Under the Light of the Full Moon on Sept 4th

On Friday, September 4, 2009, the Nemasket River Productions will be holding an event at Oak Point. Under the Light of a Full Moon will be on the tennis courts and will feature, Overtime (from Oak Point) and an Argentina Tango Exhibition. Vintage prom gowns are optional as a King & Queen will be nominated that evening.

Appetizers and cash bar will be available and a silent auction will be held.

Tickets are available now for $25 per person/$40 per couple. Tickets can be purchased from Nemasket River Production board members or from Debbie at the Oak Point social director's office.

Read more...

Special Town Meeting Warrant Round Up

The Special Town Meeting is scheduled for 7:00 PM, Monday, September 21, 2009 at the Middleborough High School Auditorium.

The warrant includes 17 items and will be downloaded here once the articles are finalized.

The following is quick rundown of each item:

• Articles 1 and 2 will recind votes from this spring for spending of money that we did not have.
• Article 3 will balance the budget for FY 2010 (this year).
• Article 4 is to pay for the oil spill clean up at the Green School. ($42,000)
• Article 5 is a standard housekeeping article to pay any bills from previous years.
• Article 6 will buy back sick time (contractural obligation).
• Article 7 will pay for the design of the High School main entrance walkway/roof structure. ($21,000).
• Article 8 is for the purchase of three new police cruisers. ($66,000)
• Article 9 is for a repair of the roof at the South Middleborough Fire Station ($15,000)
• Article 10 will take the excess trash fee collections to purchase a new recycle truck ($161,000)
• Article 11 askes to raise the town collection room tax on hotels from 4% to 6%.
• Article 12 is to renovate (versus replace) the existing Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) at the bank building ($10,000)
• Article 13 is to replace equipment that was damaged and not covered by insurance during the water pip break at the town hall last winter ($20,000)
• Article 14 is a request to purchase the development rights to land off Miller Street only if the state and private funds in the amount of $700,000 are granted. ($40,000)
• Article 15 increases the number of persons on the Police Station Building Committee from 9 to 11. ($0)
• Article 16 is a request to set a demand fee for those who do not pay their bills in a timely manner to the town to $15.
• Article 17 is a request for $300,000 to be reimbursed by the state revolving loan fund for septic repair.

The dollar amounts are approximate and will be finalized as the STM draws near. The selectmen will hold a public meeting to discuss each article in September.

Read more...

Money Shot Playing Thursday Nght

Local band Money Shot will be playing the Middleborough Summer Concert Series this Thursday, August 27, 2009 on the town hall green. Their performance will be the culmination if the fourth season on the lawn. Listening to the bands music samples on their Myspace page brings back the feelings of the Cars and Dread Zeppelin (especially when listening to their version of Michael Jackson's Billy Jean).

So bring the family with your chairs, blankets and enjoy the free concert as summer winds down.

The Middleborough Police Department will be providing an officer as part of ChIPs, the Child Identification Program. Free of charge, you can have your children finger printed (which you take home with you).

Tickets for the animal shelter dinner and dance can be purchased at the concert as well. Any additional information about this or any of the other events can be seen on the Middelborough Friends website.

Read more...

Selectmen Close Warrant to September STM

The Board of Selectmen closed the warrant last night and have scheduled a full discussion on the articles at the September 9, 2009 meeting. The special town meeting will take place at 7 PM on Monday September 21, 2009 at the Middleborough High School auditorium.

The articles will include a few housekeeping articles due to an accounting error and with respect to free cash. Also the town budget will have to be adjusted from this spring due to lower than expected receipts from last year and future estimated new growth figures.

The Finance Committee will be meeting next Monday night (August 31, 2009) to discuss the budget. The public is welcome to attend.

Read more...

Green School Cleaned Up

A report by Lincoln Andrews indicated that the Green School is a clean site. All soil excavation was completed and paperwork was submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Environemntal Protection (MA DEP) as of last nights meeting.

