Above: This home at 10 Latisquama Road went on the market this week for $1,075,000 (MLS photo)

Here’s what went on and off the market this week. Thanks to Gail DuBois (email) of William Raveis Real Estate for supplying the town’s new listing information for the week.*

New on the market

• 35 Glen Court, Unit 35 (map) – 11 room, 2 bed, 2f 2h bath Townhouse, 55+ – $849,000
• 10 Latisquama Road (map) – 11 room, 5 bed, 1f 1h bath Antique, Colonial Revival – $1,075,000
• 26C Meadow Lane (map) – 13 room, 2 bed, 3f 0h bath Colonial, Farmhouse – $1,375,000

Sale pending

• 1 Aspenwood Cir, Unit 1 (map) – 7 room, 2 bed, 2f 1h bath Detached – 3 days on the Market, Listed at $630,000
• 4 Joslin Lane (map) – 12 room, 4 bed, 3f 1h bath Colonial – 27 days on the Market, Listed at $1,599,900
• 28 Sadie Hutt Lane (map) – 12 room, 6 bed, 5f 1h bath Colonial, Contemporary – 20 days on the Market, Listed at $1,772,888

Sold*

• 20 Clifford Road (map) – 6 room, 3 bed, 1f 1h bath Raised Ranch, Split Entry – 21 days on the Market, Listed at $584,900, Sold at $580,000
• 74 Oak Hill Road (map) – 7 room, 2 bed, 2f 1h bath Cape, Ranch – 18 days on the Market, Listed at $619,000, Sold at $662,500
• 43 Flagg Road (map) – 8 room, 4 bed, 2f 1h bath Colonial – 20 days on the Market, Listed at $799,000, Sold at $810,000
• 7 Carolyn Terrace (map) – 9 room, 4 bed, 3f 0h bath Colonial, Garrison – 19 days on the Market, Listed at $999,000, Sold at $1,105,050
• 6 Angelica Lane (map) – 11 room, 4 bed, 3f 1h bath Colonial, Farmhouse – 16 days on the Market, Listed at $1,699,900, Sold at $1,675,000

*Listings for the week are based on data pulled from MLS on Thursday mornings. Occasionally, that includes “sold” info that isn’t captured by MLS until a week (or more) following the sale. [Listings don’t include houses that weren’t publicly listed through MLS.]

The post On the market this week in Southborough appeared first on My Southborough.

Above: Whether you plan to spend time relaxing by a pool or chilling at home this summer, you can pick up some good books at the Friends’ sale. Plus, enjoy treats from the Bake Sale. (scroll down for image credits)*

June is a good time to stock up for summer reading. That’s why Friends of the Southborough Library hold an annual Summer Book Sale each year.¹

In preparation for the sale, the Friends are also inviting people to start donating books. (Scroll down for the rules and restrictions for that.)

Plan to stop by the library on Saturday, June 6th, 10:00 am-3:00 pm. (If you’re willing to lend a volunteering hand that day — or in advance — scroll down for details.)

At the sale, you can pick up inexpensive paperbacks and hardcover books (or even CDs, DVDs, and video games).

If you who have an old Friends tote bag, bring it with you to take advantage of our traditional stuff-a-bag deal.

And if you have kids, be sure to bring them by to pick out one free book each!

In addition, volunteers are planning to bake up some goodies for us to sell.

Proceeds are used by The Friends for items the library’s budget can’t cover. The funds cover resources like purchasing most of the Library’s free or discount museum and park passes for the community. The Friends also sponsor many programs for children, teens and adults, fund supplies for the seed exchange program, and occasionally pay for equipment, furniture, and other needed items.

If you are looking to support the Friends’ efforts, here are some additional ways you can help us:

• Come out to our Annual Meeting on Wednesday, June 3rd at 7:30 pm in the Library. (Learn about the Friends here.)
• Re-up your annual membership (or join us), or make a direct donation. (Learn more here.)
• Volunteer to help us with the sale!
  • Volunteers are especially needed for setting up from 9:00 – 10:00 am, and pack-up starting at 3:00 pm.
  • Those unable to lift and move boxes of books, can still help out for a 1-2 hour shift during sale hours.
  • (Please email djmtremblay@verizon.net to coordinate details.)
• Donate books to be sold!

There are restrictions for the book donations. For those details, see the flyer right.

