• Boxborough Select Board Reviews Town Meeting Warrant, Hears Update on Town Employee Unionization
• Water Resource Committee Discusses New BOH Water Quality Regulations, Next Steps for Continuing Water Study
• Personnel Board Recommends 3% COLA for Non-Union Employees
• Town Redesigning Website – Looking for Volunteers and Feedback
• Planning Board Opens and Continues Public Hearing for Proposed Zoning Bylaw Amendments, Recommends Than Stuntz as Associate Member
• Boxborough Historical Society Collecting Stories for 2026 “Snapshot”
• Meditations with Ann: FROGS!
• FSBC Hears Fire Chief Presentation on Apparatus Needs
• ABRSD School Committee Reacts to Draft Geographic Boundaries and Discusses AB Forward Implementation

At its meeting on February 12, the Boxborough Fire Station Building Committee (FSBC) discussed its preparation for the Boxborough Special Town Meeting (STM) on March 9.
  All three articles on the March 9 STM warrant are related to the construction of a new fire station. The first article asks voters to approve the town’s purchase of 984 Mass Ave for $2.4 million. The second article asks voters to approve $2.8 million in funding for the next step of the fire station project, the “design and bid” phase. The third article asks voters to approve other costs related to the land purchase.
  The first two articles also require a separate ballot vote at a Special Election scheduled for March 17. The Special Election ballot asks voters whether they approve a Proposition 2 ½  “debt exclusion” in connection with fire station funding. A “debt exclusion” is a temporary increase in the tax levy to finance a capital expenditure through borrowing.
  If the fire station project funding does not pass at STM, the Special Election will still go forward. If the ballot questions pass after the warrant articles fail, the town would have the option of bringing the funding to another Town Meeting later this year; it is not necessary for the Town Meeting approval to occur before the ballot approval.
  However, some FSBC members cautioned that the land at 984 Mass Ave may not remain available for the town to purchase if the March 9 STM vote fails. 
  This article has been condensed for print. Read the full version of this article at www.BoxboroughNews.org. Subscribe to the free weekly newsletter from Boxborough News to read all of our articles:  https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.
 

 “Get involved..You can’t sit by and let this happen. It happens so fast,” was Werner Salinger’s answer to the question, “What message do you want to leave us with and what do you want people to take forward?”
  Salinger, a 93-year-old Holocaust survivor and U.S. Veteran, spoke to a packed meeting room at the Sargent Memorial Library on the evening of Tuesday, January 27, which is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The event was organized by Boxborough Police Chief John Szewczyk in partnership with the Lappin Foundation.
  Recounting his earliest memories of growing up in Berlin and life as a boy in the U.S., Salinger drew parallels to what is currently happening in the U.S. (“book banning…the militarization of our cities…people being shot and killed…”) and the political climate in Germany in the 1930s that led to the Holocaust.
  Salinger was born in Berlin in April 1932, just nine months before Hitler came to power. He explained how Hitler rose to power (he was appointed Chancellor by President Hindenburg) and how the Nuremberg Race Laws stripped “anyone who had a drop of Jewish blood” of their German citizenship.
  “Did that affect me? Overnight!” Salinger said emphatically. His mother was an orthodontist, and his father was a lawyer. “Overnight,” his parents could no longer work or have business partners who were not Jewish. Asking the audience a rhetorical question, “Can you imagine that? One day you’re a citizen, and the next day you’re not?”
  This article has been condensed for print. Read the full version of this article at www.BoxboroughNews.org. Subscribe to the free weekly newsletter from Boxborough News to read all of our articles:  https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.