The next pahse of work in the Green School is structural repair of the building which is being completed through donations received. If you would like to donate to preserve the Green School, you may call Lincoln Andrews at 508-947-7071.

Donations are now tax deductible.

Read more...

Selectmen to Close Fall STM Warrant

The Board of Selectmen will close the warrant for the fall special town meeting (STM) which will be held on Monday, September 21, 2009 at 7 PM in the High School Auditorium. One item on the warrant will be a chance to raise the room tax the town collects from hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts from 4% to 6%.

This warrant item follows what most other local communities are leaning towards, the board is not pursuing the meal tax increase (which the state is would allow). It was previously discussed that the room tax effect on town residents is almost zero, where as the meal tax directly effect many who patronize our local eateries. The meal tax was increase by the state on August 1 to 6.25%.

Other items on the agenda:

• Veteran's Agent Open House
• Police Officer Appointment
• Town Hall Rental Request
• Parking Lot Request for annual Trunk or Treat
• Request by North Congregational Church for their Craft Fair
• Commission on Disability Appointments
• Town Hall Sign Request
• Muscular Dystrophy Drive - George Andrade

Hearings and Meetings will include:

• 7:20 PM - Library Five Year Plan of Service
• 7:30 PM - Resort Planning Monies - Continued Discussions

The Town Manager's report will follow with an update on audio and visual upgrades for the selectmen's meeting room. The meeting starts at 7:00 pm at the Town Hall on Nickerson Avenue.

Read more...

Veteran's Yard Sale Saturday Aug 22

There will be a Veteran’s Yard Sale held at the Middleborough Elks Lodge on Saturday, August 22, 2009 from 9AM-3PM. The Elks Lodge is located at 24 High Street, Middleboro. Refreshments will be available from 10-2 (beverages, hot dogs & hamburgers) and the public is encouraged to attend.

All proceeds of the yard sale will benefit state and local veterans.

People with large items to donate can call Bill Marzelli 1-508-947-2361 or Bill Tubman 1-508-728-1859 for pickup assistance. Item pickup start date will be August 15th. No computer or electronic devices will be accepted.

Read more...

Wood Spirit to Perform Thusday Night 8-20

With influences like Muddy Waters and B.B King to Mark Knoffler and Bonnie Rait, the gritty sounds of soulful guitar will be alive on the Town Hall Green in Middleborough this Thursday night (August 20th).

Wood Spirit will be bringing some summer blues when they come downtown. Some of their music can be heard and their schedule of upcoming events are found on their myspace page. Thursday night will be a great warm up for their performance at this years New England Blues Festival on August 29th at Battis Field.

So bring your family, chairs and blankets this Thursday to the Town Hall at 6:30 PM for a free concert.

Read more...

Lorenzo's Hosting Music Tonight (8/13)

Lorenzo's is featuring a throw back to the 60's with 60's music and 60's pricing.

So after 2 PM, the fun begins at Lorenzo's on Route 28 in Middleborough.

Read more...

Chasing Lepers to Perform Thursday

The Middleborough Music Nights continues this Thursday with a performance by Chasing Lepers on the Town Hall Green at 6:30 PM. So bring your family, friends and have some free fun.

There will be refreshments available for a nominal fee. Hula hoops, jump ropes and more are available for use.

For more information about the Concert Series, please visit the Middleborough Friends website.

Read more...

Flat Iron Hosting Music Sat. Aug 8

Have you ever wondered what to do on Saturday night? You don’t want to travel far or hit the bars or nightclub scene but want to hear some good music?

Then listen up, music fans, because Flat Iron Cafe has some good news for you!

On Saturday, August 8, 2009 from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm, Flat Iron Café is thrilled to welcome back Eric Simon. Eric is a singer-songwriter currently hypnotizing Greater Boston with a stunning blend of acoustic rock and pop.

Coming from a musically inclined background, Eric learned at an early age how to play the piano, and taught himself how to play the guitar when he was just starting high school. Having no formal training in either instrument, Eric incorporates a tireless work ethic and an emotional edge into both his writing and his performances.