*(images: flyer from the library, photo top right by Beth Melo, other images created by DALL·E)

The post Save the Date: Friends of the Library’s Summer Book Sale – June 6th <i>(Updated)</i> appeared first on My Southborough.

This isn’t exactly Southborough news, but a major road project nearby impacts Southborough commuters. Some stages, like one next week, could have temporary ripple effects on traffic in town.

And the ultimate goal includes traffic relief on interstate highways that could have longer term impacts on Route 9 in Southborough. (Hopefully good ones.) 

Next week, the I-495/I-90 Interchange improvement project will reach a new stage. The new ramp connecting Mass Pike West to 495 South will open. 

The “shift” is scheduled to begin with temporary lane closures this Monday evening, May 11th. The target is to complete the “traffic pattern change” by the next morning. (Bad weather could push that by up to a few days.)

The announcement explains:

Once the new ramp is open to traffic, motorists on I-90 westbound will have to exits to access I-495. The first exit will be for I-495 South, while the second exit will be for I-495 North. Appropriate signage, law enforcement details, and messaging will be in place to guide drivers through the work area.

MassDOT (Dept of Transportation) warns:

Drivers traveling through the affected areas should expect delays, reduce speed, and use caution.

Drivers are encouraged to:

• Download the Mass511 mobile app or visit www.mass511.com to view live cameras, travel times, real-time traffic conditions, and project information before setting out on the road. Users can subscribe to receive text and email alerts for traffic conditions.
• Dial 511 and select a route to hear real-time conditions.
• Follow @MassDOT on X, (formerly known as Twitter), to receive regular updates on road and traffic conditions.

For readers unfamiliar, the project is to completely reconfigure the access ramps between Rte 90 and 495. The project will reduce the amount of looping and revamp passing through an area that was once used for tollbooths.

According to MassDOT, this is one of the biggest highway projects they have ever taken on. They estimated that on an average day over 200,000 vehicles and 50% of the state’s commercial traffic pass on or through the interchange.

A 2023 video by MassDOT explained that the change will reduce chronic congestion and backups. But it’s also about improving safety. A representative reminded that the old routing was designed for cars to stop and pay tolls. The new design will eliminate problematic “geometry” to reduce rollovers and “substandard traffic weave” to reduce crashes. 

I took a look to see what the next stages of the project are. Highlights from the project site include:

• The new ramp from I-90 Westbound to I-495 Northbound is anticipated to open in Summer 2026.
• Westbound traffic on I-90 is anticipated to shift to the new Railroad Bridge structure in Summer 2026.
• During the second stage of work on the bridge that carries I-90 over the Whitehall Brook, the ramps from I-495 northbound and southbound to I-90 westbound (Exit 58) will be reduced from two lanes to one lane through Summer 2026.
  • The project team anticipates opening the new Exit 58 (from I-495 to I-90 Westbound) in Summer 2026.
  • Approximately four weeks after new Exit 58 opens, the I-495 southbound alignment will shift to the new structure.
  • Additionally, I-495 Northbound traffic will be shifted into the crossover through Fall 2026.

You can read the full project status here.

The post 495/90 Interchange Project: 90 West to 495 South exit shift next week appeared first on My Southborough.

Above: A consultant’s pitch for community engagement seems to have helped them cinch the contract for a new Neary School Feasibility Study. (image from Tappe Architects’ presentation in ESBC meeting video)

On Tuesday, the Select Board approved a key stage for studying renovation options for the grades 4-5 school building.

The board awarded the bid to a new consultant to conduct the feasibility study and create schematic designs. (That vote is contingent on successfully negotiating a contract.)

The bid was awarded to the firm recommended by the majority of the Elementary School Building Committee (ESBC). Tappe Architects beat out other bidders, including the architects for the former New Neary Building project (Arrowstreet).

A memo from ESBC’s Chair states:

Tappe demonstrated a clear and structured approach to feasibility work, including thorough evaluation of existing conditions, development of multiple viable options, and a strong ability to guide decision-making through cost, scope, and educational trade-offs.

ESBC member Andrew Pfaff told Select Board members that Arrowstreet had some existing ideas of how the town could move the project forward, but “didn’t really bring anything new to the table in terms of, ‘this is what we could have done differently. This is what we want to do.’.”

The committee preferred Tappe’s presented approach which was much more about creating community consensus. That included marketing, videos, and creating a tax calculator. (Last time, the Town had to create the calculator.)