On February 12, Acton-Boxborough Regional School District consultant Dillinger Research and Applied Design (“Dillinger”) released a “Geographic Boundaries Survey” soliciting public feedback on various aspects of the transition from “open enrollment” to “geography-based enrollment” for the district’s elementary schools in connection with the AB Forward initiative.
  The survey states, “The district is considering to continue the preference for Boxborough residents to attend the Blanchard Memorial School” and asks respondents, “Do you support this geographic priority?”
  Currently, in the “open enrollment” system, Boxborough residents have a “hometown guarantee.” This means that incoming elementary school students living in Boxborough are guaranteed a spot at Blanchard Memorial School, the district’s only elementary school located in Boxborough, if they so choose (and as long as the student’s specific schooling/program requirements allow).
  Now, as part of the AB Forward elementary school reorganization process, the School Committee has voted to transition from open enrollment to a geography-based enrollment system where students will be assigned to elementary schools based on their residential address.
  To date, the School Committee has not explicitly stated whether and how the current “hometown guarantee” for Boxborough residents may or may not continue to exist in the new geography-based enrollment system.
  Boxborough families have been left wondering: Will Boxborough residency continue to guarantee placement at Blanchard? Or will students in some Boxborough neighborhoods be assigned to an elementary school in Acton?
  This article has been condensed for print. Read the full version of this article at www.BoxboroughNews.org. Subscribe to the free weekly newsletter from Boxborough News to read all of our articles:  https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.

Visit www.BoxboroughNews.org for the latest news stories and community features, as well as calendars and notices about local events in Boxborough and surrounding towns.
  Subscribe to receive a free weekly email newsletter from Boxborough News at https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.

  Last week’s Boxborough News headlines include:

• Meet Boxborough’s New Treasurer/Collector: Emily Roux
• Holocaust Survivor Tells Audience to Speak Out Against Antisemitism
• FSBC Prepares for March 9 Special Town Meeting
• Will Boxborough Students Continue to be Guaranteed a Seat at Blanchard Elementary? School Committee Considers the Future of the “Hometown Guarantee”
• Select Board Voluntarily Recognizes Union Representing Town Employees
• The Year of the Fire Horse: Local Families Celebrate Lunar New Year

Visit www.BoxboroughNews.org for the latest news stories and community features, as well as calendars and notices about local events in Boxborough and surrounding towns.
  Subscribe to receive a free weekly email newsletter from Boxborough News at https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.

  Last week’s Boxborough News headlines include:

• Boxborough Leadership Discusses Warrant Articles for May Annual Town Meeting
• A-B School Committee Hears Superintendent Personal Announcement and Geography Enrollment Presentation, Votes Preliminary Budget
• Town to Host Drop-In “Special Town Meeting” Info Night
• Select Board Approves Ballot Questions for March 17 Special Election
• Boxborough Private Well Regulations Now Require Water Quality Testing prior to Property Transfer
• Finance Committee Reviews Recreation Commission Budget, Hears Police Chief’s Plan for New Command Structure
• Recreation Commission and Craft Food Halls Partner for Flerra Playground Fundraiser
• A Devastating Fire and “the Best of Boxborough” - Remembering the Swanson Road Fire Relief Five Years Later
• Where Policy Meets Imagination: Boxborough’s Right to Farm Signs

 

The Acton-Boxborough School Committee tackled a packed agenda on Monday, February 9. Before turning to the Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget, the Committee first heard a personal announcement from Superintendent Peter Light and a presentation from consultant Dillinger Research and Applied Design about the district’s transition to a new elementary enrollment model.
Superintendent Peter Light began the meeting by announcing that he has accepted a position, starting July 2027, as Superintendent at the American Community School in Abu Dhabi. Light emphasized that the position does not start for another 18 months, and he is “fully committed to doing the work we’re doing now in this district.”
The Committee then heard a presentation from Dillinger Research and Applied Design (“Dillinger”), a consultant that the district has hired to help facilitate the transition from “open enrollment” to “geography-based enrollment” for elementary school students.
Moving on to the FY27 budget, the School Committee heard budget-related presentations from Superintendent Light and other administrative personnel. The primary cost drivers for the FY27 budget were identified as health insurance and special education costs.
The Committee voted a preliminary budget of $122.6 million, a 4.75% increase from last year. This would result in an assessment to Acton of $82.8 million (a 3.75% increase from last year) and an assessment to Boxborough of $17.7 million (a 5.57% increase from last year).
This article has been condensed for print. Read the full version of this article at www.BoxboroughNews.org. Subscribe to the free weekly newsletter from Boxborough News to read all of our articles:  https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.

