How communities have spent COVID-19 $ Region | 14
Shrewsbury hockey team reveals banner Shrewsbury | 22
Holiday Gift Guide page | 9
Locally owned and operated since 1974
Your community. Your news. Your paper. Shrewsbury · Westborough · Northborough · Southborough · Marlborough · Hudson · Grafton
Vol. 49 | No. 51 | December 22, 2023
Planning Board greenlights dog park By Laura Hayes Managing Editor NORTHBOROUGH – Plans to build a dog park in Northborough were approved by the Planning Board on Dec. 5. The approval marks the culmination of years of effort to bring a dog park to town. “It is very exciting that, after 19 years of advocacy, this dog park is finally becoming a reality for the region’s dogs and their people,” Planning Director Laurie Connors told the Community Advocate. What is proposed The dog park will be located on a parcel owned by the town on Boundary Street. In 2022, Town Meeting approved Community Preservation funds to complete a feasibility study for a dog park, including studying up to five potential locations for the park. That October, town staff presented four potential sites for a dog park. Last December, the Select Board selected the Boundary Street site as the location of the first off-leash dog park. According to Department of Public Works Director Scott Charpentier, the plans call for a dog park with small and large dog areas. The small and large dog areas will be separated by a fence and will be surfaced with stone dust pavement and be Americans With Disabilities Act-accessible. Between the small and large dog areas there will be a shade shelter with benches. Dog Park | 5
Library Director Maureen Amyot donates kidney to stranger By Maureen Sullivan Assistant Editor WESTBOROUGH – The children sat around Mrs. Claus as she read a selection of holiday stories at the Westborough Public Library. The good Mrs. Claus, a.k.a. Westborough Public Library Director Maureen Amyot, knows the special gift of giving. In late October, Amyot donated a kidney to a stranger. “From my point of view, I would say that as a living donor nurse coordinator, altruistic donors like Maureen — who come forward to donate even though they don’t know someone in particular in need of kidney transplant - are what makes my job truly feel magical in certain moments,” said Natalie McGowan, a registered nurse and coordinator at Tufts Medical Center. “She is a selfless, brave and kind person, and she helped us transplant two recipients,” added McGowan. “She helped a recipient with an Amyot | 12
Westborough Public Library Director Maureen Amyot recently donated a kidney to a stranger.
Select Board amends email response policy By Evan Walsh, Reporter SHREWSBURY – The Select Board on Dec. 12 unanimously voted to amend operational policy 15, which details how the board should respond to emails from community members. The previous policy was “filled with holes,” Select Board members said, creating undue delay in responding to emails.
“We have been working on this for several months, and I think that we have tried to think through all the possible scenarios to make sure… we have a streamlined process that’s clear and transparent to community members,” Select Board Chair Beth Casavant said at the meeting. Select Board member John Samia said the purpose of the amended policy was to be “pracEmail | 7
SHREWSBURY | 508.925.5100 | 100 Boston Turnpike | elementsmassage.com/shrewsbury
PHOTO/MAUREEN SULLIVAN