Select Board members Tim Fling and Al Hamilton, who were critics of the prior project’s expense, were pleased to have fresh faces involved in rebooted study.

The approval had been listed in the board’s Consent Agenda (which allows quickly approving a list of items). School Committee member Roger Challen told the board he was relieved that they pulled it out for discussion.

Tappe was one of three applicants for the RFS (Request for Services) that the ESBC selected to interview. Challen expressed concern that only three of five members participated in the interviews and vote on April 15th. He noted that the two members absent were among the three he believed had the right experience for selecting an architectural firm.

He asked if Superintendent Greg Martineau had provided feedback in the interviews. The answer was no.

Pfaff pointed out that noted that the members who had been absent could have asked the meeting to be rescheduled and didn’t. And he highlighted that the presentations and interviews were available on video for the public to watch.

Martineau and ESBC member Jason Malinowski were both part of the April 8th meeting where the committee discussed the timing of the process.* Both voiced support for the committee moving forward without them rather than delaying the process. (For Martineau, the April 15th conflict was the monthly Regional School Committee meeting.)

Malinowski participated in the April 13th meeting in which members narrowed down the bidders to be interviewed. But he abstained from that vote since he couldn’t attend on the 15th.

Although he didn’t think his input needed, as the former chair of the Neary Building Committee, he understood the importance of the vote. On April 8th, he stressed:

this quite possibly could be a more important decision than than anything else we decide as a committee including what ends up on a warrant down the road of whatever project comes forward. . . this professional that we’re going to hire is going to guide us through the process, answer the tough questions and have to obviously think creatively given the constraints we’re going to be working with in terms of the options.

Challen expressed concern that residents may later criticize the decision as having only been made by three members. But his greater concern was being transparent at this point. He believed highlighting the process now was better than it coming out later.

Paff told the Select Board that they could apply the brakes to the process if they wanted. They could have the other two members watch the video and the committee could revote. But he indicated that would push the timeline back by a year.

The Select Board approved the committee’s recommendation unanimously.

In Tuesday’s meeting, Pfaff said the ESBC had authorized him to represent them in working with the Superintendent’s team to negotiate the contract.

The interviews

You can watch the presentation by Tappe and their interview by the ESBC here. That’s followed by the committee’s deliberation and vote. (And if you go back to the start of the meeting, you can also catch the presentations by Arrowstreet and RGB.) Below are a few slides about Tappe’s presented timeline and process:

In that meeting, ESBC members debated whether communication skills were a strength for Tappe. Heather McLeod liked what they had to say about their approach, but said she didn’t see it exemplified in the interview. In contrast, Pfaff opined that Tappe’s Chris Blessen had the best quotes, which Pfaff had taken down in his notes.

McLeod clarified that Blessen eventually got there. But, putting herself in the seat of “a towns person coming and trying to understand things, I think that [Blessen] would struggle to get his point across”. But she followed that was only one aspect to consider. She and others also noted that another member of their team was clearly only reading from a script.

McLeod also noted that she had heard criticism that Arrowstreet’s communication style as having put off the public the last time around. She described them as having been accused of being arrogant.

In assessing competitor RGB, members made clear that one of that team’s talking points didn’t sit well with them. Representatives described how they like to take committee members out to drinks, get to know them and find the “core” members they can work with to agree on things and get things done.

But in a memo to the Select Board, the ESBC Chair Craig Williams focused on RGB not having demonstrated “as clear a process for option development or community engagement.”

Who are the ESBC members?

Since I never covered the interviews and appointments. . . 

In their March 31st meeting, the majority of the Select Board voted to appoint two former members of the Neary Building Committee Andrew Pfaff and Jason Malinowski, along with a newcomer — retired developer Robert Moss.*

They didn’t select former NBC and PreK-8 School Building Committee member Mark Davis or Select Board member (and former PreK-8 School Building Committee member) Tim Fling.

At the time, Select Board members said that they believed the educators who applied were best left to the Southborough School Committee to appoint.

In a subsequent meeting, the School Committee appointed Craig Williams (Principal of Franklin Middle School) and Heather McLeod (a long time instructor and teacher, currently working for Boston Collegiate Charter School).

You can find all of their volunteer applications in the March 31st meeting packet here. (The RFS applications haven’t been posted anywhere that I could find.)

