Hopkinton Independent March 10, 2021 by Community Advocate

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HOPKINTON INDEPENDENT Vol. 22 | No. 5 | March 10, 2021

School Committee considers proposal for March 29 reopening By Sandy Quadros Bowles Contributing Writer

PHOTO/LYNN ZHANG

AIR TIME

Tony Tong plays with his 2-year-old daughter, Meadow, during a recent trip to Hopkinton State Park.

Jimmy Hervol hit the pro tour after a standout career at the University of Connecticut.

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PHOTO/DAVID COLT/MASS GOLF

here are times when Hopkinton’s Jimmy Hervol might feel like he is a world away from the PGA Tour. The 2015 HHS graduate is competing on the mini-tour known as Minor League Golf. The payouts are in the hundreds or, on a good week, in the thousands of dollars. But then there are times when Hervol knows he can play with anyone in the world. One of those times occurred in a tournament in late January as Hervol fired a 60. “It was definitely a fun round,” he said. “I just got it going early, made Golfer | 12

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INSIDE

Hopkinton’s Hervol lives pro golf dream By Chris Villani Contributing Writer

he School Committee could officially determine a school reopening plan March 11, committee chair Amanda Fargiano said at a public forum March 4 to discuss issues related to the reopening. Schools tentatively will reopen for students in kindergarten through Grade 5 on March 29, superintendent Carol Cavanaugh said. Middle school tentatively will reopen April 5. The high school reopening date has yet to be set. The forum was held to answer questions submitted by community members about reopening plans and rationales. The time has come, Cavanaugh said, to open the school doors full-time. “Kids need school, they need their peers,’’ she said. Opening school in the spring also could alleviate some anxieties about the fall, she said. This alone could make for

SOLAR

Planning Board narrowly supports restrictive map

NEWS

Downtown construction could start next week

SCHOOLS

Science Fair shows students’ resiliency

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2 • The Hopkinton Independent • March 10, 2021

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Youngsters practice their cross-country skiing skills during a recent Parks & Recreation class.

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Cross-country skiing has seen a boost in popularity during the pandemic, for obvious reasons. It’s an outdoor sport that naturally lends itself to social distancing. For Hopkinton Parks & Recreation, that made it a perfect addition to its lineup of winter programs. The recently concluded cross-country skiing program in town was a big hit — and would have been even bigger had more people been able to find equipment to rent. “The issue for the numbers came down to getting equipment,” said Bob FitzPatrick, a longtime Nordic skiing coach who led the program with his daughter, Marisa, a former competitive skier. “Equipment became very scarce very early on because of COVID. All the crosscountry equipment was for the most part gone right after Christmas. If you went to any of the cross-country areas, they were jammed.” Independent thoughts | 3

Hopkinton Independent The Hopkinton Independent is published by Hopkinton Independent, LLC, 32 South St., Westborough, MA 01581. The publisher assumes no financial responsibility for typographical errors or errors in advertisements, but will reprint that portion of the ad that was in error if notified in writing within three business days of the publication date. All material is the property of the Hopkinton Independent. Permission must be obtained in writing before reproducing any material. The Hopkinton Independent is delivered by the U.S. Postal Service to 100 percent of the homes and businesses in Hopkinton, reaching more than 7,200 addresses. It’s also available at Price Chopper and Hopkinton Drug as well as at many other local businesses.

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Publisher: David Bagdon Dir. of Business Development: Susanne Odell Farber Founder: Sarah Lothrop Duckett Managing Editor: Jerry Spar Social Media director: David Bagdon Editorial contributors: Jean Cann, Lyn Calkins, Michelle Sanford, Chris Villani, Deborah Burke Henderson, Tricia LaCascia, John Cardillo, John Buday, Sandy Quadros Bowles, Christine Strickland

FOR ADVERTISING: Contact Susanne Odell Farber Cell: 508-954-8148 or Email: Sales@HopkintonIndependent.com FOR MAILED SUBSCRIPTIONS, Contact the Hopkinton Independent Office: 508 435-5188 or Email: Sales@HopkintonIndependent.com EDITORIAL COMMENTS AND INQUIRIES, including Letters to the Editor should be emailed to Editor@HopkintonIndependent.com

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The Hopkinton Independent • March 10, 2021 • 3 Independent thoughts | from page 2

Those who were fortunate enough to acquire equipment enjoyed lessons in the snow on the fields behind the high school/middle school complex. There were two four-week programs for kids as well as a one-day program for adults. “Before we had any snow, we were able to do a lot of dry land training, and then once the snow came, we got out there doing drills, skiing, we even got to ski down Center Trail and really take advantage of the trails/fields Hopkinton has to offer,” said Marisa. Establishing the trails was a team effort. “For the most part, we did most of the work ourselves by snowshoeing or just skiing in the tracks,” Bob said. “Building and Grounds groomed it once, for the last class [on Feb. 24]. Prior to that we had so much snow early on and the machines couldn’t go through the deeper snow. So myself and Colleen [Allen from Parks & Rec], we snowshoed the trails a few times, then we skied them in.” The program focused on the basics of the sport: learning how to push off, how to glide, downhill skills, uphill skills, turning, stopping and more. The coaches also incorporated some games for the younger skiers. “We did relays, ski on one ski, snow soccer — although because of COVID, kids were getting too close together so we discontinued that,” Bob said. “But lots of relays, balance activities, something we call the Iditarod, where kids pull each other on a saucer.” Following the successful debut, organizers already are planning for next winter’s program. “I think it’s something people want to get into and do it every year,” Bob said. “I think COVID was kind of a good entry to get into it, because people are looking for more outdoor activities. But once [Parks & Rec] saw the popularity with it and how the kids really enjoyed it, I think it will be something they continue to do.” For more information on upcoming Parks & Rec programs, including flag football, STEM basketball, golf, children’s etiquette and more, visit hopkintonma.myrec.com.

Central Public dining bubbles a big hit

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It might seem like we’re living in a bubble nowadays, with all the COVID precautions. Well, at Central Public House, you can actually be in a bubble while you enjoy a meal. Late last month the restaurant installed two plastic dining bubbles — which include heat and lighting — on its front patio, and they were an immediate hit. “They were fully booked out,” general manager Mike Thomas reported on the first weekend. “People were calling and requesting them. … The feedback has been great, people are excited about trying them out.” The idea started with Bryan Brown, branch manager of Guaranteed Rate on South Street and vice president of the Hopkinton Chamber of Commerce. Brown had recently taken his family to eat at a restaurant at Patriot Place in Foxboro, and they enjoyed the bubble experience there. “We had a good time, really enjoyed it, it was something unique and different,” Brown recalled. “Then kind of the light bulb went off and I said, ‘Oh, we should do this in Hopkinton.’ ” So Brown reached out to his friends at Central Public House. Thomas said they had wanted to install dining bubbles, but because of the uncertainty of the winter dining season during the pandemic, they were hesitant to spend the money. Brown offered to partner with the restaurant on the project, serving as sponsor. “A lot of these restaurants, they’re hurting,” Brown said. “I just want to see the business do well and support local. It’s one local business supporting another.” On Feb. 26 the bubbles hosted their initial diners: Bryan Brown and family. “We had to make sure he’d be the first,” Thomas said.

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K of C hosts annual food drive virtually The Knights of Columbus Bishop Rice Council, which covers Hopkinton and Ashland, is holding its annual Lenten Food Drive this month, aiming to offer support to the Project Just Because Hopkinton Food Pantry. For the second straight year the event will be held virtually due to the pandemic. “Many of our friends and neighbors continue to be in distress,” the council wrote in its fundraising appeal. “Food insecurity affects one out of eight Massachusetts residents. The Project Just Because Food Pantry of Hopkinton is continually challenged to meet the ongoing needs of our community, they are running critically low on food and supplies.” The drive will be held from March 13-21. Those wishing to contribute can send a check made payable to Project Just Because, with K of C 4822 FFF written in the memo section, to St. John the Evangelist, 20 Church St., Hopkinton, MA 01748. Another option is to purchase an Amazon eGift card and have it emailed to pjboffice@comcast.net (add K of C FFF Drive in the message box). Gifts also can be made through donor-advised charitable funds by selecting Project Just Because in Hopkinton (Tax ID 06-1728553). Specify in the use/note area that it is for the K of C Council 4822 Food for Families Food Drive. All donations are tax-deductible.

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4 • The Hopkinton Independent • March 10, 2021

Select Board too soft on gun use Regarding the Hill Street resident’s plea to extend the buffer zone for [firearm use], to alleviate the war zone in his neighborhood, and the Select Board’s timorous response, hesitant to step on the toes of hunters, it appears that they’d rather pander to a cohort of “sportsmen” who kill for a hobby rather than protect the safety and well-being of the average citizen who just wants to enjoy peace in his own home.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

— Margaret Barton, Hopkinton

Bullying must be addressed

this note it was dated back more than three years ago, and at that time my sons were well into high school. Seeing them doing well in school, I never brought up the topic or complaint to the school because I did not want to be looked at as making a big deal out of nothing, especially regarding racism or bullying. I did not want to be judged. Now, looking back, I have regret for not speaking up. I urge all new parents moving into this town to communicate with their children about bullying and bias, making sure that it gets noticed and bring it out to the public’s attention. Bullying is not child’s play. It affects the child’s self-esteem and well-being. Our kids deserve a friendly and healthy learning environment. We all love to have an inclusive community. After all, we are the taxpayers who pay the town staff and teachers’ salaries. They can all do a better job in this area. — Karen Li, Hopkinton

Your article in January 2020 about Hopkinton High School [hockey] coach Chris MacPherson facing a lawsuit from the parents of a former Hopkinton freshman brought back my unpleasant memories. The suit was about the coach failing to stop players from harassing and bullying their son. [With] the town Select Board discussions about social justice and systemic racism this July I am compelled to write and express how I feel. It is sad and disappointing after 20-plus years living here that bullying is still happening, with little improvement. In late 1996 we moved into Hopkinton, and soon my sons entered middle school. Over the years my full-time job and my husband’s second shift in the restaurant business had left little time for us to involve in school activities or more communication with our children. My sons were well behaved and I never had any issue with them. One day while I was cleaning my office I found a little note written by my one of my sons. In the note he mentioned that this white boy always gave him a hard time. No matter how hard he had tried to please him, [he had] no success. When I found

Letters inspire internet search The [Feb. 10] edition of the Hopkinton Independent featured some interesting letters, which stimulated me to do a bit of internet research. I searched “countries with highest standard of living,” “happiest countries,” “standard of living by country,” etc. I looked through multiple sites that came up via those internet searches. The listings were all similar, but not identical with respect to the included countries, and with some variations in their relative rankings and inclusions. Countries that came up, some repeatedly, in the top 10 lists: Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland. And, yes, I am aware that I have listed 12 countries. As for what does it mean; I leave that to you, the reader. — Ed Harrow, Hopkinton

Pick up dog poop on Center Trail

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s an experienced Realtor with over 20 years in the business and deep local roots in Hopkinton, Bernie Calvario is a go-to for all your real estate needs. She has a deep understanding of the market to help price your home to competitively sell and help buyers find a home that matches their needs. Bernie is a matchmaker; she not only matches the right person to the right home but also with the right Coldwell Banker Realty program. “Coldwell Banker Realty has all the resources, tools and programs available to buyers and sellers of real estate to take advantage of.” Bernie said. Bernie’s commitment to provide first-class service to her clients is not new; she is vested in you. “It’s all about her clients and it’s important to her that you have an excellent experience in one of the biggest decisions you will make,” she said, and her testimonials prove just that. Not only is Bernie a five-star Realtor in the field having achieved many awards as a top producer, but she is a member of The Greater Boston Real Estate Board (GBREB) and is honored to reside on the membership committee. She is also a member of the Massachusetts Association of Realty (MAR), the National Association of Realtors (NAR), and she is a Certified Home Stager Expert (HSE). Going “above and beyond” is not new for Bernie either. She has a long track record of giving back. Bernie has successfully secured many housing grants over the past decade for the local non-profit “Project Just Because.” In addition, she is also a part of the CB Cares Program and has volunteered for a variety of different organizations in the local community – a place with deep roots for the past 30 years with her family. Hopkinton is where her kids grew up after all, and now she has the distinct pleasure of welcoming her daughter, Lynsy Calvario, into the business as a licensed Realtor. Lynsy recently joined Coldwell Banker Realty to be part of this historic “Mother-Daughter dynamic duo.” “I’ve always wanted to become a Realtor and follow in my Mom’s footsteps. They always say that you don’t find real estate, it finds you,” said Lynsy, and she feels strongly that growing up around real estate for the past 20 years only solidifies that. Lynsy plans to use her marketing skills from the corporate world to maximize value for their clients. Accountability is so important when you select a Realtor you want to work with. Trust, honesty, loyalty and experience – all of these should factor into your decision. “I have spent two decades building my reputation around these core values. Lynsy and I are here for all your real estate needs, regardless of the location, including international,” said Bernie; there’s no place like home, and it all starts here.

