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City honors family of soldier killed during Korean War
Why did we name our town Hudson?
Marlborough | 9
hudson| 26
Stanley the dog visits Kane
marlborough at a glance
Wenzel | 12
Marlborough Hudson An edition of the Community Advocate
Work underway to get new Rail Trail segment By Sarah Freedman Contributing Writer HUDSON — Director of Planning and Community Development Kristina Johnson announced some exciting developments for the Assabet River Rail Trail at the Feb. 21 meeting of the Economic Development Commission, which is a group of like-minded Hudson residents who meet quarterly to discuss the future development of the town. “We are trying to carry on the legacy of Michelle Ciccolo and all of her work,” said Johnson. Work is underway to get the next segment of the Assabet River Rail Trail, a project Ciccolo spearheaded when she was the Assistant administrator for Hudson, completed by Eversource and connected all the way to Berlin. “That’s pretty tremendous,” she said. The town received a $119,000 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation to do a preliminary design study to determine environmental constraints and any structural issues. The process being used is the federal transportation process through the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), which approves all federal transportation funds. Johnson said they applied for “just under a million dollars” in design funds from a new design pilot program from the MPO. In addition, the Community Preservation Committee provided $300,000 and is very Rail Trail | 5
Summer Camp & Activity Guide page 15
Vol. 50 | No. 11 | March 15, 2024
From trash to trousseau: Assabet senior takes part in worldwide fashion competition By Maureen Sullivan Assistant Editor MARLBOROUGH – While other students spent their school vacation skiing or hitting the beach, Elliot Cosco was in Monaco, prowling the catwalk with their latest creation. A senior at Assabet Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School, Cosco was among 200 young aspiring designers, engineers and artists invited to compete in the Junk Kouture World Finals on Thursday, Feb. 22. Cosco was one of two entrants from New England, and they were part of a group from New York City. “Although we did not return a world winner, the experience of traveling to such an exquisite location and taking the stage with so many students from around the world left us with lasting memories Fashion | 16
Elliot Cosco, left, and Deb Harper, with Cosco’s entry for the world finals of Junk Kouture, “Egotist.” (Photo/Maureen Sullivan)
Settlement reached with developers of former Rowe Funeral Home By Maureen Sullivan Assistant Editor MARLBOROUGH – The city has reached a settlement with JW Capital Partners LLC and Marlborough TOTG LLC over the proposed mixed-use development at the former Rowe Funeral Home at 57 Main St. During its meeting on Monday, March 11, the City Council approved and placed on file the settlement agreement for the site. Now known as Exchange Place, the applicant will have at least 80 parking spaces on site. “[The] applicant shall make good-faith efforts to accommodate 84 onsite parking spaces in the revised plans, but at a minimum, the revised plans shall accommodate no less than the 80 onsite parking spaces required by the
zoning ordinance to accommodate all required parking on site,” according to the settlement to be presented to the council. The original plans called for 29 on-site parking spaces to accommodate 99 units of multifamily housing, ground-floor retail and restaurant space and a pool. The applicant had planned to use nearby city parking lots. Members of the City Council voiced concerns about the project’s plan for parking and how it would impact the neighborhood. “This project is detrimental to the neighborhood,” said then-Councilor Samantha Perlman. “The parking leaves something to be desired.” Under the council’s site plan approval with conditions dated April 25, 2023, the applicant Settlement | 5