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Marlborough Hudson An edition of the Community Advocate
Vol. 51 | No. 17 | April 25, 2025
School district unveils first look at walking zones By Maureen Sullivan Assistant Editor MARLBOROUGH – Hundreds of additional Marlborough students may be walking to school next academic year. During the School Committee meeting on April 8, MPS Superintendent Mary Murphy presented a first look at the district’s new walking zones. The reason – MPS’s new contract with its transportation provider, North Reading Transportation (NRT), calls for 25 buses instead of 33. Although it saves MPS about $650,000, it also creates a challenge for students going to and from schools. “We’ve been planning this for a couple of months,” said Murphy. Walking zones are being established for each school by the district’s principals, with input from Safe Routes to Schools, a state program that works with schools to encourage more walking and biking among students. Murphy said that each principal has walked and driven their respective zones, making sure that students can access their schools safely. The walking zones vary in size, depending on high-traffic areas. For example, Richer Elementary School’s zone is smaller because of Route 20, which will not be crossed. Murphy said the district is trying to limit the walking zones to “around a mile for [grades] K-5, and two miles at the secondary level, with a majority of the students walking much less.”
Hudson rings in spring! Saturday, April 19, was one of the first true days of spring, and Hudson’s downtown was ready to celebrate the occasion. On that gorgeous, sunny day, Tami White sent her drone into the air to capture this beautiful shot of the downtown’s busy rotary. The district’s businesses were buzzing, and pedestrians were enjoying the weather, walking the streets and traversing the nearby Assabet River Rail Trail.
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