 

At their meeting on Wednesday, February 11, the Boxborough Board of Health announced that they have amended the town’s Well Regulations. Boxborough Well Regulations now require private wells to undergo water quality testing prior to a property transfer, as well as upon construction.
Beginning May 1, 2026, Boxborough property owners selling property with a private well will be required to have their water collected by an approved water sampler and tested for a specific list of “primary” and “secondary” quality metrics (at the cost of the seller or buyer, as negotiated).
The water quality results will be transmitted to the Board of Health and will become a public record. If the water does not meet one or more of the required standards, remediation and retesting will be required.
The previous Well Regulations, last amended in March 2004, did not require property owners to test private wells prior to the transfer of their property.
The language for the revised regulation comes from a model regulation for private wells developed by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Board of Health Agent Jim Garreffi noted that the Board of Health will put together a procedure document to guide homeowners through the new requirements.
More information is available on the Boxborough Board of Health website, at https://www.boxborough-ma.gov/292/Board-of-Health.

This article has been condensed for print. Read the full version of this article at www.BoxboroughNews.org. Subscribe to the free weekly newsletter from Boxborough News to read all of our articles:  https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.

Just after sunset on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 the residents of 101 Swanson Road (Leverett House Condominium) heard the fire alarm sound in their building. Many were cooking dinner, doing homework, or relaxing after a day’s work. Over a foot of snow covered the ground, and temperatures hovered around the freezing mark. Some residents fled the building with open-toed shoes and no coats.

According to a February 11, 2021 report from news source WickedLocal, Boxborough Police and Fire arrived on the scene first and entered the building, going door to door to evacuate residents who had not already fled when they heard the alarm. Shortly after all 24 units were evacuated, the roof collapsed, and firefighters from several towns, including Acton, Bolton, Concord, Maynard, and Westford, were on the scene to help extinguish the fire. There was no loss of life and no injuries.

The Swanson Road fire was devastating and left thirty people homeless.

But the Boxborough community rallied like never before.

As quickly as the fire raged, word spread throughout town. Now, five years later, Boxborough News spoke with several people who were involved with assisting Leverett House residents. The story of how Boxborough residents, the United Church of Christ (UCC) Boxborough, Town government, local businesses and organizations formed a “fire relief team” to assist the building residents exemplifies the caring nature and strength of the Boxborough community.

This article has been condensed for print. Read the full version of this article at www.BoxboroughNews.org. Subscribe to the free weekly newsletter from Boxborough News to read all of our articles:  https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.

 Visit www.BoxboroughNews.org for the latest news stories and community features, as well as calendars and notices about local events in Boxborough and surrounding towns.
  Subscribe to receive a free weekly email newsletter from Boxborough News at https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.
  Last week’s Boxborough News headlines include:

• Boxborough’s 2026 Burn Season Has Begun
• ZBA Approves Special Permit for Sign on Liberty Square Road, Moves to Publish Meetings on BXB-TV
• Female Jogger Reports Suspicious Activity on Old Harvard Road
• Flerra Summer Playground Camper Registration Now Open
• Boxborough Celebrates Another Snowy Winterfest at Steele Farm
• Boxborough Board of Health To Hold Public Hearing on New Requirements for Private Well Testing
• Planning Board Begins Work on Zoning Bylaw Changes for Annual Town Meeting, Schedules Public Hearing
• Acton-Boxborough Begins to Implement Elementary Reorganization, Hosts Parent Webinars
• Meditations with Ann: February Breathing
• Finance Committee Reviews Updated Financial Model, Hears Presentation from Personnel Board 