*Updated (5/6/21 9:10 pm): I was informed that Robert Moss wasn’t able to attend the April 13th & 15th meetings due to a family emergency.

The post Applicant selected to conduct Neary reno Feasibility Study appeared first on My Southborough.

The following letter is from the Southborough School Committee.]

To the Editor:

The School Committee thanks voters for approving funding requests for roof replacements at Neary Elementary and Trottier Middle School. Both projects are on the May 12th ballot to be exempt debt. The Neary roof will be replaced this summer at an estimated $4.5 million, while the Trottier project will begin in spring 2027, with partial reimbursement from the Massachusetts School Building Authority. The committee encourages continued community support and welcomes questions.

Southborough School Committee
ssc@nsboro.k12.ma.us

The post Letter: School Roof Questions on May 12th Ballot appeared first on My Southborough.

I’m detailing that, along with other economic development news.

The Select Board apparently decided to rely on a future Costco project and other strategies for making the area around Route 9 more attractive to businesses. But they never had a public dialogue about that shift or how the Town should communicate with the business community.

The board may have met legal public meeting requirements — but neither they nor the Town administration publicly explained or made a case for a changed strategy. In fact it’s not clear how thoroughly board members understood what was happening and the implications of their decisions. And, according to the EDC Chair, no one kept informed the members of the committee they cut the legs out from under.

In the wake of that decision, the Town’s communication channels and online information for interested businesses weren’t properly updated. Businesses looking to connect about opportunities were likely to be directed to a dead phone number and unanswered emails. (Scroll down for more on that.)

At annual Town Meeting last month, the Select Board Chair briefly referred to the EDC staffing change to answer a budget question. It was the first truly public acknowledgement of a change that dates back to a staffing and strategy decision made behind barely open doors last year.

(Note: For economic news not fully focused on the EDC, scroll to the bottom of this story.)

Voters convinced to invest in full time Coordinator

At the Special Town Meeting on November 1, 2024, Select Board member Andrew Dennington convinced voters to double the hours of the EDC Coordinator from 20 to 40. His explanation included:

we want to attract and retain more businesses, and better businesses, particularly along route 9. . . We know a lot of our surrounding communities have full-time positions, they’re devoted just to this. We think we’re at a competitive disadvantage. I think there’s a lot that can be done in terms of having one person who is responsible for regular outreach [to] businesses in town. Staying in touch with them. Connecting them with local [resources] to help their businesses stay and thrive and grow. And also looking out for economic development grants that can address some of our longer-term challenges

Voters learn investment wasn’t made, but assured it will be

At Annual Town Meeting in 2025, Meme Luttrell held the EDC budget, seeking to lower the amount budgeted for the full time coordinator. She told voters that after EDC Coordinator Leah Emerson was informed in December that she her job wouldn’t be increased to full time, she quit. Select Board members responded that was inaccurate and that Emerson was working for the town as a part time contractor. According to then-Chair Kathy Cook, the contract Emerson had for fewer hours was based on what she wanted.

Claire Reynolds questioned why the Town hadn’t advertised for the full time employee as Town Meeting approved paying for. Select Board member Al Hamilton pointed out that Town Meeting can’t dictate the Town follow through on hiring under approved budgets. But he indicated that was up to the board. Yet, the decision about not hiring for the job hadn’t been publicly discussed by the board.

Julie Connelly, a former EDC member, said she supported spending on a full time coordinator, “I think we need it”. She then asked how many hours were being used.

Cook believed that Emerson was only working 10-12 hours/week at that time. But she followed:

we fully intend to hire a full-time person. As you know, the select board was very much in favor of trying to get this to be a full-time position. It’ been a long haul. We need this. We need to expand the commercial tax base in this town as we all know. So we fully intend to hire a full-time person effective July 1st.

Board reverses course without notice or public dialogue

The board’s mindset changed later that spring. The Town didn’t advertise the position. And Emerson’s contract was allowed to expire.

By that time, the board appeared to have learned behind the scenes that a property off of Route 9 was being developed to become a Costco. Members would later publicly refer to Costco as a “magnet” for other businesses.

The next time the board spoke about the EDC in front of an audience was this year’s Annual Town Meeting. (And, again, that was only after the budget was held for questioning.)

The EDC’s budget was slashed 93%, from $78,091 down to just $5,000. Doriann Jasinski questioned why they were keeping money in the budget, when the Committee hadn’t met since November 2024.

