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Vol. 49 | No. 48 | December 1, 2023
Could Shrewsbury’s Town Hall expand soon?
Turkey Trot draws nearly 700 runners, walkers By Maureen Sullivan Assistant Editor
By Evan Walsh Reporter SHREWSBURY – In an Aug. 31 episode of “Ask the Manager” with Donna O’Connor, Town Manager Kevin Mizikar discussed the lack of space at the Town Hall. Shrewsbury’s Town Hall was last expanded in 1997. At the time, Shrewsbury had approximately 27,000 residents. Today, the town is nearing 40,000 community members, and the number of staff members and town services have grown. Yet the footprint of the municipal headquarters remains the same, Mizikar said. In an interview with the Community Advocate, Mizikar weighed in on space issues at the Town Hall and whether an expansion project could be on the horizon. “We’re really constrained for space here,” said Mizikar. “The Town Hall is definitely a critical need because it provides services and office space for not only just municipal operations, but also the School Department and SELCO at this time. All three aspects are confined by space.” Town Hall has long been on the town’s list of possible infrastructure improvements. First constructed in 1966, Town Hall has a 28,700-square-foot footprint that hasn’t been expanded in 26 years. In 2017, the second floor had minor renovations, but that work did not change the space’s overall square footage. In 2019, the town reviewed the needs when it comes to space in the entire municipal camTown Hall | 6
NORTHBOROUGH – It was a beautiful morning to celebrate Thanksgiving — and to build an appetite for the dinner to come. On Thursday, Nov. 23, nearly 700 runners and walkers headed to the Zeh Elementary School for the 15th annual 5K Turkey Trot. While most raced wearing the official race T-shirt, others got more into the turkey day spirit, wearing turkey hats or going “full bird.” “It’s a good tradition,” said Tara Walsh of Boylston, who dressed as a turkey. Izak Shreeve, a Northborough native and student at Northeastern University, came across the finish line first in just over 17 minutes. “The course is good,” he said, adding that this was his first Turkey Trot “in a while.” Shelby Stoll came all the way from Rockland, Maine, to spend the holiday with her boyfriend Turkey Trot | 14
Runners head toward the finish line at the 15th annual Turkey Trot in Northborough on Nov. 23.
Library repair project to go before Select Board By Maureen Sullivan Assistant Editor WESTBOROUGH – When the Select Board meets on Tuesday, Dec. 5, it’s expected to receive a better idea about the repair project for the Westborough Public Library. Over the past several months, the Library Building Committee has been meeting with
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the architect, LPA|A, and the owner’s project manager, Vertex, on prioritizing repair work. Out of four “scopes” developed by LPA|A, the committee favored the first scope that would cover the “most requested repairs;” this could include repairing — as opposed to replacing — the roof. Elements from the other scopes could be
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PHOTO/ MAUREEN SULLIVAN