(24-JUL-24) The Fire Station Building Committee (FSBC), tasked with overseeing the design and construction of a new fire station in Boxborough, held its second meeting on Tuesday, July 23. With all members present for the first time, the Committee elected Mary Brolin as Chair, Mac Reid as Vice Chair, and Sara Lavado as Clerk.

The focus of the meeting was the selection of three out of seven candidates to interview for the role of Owner’s Project Manager (OPM). The OPM will help the town navigate the entire fire station building process, from site selection through construction...

(24-JUL-24) Blanchard Assistant Principal Michael Votto will step into the role of Blanchard’s Interim Principal for the 2024-2025 school year. 

In early June, Blanchard Principal Dana Labb announced that he had accepted a position as Assistant Superintendent for Harvard Public Schools and would leave the district at the end of the school year. Labb had served as Blanchard principal for ten years...

(24-JUL-24) At its meeting on Monday, July 15, the Planning Board continued the public hearing for an application from French Bros. Boxborough LLC to construct a 3-unit trade shop building at 100 Codman Hill Road, replacing the property’s current use as a landscape storage yard.

During the hearing, Paul Kirchner of Stamski and McNary, engineer for the applicant, pointed out the revisions that were made to the plans in response to comments from the town’s engineer, Sue Carter (Places Associates), and concerns expressed by the Board during the previous hearings. Those concerns included lighting, landscaping, earth removal, and potential tenants...

(18-JUL-24) At its meeting on July 15, the Select Board appointed all seven members of the new Fire Station Building Committee (FSBC). The five at-large members are Joan Blaustein, Mary Brolin, Sara Lavado, Eric Michnovez, and Mac Reid. The Select Board representative will be Priya Sundaram, and the Finance Committee representative will be Maria Neyland. The Board also appointed Fire Chief John Kivlan and Town Administrator Michael Johns as ex officio members.

The Board chose the five at-large members from a group of 18 applicants. TA Michael Johns explained that there were originally 24 interested residents, but that six withdrew their names from consideration. The remaining 18 applicants were evaluated using a matrix of six competencies: technical experience, community understanding, proven leadership, communication skills, interpersonal skills, and public engagement skills. Select Board Chair Kristin Hilberg said the Board was “honored” by the number of people who volunteered to be considered for the FSBC...

(18-JUL-24) After two years of construction, Liberty Field at 1100 Liberty Square Road is now complete and open for all to enjoy. 

Visitors can now use the paved walking path, a one-third mile distance that surrounds the soccer fields. The soccer fields are also open, but the grass is newly established so organized sports and league play will not be permitted until the fall. A shed has also been built for field equipment, nets, and other recreational storage. 

Other portions of Liberty Field, including the playground, tennis courts, and pickleball courts, opened in Fall 2023... 

(25-JUL-24) On July 26, the Boxborough Recreation Commission’s Flerra Summer Playground (FSP) wrapped up the final week of its 53rd season. FSP is a half-day summer program at Flerra Meadows in Boxborough, open to children that are entering kindergarten through seventh grade. 

This year, roughly 400 campers attended FSP across four, week-long sessions throughout July, with a record number of 313 campers in the fourth and final week.

Campers enjoyed annual traditions like “Tie-dye Tuesdays” and “Water Wednesdays” with inflatable water slides, as well as sports tournaments out in the field and other activities under the tent. Cornhole and “world cup soccer” tournaments were a hit, as were slime-making and ice-cream making projects. The weeks also included lots of legos, board games, and bracelet making, and nature walks to the pond...

(25-JUL-24) The Town of Boxborough’s Recreation Commission consists of six volunteers who run a variety of recreational programs for children and adults in Boxborough, including the popular Flerra Summer Playground program, as well as community events like Winterfest at Steele Farm and the new RunBXB road race in the spring. 

The Commission “strives to strengthen and to maintain a healthy community through various programs,” says member Megan Connor. “By providing the community with ways to get involved with and stay invested in its green spaces, effective park programming brings many benefits to health and wellbeing for residents. We strive to keep things very low cost and accessible for all. After all, you can’t beat a summer week long program for $100!  We also offer scholarship support to anyone who would like to participate.” ...

(18-JUL-24) FreeBee Market, Boxborough’s volunteer-driven free food network and market, organizes two types of events, “community market” days and “food rescue” days, on Saturdays throughout the summer and fall.

“Food rescue” days, held every Saturday, are focused only on sharing extra food collected from local supermarkets and farms. The “community markets” have rescued food plus community booths and kids’ activities...

(18-JUL-24) Yes, I “edit” the garden.

All the rain and heat have definitely made my gardens (and weeds) grow with abandon. Plants get overgrown and can look like they are in the wrong place. 

If you are interested in making your gardens look better, here are a few easy ways to do it. First, you can add new annuals to fill empty spots – either in the ground or in pots...