Dennington explained that when Emerson left, the board didn’t fill her position, in part because they were going into a “much tougher fiscal year”. But he also noted the significance of Costo “the most important economic development improvement opportunity in a long time” and ” just kind of happened organically”. He followed that it caused them to rethink how much money to devote “thinking about bang for the buck.”

The $5,000 was left in EDC’s budget in case a grant opportunity came up that required some matching funds.

I reached out to EDC Chair Michael Nordstrom about the committee’s inactivity (before they lost quorum at the end of June). He explained that the committee had stopped meeting since the coordinator was bringing them anything to work on. The three members that had remained on the committee were inexperienced ones that relied on the Coordinator to bring them information and issues to deal with. (That narrative was consistent with what I heard from former member Karen Anglim, who didn’t renew her spot on the committee when it expired last June.)

Nordstrom’s impression was that when Emerson’s hours were cut, her time was dedicated to non-EDC work. (He was unsure what, but believed she may have focused on grant writing. That’s a detail the town has not confirmed or denied. But Select Board minutes from early 2025 indicate that Emerson was credited with working on multiple grants.)

The Select Board’s decision not to replace Emerson was discussed in a meeting last summer. But the topic wasn’t listed on the agenda.

The only evidence I could find of a discussion by the board last year was the minutes for June 11. That day, the board held a meeting that was legally public, but not welcoming to public participation. It was their annual working session to set strategic goals for the year. Unlike their regular public meetings, this one wasn’t recorded for public viewing.

The minutes from that meeting include the following goal:

Ask the Town Moderator to create a Charter Committee to investigate potential ways to streamline the Town’s organizational structure to increase efficiency and reduce costs. The Board agreed to pursue a Community Compact grant for this purpose. The Board discussed the structure of the Economic Development Committee (EDC) and the role of the EDC Coordinator. They will await any recommendations on the EDC from the organizational review.

Those minutes don’t make clear that Emerson’s job was about to be vacated. It also didn’t specify that the EDC wouldn’t have a quorum after June 30th. And when the board publicly issued its strategic FY26 goals from that June 11th meeting, the streamlining goal made no mention of the EDC or the coordinator.

According to Nordstrom, no one had kept his committee informed of what was going on. He followed up and tried to meet with then-Chair Andrew Dennington to discuss the EDC, but never heard back.

When the Select Board failed to get Special Town Meeting to approve a committee to study changes to Town government in the fall, they didn’t publicly discuss that impact on the EDC and Coordinator position.

Between the summer decision and this Annual Town Meeting, the only time the EDC and budget were publicly raised was another off camera meeting — their FY27 Budget Summit with the Advisory Committee.

Town doesn’t have a clear public contact for interested businesses

I tried looking at the Town website through the lens of a business seeking support for staying in or moving to town. The website directs anyone looking to learn, “How Can I Find Out More About Expanding or Relocating in Southborough?” to extremely outdated contact information that doesn’t work.² When I called the Coordinator’s extension last week, a recording informed me the extension was invalid. When I checked to see if the Town followed up on my alert about the problem, that had changed. Calls this morning were routed to an unidentified voicemail box. (I left a message but haven’t heard back yet.)

And emails I sent to both former EDC email addresses last week are still unanswered, (without even an auto out-of-office response redirecting inquires.)

Meanwhile, the Coordinator’s extension is still promoted in multiple places on the website — including the Business Permitting Guide for those interested in “Establishing and Growing [a] Business” in town and the “Business, Nonprofit & Community Guide”, and under Contact Us.

The EDC’s page on the website does also have an email link to the committee chair. But the committee is essentially defunct these days without coordinator support or a quorum. (Nordstrom indicated that after not hearing back from Dennington, he essentially gave up.)

The page also notes, “If you have any questions, please contact the Select Board Office” with a link. There’s no way to know how many didn’t follow up to find that info after their initial outreach failed.

Notably, the EDC’s page still pitches the importance of paying for a coordinator. Under linked FAQS, it answers:

Does the EDC need a Coordinator?

Yes. Many Town Boards and Committees have coordinators or paid employees . . .

In the modern economy, economic development has become a core government function, evidenced by the widespread establishment of economic development organizations at the local, state, and national levels. . .

The EDC needs a coordinator to provide consistency of effort on numerous EDC objectives and projects, and to coordinate the scheduling, outreach, and support of the Committee to over 600 businesses and non-profits in Southborough.

