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HOPKINTON INDEPENDENT Vol. 24 | No. 4 | February 22, 2023
Hayden Rowe tabbed as preferred site for Elmwood replacement By Susan Gonsalves Contributing Writer
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PHOTO/JOHN CARDILLO
he Elementary School Building Committee on Feb. 13 voted unanimously (7-0) to choose a preferred schematic option called Hayden Rowe Village East, featuring three stories and three wings, for the Elmwood School replacement project. The committee has been weighing the pros and cons of various designs at two sites: Elm Street (Elmwood’s current location) and Hayden Rowe Street. Members decided to incorporate some village features — such as separating the cafeteria and gymnasium, locating them on opposite sides coming through the main entrance. Also up front will be the media center and guidance and administrative offices, while behind that will be three academic wings. Arranging the private and public spaces this way appealed to several members, with School Committee member Lya Batlle-Rafferty repeating her comparison to a house, putting the main rooms like the living space at the center of the home while smaller rooms like
MELODY MEMORIES
Isabelle dances during a Memory Care concert for those with memory issues and their caregivers at the Hopkinton Center for the Arts on Feb. 10.
Elmwood | 14
INSIDE
Divided Select Board passes on RECC
VIEWPOINT
By Jerry Spar Managing Editor
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RECC | 9
Escaped heifer Harriet gives birth at local farm PHOTO/JOHN CARDILLO
divided Select Board at its Feb. 14 meeting decided not to sign an intermunicipal agreement to form a regional emergency communication center with Southborough, Westborough and Grafton. The vote was 3-2 against the RECC, with those in opposition stating much more information is needed before they could be convinced this is the right move. Board member Muriel Kramer noted that residents are opposed to joining the RECC and expressed sympathy for the town’s dispatchers, as all of them would not have been
Individuals in the audience at the Feb. 14 Select Board meeting — most of whom were there to express their opposition to the RECC — listen as board member Shahidul Mannan shares his thoughts on the matter.
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COMMUNITY
HHS graduation parade approved for ‘final year’
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NEWS
Hillers Pizza owner faces charge of indecent assault
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