Ashland Town Manager Newsletter | |
Good Morning Ashland!
There has been a lot of talk about development in Ashland, especially with the two 40b projects being proposed for the Mill Building and the property across from the High School. We held a well-attended forum on Tuesday night with the land owner and developer of the project at the Mill site, and our form that allowed residents to comment on the proposed project has over 150 comments. I want to thank all of you that took the time to write…Some were incredibly thoughtful and helpful, and most importantly give us some ideas that we had not thought about.
One thing I have gleaned through some of the comments, social media, and conversation is the question: “why doesn’t the town put XXXX there?”, with “X” being replaced with “shops”, “businesses”, “grocery store”, “retail”, or my new favorite one: “boutique”. The comment suggests that some think that town government, not economics, is the real “invisible hand” guiding building in Ashland. Some will even imply or outright mischaracterize by saying “the government” would intentionally choose to put residential developments in town instead of businesses. Well, for the record, that isn’t true at all. If government had the power to choose what went where, things would be a lot different in a lot of places, not just Ashland. And we would have a lot more businesses lining Main Street and our commercial corridors. (Apologies for the liberal use of quotation marks in this paragraph).
But the reality is it doesn’t work that way. If you are truly concerned about development in Ashland, and truly want to figure out what you can do to impact the Ashland of the future, you need to read “The City Should Put A Trader Joe’s There” Seriously. It should be required reading. It is about the best article I have found explaining why developers want to put up apartment complexes around MetroWest generally and Ashland specifically instead of businesses. It doesn’t make the situation with 40b’s any better, but at least we aren’t pointing fingers at the wrong things.
Last but not least I want to thank Eliza Dodge, Kristen French, and the Human Services team for their “Arts Saves Ashland” event at Ashland High School to celebrate Mental Health Awareness month. It was a great, diverse event with lots of activities and art work. Similarly, I would like to thank Candi Wilson, her staff, and all of the volunteers that made the Senior Center open house such a success. We’re fortunate to have these great human service-related resources here in Ashland.
Have a great week!
Michael Herbert
Town Manager
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The fun is just beginning!!
Check out what is happening at The Corner Spot next weekend!! Mark your calendars!
CultureFest
Saturday, May 18th | 3:00 PM 7:00 PM
The Corner Spot | 6 Cherry St.
Enjoy a great afternoon of music, dance, diverse cuisine, and beverages, as we celebrate a variety of cultures that make our community fabulous!
Grab a bite to eat from Doragon Eatery and Dulce D Leche, and a beer or wine from Decanted Wine Truck!
Enjoy live performances from Trade Route Dance, Drum Nomads, Crocodile River, the McCrites, Evan Goodrow and The Smallest Town Ensemble!
Shop vendors including The Africa Exchange Project, Suestjeanstudio- Resin Art,
Bali Marle and Happily Home Made Crafts
Click HERE for more information!
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Restaurant Week
Show our restaurants some love and get out to eat this week!!
The Ashland Business Association partnered with The Hopkinton Chamber of Commerce to bring a great lineup of specials and an incentive to eat out this week!
Check out what these amazing restaurants in Ashland and Hopkinton are offering.
Send an email after to enter to win a gift card just for enjoying a night out and keeping it local!
Go to: www.ashlandbusinessassociation.com for more details and to see what you will be eating for lunch or dinner all week long!
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Annual Town Election
Ashland’s annual town election will take place on May 21 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Ashland High School.
Offices on the ballot include:
Select Board, 2 seats (3 yrs)
Assessor (3 yrs)
School Committee, 2 seats (3 yrs)
School Committee, 1 seat (1 yr)
Board of Library Trustees, 2 seats (3 yrs)
Board of Health, 2 seats (3 yrs)
Housing Authority (5 yrs
Planning Board (5 yrs)
For more information visit www.ashlandmass.com/219/Elections-Voting
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The Annual Water Quality Report
The Annual Water Quality Reports have been mailed out to all water service customers with the May, 2024 Water & Sewer bills.
For your convenience, the comprehensive report is also available on the Town's official website here: https://www.ashlandmass.com/674/Annual-Water-Quality-Report
Your health and satisfaction matter to us. Please take a moment to check out the report. If you have any questions or need more info, feel free to contact the DPW by phone at (508) 881-0120 or email them at dpw@ashlandmass.com.
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Remote Area Medical Clinic
This August a Remote Area Medical clinic will be held at Joseph P. Keefe Technical High School. Right now Remote Area Medical is searching for volunteers!
If you are interested in volunteering please contact Senior Volunteer Coordinator Ronnie Hatfield at ronniehatfield@ramusa.org.
Thank you to Remote Area Medical for providing this crucial service for our community, and thank you to all the volunteers that make events like these possible!
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Ashland Moms: Cocotree Drive
The Ashland Moms are partnering with Cocotree Kids this month to provide underwear for at-risk youth in Massachusetts. You can help by donating new packages of underwear sizes 2T to 16 at their collection box in the lobby of Ashland Town Hall (101 Main Street) now through May 31st.
