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Solar eclipse draws a crowd to Ward Park
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Marlborough Lions Club clean recycled eyeglasses
marlborough at a glance
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Marlborough Hudson An edition of the Community Advocate
City mulls future of Donald Lynch Boulevard By Maureen Sullivan Assistant Editor MARLBOROUGH – Sean Navin remembers going to Solomon Pond Mall every Friday and Saturday night. “It was a formative part” of my life, he said. Now a member of the City Council, Navin would like to see the mall — and the rest of Donald Lynch Boulevard — revitalized with new businesses, and perhaps some housing and bike paths. During its meeting on March 18, the council’s Urban Affairs Committee discussed the possibility of adding an overlay district to the area. Should the proposal be approved, the zoning ordinance would be modified to include restaurants, cafes and allow other uses with a special permit. These would include medical offices, multifamily dwellings, studios, fitness clubs and drive-through facilities. There is currently one standalone restaurant on the boulevard. “It’s important to be proactive about this,” said Meredith Harris of the Marlborough Economic Development Corp., which co-sponsored a report about Donald Lynch Boulevard with the city. Retail shopping has evolved over the past few years, with the rise of online shopping. Several big-box retailers, including Sears, have either closed or moved out of the area. The city would like to expand opportunities Donald Lynch | 6
Vol. 50 | No. 15 | April 12, 2024
Marlborough Public Schools put on an (art) show By Maureen Sullivan Assistant Editor MARLBOROUGH – Spider-Man made an appearance. So did Wonder Woman and Barack Obama. Renderings of them were part of hundreds of 2-D and 3-D artwork at the annual kindergarten through 12th grade Citywide Art Show at Whitcomb Middle School on April 4. Visitors trudged through an early spring snow to warm up to a variety of media, from digital and video to graphic design and ceramics. “I’m so proud of all the students’ work,” said Marlborough Public Schools Superintendent Mary Murphy. Both floors were filled with artwork — elementary and high school on the first floor, middle school on the top. In the center of the lobby, several pieces had just returned from a display at Worcester Art Museum, part of a regional art exhibit celebratArt show | 10
Visitors view the many examples of 2-D and 3-D art at the annual K-12 Citywide Art Show on April 4 at Whitcomb Middle School. (Photo/ Maureen Sullivan)
Hudson to learn about racial equity in government By Sarah Freedman Contributing Writer HUDSON – Hudson has joined communities like Acton, Framingham, Lowell, Natick and Salem in joining the REACH, or Racial Equity Advancement and Collaborative Hub, program. REACH is a 10-month program that gives a team the opportunity to connect and collabo-
rate with other towns to learn about and apply strategies for equity in municipal government. According to a Feb. 21 memo from Executive Assistant Thomas Gregory, the REACH program is “a transformative initiative that aims to cultivate inclusive and equitable environments within Massachusetts municipalities.” The memo also noted that the program
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