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“Having just sold our home last September, we have nothing but praise for our agent, Bernie Calvario, who patiently walked us through the difficult process of preparing our home to sell (including decluttering, hiring contractors to help with updating the interior and exterior, and finally expertly staging our home to appeal to buyers). Bernie is a consummate professional who really knows the local real estate market and worked 24/7 to help us sell our home and maximize its market value. In addition, we had previously worked with Bernie as a buyer’s agent, and she was tireless and always available to help us find the best properties to suit our needs. I would not hesitate to recommend her to help you with whatever your real estate needs are. If you are on the fence, just bring her in for a market assessment of your home. You will be wowed by how well prepared and knowledgeable she is. Once you meet with her, you will be convinced, as we were, that she is the best agent for the job.”- L & J White

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Time for the annual Center Trail refresher course for dog walkers. FAQs: 1. Do I have to pick up my dog’s poop? Yes, please. 2. What if I don’t have a poop bag? Bag dispensers and waste cans are at both the Main Street and Loop Road ends of the trail. Take two if necessary. 3. OK if I just cover it with snow? No. That simply ensures it’ll still be there when the snow melts. 4. I don’t like having to carry a poop bag. If I leave it along the trail, someone will pick it up and put it in the can for me, right? Right, but believe me, that someone will not be happy about it. 5. What difference does just my dog’s little poop make, after all? Well, if everyone thought that way, there would be about 80-100 pounds of dog poop on the trail every two weeks. No exaggeration. Dog feces are the third greatest contributor to water contamination and contain viruses, bacteria and Can youthat trycanthe following:Have worms cause infections in otherthe gr animals, including human (see the Spotlight go only part children way across aapaw.org/education/dangers-of-dogside and go maybe 3/4 of the way ov poop). big thankThe you Visit to most rightAnd sidea empty. us dog and we walkers, who do the right thing!

large. - Maybe half the size. The foote had in last layout. They want that —the David Dollenmayer and Charlie, Hopkinton (trail stewards) can pull off the 'Call Today’ text. Editor’s note: The opinions and comments expressed in letters to the editor are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the Independent. Submissions should be no more than 400 words and must include the writer’s name and contact information for verification. Letters should be relevant and not primarily for the purpose of promoting an organization or event. Letters may be edited by the Independent staff for space, errors or clarification, and the Independent offers no guarantee that every letter will be published. For a schedule of deadlines for letters and other submissions, check the Hopkinton Independent website (HopkintonIndependent.com) and click on the Contact header, then on Editorial Deadlines.

The Hopkinton Independent • March 10, 2021 • 5

FY22 budget update: Town CFO seeks funds to ‘stand up to Eversource’ Eversource has been fighting the town for years over tax appraisals of its LNG facility on Wilson Street.

Presents

‘A SLICE OF HOPKINTON’ Hopkinton Independent Photo Contest

PHOTO/JERRY SPAR

By Jerry Spar Managing Editor

he Select Board continues to hear from department leaders regarding the Fiscal Year 2022 budget, and while most department budgets are level funded or close to it, there are some requests for additional resources. At the Feb. 23 Select Board meeting, chief financial officer Tim O’Leary requested an additional $30,000 for appraisal services “to continue to engage with Eversource,” the energy company that owns a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in town and has frustrated town leaders on numerous occasions. “The entire additional amount requested is related to the town’s ongoing effort to collect a fair tax levy from the Eversource LNG plant,” O’Leary said. “Eversource appealed the town’s assessment for Hopkinton LNG for 2014, 2015 and 2016. The state’s Appellate Tax Board upheld the town’s position after a lengthy and very costly review, which was excellent news for the town. Now we’re standing by to see if Eversource will appeal those tax years again to the next highest court, the Court of Appeals. For the FY22 budget we’ve added $10,000 for anticipated legal expenses that will be needed if Eversource follows up with litigation on 2017 through 2020 — four years that had been pending while we tried to resolve the earlier years. “The other $20,000 in additional funding requested is also tied to Eversource. As you know, the LNG facility is going through a substantial renewal. So it will be necessary for the town to re-baseline the facility for tax property purposes. Because Eversource has a long record of appealing Hopkinton LNG assessments, the town will be taking the unusual step in incurring an extra $20,000 in expense to generate a painstakingly meticulous court-ready appraisal. This approach will avoid additional cost and rework later, when it’s likely that Eversource will once again appeal the town’s LNG appraisal. “The town’s tax relationship with Eversource is challenging and expensive. And this situation is not unique to Hopkinton. Across the commonwealth, Eversource is appealing assessments, thereby imposing high staff and legal costs on towns where they operate. Despite this expense, the town believes it’s important and completely appropriate to stand up to Eversource on these cases.” Other individuals who made budget presentations Feb. 23 were Ben Swee-

The town’s tax relationship with Eversource is challenging and expensive. And this situation is not unique to Hopkinton.

This issue’s winner is Jason Andreola for this photo of Vera Andreola playing in the snow with her dog. To enter next issue’s contest, email your photo along with your name, phone number and description of the photo to editor@hopkintonindependent.com. Photos with people or pets in them are encouraged. Photos that are not selected as winners might be posted on our website.

on,

Hey Hopkint

Get out s! your camera

The Hopkinton Independent presents “A Slice of Hopkinton” photo contest, sponsored by Bill’s Pizzeria. Readers are encouraged to submit photos of people, places or things in Hopkinton. The Independent staff will select one winner for each issue. The winner will have their submitted photo published in the paper and will receive a $25 gift certificate to Bill’s Pizzeria.

All photos must be submitted by individuals 16 and over. The photo must be high resolution, and not submitted for use by any other media outlet. Winners will pick up their gift certificate at Bill’s Pizzeria.

— Town CFO Tim O’Leary ney (also Finance Department), Maria Casey (Human Resources), Heather Backman (Library), Norman Khumalo (Town Manager) and assistant town manager Elaine Lazarus (Land Use, Planning and Permitting). Lazarus noted that Land Use, Planning and Permitting was very busy in 2020, as “construction did not slow down with the pandemic.” She said the department issued 2,187 related building permits and certificates during the year, including 158 for new residential dwellings and 977 alterations and additions to residences. Lazarus added that the one of items the department will address in the coming year is funding for a trails and pedestrian connectivity plan, which is an initiative of the Planning Board. “One thing the pandemic has done has brought many more people outside and increased interest in trails,” she said. Board member Brian Herr concurred. “The trails are much busier now than they’ve ever been,” he said. “I think that’s great, but we just need to plan for that going forward. I don’t think the enthusiasm is going to go away once the pandemic goes away. I think the people have found the gems all over town and really enjoy getting out there, so I agree we’ve got to be a little more aggressive in how we manage and help those trails along.” At the March 2 meeting, the board heard from the remaining department leaders, for Information Technology, Engineering/Facilities, Schools, Upper Charles Trail Committee and Trail Coordination and Management Committee.

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6 • The Hopkinton Independent • March 10, 2021

Health director clarifies role with schools after criticism H

ealth director Shaun McAuliffe, appearing before the Select Board at its March 2 meeting, said he wanted to make clear the roles and responsibilities for his department and the School Department as it relates to following individuals with COVID-19 exposure. “I’m concerned that there NEWS BRIEFS has been a misunderstanding and am hoping that we can clarify our roles so we do not misrepresent the facts,” McAuliffe said. While McAuliffe did not indicate what prompted this clarification, the Hopkinton Teachers Association, in a recent statement opposing the district’s plan to return to full-time in-person learning, claimed that “as of January 26th the Hopkinton Department of Health has abandoned the Hopkinton Public Schools in their contract-tracing efforts.” The HTA also claimed the Health Department “had at times drawn conclusions about school safety that were contradicted by health departments in neighboring communities.” Said McAuliffe: “There is a clear delineation of responsibilities between the Health Department and the School Department. The Health Department is responsible for monitoring the public health of all residents and working

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The Health Department supported and continues to support the Hopkinton School District with their duties. We work collaboratively with the schools to monitor and track family members who do not attend the schools. Students are the responsibility of the school district.

— Health director Shaun McAuliffe

with the schools to support their COVID-19 responsibilities. The schools’ responsibilities are documented in the Department of Early and Secondary Education’s July 17, 2020, “Protocols for Responding to COVID-19 Scenarios in School, on the Bus, or in Community Settings,” revised December 16, 2020. This document clearly states that the school district is responsible for case identification, the communication of quarantine and isolation guidelines, the identification of close contacts and all other relevant communications to the individual parties and school community. “Like with all other communicable/ infectious diseases, the school district must communicate their findings to the local board of health. “The Health Department supported and continues to support the Hopkinton School District with their duties. We work collaboratively with the schools to monitor and track family members who do not attend the schools. Students are the responsibility of the school district. The Health Department will continue to assist the district with their reopening planning, while providing case management outside of the school, operating vaccine clinics, while continuing to perform the non-COVID duties under our jurisdiction.” Meanwhile with cases continuing to trend downward both in Hopkinton and the state, and with vaccination efforts continuing — McAuliffe said in late February just over 50 percent of residents 75 and older had been vaccinated — the state advanced the reopening plan to Step 2 of Phase 3 as of March 1 and indicated it will transition to Step 1

of Phase 4 on March 22. This means a relaxing of the restrictions on capacity limits at restaurants, performance spaces and other venues. Check HopkintonIndependent.com for up-to-date information on vaccine schedules.

Marathon Center gets special permit The proposed International Marathon Center, planned for a spot on townowned land at 53 East Main Street, took another step forward March 1 when the Planning Board voted unanimously to approve a special permit. The 26.2 Foundation is leading the project, which includes a 25,000 square foot museum, meeting rooms, a cafe, a gift shop and outdoor recreational space. … The Planning Board also voted unanimously to approve the minor project site plan for the permanent outdoor expansion of Cornell’s Irish Pub, following a recommendation of approval from the Design Review Board. The expansion already has the support of the Select Board.

Town posts opening for police officer The Town of Hopkinton recently posted a job opening for a police officer. Base starting salary is $25.02 per hour, with a salary range up to $27.91 per hour.

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This recruitment is only open to candidates who have either 1) successfully passed and received certification from a full-time police officer training academy or 2) are currently enrolled and attending the training academy as recognized by the Municipal Police Training Committee (MPTC). Deadline for submission of the application, with cover letter and resume, is 4 p.m. on March 18. For more information, including job duties, minimum qualifications and essential functions, visit the town website at hopkintonma.gov.

Select Board again lauds Palmers At its Feb. 23 meeting, the Select Board accepted the resignation of Marilyn Palmer from the Council on Aging. At a recent Select Board meeting the board heaped praise on Palmer’s husband, John Palmer, for his many years of service to Hopkinton. The couple recently moved out of town. Select Board chair Brendan Tedstone said Marilyn is worthy of the same praise — or perhaps even more. “She’s a legend and an icon in this town,” he said. The board also approved the reappointment of Ed Harrow as the Conservation Commission representative to the Open Space Preservation Commission (term expiring June 30, 2025), OK’d the appointment of Rebecka Lapierre as a traffic constable (term expiring June 30, 2023), and accepted a $100 gift to the Ambulance Fund from Mary Louise Moore in memory of Francis Pyne. At its March 2 meeting, the board approved the appointment of Mohamed Haider to the Capital Improvement Committee (term expiring June 30, 2023) and Sharon O’Reilly to the Woodville Historic District Commission as the Board of Realtors representative (term expiring June 30, 2023).

Women’s Club Candidates Night event April 28 The Hopkinton Women’s Club announced recently that it will host its annual Candidates Night on Wednesday, April 28, at 7 p.m. The decision to hold the event in person or virtually will be made in April. The Town Election is scheduled for May 17.

PJB pet pantry items available to those in need Thanks to assistance from Baypath Humane Society, a grant from Middlesex Savings Bank and community support, Project Just Because has a new pet pantry stocked with dry and wet pet food, leashes and collars, pet sweaters and other supplies. Pet pantry items are available free of charge to anyone struggling financially to care for their animals. Project Just Because, located at 109 South St., is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

The Hopkinton Independent • March 10, 2021 • 7

Planning Board narrowly votes to recommend solar map By Robert Ford Contributing Writer

I almost think that it’s a little bit of an overreach by the state to tell us that — unlike any other zoning — we can’t decide where a commercial use will be put in the town. I’m still very much in favor of letting the town have its say.

lanning board members on March 1 voted 5-4 to recommend Town Meeting approval of a proposed commercial ground-mounted solar overlay district map, while also supporting a zoning bylaw change that address solar developments. In the works for more than two years, the map delineates properties where commercial solar arrays can be sited in the town, with a majority of those properties located along the Interstate 495 corridor, along with a few other scattered parcels. Those voting against the measure were Jane Moran, Mary Larson-Marlowe, Deb Fein-Brug and chair Gary Trendel. Speaking in opposition, Trendel noted that the town’s legal counsel previously expressed concern that the board did not adequately describe why a property would be included or left out of the map, and that the town would be hard-pressed to defend it in court should it be challenged by a property owner or a commercial solar array company. “I do not think that we have sufficiently defined the criteria by which we identify these properties that are well-suited,” Trendel said, terming the map “overly restrictive.” “I think there are a gazillion ways to poke holes in this. I think we’re going to see that at Town Meeting.” Dave Paul countered that he was “a big proponent” of the map. “We talked this out a lot,” Paul said. “Other towns do this. We know there are some legal challenges to this. My thought process is we put this before the town, and if they vote for it and we want to strengthen this we could add future properties at some point.” Moran noted that the Planning Board already has the commercial solar zoning bylaw revision on the warrant, and having multiple solutions to the same problem likely will confuse Town Meeting voters. “I guess it’s just plain common sense: Why would we vote to put this forward?” asked Moran. “Number one, because town counsel has already said it most likely would not stand up in the court. And number two, if we put both this forward and the new language that ZAC [Zoning Advisory Committee] has worked so hard to improve on, based on town counsel’s approval, why would we want to confuse our citizens? “I would like to see this go away, and go with the language that ZAC is putting forward.” Member Muriel Kramer questioned town counsel’s statement that it would be a challenge to defend the map in court. Town counsel previously indicated there is no clear precedent. “I almost think that it’s a little bit of an overreach by the state to tell us that — unlike any other zoning — we can’t decide where a commercial use will be put in the town,” Kramer said. “I’m still very much in favor of letting the town have its say.” Board members agreed there would be a “lively discussion” at the May 3 Town Meeting. The board voted 8-1 (Moran dissenting) to recommend Town Meeting approval of the solar photovoltaic bylaw language changes. Larson-Marlowe, who also chairs

— Planning Board member Muriel Kramer

The Planning Board’s solar overlay district map will go before Town Meeting voters in May.