The Acton-Boxborough Regional School District (ABRSD) administration has begun the process of implementing the School Committee’s January 22 decision to reorganize the district’s elementary schools and switch from “open enrollment” to “geography-based enrollment.”
  One component of implementation is the launch of a “twice-monthly family webinar” series hosted by the ABRSD Superintendent Peter Light. The webinars will be held on Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m. and will be recorded and available at https://www.abschools.org/read-the-plan. The next webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, February 24.
  The most recent webinar, held February 3, included a short presentation and Q&A with Dillinger Research and Applied Design (“Dillinger”), a consultant that the district has hired to help facilitate the change from “open enrollment” (in which families were able to rank their preferred elementary schools) to “geography-based enrollment” for elementary school students.
  Dillinger is tasked with creating the geographic boundaries that will determine where Acton and Boxborough’s elementary students will attend school and planning the transition to the new geography-based system.
  The district is expecting to share student (and educator) school placement decisions in late April. According to the timeline published on the AB Forward website, families will be surveyed in May regarding “peer groups” to inform student placement into classrooms. By June, the district expects to share student classroom placements.
  This article has been condensed for print. Read the full version of this article at www.BoxboroughNews.org. Subscribe to the free weekly newsletter from Boxborough News to read all of our articles:  https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.

Camper registration for the Boxborough Recreation Commission’s Flerra Summer Playground has opened.
  Flerra Summer Playground is a half-day summer program held outdoors at Flerra Meadows in Boxborough during the month of July. It is open to children who are entering kindergarten through seventh grade. This year, Flerra Summer Playground will run for four consecutive weeks: July 6-10, July 13-17, July 20-24, and July 27-31. The cost is $150 per week.
  Campers are organized by grade and participate in arts & crafts, games, and sports. The campers also enjoy visits from local visitors. Last year, visitors included a local author, the Youth Services librarian from the Sargent Memorial Library, and Boxborough Police K9 Koda.
  The Flerra Summer Playground program will be run by longtime director Brian Picca and returning director Courtney Stevens, along with a paid staff of high school and college students and junior high volunteers.
  Applications for Counselor and Counselor-in-Training paid positions, as well as volunteer positions, will open March 1.
  This article has been condensed for print. Read the full version of this article at www.BoxboroughNews.org. Subscribe to the free weekly newsletter from Boxborough News to read all of our articles:  https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.

On Monday, February 2, Boxborough Police received a report of a suspicious person in the area of Old Harvard Road and Pierce Lane.
  According to Boxborough Police Chief John Szewczyk, the incident occurred at approximately 5 p.m. and involved a female jogger who “was approached by a passing male motorist in a dark sedan and found his behavior to be concerning.” Szewczyk noted that “possible suspect and vehicle information is extremely limited…It is still unclear if any crime has occurred.” 
  Chief Szewczyk reported that the Boxborough Police “are actively attempting to identify the possible suspect as the investigation is ongoing.”
  He also added a message to the public: “Please always contact the Boxborough Police Department immediately if you are ever concerned for your safety or need assistance.”

 Visit www.BoxboroughNews.org for the latest news stories and community features, as well as calendars and notices about local events in Boxborough and surrounding towns.
  Subscribe to receive a free weekly email newsletter from Boxborough News at https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.
  Last week’s Boxborough News headlines include:

• Boxborough Historical Commission Recommends Two CPC Articles for May Town Meeting
• Boxborough’s 2025 Holiday Gift Drive Assists 46 Families
• Boxborough Select Board Discusses Police Department Staffing, Appoints Board of Assessors
• Boxborough Town Hall Now Open Friday Mornings, Town Administrator Collecting Feedback
• Boxborough to Host Another Snowy Winterfest This Saturday, January 31
• Boxborough Rolls Out “Reverse 911” Emergency Alert System
• Boxborough “Open Mike” Tradition Continues on Monday, February 2

 