Town’s Response

One week ago, I informed the Town Administrator and Select Board about my findings. I offered them the option to add the item to their (light) agenda for last night, to discuss as a board and get back to me. They chose not to.

I did hear directly from two of the five members. Dennington’s response focused on the fiscal rationale and defending the public notice of the budget change for FY27:

One thing I’d add is the budgetary reason for this. As I mentioned in my remarks at the April 11 ATM, Select Board and Advisory knew heading into the FY27 budget planning cycle that it would be a tight year and we were in potential override territory. (Unlike many other towns, we were successful in avoiding an override for FY27).

By later part of 2025, it did not make a lot of sense to recruit and fill this position given doubts about the ability to fund it long term.

The draft FY27 budgets prepared in December 2025/January 2026 did not fund the vacant EDC coordinator position. At the budget summit in February 2026, which was a public meeting, SB and Advisory discussed and agreed not to fund that position due to fiscal constraints.

In a phone call, Cook made similar points as Dennington. She also stressed that funding the position had previously not had strong support. Advisory had rejected the request in the past as had some former Select Board members. She also told me (as she had during a prior conversation) that Emerson had not been able to commit to the full time job for personal reasons.

But neither addressed why the board hadn’t publicly discussed the situation in 2025, or what their strategy is for communicating with businesses and attracting development.

One strategy the Town clearly hopes will help attract development is the newly passed Industrial Park zoning bylaws. Perhaps, officials assume that impacted property owners will have kept tabs on the zoning changes and are incentivized to market their own properties.

[Editor’s Note: I had hoped to get enough answers to not waste Town staff time on a public records request. But since I didn’t get all the details I was looking for, I put one in this morning. If I learn anything useful, I’ll share those results.]

On related economic development notes. . .

Route 9 Wastewater — One of the strategies that the Select Board has been looking at for attracting development is creating a wastewater system to address the septic constraints for potential businesses along Route 9.

The Town failed to get a grant for that effort. In a recent update, the board was informed that was unlikely to come through in a future round. State officials told the Wastewater Committee that co-funding was unlikely the expensive effort until the Town had enough details to be close to shovel ready. But without grant funding to support for a study, working through details on the actual sites needed is challenging.

The committee hopes to bring an Article to Special Town Meeting this fall and start raising funds next year for a project to be completed in 2030. They will ask to create a special district for the properties that would benefit from a wastewater project. Using District Improvement Financing (DIF), a portion of new growth revenue from taxes on those properties would be reallocated and dedicated to the wastewater project.³

(Stay tuned for more a future dedicated post on this topic.)

Costco — Developers have demolished the old building on the future lot. They’re still waiting for the state legislature to OK their alcohol license. And they will still need to go before the Planning Board for Major Site Plan hearings.

Project Abandoned/Lot for Sale — The Community Advocate shared less happy news about a delayed business project that is confirmed to have fallen through. The old Andrea Restaurant property and its adjacent lot won’t be be the site of a Parkhaus car clubhouse after all. Owners are now looking to sell the lot. There is some good news for residents who had complained about the hazards or eyesore of the old vacant building at the corner of Route 9 West and Parkerville Rd. Before putting it on the market, the owners tore down the old restaurant.

The post Economic Development Update: Select Board de-invested in EDC appeared first on My Southborough.

Above: A nearby environmental interfaith event has a Southborough connection.

The public is invited to an interfaith event this Saturday, encouraging volunteers to focus on caring for the earth. As part of the activities, participants can choose to help at a pollinator garden in Southborough.

The event “Many Faiths, One Earth: A Day of Service and Conversation” is organized by Central MA Connections in Faith. It will be hosted by Congregation B’nai Shalom in Westborough. 

The May 9th event will kick off at the synagogue at 2:00 pm, where participants can sign up to select volunteering at one of the nearby offsite activities from 2:30 – 4:00 pm.

The options include volunteering at “local biodiversity or food insecurity gardens, or pulling invasive species at a local nature preserve”. (Those who volunteer to garden are asked to “bring gardening hand tools if you have them.”)

For those who aren’t physically able to to take part in those activities, they can stay at the temple to  take part in nature-based activities and hear “presentation about environmental ethics across multiple faith traditions.”