ZAC, explained that the committee tried to give the bylaw as much teeth as possible. “Because of town counsel recommendations and advice we got along the way, we have limited these changes to this particular bylaw to those that we can justify as being a health, welfare or safety benefit to the public,” she said. “There were certain changes to the bylaw that we proposed that town counsel did recommend that we would not be able to justify having it only restricted on solar. That is why certain things got taken off of our plate here and we were restricted to some significant changes to screening, particularly a glare analysis, sound analysis and things like that. We had to focus primarily on beefing up those areas, and giving Planning Board — the way the language is written — some additional tools to assess the impact on neighbors and being able to mitigate the impact on abutters.” Under the new bylaw, groundmounted solar would have to go through a site plan review. Currently it only requires a special permit. The changes, if they pass at Town Meeting, will apply to any ground-

mounted commercial solar application initiated after the posting date of the hearing process — two weeks prior to the meeting. Gelcich noted there were no new applications before the board, although a number of property owners last year requested their parcels be added to the overlay district map. Meanwhile, the board rescheduled until March 15 a public hearing on an amendment to limit deforestation of properties in town. That also is associated with limiting solar.

Wilson Street solar seeks change Grasshopper Energy, which plans to construct a 2.4 megawatt solar array off Wilson Street, requested a modification to the special permit that was granted by the board in March 2019. Chris King from Atlantic Design Engineers, on behalf of the applicant, told the Planning Board the footprint has not changed and no additional clear-

Let’s

ing is to take place, but the access road inside the project has been relocated to the northern edge to “maximize the efficiency of the remaining footprint.” Additionally, a stormwater basin was relocated and revised. Also, the plan now calls for more panels, packed more tightly together. This led to a discussion on how it would affect the vegetation beneath the panels. Because there is not much space between the panels, the ground will not get as much sunlight. The ground can’t be dirt, because that would affect the stormwater runoff. Mitch Maslanka from Goddard Consulting, working for the applicant, said there were shade-tolerant and drought-tolerant species that could be planted in topsoil beneath the panels, using slender bush clover as an example. Phil Paradis from BETA, the town’s engineering consultant, said he was not aware of any fully shade-tolerant ground cover, and he said BETA’s landscape architect “was very skeptical that these things could grow in no sunlight.” The public hearing was continued to the March 15 Planning Board meeting.

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8 • The Hopkinton Independent • March 10, 2021

Comfort quilts: Infused with love By Deborah Burke Henderson Contributing Writer opkinton’s Susan Weaver was among those who participated in the Power of the Quilt Project’s inaugural winter quilt-a-thon held virtually on Jan. 18 in celebration of MLK Day and a commitment to service. The project, which began about 15 years ago, is sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Area Church, First Parish in Sherborn. The event was organized by church member Cris Crawford. “I was overwhelmed by the response,” Crawford stated. “With the pandemic, we haven’t been able to hold our in-person events for almost an entire year. It was great to have so many familiar faces greeting one another via Zoom and working together on charity quilts.” One of those familiar faces was Weaver, a frequent PQP participant, who logged in at 10 a.m. and dedicated the next five hours to joining others who cut fabrics,

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quilt. The finishing touch is blind-stitching by hand, on the reverse side.” Once completed, the quilts are dropped off with Sherborn’s Sally Demler, a longtime UUAC member and fellow PQP participant who is living with cancer. She takes the finalized lap robes to the infusion unit she visits regularly for chemotherapy treatments. Some quilts are provided to Pictured is a sampling of some of the colorful comfort hospice patients and others quilts the Power of the Quilt Project participants create to cancer treatment centers for individuals living with cancer. throughout Eastern Masmade quilt tops, and sandwiched and tied sachusetts. quilts by hand. “Every four or five weeks I make the “I don’t quilt,” said Weaver, “but I trip,” Demler said. “It’s a privilege to be can sew, and I like to help. Cris taught me able to be part of this group and to suphow to stitch together a continuous train ply others with these beautiful creations. of 2.5-inch fabric to make a binding that I Recipients are overjoyed and typically will now machine stitch on a sandwiched Quilts | 9

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Main Street Corridor Project work expected to begin next week By Jerry Spar Managing Editor

he town recently released a construction update for the Main Street Corridor Project, indicating that signage is due to be installed this week, with actual project work anticipated to begin next week. Below is the update: — Beginning the week of March 8 contractor A.F. Amorello will begin to mobilize on the site. — Neighbors and commuters can expect this phase to include the installation of variable flashing message boards, generally located on West Main Street, Wood Street, East Main Street, Cedar Street and Grove Street. These boards will alert neighbors and commuters of upcoming traffic impacts and construction activities. — Also beginning on Monday, March 8, the contractor will begin installing construction signage associated with the beginning of construction. — Actual project work by the contractor is anticipated to begin, weather permitting, the week of March 15 at the East Main Street/Ash Street area. — As the work commences, police details will be onsite daily to coordinate all construction activities. — Construction is planned to take place Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. — Abutting homes and businesses will be notified directly and in advance of any work that will temporarily impact vehicular access to their properties as construction advances. Meanwhile, at its March 2 meeting, the Select Board voted unanimously to allow Main Street Corridor Project construction crews to use Marathon Way — the short road that runs between the Town Common and the Doughboy statue, connecting Main Street to Ash Street — as a staging area while work is being done downtown. “It’s intermittently throughout the construction phase of the project, but also knowing full well that come winter there won’t be any construction so it will be available to the public,” town manager Norman Khumalo explained. Town engineer/facilities director Dave Daltorio said having the staging area so close to the project work could save a half-day of work over the course of a week. Board member Amy Ritterbusch suggested trying to find an alternate location, such as behind Center School. “It’s just such a picturesque area,” she said. “I kind of hate to see stuff taking up so much space.” Daltorio explained that Parks and Recreation runs programs at Center School, including camps throughout the summer, so it was not ideal. Board member Brian Herr, who has worked in construction for many years, suggested biting the bullet to keep the project moving quickly. “I think the bottom line is come March 15th or the 20th, whenever it is they’re going to start tearing the place up, it’s not going to be a pretty place to look at for the next year or so,” he said, adding: “There’s going to be some pain in this process; there’s no way to avoid it. If allowing them to stage there increases their productivity and gets this done faster, we’ll get the ugliness gone quicker if we allow them to do this. It’s very common in any construction project across Massachusetts there will be roadway pipe and there will be machinery and other things stored right in the right of way along these sites. So I would encourage us to consider allowing it.”

The Hopkinton Independent • March 10, 2021 • 9

Select Board passes on proposed firearm restriction amendment

OPENING DOORS To New Beginnings

Hunters speak out against plan; issue to be revisited By Jerry Spar Managing Editor

he Select Board voted unanimously at its Feb. 23 meeting not to take action on the proposed amendment to the general bylaw that deals with the discharge of firearms, a proposal that was widely and loudly panned by local hunters. While the board is passing on the proposal for this year, members expressed an interest in discussing it as a potential submission for 2022 Town Meeting, albeit likely with the verbiage substantially different. The proposal — to extend the distance a firearm could be discharged to 1,000 feet — up from 500 feet — from a dwelling or other building in use (unless permission was granted) or 300 feet from a public way — was suggested by town counsel in response to complaints from residents on or in the area of Hill Street (off Spring Street, on the Westborough border), where a resident’s firearm use has caused concern. Hill Street resident Phil Mastroianni spoke about the issue at a Select Board meeting in January, stating that he was not looking to restrict hunters but rather find a solution to what he termed a “safety concern” and a “mental health concern” due to what he said was a large number of rounds being shot in a short period of time from a variety of weapons. Select Board chair Brendan Tedstone stood up for Mastroianni, whom he said “has been labeled a villain” and unfairly so. Tedstone noted that the proposed amendment came from town counsel, not from Mastroianni nor any of the other residents who brought the issue to the town’s attention. (Editor’s note: This fact also has been clarified in the Independent’s website story on the Jan. 26 Select Board meeting.) “He did not present a piece of paper to us stating that he wanted to make this a 1,000-foot buffer zone and 300 feet from a road,” Tedstone said. “He did not do any of that. He simply came on out of concern for his family, which I absolutely applaud him for. … I feel very, very badly for all the garbage that he’s been put through and the misconception and the thought that he was trying to eliminate hunting, buffer zones, things like that. He just was concerned for the safety of his family.” During public comment, Spring Street resident Austin Susmann said he’s “actively disturbed” by the “chance of a stray bullet coming into my house, into

my backyard.” Susmann said he was not concerned with the noise nor with hunters, just with safety. He suggested the language should be adjusted to “restrict backyard ranges.” Board vice chair Irfan Nasrullah said he also has had issues with gun use being a nuisance. “I actually brought this issue up well over a year ago,” Nasrullah said. “So if the public has an ire on someone who’s initiating this, you can direct it at me. I’m happy to take the heat.” Added Nasrullah: “I think it makes sense to open this up with all the interested parties to try to come up with a solution that addresses rights for hunters, which I strongly support, and my right to be able to hang out in my backyard without hearing gunshots all hours of the night.” Board member Brian Herr suggested the board vote to take no action, stating: “We’re not going to be able to get it down between now and May. It’s a very sensitive topic.” Tedstone agreed, but promised it would be addressed at another time. “We’re not taking this and throwing it away,” he said. “We’re taking this and we’re going to have a discussion on it. This will give us enough time to vet it maybe for the next Town Meeting. But we clearly don’t have the time required to vet it for this Town Meeting.” Longtime resident (and hunter) Dick Germaine, speaking during public comment, urged the town to include the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife in future discussions. Meanwhile, the board unanimously voted to keep the other four proposed bylaw amendments on the Town Meeting warrant. They include updates to the dog licensing bylaw so as to comply with state law, and updates to the street opening and trench permitting processes. The other amendment clarifies and expands on the town’s bylaw dealing with obstruction of streets and sidewalks. It bans anyone from depositing material including snow, leaves and sand on a sidewalk or road if it impairs travel. Board member Amy Ritterbusch asked about the possibility of including overgrown bushes, but town manager Norman Khumalo said, “That issue has not been brought to our attention as a problem in town.” He said anyone with such a concern should contact town officials, who would work with the homeowner on a solution.

Comfort quilts: Infused with love Quilts | from page 8

speechless when the nurse hands them one of these beauties. Every stitch is infused with love.” The Power of the Quilt Project has been coordinated by a few folks over the years, including Crawford. Since its inception, several thousand cheery quilts have been distributed to men, women and children who are undergoing chemotherapy treatments. Each lap robe is about 42 inches by 64 inches and backed in flannel to provide some warmth to the patients as they receive their treatments. Quilts created with animal-themed or child-centric fabrics are delivered to Project Linus for youngsters facing hardship who are living in shelters

or in a hospital setting. “These quilts are a bright spot in the lives of people going through a hard time, and the Power of the Quilt Project allows us to share our gifts and caring with others in a very meaningful way,” Weaver said, adding, “It’s a great time of fellowship and support for us as well.” For now, quilt-a-thons will continue to be held regularly, until it is safe to meet in person. Anyone interested in participating can contact Cris Crawford at crawford. cris@gmail.com. To find out more about the Power of the Quilt Project or make a donation to help buy supplies, visit uuac.org. Pictures from previous quilt-a-thons may be viewed at powerofthequilt.blogspot.com.

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Business BUSINESS PROFILE: AN ADVERTISER FEATURE

Hayden Rowe Properties, where every client, transaction matters Real estate broker Peter Edwards, owner of Hayden Rowe Properties, ensures his clients have the smoothest transaction experience possible.

By Deborah Burke Henderson Contributing Writer

eter Edwards, owner of Hayden Rowe Properties, and his team focus on the client’s goals and the details of each real estate transaction to ensure things are done properly and with the highest level of integrity. “We leverage our 16 years’ experience and do our best by the client every time,” Edwards stated. “We’re committed to guiding each client through a seamless process. By doing things right from the start, we avoid any potential headaches or delays down the road.” Edwards and his team members educate buyers and sellers about the market and property values, and strategically guide a client’s next steps to successfully navigate the real estate process. With a winning, one-on-one personalized approach, Edwards first meets with a seller in their home for a detailed conversation, including a home evaluation and marketing plan. He advises homeowners how they might easily enhance the property to make that memorable first impression with prospective buyers. “Having your property in good selling condition goes a long way in selling your property,” Edwards noted. “Often simple repairs, staging and landscaping updates can make all the difference in capturing a buyer’s eye.” Whether a buyer or seller, Edwards advises clients to start the process as early as possible. “Then there’s much less pressure and clients allow themselves to make better decisions throughout the process to create a smooth transaction.” Edwards and his team make sure they are aware and ahead of trends in

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the market. “We are constantly staying on top of the latest trends and technology to provide a first-class service which also includes a dedicated full-time marketing manager,” he said. Later this month, the website, which is powered by a direct feed to MLS, will be enhanced with even more robust search capability to provide clients all the information they are looking for. In addition, Edwards will expand the brokerage’s services to Cape Cod this year, and the Cape-specific MLS will be added to the website within the next several months. “Each year we have gotten more and more requests from clients for assistance on the Cape,” Edwards noted, “making this expansion a timely addition.” Eighty-one percent of business is from referrals, which is why 2020 saw an uptick in transactions and an increase of 27 percent in year-over-sales volume despite the limited inventory. “Our referral network is one of the

biggest reasons our homegrown brokerage has been able to exceed $137 million in total sales volume since the company started in 2005,” Edwards added.