Boxborough’s Rave Alert, a “reverse 911 system,” is now available to the public for registration at https://www.smart911.com/smart911/ref/reg.action?pa=boxboroughma. 
  Rave Alert is a leading mass notification system that enables governments, organizations, institutions, and schools to quickly and reliably send messages, including desktop notifications.
  Developed in 2015 by Rave Mobile Safety, a software company currently based in Framingham, Massachusetts, the system was designed to provide emergency information directly to the mobile devices of a large group of people instantaneously. The Rave Alert system is now a Motorola product that delivers billions of messages annually.
  Since July 2024, Boxborough Fire Chief John Kivlan has been looking for a method of notifying the public of emergency situations in a quick and efficient way. After much research, the Motorola Rave system stood out to him as the best solution because it gives the town more control over messaging, instead of having to rely on a third party to send out alerts.
  In Boxborough, Rave Alert is an “opt in” voluntary system. By providing an email address and phone number, users are able to receive email, automated phone calls, and/or text messages when emergencies are announced. The registration is flexible, allowing each user to select one or more methods of receiving the alerts. If a resident does not register, they will not be contacted.
  The system will be used to notify the community of emergency road closures, major accidents, weather emergencies, and other urgent situations, with real-time updates.
    This article has been condensed for print. Read the full version of this article at www.BoxboroughNews.org. Subscribe to the free weekly newsletter from Boxborough News to read all of our articles:  https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.

 The Boxborough Town Hall hours of operation have changed: Town Hall is now open every Friday morning from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., in addition to Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  As of Friday, January 9, 2026, Town Hall is staffed on Friday mornings “on a rotating basis, which includes all staff,” said Town Administrator Mike Johns. “So far, we have been able to take care of any questions or drop ins, but it’s still early.”
  According to Johns, the change in hours is “not necessarily permanent and depends on the service needs of the community. … As the Board and Administration do a cost benefit analysis of this change, I think feedback from the community to the Board and Administration would be helpful.”
  When asked about feedback from the community and Town Hall staff thus far, Johns stated, “[f]rom the community, we’ve had about three people stop in each Friday, mostly with questions or correspondence for the Town Clerk’s office, but we haven’t had any direct feedback. From the staff, initially one staff member was in favor, most others were opposed, and some didn’t say one way or another. Since implementation, so far it seems all staff members are opposed.”
  “The most direct feedback has been that Town Hall staff have organized and decided to unionize,” Johns continued. “Reasons I’ve heard [for unionizing] include town official discussions in late 2025 about possible personnel cuts and no cost of living allowance in FY27 for non-union personnel (during planning for the B budget, which has since gone away), and the impacts of changing Town Hall schedule.”
  Town Administrator Johns described the decision to open Town Hall on Fridays as “a policy decision that falls within the authority of the [Select] Board,” while “how that policy decision gets rolled out is within the authority of the T[own] A[dministrator].”
  This article has been condensed for print. Read the full version of this article at www.BoxboroughNews.org. Subscribe to the free weekly newsletter from Boxborough News to read all of our articles:  https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.

Visit www.BoxboroughNews.org for the latest news stories and community features, as well as calendars and notices about local events in Boxborough and surrounding towns.
  Subscribe to receive a free weekly email newsletter from Boxborough News at https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.
  Last week’s Boxborough News headlines include:

• Boxborough to Roll Out “Reverse 911” Emergency Alert System
• SPCP at Winterfest to Solicit Feedback on Improving Law Enforcement in Boxborough
• Town Planner Announces Initiative to Expand BXB-TV Recordings of Board/Committee Meetings
• ZBA Grants Special Permit to Convert Single-Family Home to Two-Family on Liberty Square Road
• EDC To Begin Work on Economic Development Plan in February
• Town Administration Reports that Town Hall Employees Considering Unionizing
• Library Interior Redesign Project Nears Completion
• Personnel Board Discusses Regrading Positions
• A-B School Committee Votes to Reorganize Elementary Schools, End Open Enrollment

 