The “biodiversity” garden referred to on the event page is the Whit Beals’ Biodiversity Through Pollination Garden at Beals Preserve in Southborough. (Scroll down for more on that.)

Volunteers are encouraged (but not required) to return to the temple for “refreshments and guided table conversations about how our ethical and faith traditions call us to care for the Earth.” That will run from 4:15 – 6:00 pm.

To learn more and sign up, click here.

Whit Beals’ Biodiversity Through Pollination Garden

Because this event is at Beals Preserve, I’ll remind readers that parking in and walking in the Main Street lot is currently prohibited. To read about that and where to park to access the site, click here.

The Beals garden is one of multiple garden comprised solely of native species plants intended to support native pollinators. The gardens include plant varieties that bumblebee species “at risk of local extinction” rely on.

The garden at Beals Preserve was established through a collaboration between the Open Space Preservation Commission (OSPC) and the Southborough Open Land Foundation (SOLF). It was installed in 2022, inspired by the success of the Town’s original Beecology Research Garden on Breakneck Hill Conservation Land. (That one was through a partnership between the Stewardship Committee and OSPC.)

According to OSPC Chair Freddie Gillespie, Dr. Robert Gegear, the scientific researcher that has been partnering with Town committees, took the photo right this week. It is of “one of our most at-risk bumblebee, Bombus fervidus” making use of the Beecology garden. She explains:

Having Bombus fervidus survive the winter is exciting and showcases that these gardens are successful.

As for the Beals garden, Gillespie describes it as a “real hotspot of biodiversity”. She reports that it has successfully attracted at-risk Bombus vagans bumblebees, along with many other bees, butterflies and birds.

The post Environmental Service and Interfaith Connection events — Saturday appeared first on My Southborough.

Above: This weekend, the public can enjoy “exquisitely detailed” works and hear from the artist that created them. (images cropped from SHAC event page)

The Southborough History and Arts Center is holding another opening art exhibit this weekend. The Gallery Talk and Opening Reception will spotlight the work of artist Beverly Ramsay.

SHAC promotes:

Artist Beverly Ramsay will be on hand to talk about her exquisitely detailed work, and the fascinating history of how she began her artistic journey. There will be nibbles and bubbles to cheer the way!

The event is free, but organizers are asking attendees to pre-register to help them prepare.

The reception will run from 4:00 – 7:00 pm on May 9th, in SHAC’s Long Gallery in Fayville Hall, 42 Central Street.

SHAC’s event page touts the artists’ work:

Beverly Nunes Ramsay has developed a distinctive art form that transforms handmade paper into pictures celebrating the cultural heritage of nations around the world. Drawing on her diverse background, she shares the richness of these cultures through her work, inviting viewers to see paper not just as a material, but as a medium for storytelling and connection.

Her career includes extensive lectures at colleges and universities, as well as exhibitions in galleries and art shows, where she inspires others to draw from their surroundings, think creatively, and explore innovative ways to use paper in art.

You can read more about her, and see more examples of her work, here.

The post Opening Reception for the Art of Torn Paper — Saturday appeared first on My Southborough.

Above: I’m making it easier for Southborough voters’ to learn about their choices on the ballot this spring — Select Board candidates and Ballot Questions. (images edited from video and sample ballot)

The Annual Town Election takes place a week from today. Here’s an overview of what you need to know to prepare to vote..

Candidates

There is only one contested race on this year’s ballot. Three candidates are running for two seats on the Select Board:

• Marguerite Landry (incumbent) — Candidate’s Statement
• Andrew Pfaff (challenger) — Candidate’s Statement
• Sam Stivers (challenger) — Candidate’s Statement

(You can also pull up all of the Candidate’s Statements here.)

You can watch what they had to say when they faced the public at Candidates Night last week here or in the embedded video below:

 
For the full ballot with all of the candidates, click here. For info on uncontested candidates who will be taking on new roles, click here.

Ballot Questions

The ballot will also ask voters to pass four proposition 2½ debt exclusions (not overrides). The votes would allow future debt payments on borrowing for specific projects to be exempt from the cap on raising the tax levy.