UniBank commits $20K to Hopkinton Chamber of Commerce sponsorship UniBank announced last month that it has donated $20,000 to the Hopkinton Chamber of Commerce to renew its fiveyear sponsorship of the Gateway Green Beautification Site. “The Hopkinton Chamber of BUSINESS BRIEFS Commerce has created an attractively landscaped medium strip on West Main Street at the entrance to Hopkinton off [Interstate] 495,” explained Peter Mezitt, co-chair of the Hopkinton Chamber Gateway Green Initiative and president of Weston Nurseries. “This well-maintained landscape symbolizes the tightness of the busi-

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nesses in our community and demonstrates the vibrant, engaged atmosphere that exists in the Town of Hopkinton. I am very pleased that UniBank has once again taken a lead corporate sponsorship position in support of the Gateway Green as it shows one of the many ways they have demonstrated they truly care about this town and other communities where they are located.” Said UniBank CEO Michael Welch: “When we were first approached in 2016 to become a founding sponsor of the Gateway Green Beautification Site, we jumped all in for the opportunity. The Hopkinton Chamber of Commerce has been a great partner of ours and the Hopkinton community has embraced our bank for many years. We are pleased to renew our sponsorship for an additional five years.”

Milford Regional welcomes new chief medical officer Milford Regional Medical Center last month introduced Peter B. Smulowitz, MD, MPH, as chief medical officer, calling him an experienced emergency medicine physician and proven innovative leader. Smulowitz joined Milford Regional late last year, following the retirement of Leslie Selbovitz, MD, who served as CMO since 2017. “We welcome Dr. Smulowitz to our leadership team,” said Edward J. Kelly, Milford Regional president and CEO. “We are so pleased to have such an experienced physician as our chief medical officer. Dr. Smulowitz’s expertise in emergency medicine and leadership skills will ensure that our medical staff continues to provide the highest-quality care to our community.”

The Hopkinton Independent • March 10, 2021 • 11

Sports ‘Nothing but positive energy’ for HHS girls volleyball By Chris Villani Contributing Writer

FILE PHOTO/CHRISTINE STRICKLAND

n a normal year, the Hopkinton High School girls volleyball team would go into a season ready to make a deep postseason run. The Hillers did just that last year, advancing to the sectional final before losing to the eventual state champion. But this is anything but a normal season. “Last year” for girls volleyball was the fall of 2019. Instead of playing last fall, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in many teams, including Hopkinton, being wedged into a so-called “Fall 2” season that runs from March into late April. But coach Margie Grabmeier said none of this is dampening the spirits of her players as the season begins. “It could be disappointing not to have a tournament, but we prefer to flip the script and look at the positives and be grateful for the opportunities we have,” Grabmeier said. “We are not focusing on what we can’t do, we are focusing on what we can do.” Practice began in late February and, with nine players back from last year’s strong squad, Grabmeier said the team hit the ground running. “Four practices in and it felt like the bond is back,” she said. “We have a ton of things we do year to year, and we want to do those things and make it feel as normal as possible with the cards we are dealt.” Many aspects of this season do look fairly “normal” for the Hillers. Hopkinton had a strong turnout for the volleyball program and will field a total of four teams: varsity, two JV squads and a middle school team. The Hillers will run their “big/little” program, pairing a more experienced member of the program as a mentor and partner for a younger athlete. And while there may not be the usual packed bleachers for either tradition, Hopkinton plans on running a Dig Pink game to raise money for breast cancer research and the Side Out Foundation, as well as a senior night for those athletes who will be playing their final year with the program. Two seniors will serve as captains for the varsity this winter: outside hitter Cadyn Boyce and right side hitter Cassie White. Senior Rachel Leeret will be a setter along with junior Cathryn Leighton, who came on strong during the 2019 tournament. Grabmeier said the middle hitters on the team are “just looking fantastic.” The group includes senior Millie Senseney along with Kate Powers and Mikayla Grady. Other returning hitters include Mirabella Paolucci, Kate Dion and junior Melanie Gildea, who likely will play a starting role. “Her improvement in the offseason was truly impressive,” Grabmeier said. “She came back focused and ready to play.” A quartet of defensive specialists rounds out the varsity roster. Hannah Quinlan and Sam Berenson return from last year’s team and join newcomers Sarah Furlong and Meg McCarron. “All four of them are doing really

In action from last season, Hopkinton High School’s Cadyn Boyce leaps to strike the ball during a tournament match vs. Shrewsbury at the HHS athletic center. Boyce is one of the team’s senior captains this year.

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well,” Grabmeier said. “The first few days of tryouts felt more like practices in the middle of the season. They really haven’t missed a step.” Hopkinton will need to ramp up quickly, given the brevity of the season. The Hillers play just 10 games over a five-week stretch: two games per week against five other schools from the Tri-Valley League’s Large School division, starting with a March 9 match at Holliston. There will be precautions in place. Masks will have to be worn at all times, the teams will not change sides between sets, and there will be few, if any, fans in the stands. But Grabmeier said her players are all veterans when it comes to COVID-19 safety, maybe even more so than their coach. “I have been living in my bubble on Cape Cod, these kids have been doing these things since they started attending school,” the coach said. “They are used to being spaced and using the hand sanitizer. It’s second nature to them, I am picking up tips.” No matter the new rules in place, Grabmeier said the team is excited to be playing. “Everyone is so enthusiastic and happy to be out on the court,” she said. “There is nothing but positive energy, we are so grateful.”

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Hopkinton golfer Hervol competes on pro tour Golfer | from page 1

some putts in the first few holes, and before I knew it I was 11 under through 14 holes.” How good is a 60? Tiger Woods has never shot one on the PGA Tour. “Whenever you shoot a round that low, it validates that I can play on literally any tour in the world,” Hervol said. “There are pros who have had successful careers on the PGA Tour who have never shot that low. It’s huge for confidence, it’s huge for the belief factor.” “If you don’t believe in yourself,” he added, “you’re just wasting time.” Hervol turned pro after graduating from the University of Connecticut as one of the best players in the history of

the program. The pandemic cut into his opportunities for competition last year. He spent the summer living in Hopkinton and mostly playing at Hopkinton Country Club. During the winter, he’s been in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. This is his second winter playing competitive golf in the Sunshine State. “I’ve been grinding away, it’s definitely a lot different than college golf,” Hervol said. “You’re on your own. There is no coach pushing you to practice, there are no teammates with you, so you have to discipline yourself as much as possible.” The rewards on the mini-tours are not financial. Hervol said his hope is to break even and win enough to cover his

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Whenever you shoot a round that low, it validates that I can play on literally any tour in the world. There are pros who have had successful careers on the PGA Tour who have never shot that low. It’s huge for confidence, it’s huge for the belief factor. — Jimmy Hervol

expenses and earn back his entry fee. He has people supporting him, and he plans to pay them back if he makes it to the PGA Tour someday. His shorterterm goal is to earn status on one of the PGA-sanctioned tours, either in Canada or the Korn Ferry Tour — the PGA’s developmental tour. Hervol’s hope is that he will be able to spend the summer playing in Canada on the Mackenzie Tour, the PGA Tour of Canada. Of course, his ability to play there will be determined not only by his ability but also the state of the ongoing pandemic. In the meantime, Hervol is focusing on getting better. He said last year was a learning experience during which he figured out how much time he needed to spend playing as opposed to being on the practice green, the driving range or in the gym. The grind is what makes performances like Hervol’s 60 all the more sweet. He entered that round tied for 23rd in the event at The Estate Course in West Palm Beach. That position put him squarely on the cut line. Hervol stepped to the 18th hole on the par-71 track at 12 under par. A par on the par-5 18th would have given him a 59, a number

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achieved just once in Minor League Golf Tour history. Hervol said he “got a little excited” on the 18th and his tee shot ended up out of bounds. He hit a second tee shot — his third shot including a penalty — and made birdie with that ball, which left him with a bogey for the hole and a round of 60. “It was one of those days where everything was clicking,” Hervol said. “I don’t want to call it easy, but everything just felt easy.” Hervol is hoping to become the next big Hopkinton name in professional golf. Jon Curran is playing on the same mini-tour, Hervol said, though he has yet to connect with the player from his same hometown. Just days after Hervol’s 60, Hopkinton High graduate Keegan Bradley was near the top of the leaderboard at the PGA’s Waste Management Open in Arizona. Hervol said he keeps in close contact with former Hillers golf coach Dick Bliss, as well as his college coach, Dave Pezzino. “They both played professionally, so they get it,” Hervol said. “It’s still the same game, and I am lucky to have a great support system.”

The Hopkinton Independent • March 10, 2021 • 13

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14 • The Hopkinton Independent • March 10, 2021

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Individuals hold signs in support of teachers in front of Hopkinton High School prior to the start of the school day on March 3. Reopen | from page 1

a less stressful summer, she added, and “just might be worth it mentally” for everyone. A remote model will be available for families who do not wish to have their children attend school in person. But questions remain about whether remote students can transition to a full-time model. Earlier in the year, Cavanaugh had said that remote students would need to remain in that learning mode throughout the year, due to issues of logistics involved in moving them to a different model. But state education commissioner Jeffrey Riley could decide differently. That decision could be announced soon, she said. This could require “the need for the dismantling of remote classrooms,” Cavanaugh said. “This will be entirely predicated on student interest levels, Riley’s decision and the schools’ ability to absorb students at each grade level.’’ When schools reopen this spring, the social distancing requirement will be reduced from 6 feet to 4. Students in K-5 at Hopkins, Elmwood and Marathon schools will maintain their regular school full day. Lunch will be served in gymnasiums and cafeterias. Physical education classes will be moved outdoors; in inclement weather, wellness lessons will be taught instead. Middle school will remain in school for the full school day, 7:25 a.m. to 1:50 p.m. High school students will attend in person 7:25 to 11:45 a.m., then will be transported home where they will have lunch and then will have their final class of the day via Zoom at 12:45 p.m. This was done because having lunch in school was not possible with the required social distancing, principal Evan Bishop said. MCAS testing will be required this spring. The primary motivation of the testing is to determine where students stand academically, Cavanaugh said, and what help may be needed. Students have, for the most part, accomplished what they need to academically, assistant superintendent Jennifer Parson said. What has been missing, she said, are the “extras” such as activities and other opportunities that enrich the educational experience and “make learning enjoyable.” Teachers have been focused on “the standards that we know are critically important for each grade,” she said. Vaccines will be available to teachers beginning March 11, which Fargiano described as “really

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great news.” The Hopkinton Teachers Association (HTA) has criticized calls for schools to reopen before a vaccine was widely available for teachers. The School Committee had urged the state to prioritize teachers in the vaccine timetable. “It’s regrettable,” Cavanaugh said, that the “reopening timeline outpaced the availability of the vaccine.” A frequent theme throughout the meeting was appreciation for everyone’s efforts during the challenging time. Hopkins School principal Vanessa Bilello reminded adults, as she says she does to her students, about the power of words and the impact they can have on others. She urged the community to “remain positive to each other and show gratitude and hope for each other and recognition that this is hard for all of us.” At the Feb. 25 School Committee meeting, Cavanaugh shared results of a survey that indicated a high percentage of parents supported a full-time return for hybrid students, even if guaranteed only 3 feet of social distancing. The responses were different for staff members, with 76 percent of educators opposed to a full-time return this spring with 3 feet of social distancing. HTA president Becky Abate submitted a letter at the Feb. 25 meeting that stated the union “unequivocally rejects the latest timetable presented by the superintendent for a ‘full return’ to school.” “The HTA is fully aware of the desire of multiple stakeholders, including Hopkinton educators, for students to return to traditional in-person school,” Abate wrote, “but even the strongest desire does not excuse reckless action. The hasty nature of this plan is problematic on multiple counts.” Added Abate: “Throughout this historic and challenging year, the HTA has raised concerns not only about health and safety but also about best practices for student learning, social development, and emotional well-being. These concerns have been routinely dismissed or ignored by the district administration and the School Committee. The HTA believes that a full return can happen safely at some point in the near future, with pooled testing and after educators have had the opportunity to be vaccinated against COVID-19. We demand that our schools operate safely within an instructional model that enables all of our students to learn and grow to the best of their abilities.” (To read the entire statement from the HTA, check HopkintonIndependent.com.)

The Hopkinton Independent • March 10, 2021 • 15

Student’s award-winning collage hits home for cancer survivor By Sandy Quadros Bowles Contributing Writer

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n the right, Carolyn Fitzpatrick appears to glow with health, donning dangling earrings and a striking exotic necklace. On the left, she is clearly weary, dressed in pajamas and wearing no makeup. The images appear starkly different, perhaps taken weeks or months apart. But in fact, she was photographed the same day by her son Owen, a 16-yearold Hopkinton High School sophomore. And in both photographs she is battling cancer. The images earned Fitzpatrick a silver key for a second place finish in the Scholastic Art & Writing awards. By taking the photographs on the same day, Owen aimed to show that looks can be deceiving. The photos “show that everyone is fighting a battle of which we know nothing about,” Carolyn said. Her battle officially began Nov. 2, 2019, when “out of the blue” she was diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic colon cancer. On that day, she said, “the world stopped.” That day marked the start of a journey that included 24 weeks of chemotherapy, six weeks of chemo-radiation and partial removal of four major organs, including her lung. The diagnosis was a shock, since she didn’t fit the profile of many other colon cancer patients. She runs, goes to the gym and eats healthy, she said. She is also only 46, with no known family history of the illness. Survival rates for Stage 4 colon cancer are not promising, she said. But she put those numbers out of her mind and pressed on. “I just refused all along to believe that any of the statistics applied to me,” she said. Her healthy lifestyle and determination paid off. “My body was able to tolerate the maximum drugs” — the same amount given to men twice her

Owen Fitzpatrick’s award-winning photo collage depicts different images of his mother, Carolyn, on the same day while she was fighting cancer. The collage aims to show that people’s external image does not always reflect their inner battles.