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126 Construction update
Crews are preparing for final paving that will take place the week of May 20th. This work will take 4 days to complete and will be happening overnight. Crews will be working during the day this week as well to keep the project moving as quickly as possible. The section that will be paved is from the Framingham line to Ashland Self Storage.
Utility companies are continuing their work and hope to be completed by mid-summer.
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Did You Know?
Did you know on May 4th, 1939, souvenir aluminum coins were thrown from the observation deck of a Union Pacific Streamliner at 2:47pm as it passed through Ashland over the Main Street crossing of the Boston & Albany. An ancient engine fired with wood ran ahead of the modern streamliner.
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Florence Seidell
Let's give a big shout out to Florence Seidell for her outstanding contributions to our community! Alongside her husband Rob, Florence has been a driving force behind the success of the Ashland Farmers Market, providing our town with fresh produce and a vibrant community gathering space. But Florence's dedication doesn't stop there. Through their ongoing efforts, particularly with the Energize Ashland program, Florence and Rob continue to uplift our town in countless ways. Their commitment to enhancing the well-being of Ashland residents and promoting sustainable practices is truly inspiring.
Florence, your passion and tireless work ethic make a real difference in the lives of everyone in our community. Thank you for your dedication and for making Ashland a better place for us all.
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Shoutout Nomination Form
Do you know someone in town that is working hard to make Ashland an even better place? Let us know! We want to acknowledge all the amazing people that make our town so great! Nominate someone you think deserves an extra shoutout of appreciation. Click HERE to open the nomination form.
If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to Melissa Hayes at mhayes@ashlandmass.com
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Local Meetings, Programs, and Events | |
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Upcoming Meetings
Learn what is happening in your community and tune into our upcoming meetings. Meetings are held at Town Hall in the Select Board Room or remotely and can be viewed with the local cable station, WACA TV.
This coming week:
Monday, May 13th:
7:00 PM | Conservation Commission - Zoom
Tuesday, May 14th:
2:15 PM | DMS Site Council
5:00 PM | School Committee - Wellness Sub-Committee
Wednesday, May 15th:
7:00 PM | Select Board Meeting
Note: Agendas are posted according to Open Meeting Law at least 48 hours in advance.
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Ashland Public Schools Spring 2024 Band & Choral Concerts
5/16 - AHS Bands at AHS, 7 PM
5/23 - 5th & 6th grade bands at AHS, 7 PM 5/28 - 7th & 8th grade bands at AMS, 7 PM
Performances are free and open to the public!
Full Concert Details at AshlandMusic.org
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Elvis: A Fun Impersonator
May 17 | 6:00 pm
VFW-311 Pleasant Street-ashland
The Greater Ashland Lions presents Elvis: A Fun Impersonator
Tickets are on sale for $30 per person and includes a pasta dinner and entertainment.
Doors open at 6:00 pm show starts at 7:00pm
No tickets will be sold at the door.
You can send donation checks to the Greater Ashland Lions (P.O. Box 41 | Ashland, MA 01721)
If you have any questions or concerns please contact Andrea at lionandrea71@yahoo.com or (617) 335-5616
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Financial Reality Fair
Friday, May 31st | Ashland High School 65 E Union St
Ashland High School is working to put together our fourth annual "Financial Reality Fair" for the graduating seniors. This event will be held on Friday, May 31st at the high school.
Each senior will receive a paycheck and credit score and will need to navigate various booths where they will have to make financial decisions (renting an apartment, getting a car, getting insurance, etc.) The previous four times we ran this event, the overwhelming response of the students was that they found this fair very informative and that they learned using information that they will use in their lives.
To run this event successfully we need help from the community. We are looking for professionals who can work with the students to help them make financial decisions and help guide them along the way. Specifically, we are looking for anyone with a background in housing (realtors), furniture, food, insurance (renter's insurance and auto insurance), clothing, transportation, charity/community service, education (paying for college), luxuries (vacation, entertainment, pets), utilities (internet / phone / cable / gas / electricity), personal savings, retirement savings, or budgeting. In addition, we are also looking for anyone who is willing to help out as a "general volunteer." These "general volunteers" will be trained by the professionals at their booth and will then be able to engage in financial conversations with students, helping them make decisions.
For more information (including videos from the previous events) and to sign-up to volunteer, visit our website at: https://sites.google.com/ashland.k12.ma.us/reality-fair/
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Lauren Giombetti (LGiombetti@ashland.k12.ma.us) or Josh Wiczer (jwiczer@ashland.k12.ma.us)
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Ashland Pride
Saturday, June 15 | noon - 5 pm
The Corner Spot | 6 Cherry Street
Ashland is United presents: Ashland Pride! An event to celebrate the queer community in Ashland!
Opening remarks of the event will be given by Rep. Jack Lewis!
All are welcome! This is a family friendly event with a fashion show, JRI/RISE, OutMetrowest, and the Trans Community of New England. There will also be food and small business vendors to shop from!
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