Those exemption questions are for:

1. Replacing Neary School’s roof 
   • Exemption on the $4.5M borrowing to replace Neary’s failing roof
   • Borrowing approved by March Town Meeting voters
   • This is the one project on the ballot that should move forward even if the vote fails. Given the dire condition of the roof — officials purposely didn’t hinge this borrowing on a debt exemption vote. But if the vote fails, it will create a fiscal problem for the Town with no clearly stated answer of how officials would deal with it.
2. Replacing Trottier Middle School’s roof (borrowing approved by Annual Town Meeting voters) 
   • Exemption on the $5.4M borrowing for Southborough’s share of replacing Trottier’s failing roof
   • Borrowing approved by Annual Town Meeting voters, contingent on this ballot vote passing.
3. Implementing the Town’s Road Improvement Plan 
   • Exemption on the $22.26M borrowing for engineering and roadwork to improve Town roads. The project is based on a five year road plan that will be updated annually.
   • Borrowing approved by Annual Town Meeting voters, contingent on this ballot vote passing
4. Installing Sidewalks 
   • Exemption on the $2.75M borrowing for construction of 4 stretches of sidewalks within the next year (on Parkerville Road, Richard’s Road, Woodland Road, and Oak Hill Road).
   • Borrowing approved by Annual Town Meeting voters, contingent on this ballot vote passing.

Before voting, some property owners may be concerned about the tax impacts. All of the above projects were included in Town officials’ projections for FY27 tax increases presented to Annual Town Meeting voters. You can read about that here.

Voting

The polls will be open for the Annual Town Election on Tuesday May 12th from 6:30 am to 8:00 pm. As usual, all three precincts will vote in the Trottier Middle School’s Gym at 49 Parkerville Road.

Today is the last day to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot. (But voters also have until noon on Monday, May 11th to request an absentee ballot. So you can contact the Town Clerk to learn about that option.)

For voters who received but have yet to return your mail-in ballot, make sure to get it in by the end of voting.⁴:

• If you’re mailing the ballot from afar, be sure to post it soon.
• If you’re in town, you can also drop it in person well before 8:00 pm next Tuesday:
  • Drop it directly in the Town Clerk’s election Ballot Drop Box at the Town House, 17 Common Street. (See image right.)
  • DO NOT use the Town’s other drop-box for other documents. 
  • And DO NOT bring your mail-in ballot to Trottier on Tuesday. (If you decide to vote in person instead, just leave the mail-in ballot at home.)

Whatever method you use to vote, you will need to identify your precinct. You can find that info on the Town Clerk’s site here. (And there are always helpers at Trottier on election day.)

If you have any questions, please reach out directly to the Town Clerk’s office at 508-485-0710, ext. 3005.

The post May 12th Town Election: What & Who is on the Ballot appeared first on My Southborough.

Above: NSPAC is honoring school staff and community members for their support of NSBORO special education students. (image of edited flyer)

This month, NSPAC will again celebrate people who have gone the distance to support students with special needs. Based on the flyer, it’s safe to presume that some of the honorees were selected for helping children bloom.

The 2026 award winners will be honored at the16th annual Go The Distance Awards ceremony. This year’s theme is “Blooming Together”.

The event is scheduled for Thursday, May 21st, at 6:00 pm in the auditorium at Algonquin Regional High School. 

It will open with a reception with light refreshments. The ceremony will begin at 6:30 pm. 

Each year the Northborough/Southborough Special Education Parent Advisory Council dedicates a night to honoring people who have made a positive difference to special needs students in our district.

Any student, family member, or guardian of a student on a 504 Plan or IEP in the Northborough or Southborough Public School District was free to submit one nomination per child to recognize someone who “made a positive impact in your child’s life” this academic year:

This person can be a bus driver, teacher, cafeteria worker, paraprofessional, support staff member, another student, or community employee (such as a coach, dance teacher, or librarian). It should be an individual who has made a significant contribution in enhancing the life of your child.

As always, every person who was nominated will be recognized during the ceremony.

Other NSPAC Events

If you’ve been reading this far into the story, you may have a child on an IEP or 504 Plan. In that case, you may also want to save the date for NSPAC’s other event this month, or join one of MassPAC’s workshops.

On Facebook, the group shared a flyer promoting online workshops this month (including one this evening) for families, educators, and professionals across Massachusetts.

And on Saturday, May 30th, NSPAC will hold a “Playground Meet Up” in Southborough. The social event is for special needs students and their families (including siblings).

That will take place at the South Union Playground, 21 Highland St, at 3:00 pm. (The Rain Date is the 31st.)

The post Go the Distance Awards — May 21st appeared first on My Southborough.