Westborough officers to rappel down Boston Hyatt for Special Olympics
Shrewsbury holds furniture sale at old Beal School
news | 10
Ty Law helps raise money for scholarships at APEX Entertainment
Schools | 13
SPORTS | 15
Locally owned and operated since 1974
Your community. Your news. Your paper. Shrewsbury · Westborough · Northborough · Southborough · Marlborough · Hudson · Grafton
Vol. 47 | No. 43 | October 22, 2021
Northborough Planning Board weighs next steps on warehouse moratorium
By Dakota Antelman Managing Editor
By Laura Hayes Senior Community Reporter
Moratorium | 8
believe dvocate
CommunityA
Doing our part to support local business.
Shrewsbury | Sutton
First 5 people to call get a free copy of my new book! (508) 841-5037 | 307 Grafton Street conciergephysicaltherapy.com
REGION - The towns of Shrewsbury, Westborough and Grafton all gathered on Monday for a trio of special town meetings. Held at Oak Middle School, Westborough High School and Grafton High School respectively, the meetings marked a return to normalcy, of sorts, as towns were able to scale back some COVID-19 restrictions that have reshaped the last two years of town meetings across the region. In Shrewsbury, major discussion revolved around an article seeking funds to purchase property to help improve a hazardous intersection on Lake Street. Other articles addressed outdoor dining and the replacement of a demolished bridge on Toblin Hill Drive, among other things. Westborough voters weighed in on a number of their own articles, debating topics such as outdoor alcohol consumption as well as a proposed purchase of an electric vehicle for the police department. In Grafton, Town Meeting approved an article to change the town clerk’s position from an elected one to an appointed one. It also rubber stamped $47,000 in Community Preservation Act funding to be spent on design services for future uses of a 17-acre plot of land on North St. See continued town meeting coverage beginning on page five.
Westborough held its town meeting on Oct. 18 at Westborough High School.
PHOTO/LAURA HAYES
NORTHBOROUGH - The Northborough Planning Board revisited a potential warehousing, trucking and distribution moratorium during its Oct. 5 meeting. The moratorium was originally proposed by Chair Kerri Martinek in August. During the October meeting, Martinek said the board is still hearing concerns about enforcement. “In addition to the issues at hand, for the bylaws we have on the books, we’re having a problem enforcing because of whatever snag,” Martinek said. Town Planner Kathy Joubert said there was a “significant increase” in compliance. Recently, the selectmen heard from staff about steps the town has taken, including creating a safety zone at the entrance of the high school. Joubert said she reached out to a land use attorney and communities that she knew that had moratoriums in the past. In general, the town can propose a moratorium. As part of a required presentation and discussion at Town Meeting, the town would commit to study the issue if the moratorium is approved, Joubet said. The maximum length of time that the courts
buy
Shrewsbury, Westborough, Grafton hold town meetings
School Committee members listen during Shrewsbury Town Meeting.
5 Secrets to Fix
PHOTO/STUART FOSTER