerkinElmer TIF (Tax Increment Financing)

Useful Documents:

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Town Meeting Results Day 1 - Articles #1-23

2012-05-07T23:03:00.003-04:00

REPORTS

Article 1: Acceptance of Town Reports PASSED

ARTICLE TAKEN OUT OF ORDER

Article 54: Amend Zoning Map (EMC Corporation) MOTION FOR NO ACTION - PASSED

FINANCIAL – FISCAL YEAR 2012

Article 2: FY 2012 Supplemental Appropriations $150,000 transfer from Sewer Enterprise Free Cash to Sewer Operating Budget PASSED

Article 3: FY 2012 Budget Transfers: $17,000 from 1368 Stormwater System Improvements to 107 Highway, Expenses $36,000 from 457 Recycling Collection & Disposal to 107 Highway, Expense PASSED

Article 4: Unpaid Bills from Previous Fiscal Years Motion for NO ACTION PASSED with a round of applause (No unpaid bills this year!)

Article 5: Amend FY 2012 Building Permit Revolving Fund PASSED

FINANCIAL – FISCAL YEAR 2013

Article 6: Amend the Salary of an Elected Official (Town Clerk) $65,706.79 PASSED

Article 7: FY 2013 Operating Budget $30,354,762.00 PASSED

Article 8: FY 2013 Operating Budget – School Department $34,085,238.00 PASSED

Article 9: FY 2013 Revolving Funds (Cemetery Commission, HS Laptops, etc.) PASSED

Article 10: Chapter 90 Highway Funds $639,459.00 PASSED

Article 11: Transfer to Capital Expense Stabilization Fund to transfer from Free Cash $130,000 to increase the Capital Expense Stabilization Fund PASSED AFTER AMENDMENT

Article 12: Transfer from Free Cash to General Stabilization Fund $300,000 PASSED AFTER AMENDMENT

Article 13: Other Post Employment Benefits Liability Trust Fund to transfer from Free Cash $150,000 PASSED

Article 14: Close Drainage Improvement Fund & Return Funds to transfer the unencumbered balance remaining in the Drainage Improvement Fund to the Sale of Lots Fund; and further to close the Drainage Improvement Fund. PASSED

Article 15: Cemetery Building Removal to transfer from the Sale of Lots Fund $750.00 PASSED

Article 16: Acceptance As-Built Plans for Hearthstone Road and Carriage Hill Road to transfer from Free Cash $12,000 PASSED

Article 17: Fire Personal Protective Equipment to transfer from Free Cash $11,000 PASSED

Article 18: Fire Generator Station 2 to transfer from Free Cash $15,000 PASSED

Article 19: Income-Based Property Tax Exemptions for Seniors PASSED

Article 20: Pay-As-You-Go Capital Expenses - Items A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H Total $703,520.00 - ALL PASSED

CAPITAL EXPENSES AND PROJECTS

Article 21: Repair Drainage Improvements to Hayward Street $170,000.00 PASSED

Article 22: Town Hall Basement Water Damage $100,000.00 PASSED

Article 23: Parking Lot – Town Hall $50,000.00 FAILED (74 in favor/80 opposed)

To be continued on Tuesday, May 8 at 7:00-11:00pm at Hopkinton Middle School Auditorium. Next on the agenda is the rest of the Capital Articles, CPA funds and Bylaw Amendments.