Boxborough Fire Chief John Kivlan reports that Rave Alert, a “reverse 911 system,” will be available to the Town of Boxborough by the end of January.
  Rave Alert is a leading mass notification system that enables governments, organizations, institutions, and schools to quickly and reliably send messages, including desktop notifications.
  Since taking the office of Fire Chief in July 2024, Kivlan has been looking for a method of notifying the public of emergency situations in a quick and efficient way. After much research, the Motorola Rave system stood out to him as the best solution because it gives the town more control over messaging, instead of having to rely on a third party to send out alerts.
  In Boxborough, Rave Alert will be an “opt in” voluntary system. To receive alerts, community members can register via a website. By providing an email address and phone number, users will be able to receive email, automated phone calls, and/or text messages when emergencies are announced. The registration is flexible, allowing each user to select one or more methods of receiving the alerts. If a resident does not register, they will not be contacted.
  The system can be used to notify the community of emergency road closures, major accidents, weather emergencies, and other urgent situations, with real-time updates.
  In Boxborough, the system will also be configured for other types of notification options. In addition to emergency messages, users can sign up for notifications from other institutions, committees, and groups, for example, the Sargent Memorial Library or the Fire Station Building Committee.
  This article has been condensed for print. Read the full version of this article at www.BoxboroughNews.org. Subscribe to the free weekly newsletter from Boxborough News to read all of our articles:  https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.

 

At their meeting on Thursday, January 22, the Acton-Boxborough School Committee held two much-anticipated votes on the AB Forward initiative to reorganize the district’s elementary schools.
  The Committee voted (9 members in favor and 2 against) to approve reorganization Option 5v2, which will replace the district’s five elementary schools located in Acton with two Grades K-3 schools (one at the Boardwalk campus and one at the Parker-Damon campus) and two Grades 4-6 schools (one at the Boardwalk campus and one at the Parker-Damon campus). The district’s single elementary school located in Boxborough, Blanchard Memorial School, will remain a K-6 school.
  The other reorganization option being considered, Option 4, would have resulted in the district maintaining five K-6 elementary schools. Proponents of Option 4 advocated to limit the number of students disrupted by the reorganization. Proponents of Option 5v2 advocated for the efficiency and flexibility of having fewer elementary schools, especially in light of ongoing budget challenges.
  The Committee also voted (9 members in favor and 2 against) to end the district’s longstanding “open enrollment” policy effective June 30, 2026 and instead implement geography-based enrollment.
  The specifics of a geography-based enrollment policy, including how maps will be drawn, how the transition from open enrollment to geographic placement will be managed, and whether there will be a mechanism for families to attend a different school than the one assigned to their residence, will be determined in the coming months with the help of a consulting firm.
  The school reorganization and new enrollment policy are expected to be implemented for the 2026-2027 school year.
  This article has been condensed for print. Read the full version of this article at www.BoxboroughNews.org. Subscribe to the free weekly newsletter from Boxborough News to read all of our articles:  https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.

atrons of the Sargent Memorial Library can now begin to enjoy a new layout of the library building, as the town finishes installing new study “pods” and rearranging spaces.
  The redesign includes a new Young Adult lounge area in the middle of the main hall. This area will be open to the general public during school hours and reserved for young adults during the after-school period. The area will be framed by a three-sided cabana, to be installed in March.
  In the former Young Adult Room, now a Study Room, two study “pods” have been installed. The pods are small, enclosed study areas that provide quiet zones for individual or small group work. The Study Room will also feature a copier corner and reading corner. The current printer and copier area will be transformed into a new reading nook with freshly reupholstered chairs and laptop tables.
  The library expects the pods to be ready for public use by the end of January.
  The project also included rearranging the reference shelves, multimedia shelves, and newspaper shelves, and adding new shelving in the Children’s Room. In addition, the library will now offer laptops for in-building use instead of desktop computers. 
    The redesign was funded by multiple sources. The Sargent Memorial Library Foundation pledged $200,000, the Friends of the Boxborough Library sponsored $7,500, and the Town approved $50,000 at the May 2025 Annual Town Meeting.
    This article has been condensed for print. Read the full version of this article at www.BoxboroughNews.org. Subscribe to the free weekly newsletter from Boxborough News to read all of our articles:  https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.