I knew from the very beginning she was going to beat this. She is one of the strongest people I have ever met and I ever will meet. — Owen Fitzpatrick size, she said. Owen said he never doubted his mother would defeat cancer. “I knew from the very beginning she was going to beat this, he said. “She is one of the strongest people I have ever met and I ever will meet.” But the battle was not easy, she said. “I hated that I had to go through this and

that my family had to go through this,” she said. And the woman who wore stilettos to middle school meetings and ran an image consulting business saw herself viewed through a new lens. “I could see them look at me differently,” she said. “It’s hard to look at yourself in the mirror. One of the hardest

things about cancer is you have to ignore that face in the mirror.” Instead, she focused on a recovery she bolstered with physical exercise, including miles-long walks and workouts. Through her challenges, she received support from her family — which also includes her husband, Andy, and her younger son, Evan, an eighth-grader at Hopkinton Middle School. The community also stepped up, she said, providing meals and offering rides and other forms of support. “We really wanted for nothing in Hopkinton,” she said. She wants to share her story to remind people that even apparently routine health issues, such as internal pressure and bloating, can be signs of serious illness. “If I had read and seen more about colon cancer, I would have questioned my seemingly normal symptoms,” she said. As of November 2020, a year after her unexpected diagnosis, she is “proud to say I am cancer-free.” Documenting his mother’s illness is just one of Owen’s accomplishments. He writes a book review for a local publication, is the official blogger for the Hanover Theater’s Broadway series and started a company, Running UP!, which teaches young people how to run a 5K. “We are so proud of him, especially in the face of all our family has experienced this past year,” she said. She hopes Owen’s photos will remind people to be empathetic. “You truly don’t know what’s going on with that person who cut you off when you were driving or the person who took the carriage at Target that you were heading for.” Not unlike her son’s winning photo, she sees life going forward as doubleedged. “I need to balance moving forward on the one hand and living with that ounce of fear on the other hand,” she said. Still, she said, “I have every confidence that I’ve beaten this thing for good.” For more information on colon cancer, visit cancer.org.

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16 • The Hopkinton Independent • March 10, 2021

Student-to-student transmission confirmed S

uperintendent Carol Cavanaugh sent an email to schools families March 2 indicating that the previous week the district had its first confirmed case (by the Hopkinton Health Department and Massachusetts Department of Public Health) of student-to-student transmission of the COVID-19 virus in the schools. There also have been three confirmed cases SCHOOLS of adult-to-adult transmission, “two of which NOTEBOOK took place when masks were not being worn,” Cavanaugh wrote. Cavanaugh wrote that over a 5 1/2-month period, just under 2.5 percent of Hopkinton students have tested positive. In six months, just under 6 percent of staff have tested positive. The total number of individuals who have tested positive includes 29 staff members (includes teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, cafe workers, custodians, etc.), 88 students who are doing in-person learning, and 10 remote students. Broken down by school: Hopkinton High School has had four staff members test positive, along with 23 students who are doing in-person learning, and two remote students. Hopkinton Middle School has had six staff members test positive, along with 30 students who are doing in-person learning, and three remote students.

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Hopkins School has had four staff members test positive, along with eight students who are doing in-person learning, and two remote students. Elmwood School has had six staff members test positive, along with 11 students who are doing in-person learning, and two remote students. Marathon School has had six staff members test positive, along with 16 students who are doing in-person learning, and one remote student.

HHS plans car parade for seniors, postpones junior prom Hopkinton High School principal Evan Bishop informed families late last month that the junior prom would not be held this spring, and instead the Class of 2022 will have a prom in May of next year. Bishop also emailed families of seniors to say administrators are working on some outdoor activities, including a car parade, which was well-received when it was held for last year’s graduating class. “While we acknowledge the disappointment of this decision, we also feel a senior prom offers a potentially new and exciting opportunity,” Bishop wrote in a Feb. 24 email also attributed to class advisors Renee Hilbrunner and Samantha Breen. “This will be the first senior prom in Hopkinton’s history, and we can’t imagine a better class to take on this new change and all of the other changes that continue to come our way. Thank you for understanding and for your resilience over the past year.” Meanwhile, the senior class, which missed out on its prom entirely, will have a variety of events — all outside — assuming plans come to fruition. Among them are: Food Truck Fridays (March 19 and May 14), a 50 Nights to Graduation celebration on April 15, the graduation car parade (sometime in May) and a Senior Awards Gala Ceremony (sometime in June). The last school day for seniors is May 26. Graduation, to be held at David Hughes Stadium (the HHS football field), is June 4, and Senior

Recognition/Scholarship Night will be the evening before graduation, likely to be held virtually.

Marathon Fund Committee offers scholarships The Marathon Fund Committee will award 10 scholarships of $1,000 each to graduating high school seniors who are residents of Hopkinton. Applications are available at the town manager’s office in Town Hall, at the Guidance Department at Hopkinton High School, on the town website (hopkintonma.gov) or by calling the town manager’s office at 508-497-9701. Applicants must be planning to attend a two- or four-year college and have earned at least one high school varsity letter. Applicants also must have demonstrated a willingness to give their best effort in academics and extracurricular activities. The deadline to submit an application is April 16.

Music Association holds fundraiser The Hopkinton Music Association (HMA) will continue to sell tickets to its March Calendar Drawing through the month of March. The raffle raises funds for music scholarships and music program needs in the Hopkinton Public Schools. This is the HMA’s only fundraiser for the 2020-21 school year. Tickets are $10 each, and there is no limit to how many can be purchased. Each ticket is eligible for prizes in up to 31 daily drawings depending on when the ticket is received — meaning multiple prizes per ticket are possible. Tickets can be purchased from any Hopkinton Public Schools music student in grade 5-12, or from Karen Bograd at ktbograd@gmail.com. Calendar updates and winners are posted on the HMA website: hopkintonmusicasso.wixsite. com/hopkintonmusic.

School Committee OK’s 1-year contract extension with teachers, calls for vaccines By Sandy Bowles Contributing Writer

he Hopkinton School Committee agreed Feb. 25 to a one-year contract extension with the Hopkinton Teachers Association calling for a 2 percent raise through the end of the 2021-22 school year. With so many issues facing the district, superintendent Carol Cavanaugh said that an extension now would provide more time later to negotiate a “nice, thoughtful three-year contract” that could look more closely at issues such as how teacher stipends are allocated. The extension was ratified by the HTA prior to the School Committee vote. Also at the Feb. 25 meeting, the School Committee agreed by a 4-1 vote to support a resolution calling for teachers to be named a top priority for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. “Given the unique and critical role that our pre-K through 12 public education system plays in the functioning of our community, society and our democracy, it is critical that teachers and pre-K through 12 staff be prioritized in the distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine,” the resolution reads in part. The resolution was put forward by committee chair Amanda Fargiano. The resolution also asks the state legislature, Gov. Charlie Baker and the state Department of Public Health to designate weekend hours and extended evening hours for vaccine distribution for all pre-K through 12 school personnel. These vaccines should be distributed at a local school or community facility, the resolution reads. Committee member Joe Markey cast the sole

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There’s nothing wrong with saying we want them to have every available means to be sure they’re healthy. — Committee member Lya Batlle-Rafferty

vote against the resolution, saying the committee is “stepping a little outside our domain if we get into state policy on vaccinations.” He said that he “likes the idea” of prioritizing teachers and noted that Cavanaugh already has raised those concerns with local legislators. But he said the resolution could “create the impression that our schools are somehow unsafe, when nothing could be further from the truth.” Such a resolution, he said, “could put us in a position of delaying a reopening.” Committee member Lya Batlle-Rafferty disagreed, saying the resolution serves as a show of support for the district’s employees. “There’s nothing wrong with saying we want them to have every available means to be sure they’re healthy,” she said. The School Committee also approved a contract with the MetroWest YMCA for the beforeschool and after-school care program for 2022 to 2024. The agreement would result in $331,000 to be paid to the Hopkinton schools.

The Hopkinton Independent • March 10, 2021 • 17

Local students honored for college success T

he University of Massachusetts Amherst recently announced its dean’s list recipients for the fall semester, and a number of Hopkinton residents were recognized. Those receiving honors included Freeman Alfano, COLLEGE HONORS Morgan Allen, Molly Andrews, Julia Annenberg, Hayden August, Kalina Bergmann, Haley Bernardo, Matthew Bird, Angela Bonnell, Nora Bonnell, Tess Bouvier, John Buday, James Cavallo, Alan Chen, Jordyn Cheverie, Fletcher Clark, Olivia Coelho, Ryan Covino, Maeve Cross, Brett Daley, Michael Domingo, Sara Dunn, Camran Fattahy, Anne Feather, Jack Feather, Natalia Gomez Donate, Yusra Habib, Christopher Hadley, Lauren Hamm, David Hart, Zachary Holbrow, Zachary Horgan, An-Chi Huang, Maria Jara Baca, Luke Joseph, Devin Kelly, Daniel Kirk, Victoria Kray, Alexandra Lazarov, Jake Leblanc, Allison Leeret, Kaelen Lockhart, Madeline Mace, Justin Mak, Emma Meek, Yvonne Miller, Samuel Morningstar, Peter Morse, Hannah Murphy, Robert Pagliuca, Ryan Palmer, Astha Parmar, Kyle Perkins, Rebeka Pohl, William Quinlan, Devontae Rivera, Jack Rodgers, Maxwell Rodgers, Calvin Rodman, Danielle Sullivan, Austin Summers, Julian Ventura, Maya Vumbaca, Emma Wailgum, Amber Walsh, Caroline Wauters, Patrick Webb, Emily Whelan, Megan White and Ansley Worrell. … Named to the dean’s list at Holy Cross were William Moore, a junior majoring in environmental studies, Emily Taylor, a junior majoring in psychology, Anne Comcowich, a junior majoring in political science, Sara Cahill, a sophomore majoring in biology, and Katharine Lagasse, a freshman who is undeclared. … At Stonehill College, senior Maille Bennett, senior Tiana McCann, senior William Nadeau, sophomore Lydia Rudden, freshman Ian Cann and freshman Brooklyn McDermott-Hyland were named to the dean’s list. … At the University of Wisconsin, Maya Zent, who is studying in the School of Nursing, was named to the dean’s honor list. … Scott Babigian earned a spot on the president’s list at Siena College. … Teresa Moreno was named to the dean’s list at Georgia Tech. … At Worcester Polytechnic Institute, senior environmental engineering major Elisabeth Christ, senior biomedical engineering major Parima Sharma, senior civil engineering major Isaac Stilwell and sophomore mechanical engineering major Ryan Hawkins were named to the dean’s list. … At Quinnipiac University, William Abbott, Isabella Callery, Tess Greenwood, Caitlyn Halloran and David Sloan were named to the dean’s list. … At Ithaca College, Sydney Joyce was named to the dean’s list. … The University of New Hampshire recently announced its dean’s list recipients for the fall semester. Lia Brossi, Ivy Gogolin, Isabella Houley, Alexandra Lee, Jacqueline Lupinski and Cole Stukel received highest honors. Jonathan Goldberg, Galen Graham, Adara Groman, Samuel Lozeau, Abigail Meyers, Olivia O’Connor, Allison Scimone, Eliza Westbury, Jonathan Wolf and Anthony Zeissig received high honors. Peter Mitchell, Kayla Murphy and Abigail Wilson received honors. … At the University of Vermont, Madeleine Holden, Sarah Lincoln and Landon York were named to the dean’s list. …

At Merrimack College, Natalie Calkins and Katelyn Distasio were named to the dean’s list. … Corinne Messier was named to the president’s list at Bentley University. … At Roger Williams University, Justin Blanchard, Linnea Dean, Luke Lukose, Kyle Rector, Ryan Wolfe and Tyler Zanini were named to the dean’s list. … Jeremy Hazzard was named to the dean’s list at Hamilton College. … At Husson University in Bangor, Maine, Emmaline Kent, a freshman studying in the video/film production program, was named to the president’s list. … Junior Sarah Todd and freshman Elizabeth DeSimone were among those named to the dean’s list at Providence College. … At Fairfield University, Brigid Belger, Julia Canestrari, Alexandra Graeber, Cecily McNamara, Alexandria Power and Lily Rancatore were named to the dean’s list. … Julie Tarantino, a nursing major, earned a spot on the dean’s list at Curry College. … Philip Hubbe, a junior majoring in electrical engineering, and Jacob Mullins Sullivan, a freshman majoring in aeronautical engineering, were named to the dean’s list at Clarkson University. … At the University of Rhode Island, Meghan Anderson, Alyssa Carbone, Charles Dumas, Kailey Keohane, Lauren Nordling, Sydney Olson and Brianna Tocco were named to the dean’s list. … At Gettysburg College, James Desmond and Aine Ford were named to the dean’s list. … Paityn Salyards was named to the dean’s list at James Madison University. … Zachary Levy was named to the president’s list at Southern New Hampshire University. … Tatyana Markovich was named to the dean’s list at the University of New England. … At the University of Delaware, Caroline Johnson, Nicole Hudson, Elena Wade, Kendall Copley, Grace Schacterle, Alexander MacDonald, Brianna Antonioli, Dylan McBride, Raymond Lucas and Keelan Boyle were named to the dean’s list. … James Desmond earned a spot on the dean’s list at Gettysburg College. … At College of Charleston, international studies and political science major Jessica Beck and psychology major Caitlin Dean were named to the president’s list. … Emilee Trudeau, a junior psychology major, was named to the dean’s list at Framingham State University and was admitted in the school’s chapter of Psi Chi, the international honor society for psychology. … Tobias White earned a spot on the dean’s list at Dean College in Franklin. … At Coastal Carolina University, Hannah Deal, an early childhood education major, and Taylor McLaughlin, a sociology major, were named to the dean’s list. … Adam MacLeod was named to the dean’s list at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland. … At Bryant University, junior Thomas Fromer, junior Joseph Harrison, freshman Benjamin Morey-Beale and freshman Dennis Field were named to the dean’s list. … Parker Petruney, a senior business major, was named to the dean’s list at Saint Anselm College. … Alison Fujiyoshi was named to the dean’s list at Nazareth College in Rochester, New York. …

Ambrose Rajendran was named to the dean’s list at Hofstra University. … At Cedarville University in Ohio, Emma Barker and Mikayla Cappetta earned spots on the dean’s list. … At Endicott College, exercise science major Amanda Gilbert, liberal studies/ education major Emma Murphy, communication major Katherine O’Connor, studio art major Selia Potas and nursing major Natalie Shambo were named to the dean’s list. … Daniel Howell was named to the dean’s list at New England Institute of Technology. … At Rochester Institute of Technology, Jack McCabe, who is studying in the me-

chanical engineering program, and Kira Hanson, who is in the film and animation program, were named to the dean’s list. … Megan Canfield earned a spot on the dean’s list at Emmanuel College in Boston. … Abigail Auger, a freshman nursing major, was named to the dean’s list at St. Joseph’s College of Maine. … Carly Chase was named to the dean’s list at Western New England University. Editor’s note: Information for college honors is provided by the schools. Those interested in being included in this section should forward the information or request for the school to email it to editor@hopkintonindependent.com.

