The Select Board met Tuesday night in a session that was largely administrative in nature, with unanimous votes of approval of upcoming event permits, new hires and the state primary election warrant.
Vice Chair Mary Jo LaFreniere chaired the meeting in the absence of chair Brian Herr. She immediately addressed the consent agenda, which featured requests regarding several special events in town that were approved in a 4-0 vote.
One item concerned a permit application for the 25th annual Michael’s Run/Walk 5K. The event is sponsored by the Michael Lisnow Respite Center and is held in his honor. Lisnow died at age 10 after having been born 16 weeks premature and given only a 10% chance of survival, according to the center’s website.
The event will be held on Oct.12 at 10 a.m. The race will start on Ash Street at Center School, proceed down Ash Street, and loop around Thayer Heights Road and Blueberry Lane before ending at the Town Common. The permit fee was waived, given that the center is a nonprofit organization.
Another popular upcoming town event is Hopkinton Family Day. The Friends of Hopkinton, Inc. requested permission to erect a banner over Main Street from Aug. 31 through Sept. 14 to promote the event on Sept. 14. The banner will be 25 feet by 3 feet.
Last year’s Hopkinton Family Day was cancelled due to inclement weather.
Later in the meeting, the board voted 4-0 to approve an application submitted by Peter Mezitt on behalf of Weston Nurseries for its annual Blooms, Brews & BBQ celebration on Sept. 7 from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. The application requested an entertainment license to use an amplification system for live music and a special temporary alcohol license.
The event, a fundraiser for the Jimmy Fund for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, will take place outside in the open lawn and garden yard located behind the Weston Nurseries Garden Center at 93 East Main Street. The alcohol will be served by TIPS-certified servers and will be supplied from two local vendors, Start Line Brewing Company and Marty’s. Because this is a fundraising event, the application fee was waived.
LaFreniere and member Joe Clark noted that they attended the event in the past and enjoyed it.
Town Manager Elaine Lazarus explained that the Hopkinton Police Department requested two details, which HPD will provide. The only issues were that the food vendors reach out to the Fire Department regarding fire prevention and the Board of Health regarding its temporary mobile food service permit process. Because the vendor has been used previously, no issues were anticipated.
New town employees, other positions approved
The Select Board appointed Michael Pontremoli and Dale Michaud as part-time van drivers for the Hopkinton Senior Center as part of the consent agenda. It also accepted the resignation of Daniele Pepin from the Hopkinton Historic District Commission and approved Mike King for a three-year term as the Planning Board’s liaison to the Trails Committee.
The state primary election warrant also was unanimously approved.
New utility pole for electrical vehicle charging station approved
A representative for the owner of Alltown Fresh Hopkinton at 88-92 West Main Street appeared before the board because a new utility pole is necessary to support an electric vehicle charging station at 92 Main Street.
The pole needs to be moved 50 meters to the left in order for the café to have access to the energy. Lazarus confirmed with Town Engineer/Facilities Director Dave Daltorio that the pole is needed there.
Verizon representative Don Vonner appeared before the board over Zoom. He noted that both he and Select Board members questioned why Eversource needed two poles “so close together.”
The problem, he explained, was that there was “too much equipment on the other two poles,” so that they would be unable to support an EV charging station without the new pole.
“We need those EV chargers, for sure,” said member Shahidul Mannan.
LaFreniere asked if a nearby pole that she said was “looking pretty rocky” could be replaced. Vonner applied that the application presented was for a specific new pole, but he would take the request back to Verizon.
Hayward Street land disposition request approved
During her report, Lazarus said that Town Meeting voted in May to sell or dispose of land 0 Hayward Street, on which a private home was located. Bids were due by July 31, and that homeowner was the only bidder. Lazarus explained that half of the homeowner’s house actually was on town property.
“They would like to move very quickly,” she said, noting the sale was approved for $1,000. “Maybe by the end of this week or next week.”
She requested that the Select Board vote to authorize town counsel and staff to prepare a suitable deed for execution by the Select Board so that the property could be transferred to Alice Pynn. The Select Board voted 4-0 to do so.