 

 Boxborough’s annual Winterfest, sponsored by the Boxborough Recreation Commission, will be held on Saturday, January 31 at Steele Farm, 484 Middle Road from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
  Winterfest has been a Boxborough tradition for at least twenty years. What began as an afternoon of neighborhood sledding has progressed to an annual community party. Last year, for the first time in eleven years, Winterfest actually looked like winter, with plenty of snow for sledding on Steele Farm’s iconic hill. This year, the Recreation Commission is “hoping for sledding conditions” again, says Recreation Commission Chair Hilary Greven.
  This year’s celebration will include a bonfire, live music, face-painting, and a “human foosball” game courtesy of the Harvard Lions Club.There will be complimentary popcorn and hot chocolate, and food and beer will be available for purchase from Craft Food Halls of Boxborough and Dirigible Brewing Company of Littleton. Two Friends Chocolate, Thinking Flower, and local Girl Scouts will be selling their goodies as well, and a number of local organizations will be sharing information about events and happenings around town. 
  “Come join your friends and neighbors around the bonfire,” said Greven.
  Winterfest attendees are encouraged to park at Town Hall, 29 Middle Road, and use the Boxborough Connects MART shuttle for a ride to and from Steele Farm. The rain/snow date for the event is the next day, Sunday February 1, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
  This article has been condensed for print. Read the full version of this article at www.BoxboroughNews.org. Subscribe to the free weekly newsletter from Boxborough News to read all of our articles:  https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.

 

 The Boxborough Finance Committee (FinCom), in collaboration with Town Administrator Michael Johns, the town finance team, and the Select Board, has concluded that the town will have an excess levy capacity estimated at $1.1 million and will not need an operational “override” of Proposition 2 ½ in the upcoming fiscal year. 
  Proposition 2 ½, approved by Massachusetts voters in 1980, limits the amount of revenue a city or town may raise from local property taxes each year to fund municipal operations. This amount is known as the annual levy limit. An “override” increases the amount of the property tax revenue a community may raise and becomes part of the base for calculating future years’ levy limits. The result is a permanent increase in taxing authority. 
  FinCom Chair Tony Newton said that in addition to efforts to control increases in the operating budget, there are several factors that led to this conclusion. First, revenues from Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) came in at almost $900,000 higher than budgeted due in large part to an increase in state aid and local receipts. Local receipts include motor vehicle excise taxes, investment income, hotel taxes, fees, licenses/permits, rentals, and charges. As a result, FinCom has asked the town finance team to adjust projections for revenues in line with actuals for FY2025.
  Additionally, the proposed budget for fiscal year 2027 (FY27) will not include funding for the “overlay reserve,” which is used to fund potential property tax abatements, exemptions, and uncollected taxes for the fiscal year. Newton said there are currently sufficient funds in the “overlay reserve” and additional funds are not necessary. 
  This article has been condensed for print. Read the full version of this article at www.BoxboroughNews.org. Subscribe to the free weekly newsletter from Boxborough News to read all of our articles:  https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.

 On Monday January 12, the Boxborough Planning Board unanimously approved the renewal of an Open Space Commercial Development (OSCD) Special Permit Application received from Campanelli-Trigate LLC for the buildout of The Park at Beaver Brook (former Cisco campus).
  Campanelli’s Special Permit application, which was submitted on January 28, 2025, outlines their “Master Plan” to construct five new buildings, totalling 667,500 square feet. According to the application, the development “will consist of Research & Development/Light Manufacturing/Office uses.”
  The proposal also includes the donation of approximately five acres (Lot 100) to the Town of Boxborough for open space and passive recreation purposes and puts an additional 94 acres into conservation/open space restriction.
  The public hearing for the application first opened on June 2, 2025 and had been continued eight times. Throughout the hearings, Campanelli representatives addressed Planning Board members’ and the public’s questions on issues that included parking, wastewater, traffic, and the screening of buildings from the neighboring Trail Ridge Condominiums in Harvard.
  Planning Board members and attorneys representing the town and Campanelli worked through a decision document with mutually agreed upon conditions, including traffic management measures, sustainable building practices, and the ban of chemical fertilizers. 
  This article has been condensed for print. Read the full version of this article at www.BoxboroughNews.org. Subscribe to the free weekly newsletter from Boxborough News to read all of our articles:  https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.

