PRST-STD U.S. Postage PAID Hopkinton, MA 01748 Permit No. 109 ECRWSS Postal Patron
HOPKINTON INDEPENDENT Vol. 20 | No. 5 | March 6, 2019
More activity, less anxiety
Court sends denied solar permit back to Planning Board
Hopkinton physical therapist touts value of exercise in fighting depression
By Jim Kleinkauf Contributing Writer
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By Michelle Sanford Contributing Writer
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ccording to the National Institute of Mental Illness, nearly one in five Americans suffers from some type of mental illness, including anxiety and depression. As the rate of the two seems to be increasing among both adults and adolescents, individuals are seeking various types of therapies to help. Physical therapist Lisa MacDonald discovered firsthand that many of her patients were also experiencing certain mental health issues. “I began noticing a trend in my ortho and women patients; many were on medications for anxiety and/or depression,” the Hopkinton resident said. MacDonald pooled her clinical Anxiety | 7
Cultural Council announces grant recipients The Hopkinton Center for the Arts — which offers numerous programs, including art classes for youngsters — was the recipient of grants from both the Hopkinton Cultural Council as well as the Mass. Cultural Council. Story on page 9
First step taken in process to renovate Elmwood School Selectmen approve submittal of document to state grant program By Michelle Murdock Contributing Writer
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electmen unanimously and with very little discussion voted at their Feb. 26 meeting to authorize Hopkinton Public Schools Superintendent Carol Cavanaugh to submit a statement of interest (SOI) to the Massachusetts School Building Authority, ensuring the submittal will meet the MSBA’s April 12 deadline. As described in a memo from Cavanaugh addressed to the board and to the School Committee, the MSBA’s grant program “is a non-
Elmwood School might be headed for a renovation to help deal with increased enrollment in town.
he town Planning Board will hold a public hearing on March 11 to reconsider the previously denied application by TJA Clean Energy to build a solar facility on 34 acres off Wilson Street. The hearing was prescribed by an order of remand from the state Land Court at the request of both the town and TJA Clean Energy. “The application will get a second look by the Planning Board and a second chance,” according to Selectmen Chair Claire Wright. “This has been agreed upon — a ‘mulligan’ so to speak — in lieu of a costly court process. We hope it will produce a resolution quickly.” Last year, after a four-month series of public hearings, the Planning Board on Oct. 1 voted to deny a Commercial Solar Photovoltaic Special Permit Application by TJA Clean Energy to build a facility on 34 acres off Wilson Street. On Dec. 4 the applicant filed an appeal to that decision in state Land Court, and on Jan. 18 the court announced a joint order of remand to the town Planning Board. When asked about the situation, Town Manager Norman Khumalo replied via email that he was “not at liberty to comment on a matter pending before the Planning Board.” Planning Board Chair Muriel Kramer did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Last year the Special Permit Application failed to garner the required two-thirds majority vote. The only vote in favor came from Vice Chair Fran DeYoung. Members Deborah Fein-Brug, Gary Trendel, Amy Ritterbusch, Mary
Elmwood School | 5
Solar permit | page 7
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