After spending time with Dodging Bullets and Victory Road, Eric has been performing as a solo artist throughout much of New England. His performances have an innate ability to connect with his audience through his strikingly nostalgic tales of love, loss, and rebirth. You can hear samples of Eric’s music on Zoomoozik.com as well as on MySpace.com. But, even better, for four hours on Saturday, August 8th Eric will entertain and mesmerize you with his original and cover music.
(Flat Iron Press Release)

As the editor of this newspaper, I have attended performances by Eric Simon at the Flat Iron and can say that I would personally recommend sitting a spending some time at the Flat Iron this Saturday Night. No cover charge and great food.

Read more...

Re-Booted Playing the Town Hall Green

The local band Re-Booted will be playing the Town Hall Green on Thursday night, as the Summer Concert Series enters its fifth week. Re-Booted is a trio of locals playing music from the 80s, 90s and today with music from Counting Crows to Nirvana.

Refreshments will be available, along with bubbles, hula hoops and jump ropes for the kids.

So bring your blanket or chairs and your dancing shoes.

More information about the concerts can be found on the Middleborough Friends website.

Read more...

Green School Update 8-3-2009

In a recent email received from Lincoln Andrews, the Green School located at the intersection of Plymouth and Wood Streets has been saved.

Mr. Andrews talks about how the soils were excavated and cleaned up in about five hours during which time, no damage was done to the structure. This work was paid for by the school department.

The northwest corner (where the soil was removed) was rebuilt and a wood beam installed to support the corner during the soil removal. The block furnace chimney was also removed to minimize the weight on the building corner.

Repair work to date has totalled sum $3,500, restorative work on that same corner will be an additional $3,500 and is scheduled to be completed now that the soil remediation has been done. The next step is additional restorative structural work which has an estimated cost of $6,000. Your TAX DEDUCTIBLE donations are needed now.

Mr. Andrews will be presenting a full status report to the Board of Selectmen at their August 10, 2009 meeting. The Middleborough Rotary Club has joined in with the assistance of collecting the donations for the project.

Make your tax deductible check payable to: Middleboro Rotary. In the Memo section of the check write: Green School Preservation

Checks should be mailed to:

Lincoln Andrews
28 Sachem St.
Middleboro, MA 02346

For more information call 947-7071
lincolnandrews@hotmail.com

Read more...

Annual Joe Masi Weenie Roast - Aug 5th

The annual Joe Masi "Hall of Fame" weenie roast will be held on Wednesday August 5, 2009 at Battis Field off Jackson Street in Middleborough. The roast starts at 11:30 AM and runs through 1:00 PM.

Joe Masi was an athletic director, park superintendent, co founder of youth football in Middleborough and father. The high school gymnasium and park department field house are honored with his name for his service to the community.

For $1, each person will receive a bag of chips, drink and a choice of a hot dog or hamburger. A rain date of Thursday, August 6 has been set aside.

Read more...

Common Driveway a Common Problem in Middleborough

A Water Resource Protection District hearing in front of the Board of Selectmen on Monday night ended up in a discussion of a reoccurring problem in Middleborough. Common driveways.

Common driveways are used when a person cannot (or does not want to) build a conventional subdivision, has frontage on a road but much of the access to the developable portion of the parcel is wetland. The common driveway is owned and maintained by the joint homeowners which includes, paving, potholes and snow removal (since they are private property). Many times the drives are much narrower than conventional streets and sometimes not paved.

On of Town Planner Ruth Geoffroy concerns with the driveway's is that there may be issues with safety vehicles trying to access residences of the narrow drives or if they are not maintained. She discussed how several attempts in the past to pass a bylaw which restricts the long common drives have failed due to concerns of restrictions on cranberry growers.

Former selectman, Neil Rosenthal suggested that if common drives were allowed with a limit to the number of residences off the drive, then there may be less opposition to pass a bylaw at town meeting.

Selectmen Chair, Pat Rogers asked if Ms. Geoffroy could come up with a bylaw with that type of language for a future town meeting.

Read more...