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Plans for potential Hudson Public Library expansion
Hudson girls’ basketball gets right to business
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Holiday highlights from Marlborough
marlborough at a glance
Wenzel | 8
Marlborough Hudson HOLIDAY SPECIAL
An edition of the Community Advocate
Vol. 51 | No. 51 | December 19, 2025
‘Merry on Cherry’ brings annual holiday cheer to Hudson and beyond
Assabet teachers still without contract after year of negotiations
By Shealagh Sullivan Reporter
By Shealagh Sullivan Reporter MARLBOROUGH – After a year of negotiations, teachers and staff at Assabet Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School are still without a contract. “We have put enormous effort into reaching a reasonable agreement with the District, but we will not move forward with a proposal that is not ratifiable,” said Dan Capuano, president of the Assabet Valley Federation of Teachers. Negotiations began in December 2024 and are currently ongoing after the previous contract expired in July 2025. In the previous negotiation cycle in 2023, the union took a vote of no confidence against Superintendent Ernest Houle. Houle declined to comment to the Community Advocate about the district’s current negotiations. The year-long negotiation process has seen up to six weeks between negotiation sessions, Capuano said. In July, the union filed for mediation with the commonwealth. The ongoing negotiations have impacted teacher and staff morale at the high school, Capuano told the Community Advocate. He said many teachers “don’t feel valued,” a sentiment that was amplified after the School Committee voted in August for salary increases for the school’s administration. “Actions speak louder than words. The School Committee’s recent [5-1] vote to approve pay increases for the superintendent Assabet | 10
HUDSON – For Meg and Charlie Bear, the holidays start in August. It takes nearly 200 hours to set up (and then eventually take down) the couple’s light displays for Halloween and Christmas, an endeavor that begins before fall starts. In the Christmas display, there are about 300,000 lights on and around the house. On Charlie’s laptop, there is a 3D rendering of the house and its lights, connecting the bulbs to a computer program synced with music. If you drive by after 5 p.m. in December, the house is lit with glowing candy canes, snowmen, and more. Cheery holiday carols play, and cars line up to watch the display. Their house on Cherry Street — appropriately dubbed “Merry on Cherry” — has become a regional sensation since it began in 2021. “I always knew it would be a hit,” said Meg, “but I didn’t really expect the traction
Merry | 9
“Merry on Cherry” began in 2021, but the Bears were Christmas enthusiasts long before that. (Photo/Shealagh Sullivan)
187-unit Lizotte Drive condo project gets endorsement of Marlborough City Council By Paul Hopkins Reporter MARLBOROUGH – The Marlborough City Council approved the special permit sought for a three-building, 187-unit condominium complex on Lizotte Drive. The developer has
agreed to pay a total of $337,000 toward ballfields, trails, roads, and public safety. Ferris Development Group still needs to go through the site plan review process before construction can begin. And the City Council made sure the financial support would be Lizotte | 10
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