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18 • The Hopkinton Independent • March 10, 2021

Science Fair highlights students’ perseverance By Jerry Spar Managing Editor

he Hopkinton High School Science Fair was moved online this year, and according to lead organizer Kristen Murphy, the students showed great resolve and creativity to make this year’s event special in its own way. A total of 64 students participated, either as individuals or part of a team, coming up with 35 projects. The awards ceremony was held Feb. 24 via videoconference. “When things feel a little overwhelming or discouraging — and I think that’s happened to all of us a little bit this year — when I want to feel inspired, I always just go back to my Science Fair students and think about: This is the future of our science community. These are the students who are going to tackle these problems and do so with creativity and perseverance and an attitude that there’s no challenge too big, that they can’t take on,” said Murphy, a chemistry teacher at HHS. “So I really want to have that be the message for [the awards ceremony], which is, now more than ever, science is so important in our world. And we are so proud of the students who are already showing the way that they can use all of these wonderful skills that they’ve acquired through their families and their great schooling and their summer opportunities and use it to try and

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This is the future of our science community. There are the students who are going to tackle these problems and do so with creativity and perseverance and an attitude that there’s no challenge too big, that they can’t take on. — HHS Science Fair organizer Kristen Murphy make the world a little bit better every single day.” Top honors in the fair went to the team of Brian Gu, Bharat Mekala and Neil Abraham, whose project was titled “Designing the Modern Truck.” Abraham said the team members took advantage of their 3D modeling skills, and while they did not have immediate success, that only made them work harder to find solutions. “It was classic design process,” he said. “We made something, it failed, then we went back to the drawing board. We found out what went wrong, we found out where we could go better, we did some research, we expanded our knowledge on the topic, we made our next design and we failed again. We did the same thing, we failed again, but we kept getting better. We did a lot of research, we all really expanded our knowledge a lot. This year really tested our teamwork skills. But overall it was a great experience for us.” Second place went to freshman Eva Bennet for her project, “Development of an Innovative Alternative for Teratogenicity Testing.” Third place was a tie between Simran Kaur for “Phytodrugs: A Novel Approach on a Planaria Model of Multiple Sclerosis” and Mantra Rajkumar for “Automatic Urinalysis System.” The Valerie Lechtanski Prize for Perseverance, which recognizes a team that demonstrates perseverance, creativity and “Mrs. L’s signature can-do attitude” when encountering challenges in

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scientific exploration, went to Ishita Khurana and Prachi Meher, whose project was, “Environmental Effects on Long-Term Memory Consolidation in Drosophila Melanogaster.” Saying this year’s fair was the “most competitive I can remember in program history,” Murphy announced that HHS will send 12 individuals/teams to the regional science fair at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in early March. In addition to the five previously mentioned, the other seven individuals/teams advancing are: Sreeja Bolla (“Determining the Pressure of Cerebrospinal Fluid Using a Noninvasive Optical Biosensor”), Sahithi Pogula (“In Silico Inhibition of Cas9 CRISPR Off-Target DNA Deleterious Mutations and Error Using AI, ANN and Machine Learning”), Chaitrali Samant (“Finding an Effective Deep Learning Algorithm for Chest Disease Detection”), Archita Nemalikanti (“Development of a Noninvasive Optical Biosensor Diagnosing Neonatal Hemoglobinopathies”), Vania Gautam (“Mathematical Modeling to Determine Underlying Variability in CDC COVID-19 Guidelines Adherence”), Fariha Fardin (“The Effect of EDTA on Calcium Deposits in Arteries”) and the team of Avani Daga, Briana Mallouh and Tomo Oga (“Furthering Mask Detection Technology”). Murphy offered thanks to the students for their flexibility, the families for being supportive and allowing the students to work on the projects at home, the HHS Science Department — including subject matter leader Jen Smith and mentors Tricia Noblett, Charlotte Shire and Connor Zanini — principal Evan Bishop, superintendent Carol Cavanaugh and the entire administrative team, HCAM and the PTA, which provided sponsorship and cash prizes for the winners. Bishop said he missed interacting with students in the school library, where the fair normally is held, and he praised their resiliency. “I think it highlights tremendous dedication, creativity, authentic learning and of course the passion that our students have,” he said. “While this is different … it is no less impressive.” Cavanaugh likewise lauded the students for pushing through during the pandemic. “I am marvelously proud of all of you,” she said. “Your projects reflect your ability to identify some kind of societal or human need. You spend countless hours working on them. You weave in all kinds of other learning, critical thinking, reading, writing, presentation, mathematics. You learn the skills of perseverance, resilience, tenacity. As our student speaker said, you experience failure, you experience success. Truly, the 60 of you are part of the Hopkinton legacy of science excellence.” Smith called attention to Sreeja Bolla and Archita Nemalikanti for taking first place in the 2020 Massachusetts State Science and Engineering Fair and winning the Sanofi-Genzyme Award. Along with the award comes a $10,000 grant to the HHS Science Department. “Part of our plan is to utilize some of these funds as a scholarship for students to continue their pursuit of science education,” Smith said. “We are happy to announce that this year we are providing a scholarship for Hopkinton High School students to utilize during the summer of 2021. The scholarship can help fund program costs, tuition or other expenses aligned with the pursuit of additional science education.” Murphy recognized 12 seniors who participated in the fair all four years: Adrina Arakelian, Fariha Fardin, Olivia Jones, Alannah Miller, Mantra Rajkumar, Izzy Saporoschetz, Eleri Schutte, Alisa Stolyar, Kelly Teitel, Alopa Waje, Srirupa Yerramsetti and Anne Zhu.

The Hopkinton Independent • March 10, 2021 • 19 The Hopkinton Senior Center staff continues to be available to seniors and residents during this pandemic. Call 508-497-9730 if in need of assistance, with questions or just to say hi. For a more extensive listing of programs check Ourseniorcenter.com/find/ Hopkinton-council-on-aging or hopkintonseniorcenter.com.

SENIOR SNIPPETS

Lunch Program

The Senior Center has a limited takeout lunch program (Tuesday-Friday) for Hopkinton seniors, particularly those who are homebound and/or have relied on the center for their daily main meal in the past. Anyone who knows of a senior who might benefit from this program can call the Senior Center at 508-497-9730. The menu is refreshed monthly. Cost is $2 per meal. To submit an item for the Hopkinton Independent calendar section, email the information to: editor@HopkintonIndependent. com. Submissions should be limited to 100 words and are subject to editing by the HI staff.

CALENDAR

‘Container Gardening’ talk March 16

The Hopkinton Garden Club continues its Online Speaker Series with the presentation “Container Gardening” with Jeffrey Doherty on Tuesday, March 16, at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. Container gardening is the practice of growing plants in containers such as pots, planters, window boxes and hanging baskets, instead of planting them in the ground. The plants may include decorative flowers, cacti, edible plants such as herbs and vegetables, and small trees. This program is open to the public. Non-members are asked to preregister at register@hopkintongardenclub.org. Instructions will be sent prior to the event.

Event Calendar Sponsored by the

HOPKINTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS Virtual Cabaret Open Mic Online March 12 Hosted by HCA Director Kelly Grill. Feature Rachel MacKenzie. Sign-up to perform or listen online on our HCA Cabaret Open Mic Facebook group page. Free. www.hopartscenter.org. Sponsored by Education Station - Hopkinton. Art Around the World: Greece Online March 13 Free children’s cultural program with instructor Judith Smith. This month children will learn all about Greece. They will sing a song, listen to a story, and have fun making a craft or two. For ages 3 to 8, free, but registration is required at www.hopartscenter.org. Sponsored by Unibank.

and classic children’s music will entertain the whole family. $15 per household. Sponsored by Middlesex Savings Bank. Tickets available online. A Celtic Concert with Stanley & Grimm | Online March 17 Join us for a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day concert with Stanley and Grimm. The duo has a wonderfully pure, organic, and authentic Celtic sound that ranks them among the finest entertainers this side of the Atlantic. Concert starts at 7:30pm. Tickets are $25 per household. www.hopartscenter.org

Children’s Virtual Concert with Stacey Peasley | March 14 Join award-winning children’s singer, songwriter, and early childhood educator Stacey Peasley for an interactive and engaging virtual concert. Original songs

Indoor Growing — Garden Program

Friday, March 12, 12:30 p.m. Kate Donovan of Blackstone Valley Veggie Gardens will discuss how to grow all kinds of plants, from ornamentals to edibles, in the comfort of one’s home. Learn how to grow wholesome fruits and veggies in containers, raised beds or in-ground gardens. Participants should pre-register by calling the Senior Center, and a link to the online presentation will be provided.

Calling all Jigsaw Puzzlers

Monday, March 15, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. For those who are tired of the same puzzles and would like a new one, the Senior Center is offering a puzzle pickup day. Participants should pre-register so the center can make sure to have the correct number of puzzles to share. Puzzle donations are welcome.

Books, Books and More Books

Friday, March 19, 12:30 p.m. Seniors are invited to participate in a book club being held virtually (phone, laptop or iPad) to share what they have been reading and to get reading suggestions. Participants should call the Senior Center for the call-in number or Zoom meeting invitation link.

Our Time Memory Cafe

Call for dates (virtual) Our Time Memory Cafe is a welcoming gathering for those experiencing forgetfulness, mild cognitive impairment or living with dementia, and their care partner, family and friends. The cafe is a place to socialize, share experiences with others going through similar changes, and form friendships. A care partner must accompany anyone who requires assistance. The program is a joint venture between the Hopkinton Senior Center and Hopkinton Public Library. For more information or to register, call (508) 497-0108 or email info@ourtimememorycafe.org.

TED Talks

Mondays, 12:30 p.m. In 1984 TED Talks were created to bring technology, entertainment and design information to the curious and open-minded public. These videos cover a wide array of subjects and always lead to lively discussion and conversation. The Outreach Program at the Senior Center will have casual TED Talks group meetings over Zoom for one hour every Monday at 12:30 p.m. The meeting will consist of viewing a video and then discussing it. The program is free. Register by calling the Senior Center at 508-497-9730.

Medical Equipment

Durable medical equipment (walkers, bath seats, canes, crutches — but no longer commodes), for Hopkinton residents’ use only, is available to be loaned out free of charge. Wheelchairs, both standard and transport, require a $25 refundable deposit and are limited to two months.

Read more at HopkintonIndependent.com

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Women’s Club meeting April 12

The Hopkinton Women’s Club’s next monthly meeting will take place on Monday, April 12, at 10 a.m. There will be a presentation from club member and former FBI agent Margaret Bower titled “Women of the FBI.” New members from Hopkinton and the surrounding communities are always welcome. For more information, check the club’s website at hopkintonwomensclub.org or contact Judith Weinthaler at 508-435-3287 or HopkintonWC@gmail.com.

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Registration open for Babe Ruth Baseball

Hopkinton Babe Ruth Baseball registration is open via the Parks & Recreation Department website. Babe Ruth is open to players ages 13-16 (aged out of Little League) of all ability levels. The league is planning three seasons in 2021: spring, summer and fall. The spring league will run from April 26-June 10. The summer league will run from June 14-July 23. The summer league also will have a Senior Babe Ruth division for ages 16-19. Information on the fall season is not yet finalized. For more details or to register, visit hopkintonma.myrec.com.

Timlin 5K to be run virtually in June

Registration is open for the Sharon Timlin Memorial 5K, which will be held virtually again this year. The entry fee is $30 per person, with a family/team of up to five discounted to $99. Participants can run/walk their 5K during a two-week span in mid-June. For more details or to register, visit sharontimlinrace.org.

