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HOPKINTON INDEPENDENT Vol. 25 | No. 23 | November 13, 2024
Residents set to make decision on MBTA proposals By Mary Ellen Gambon Staff Writer
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PHOTO/JOHN CARDILLO
he Planning Board on Nov. 4 focused the bulk of its four-hour meeting on which zoning overlay proposals it would put forward at the Nov. 18 Special Town Meeting to allow Hopkinton comply with the MBTA Communities Act. After entertaining public comments and deliberating the merits of the four options under consideration, it voted to present — but not recommend — the original plan narrowly voted down at the May Annual Town Meeting and a recently proposed plan that included The Preserve, the Walcott Valley condominium development and a portion of downtown. The board was deadlocked 4-4-1 on recommending either option to the STM. The first option, which had been vetted by the state, would be more amenable to those seeking town housing stock to grow because the Carbone’s Restaurant land and its two adjacent parcels would be the most likely land to be developed in the near future. The other option achieves paper compliance with the state’s requirement. Member Vikasith Pratty voted to
ELECTION DAYLIGHT
Residents vote at Hopkinton Middle School on Nov. 5 despite the building losing power just before the polls opened. See story, Page 9.
Sunshine Preschool to close without new owner
Town Meeting | 10
By Mary Ellen Gambon Staff Writer
INSIDE
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Sunshine Preschool | 12
NEWS
Outdoor burning banned due to ongoing drought
Sunshine Preschool, located on Briarcliff Drive, announced plans to close in the spring unless a new owner can be found.
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SCHOOLS
HMS custodian arrested on child porn charges
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fter learning about its impending closure in June 2025, parents of students at an iconic preschool are stepping up to find a potential buyer to continue the founder’s nearly half-century of educating the region’s children. Christine Martin, the owner and administrator of Sunshine Preschool at 1 Briarcliff Drive, said in a recent interview with the Independent that she decided in mid-October to close the preschool she founded at the end of the school year “for personal and health reasons.” “I was hoping that I would make it to 50 years,” said Martin, 71, noting she started Sunshine in 1977. “It amazes me that students I had taught decades ago are now bringing their children here.” Martin added that “parents have come here sobbing” after receiving the
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