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Obituaries Charles Parker Dr. Charles Osgood Parker of Harwich died Feb. 10 after living a healthy and productive 101 years. He lived in his home overlooking Long Pond, with his beloved wife of 75 years, Loraine Whiteford Parker. Charles was born in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn on Nov. 11, 1919, the son of Horatio and Amabel (Rogers) Parker. He was predeceased by his older sisters, Alice Case and Helen Saunders, and his youngest son, Glenn Whiteford Parker. He is remembered by all for his kindness, warm and gentle spirit, intellect, wide-ranging interests and concern for leaving the world a better place. Charles graduated from Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn in 1936. He began his studies at Bates College at the age of 16, and graduated before the United States entered World War II in 1940. He enrolled at Columbia University, but his graduate study was interrupted when he was recruited by the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) outside Pittsburgh, where he worked on advanced munitions associated with Monsanto. Toward the end of the war he was transferred to Dayton, Ohio, to develop rocket engines to assist aircraft takeoff. Charles and Loraine, who grew up just around the corner from each other in Brooklyn, were married in the Flatbush Congregational Church on June 16, 1945, just after the end of the war in Europe. He completed his Ph.D. in chemistry at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1950, and moved to Huntsville, Alabama, where he developed rocket fuels with the government contractor Rohm & Haas. The family grew to four children, and he encouraged their involvement in swimming and scouting. Shortly after the Apollo moon landing, the U.S. Space Program was cut back, and in 1970 the family moved to Richboro, Pennsylvania, in Bucks County, where Charles continued his employment with Rohm & Haas, working on agricultural chemicals and polymers. He retired in 1980 and moved with Loraine to a picturesque, wooded bluff overlooking Long Pond in Harwich, where he could be closer to New England family members. Charles was a lifelong learner, teaching himself how to use the computer at the age of 75. He also developed a keen interest in genealogy and traced his family lineage back more than 400 years. His roots ran deep in the area. Along with his wife, Loraine, Charles is survived by three of his four children: Diane L. Parker (P. Whittaker) Burbank of Pittsford, New York; Dr. Kenneth C. (Zoe) Parker of Hopkinton; and Randall J. (Sue) Parker of Atlanta. His youngest son, Glenn Whiteford Parker, was killed in a boating accident while swimming in Long Pond in 1987, only six years after his MIT graduation. Charles also is survived by seven beloved grandchildren and four great-grandchildren: Kristin W. Burbank (Samuel) Bertelson and children Whittaker and Cameron of Lodi, California; Jeffrey M. (Esther) Burbank and son James of New York City; Troy W.

Burbank of New York City; Vera Parker (Nicholas) Nigro and daughter, Natalie of Auburn; Connie A. Parker of Hopkinton; Leah M. Parker of New York City; and Jacob “Jake” L. Parker of Huntsville, Alabama. Funeral services were under the care of the Morris, O’Connor & Blute Funeral Home in Harwich and were private. In memory of Charles, do something kind for someone. Editor’s note: This obituary has been edited due to space limitations. For the complete obituary, visit HopkintonIndependent.com.

Eleanor Dumais Eleanor Katherine Dumais, 94, of Marlborough and formerly Hopkinton, passed away Feb. 12 at Marlborough Hills. Born in Newport, Vermont, she was the youngest daughter of the late Kate (Chaffee) and John Lunna. She was the wife of the late Emile L. Dumais, whom she married on July 3, 1948. Eleanor was raised and educated in the Newport Center Schools, graduating in 1944. In 1953, Eleanor and Emile moved to Hopkinton. They became members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and Summit Chapter 32 Order of the Eastern Star (OES). She presided as worthy matron of the chapter from 1960-61. Eleanor then served as deputy grand matron of Massachusetts, OES, from 1962-63. The following year, the Hopkinton Order of Rainbow Assembly 108 was instituted and she was elected as the first mother advisor of the assembly, having served many years in that capacity. She later worked at the Dennison Manufacturing Co. in Framingham for several years in the communication and IPD departments. She belonged to the Hopkinton Garden Club, the New England Rose Society and the Golden Age Club. She was an active member of St. Paul’s Altar Guild and had served as directoress of the guild for several years. In 1993, she was appointed to serve on the Hopkinton Council on Aging. A year later, she became a board member of the Bay Path Home and Community Services Inc. and served briefly on the home care committee. Eleanor also was an amateur radio operator and member of the American Radio Relay League for many years with the call letters WA1-GEG. Eleanor and Emile moved to Marlborough in 2000 and enjoyed retired life until Emile’s passing in 2006. Eleanor then transitioned to Marlborough Senior Housing and eventually to Marlborough Hills Rehabilitation and Health Care Center. Eleanor is survived by three daughters, Katherine L. Micciche of Pelham, New Hampshire, Pauline F. Smith of Uxbridge and Dorothy E. Merullo of Framingham. She also leaves behind seven grandchildren, James, Jason, Jeffrey and Jinger Micciche, and Jonathan, Joseph and Jameson Smith, and 10 great-grandchildren. She is predeceased by her siblings, Kempton, Henry, Albert, Francis, Dr. Robert and Dr. Richard Lunna, and Helen Sandretto, Grace Miner and Alice Higuera. A funeral service was held Feb. 23 at the Chesmore Funeral Home of Hop-

kinton, followed by burial in Evergreen Cemetery, Hopkinton.

James Allen James G. Allen Jr., 78, of Morrill, Maine, and formerly of Leicester, died peacefully with family by his side in his home on Feb. 21. He leaves his wife of 54 years, Constance “Connie” M. (Morin) Allen, his children, Christine Allen and her spouse, Raye Dene, of Smithfield, Maine; Catherine Wailgum and her husband, Andrew, of Hopkinton; Celeste Conti and her husband, Jonathan, of Foxborough; and James Allen of San Francisco. His daughter Candace M. (Allen) Scola died in 2002. He also leaves four grandchildren, Emma Wailgum, Henry Wailgum, Mia Conti and Ella Conti. He was born in Whitinsville, a son of the late Mary (Talbot) and James G. Allen Sr. He graduated from Shrewsbury High School in 1960. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in November 1960 and served until November 1963. He lived in Leicester for many years before moving to Maine 19 years ago. Mr. Allen was a corrections officer with the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services in Worcester for several years until he retired. Previously, he worked for General Motors in Framingham. Jim loved hunting and fishing and the great outdoors and will be missed by his four dogs, whom gave him immense joy. A Mass was held Feb. 25 in St. Joseph Church at Holy Family Parish, Worcester, followed by burial in South Sutton Cemetery, Sutton. Services were under the care of the Dirsa-Morin Funeral Home in Worcester.

Margaret Golden Margaret (Peggy) Lillian Dickinson Golden, 90, of Holliston and formerly of Cheshire, Connecticut, passed into eternal life on Feb. 18 after a brief illness. She was the wife of the late Thomas Vincent Golden, whom she married in 1955. Peggy was born in Marion, Connecticut, on Feb. 14, 1931. Her parents were the late Theodore Fowler Dickinson and Margaret McAdam Dickinson. She graduated from Waterbury Catholic High School in 1949 and then Larson College (Quinnipiac College) in Hamden, Connecticut, with a degree in fashion merchandising. She was employed as a service representative at the Southern New England Telephone Company (SNET) in New Haven for many years. Later, when her children were grown, Peggy worked for Cheshire Management Company, attained her real estate license, and sold condominiums throughout the state of Connecticut. She was a Brownie leader, a member of the Junior Women’s Club and a member of the Ladies Guild at St. Bridget Church. Peggy was a very

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dedicated and spiritual person who made many lifelong friends. Peggy’s family was a source of enormous pride and joy for her, as were her very special friends. She was extremely grateful for the life that God had graced her. She leaves two beloved children, daughter Mary Golden Burns and her husband, Ralph, of Hopkinton, and son Thomas Vincent Golden Jr. and his wife, Karin, of Cheshire, Connecticut. Also, she leaves five grandchildren whom she adored: Colleen, Kevin, Christopher, Neena and Tasman. Peggy also leaves a brother, Ted Dickinson and his wife, Penny, of Nokomis, Florida, and several nieces and nephews. A Mass of Christian burial was held at St. Bridget Church, Cheshire, Connecticut, on Feb. 27. A celebration of life and burial will be held at a later date. The Chesmore Funeral Home of Hopkinton is assisting with arrangements. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Bridget Church, 175 Main St., Cheshire, CT 06410.

Maria Pinto Maria Goncalves (Costa) Pinto, 101, of Milford passed away peacefully surrounded by her immediate family on Feb. 15. She was the wife of her predeceased husband, Antonio T. Pinto. Maria was born in Donões Montalegre, Portugal, on Nov. 11, 1919, the daughter of the late Jose Goncalves Costa and Ursula Goncalves de Igreja. She was raised in Portugal, married in November 1957, and immigrated to the United States with her family in 1966, residing here ever since. She was proud to become a U.S. citizen in 1973. A strongly devoted Catholic, Maria was a parishioner of Saint Mary of the Assumption Church for over 55 years, never missing services until she was physically unable to attend Mass, but always giving daily prayers to our Lord and being particularly devoted to our Blessed Mother of Fatima. Maria enjoyed cooking and gardening. She worked crafting leather textiles at Porter and Milford Shoe Co. until her retirement in 1983. In addition to her loving husband, Maria is predeceased by her brothers Monsignor João Costa of Vila Real, Portugal, Antonio Costa of Donões, Portugal, and Joaquim Costa of Milford. Maria is survived by her brother Jose G. Costa of Milford, her three sons, Jose D. Pinto and wife Dianne M. Pinto of Milford, Antonio L. Pinto of Hopkinton, and Gino A. Pinto and wife Grace Pinto of Milford. Maria is also survived by eight grandchildren: Michael A. Pinto of Sunnyvale, California, David J. Pinto of Madrid, Spain, Mark C. Pinto of Milford, Sabrina M. Pinto of Milford, Diego A. Pinto of Hopkinton, Jason G. Pinto of Milford, Nina G. Pinto of Milford and Daniel A. Pinto of Milford, as well as many nieces and nephews. A Mass of Christian burial was held Feb. 20 at Saint Mary of the Assumption Church, Milford, followed by burial in St. Mary’s Cemetery. Arrangements were under the direction of the Consigli-Ruggerio Funeral Home, Milford.

The Hopkinton Independent • March 10, 2021 • 21

Ruth Richman Ruth Mason Richman, late of Brookline, passed away Feb. 15 after a short illness at her home in Deerfield Beach, Florida, with her beloved husband, Marty, at her side. Ruth was the loving stepmother of Joshua Richman and his wife, Kelly, of Larkspur, California, and of Jeffrey Richman and his wife, Mila, of Hoboken, New Jersey, and the adored grandmother to Arielle Richman of Larkspur, California. Ruth leaves her loving brother, Philip Mason and his wife, Jacqueline Horwitz, of Hopkinton. She was predeceased by her cherished parents, the late Sylvia and Manuel Mason of Pittsburgh. Ruth was the beloved aunt to Michelle Rubenstein and her husband, Isaac, of Framingham, Rachel Mason and her partner, Sharón Friedner, of Greenfield, Daniel Lampke and his fiancée, Amanda Magier, of Boston, and Rachel Lampke and her husband, David Hock, of Vancouver. She was the loving great aunt to Jesse Rubenstein. Ruth is also survived by her dear sisterin-law and brother-in-law, Cindy and Jim Lampke of Hull. Born Jan. 29, 1952, Ruth grew up in Pittsburgh and graduated from Syracuse University and Purdue University. She worked for many years as a speech pathologist at Newton-Wellesley Hospital and took great pride in helping her patients. She enjoyed current events and day trips in New England and Florida. Ruth made friends easily and enjoyed the company of her friends and family. She especially enjoyed playing mahjong and canasta. Burial will be in Deerfield Beach, with arrangements by Eden Funeral Services of Pompano Beach. Memorial con-

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tributions may be made to The Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer or The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

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Rudy Aarden R u d y Aarden, a longtime resident of Ashland, passed away at age 88 on Feb. 12 at home with his wife by his side. Rudy was born on July 20, 1932, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to Elisabeth (Dekoning) Aarden and Gerard Aarden. Rudy served in the Dutch Navy/Air Force and married his longtime sweetheart, Bernarda Kruisselbrink. Due to a housing shortage in the Netherlands the family immigrated in 1957 to Montreal, where Rudy worked as a mechanic at Seamans. In 1966 the family immigrated again to the United States, where Rudy worked as a service technician for the United X-Ray Company. Rudy was a sweet man with a great sense of humor. He loved music and enjoyed playing the guitar and harmonica. He also enjoyed camping and traveling. In 1980, Rudy built a log cabin in Rindge, New Hampshire, where the family enjoyed the summers. He is survived by his wife, Bernarda Aarden, daughter Pasca Ferwerda and husband Tim, son Rano Aarden and wife Cheryl, son Mark Aarden and wife Sarah, and son Kion Aarden and wife Kim of Hopkinton. He also is survived by eight grandchildren, Jennifer LaValley, Christina and Joel Ferwerda, Jason, Shauna and Racheal Aarden, and Shelby and Dana Aarden, plus seven great-grandchildren. Due to COVID-19, services were private. Services were under the care of the Materese Funeral Home of Ashland.

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For more information on any of the following programs or other activities at the library, visit hopkintonlibrary.org. The library also can be found on Facebook, @hopkintonlibrary, and on Twitter, @HopkintonPLMA.

Waste Removal and Recycling

Baptiste Power Yoga Class

Mondays, March 15, 22, 29, noon (Zoom) This weekly 30-minute Zoom class, taught by Natasha Linton of Nourish Power Yoga & Ayurveda in Hopkinton, is a vinyasa flow designed to leave participants vitalized and reinvigorated so they can step back into their day recharged. Register via the library’s website calendar.

Women’s History Month: Hopkinton Women’s Club

Tuesday, March 16, 6:30-7:30 p.m. (Zoom) The Hopkinton Women’s Club was organized in 1920 and remains active today. In celebration of Women’s History Month, join Marie Smith as she reviews the highlights of the group’s first 100 years. Marie Smith has been a Hopkinton resident for 33 years and has been a member of the Hopkinton Women’s Club since 1990. Sign up on the website calendar for Zoom info.

Virtual Chat ’n’ Chew Book Group

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Wednesday, March 17, 12:30-1:30 p.m. In the Chat ’n’ Chew book group, instead of assigning a book for all participants to read, each person reviews something they read this month. Registration can be found at forms.gle/VmYkDy1xPXH8eLPZA.

Adult Take & Make

Monday-Wednesday, March 22-24 (materials pickup) This month the group (ages 16 and up) will make paper quilled rainbows. This simple quilling project is the perfect introduction to this craft and will be sure to brighten anyone’s home. An instructional video (March 24) will get participants started with the skills they need. To sign up for a kit and choose a pickup time, visit forms.gle/mNvX6WgLpWb4Eo2E8.

Teen Take & Make

Wednesday, March 24 (materials pickup) This month’s project is paper quilled rainbows. Visit the website calendar for more information and to sign up.

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22 • The Hopkinton Independent • March 10, 2021

Police Log ARRESTS

February 16

February 23

6:46 p.m. Officers Ryan Polselli and Jessica Ferreira conducted a motor vehicle stop on Wood Street and subsequently performed field sobriety testing. A Wood Street resident was arrested and charged with OUI liquor, second offense, marked lanes violation, and failure to yield at intersection. The animal control officer responded and returned a dog that was in the vehicle back to its home.

Editor’s note: Due to space limitations, this is an abbreviated version of the Police Log. For the full Police Log visit the Hopkinton Independent website at HopkintonIndependent. com.

12:02 a.m. A caller reported his relative slid off the roadway of Wood Street. Officer Brittany Firth responded along with an ambulance. No personal injuries were reported. Slight damage to property was incurred. Officer Firth took a report. 7:23 p.m. A caller reported a motor vehicle accident on Fruit Street, where a vehicle crashed into a pole. No injuries were reported. Officers Ryan Polselli and Jessica Ferreira responded and requested a tow truck for a winch-out. Possible damage to a pole was reported. The operator was issued two civil citations.

February 17

11:17 a.m. A concerned caller reported a woman walking on Lake Whitehall with a stroller. Officers Jay Deiana and Matthew Santoro responded and reported that the woman was approaching the shoreline upon their arrival, and

all was OK. 3:47 p.m. A caller complained of a male speeding up and down Yale Road on a dirt bike. Officer Ryan Polselli responded and advised the person to cease operating on the roadway.

February 18

9:00 a.m. A caller reported a possible water main break on Eastview Road near Susan Drive. The Water Department was notified and responded. 10:20 a.m. A passerby reported to Officer Moira McGaffigan on Hayden Rowe Street that there was smashed glass on the access road between the park and school. The DPW was contacted for cleanup. 10:31 a.m. A caller reported a dog running in and out of the roadway of Wood Street. Officers Jay Deiana and Matthew Santoro responded and checked the area with a negative find.

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The animal control officer was notified. 11:31 a.m. A caller reported a deceased dog or fox on the side of the roadway of West Main Street. Sergeant Aaron O’Neil and Officer Jay Deiana responded and reported the deceased animal was a woodchuck. The DPW was contacted for removal. 12:43 p.m. A caller reported a man rifling through cars on West Main Street. Sergeants Aaron O’Neil and Scott van Raalten and Officer Benjamin Stickney responded and spoke with the man and the caller. Officer Stickney contacted the vehicle owner to see if anything was stolen from the vehicle. A report was to follow. 12:56 p.m. An Ash Street resident reported his two dogs were missing. The animal control officer was contacted. 4:46 p.m. A caller reported a dog bit her at the State Park while she was sledding on the sledding hill on the back side of the dam. The caller was referred to the Ashland Police Department. 5:00 p.m. Officer Brendon Lyver responded along with the Fire Department to a report of a possible blocked chimney on Donna Pass. A malfunctioning stove was discovered, and the owner was advised to contact a service technician.

February 19

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11:36 a.m. A caller reported a dog running loose on Main Street. Sergeant Aaron O’Neil and Officer Matthew Santoro responded and checked the area with a negative find. The animal control officer was notified. 3:49 p.m. A walk-in from Proctor Street reported that his son received a magazine in the mail, and he was concerned with its contents. He was advised to contact the magazine in order to be removed from the mailing list. 7:42 p.m. Officer Philip Powers responded to a report of a minor motor vehicle accident on Hayden Rowe Street. No personal injuries were reported.

February 20

1:03 p.m. A caller reported a Town of Hopkinton municipal vehicle driving aggressively in Boston. A DPW supervisor was notified and reported the vehicle may be a recently decommissioned town truck, as several complaints had been received in the past week about a similar vehicle. The DPW was to look into the incident. 1:17 p.m. Officer Ryan Polselli responded to a report of a motor vehicle accident on Hill Street. No personal injuries were reported. A tow truck was requested. Officer Polselli took a report. 5:04 p.m. A caller reported a 60-yearold female driver crashed a vehicle into a garage on School Street and was trapped inside the vehicle. Officers Preston Mucciarone and Tyler Brabham responded along with an ambulance and the Fire Department. The driver refused medical attention. A tow truck was requested. The building inspector was contacted. Officer Brabham took a report.

February 21

7:29 a.m. A Teresa Road resident reported a possible water main break in the area. Officer Ryan Polselli responded and confirmed a large amount of water in the roadway and contacted on-call Water Department personnel. 3:21 p.m. A caller reported a female

The Hopkinton Independent • March 10, 2021 • 23 walking up the ramp toward Interstate 495 North. Officer Tyler Brabham responded and checked the area with a negative find. 7:14 p.m. A caller reported his vehicle was damaged while he was inside a Hayden Rowe Street business. Officer Jessica Ferreira responded and took a report.

February 22

8:11 a.m. Sergeant Matthew McNeil responded along with the Fire Department to a report of a stovetop fire on Hayden Rowe Street. The fire was extinguished prior to their arrival. 8:11 a.m. A caller who lost a diamond ring back in September at Hopkinton Country Club on Saddle Hill Road wanted the incident logged for insurance purposes. 6:37 p.m. A caller reported his wife was home alone at their Hayden Rowe Street residence and a female in a North Face jacket and blue mask showed up at the door and then ran away. The caller requested an officer to check the area. Officers Cody Normandin and Ryan Polselli responded and checked the area with a negative find. 6:59 p.m. EMC security personnel on South Street reported a vehicle was vandalized. Officers Ryan Polselli and Jessica Ferreira responded and took a report. 10:52 p.m. A Rosewood Lane caller reported he heard a gunshot. Sergeant William Burchard and Officer Nathan Wight responded and checked the area with a negative find.

February 23

6:14 a.m. Sergeant William Burchard and Officer Nathan Wright responded to a motor vehicle accident involving two cars on West Main Street. No personal injuries were reported. 7:37 a.m. A caller reported a cat was struck on East Main Street and was in the roadway. Officer Brian Sanchioni responded and contacted the Highway Department. 9:46 a.m. A caller reported a skunk was running around and looking rabid on Cedar Street. The Ashland Police Department was notified. 12:25 p.m. A Curtis Road resident reported hearing gunshots. Officer Brian Sanchioni responded and checked the area with a negative find. 3:16 p.m. A walk-in reported finding a dog wandering on Main Street, near the center of town. The animal control officer was contacted and was to pick up the dog.

February 24

8:41 a.m. Officer Jay Deiana came upon a vehicle on Wood Street that lost its tire. A tow truck was requested, and Officer Deiana took a report. 9:33 a.m. A walk-in handed in money found in the roadway of Valleywood Drive. 9:51 a.m. A caller reported a large dump truck lost some of its load in the roadway of Wood Street. Sergeant Aaron O’Neil and Officer Jay Deiana responded and contacted the DPW, which responded to remove the debris. 10:20 a.m. Officer Jay Deiana reported a dog running loose on Main Street. Officer Brian Sanchioni responded to assist and reported the dog returned home. 11:46 a.m. A caller reported a swan in distress and possibly injured on ice on West Main Street. Officer Jay Deiana responded and checked on the swans and reported they were all fine. 12:15 p.m. A walk-in reported a road rage incident that took place a short time earlier on the MassPike in Framingham, which resulted in damage to his vehicle. The State Police were contacted and were to handle the incident. 12:42 p.m. A Colella Farm Road resident reported a raccoon was stuck inside his grill. The animal control officer was contacted. 12:52 p.m. A motorist reported a road rage incident on Spring Street, where a person in another vehicle threw bottles at her car and hit it and nearly hit a second vehicle. Sergeant Aaron O’Neil and Officer Brian Sanchioni responded and checked the area with a negative find on the vehicle. The license plate was obtained and the officers were to look into the incident.

February 25

10:33 a.m. A Colella Farm Road resident reported a wounded raccoon on her deck. The animal

control officer responded. 8:09 p.m. A walk-in reported something the size of a 13-gallon trash bag hit her car while she drove on Hayden Rowe Street, and she was afraid to turn back. Officers Preston Mucciarone and Brendon Lyver checked on Hayden Rowe Street and confirmed the object was a trash bag. 8:19 p.m. A Meserve Street resident reported a 20-year-old mask-less male going door-to-door in the neighborhood. Officer Benjamin Stickney responded and the individual was gone upon his arrival. 8:22 p.m. A passerby reported a disabled motor vehicle on West Main Street. Officers Cody Normandin and Brendon Lyver responded and assisted. Officer Normandin provided three people with courtesy transports.

February 26

5:49 a.m. A caller reported seeing a vehicle get on Interstate 495 via the exit ramp and then turn around to travel the right way. The caller did not provide any vehicle details. The State Police were notified. 1:34 p.m. Officer Brendon Lyver came across a dog running loose in the roadway of Wood Street and reported he was unable to catch it when it ran in the woods behind the Fire Station. The animal control officer was notified. 3:14 p.m. A caller reported an erratic operator on West Main Street who followed the caller from Ashland through Hopkinton. The Upton Police department was notified. 5:49 p.m. A caller reported a motor vehicle accident with no injuries on School Street. Officer Preston Mucciarone responded and took a report. 7:48 p.m. A caller complained of noise on Ash Street, where two people were yelling. Sergeant Matthew McNeil and Officer Jessica Ferreira responded and spoke with the parties.

February 27

12:48 p.m. A caller reported an Amazon truck attempted to back out of a driveway on West Main Street and the tailgate became stuck where the road and the driveway meet. Officer Moira McGaffigan responded and reported the truck was able to get winched out of the driveway. 2:05 p.m. A motorist reported he was on the MassPike when a vehicle was driving slowly in the high-speed lane and the driver threw something at the caller’s truck and sped off at about 100 mph. The vehicle got on Interstate 495 and exited on West Main Street toward West Elm Street, then headed to Priscilla Road and back onto West Main Street toward Upton. The Upton Police Department was notified and located the vehicle. 8:59 p.m. A Spring Street caller complained of four-wheelers and snowmobiles racing around Lake Whitehall and reported they were racing around the previous night until midnight. Officer Tyler Brabham responded and they were gone upon his arrival. 11:49 p.m. A Milford detail officer reported a motorist drove into a trench at a South Street construction site and wanted the incident logged in case of damage.

11:18 a.m. A caller reported the strong outside odor of natural gas on Main Street. Officer Brian Sanchioni responded along with the Fire Department, and it was determined that the odor was coming from a catch basin. Eversource responded and investigated. 10:08 p.m. A caller reported a tree across the roadway of Ash Street. Officer Cody Normandin responded and moved it. 10:49 p.m. A caller reported a tree fell on wires on North Mill Street. Sergeant Aaron O’Neil and Officer Nathan Wright responded and blocked half of the road with cones and notified Verizon. 11:00 p.m. Sergeant William Burchard reported a branch in the roadway of Pleasant Street. The DPW responded and removed it. 11:06 p.m. A caller reported a large tree in the roadway of West Main Street. Officer Nathan Wright responded and notified the DPW. Sergeant William Burchard directed traffic. 11:14 p.m. Sergeant William Burchard picked up an American flag that was in the roadway of Main Street and took it to the station. 11:46 p.m. A caller on West Elm Street requested inspection of wiring after a circuit breaker tripped and a burning smell was in the air. The Fire Department responded and found a fallen tree on wires blocking the whole road. Eversource was contacted. 11:48 p.m. Officer Stephen Buckley assisted the Milford Police Department and shut down Lumber Street after a tree fell on wires in Milford. A Milford detail officer subsequently relieved Officer Buckley.

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8:12 a.m. A caller reported a motor vehicle accident with no personal injuries on Wood Street. Officer Brian Sanchioni responded and found the car stuck in snow and requested a tow. 5:49 p.m. A Spring Street resident complained of ATVs racing on Lake Whitehall. Officer Ryan Polselli responded and checked the area, including the boat ramp, with a negative find. 5:56 p.m. A caller on the MassPike reported the bus he was on was not safe, and he wanted to arrange for another ride. The caller was transferred to the State Police. 7:38 p.m. Sergeant Aaron O’Neil came across a mailbox on Wood Street that may have been struck by a vehicle, possibly a dark green Jeep. A report was to follow. 8:27 p.m. Officer Brian Sanchioni and K9 Titan assisted the Milford Police Department in locating robbery suspects.

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24 • The Hopkinton Independent • March 10, 2021

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Notice earlier start time of 6:30pm! That’s because this virtual tasting is direct from Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day! Join Clare Minnock, Walsh Whiskey Marketing Manager, as she leads us though two of the Walsh family of whiskies most popular expressions. 30 kits available. Visit the EVENTS tab on our website for more info. This kit includes: 1 - 750ml Writer’s Tears copper pot 1 - Writer’s Tears branded tasting glass 1 - 750ml The Irishman small batch 1 - The Irishman branded tasting glass 1 - Eye dropper water bottle.

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