 

 

 Visit www.BoxboroughNews.org for the latest news stories and community features, as well as calendars and notices about local events in Boxborough and surrounding towns.
  Subscribe to receive a free weekly email newsletter from Boxborough News at https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.
  Last week’s Boxborough News headlines include:

• School Committee Discusses AB Forward and Enrollment, Vote Expected on January 22
• Community Preservation Committee Votes to Approve Six CPA Projects
• Boxborough to Host Annual Winterfest on January 31
• Mark Your Calendars, Boxborough Voters: Two Town Meetings and Two Town Elections
• Select Board Discusses Property Tax Bill Error, Special Town Meeting & Special Town Election
• Town of Boxborough Concludes No Operational “Override” Needed
• Finance Committee Votes Warrant Articles for Special Town Meeting
• Planning Board Unanimously Approves OSCD Special Permit for The Park at Beaver Brook
• Holocaust Remembrance Day Speaker Coming to Sargent Memorial Library

 

Visit www.BoxboroughNews.org for the latest news stories and community features, as well as calendars and notices about local events in Boxborough and surrounding towns. 

  Subscribe to receive a free weekly email newsletter from Boxborough News at https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.
  Last week’s Boxborough News headlines include:

• A Conversation with Barbara Shapokas, Fine Artist
• Select Board December Meeting Recap: Town Meeting “Clickers” and Police Department Staffing
• Meditations with Ann: The New Year
• Finance Committee and Select Board Meet for “Budget Saturday”
• New Year Resolutions: Help Us Make Boxborough News Better
• Annual Census (Street Listing) Sent to All Boxborough Residents
• Housing Board Discusses Status of Affordable Unit on Summer Road
• Finance Committee Addresses Property Tax Bill Error
• Sustainability Committee Discusses Climate Action Plan, 2026 Priorities
• FSBC Recommends 984 Mass Ave for Fire Station, Town To Vote in March

 If you live or work in Boxborough, it’s likely that you’ve driven through the intersection of
Massachusetts Ave and Stow Road. There, on the second floor of the 1832 brick building on the
corner, is The Art Studio – the gallery and workspace of fine artist Barbara Shapokas.
  Many of Shapokas’ paintings on display against the building’s historic beams will look familiar to Boxborough residents: “Ice House, Steele Farm: February Light,” “Boxborough Town Line,”
“Barn on Stow Road,” and “Steele Farm: Late August.”
  Originally a self-described “city girl” from New York, Shapokas has lived in and painted
Boxborough for the past two decades.
  Flagg Hill Conservation Area is Shapokas’ favorite place to go for inspiration. “I’ll go…with my
colors and sketch book,” she explains. “I’ll photograph and sketch… I’ll sit in my car if it rains or
snows and watch the beauty of the landscape happen.” She paints, usually with pastels, in her
studio.
  About ten years ago, Shapokas began renting the second floor at 25A Stow Road. She opened The Art Studio and taught painting classes before the Covid pandemic, then closed for several years until its end.
  Now, she teaches private classes to high school students as well as “mature artists.” She is
considering teaching remote painting classes and potentially hosting an “art talk” group session
for artists to talk through artistic challenges. 
  This article has been condensed for print. Read the full version of this article at www.BoxboroughNews.org. Subscribe to the free weekly newsletter from Boxborough News to read all of our articles:  https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.
 

At its meeting on January 6, the Boxborough Finance Committee (FinCom) addressed a citizen’s concern regarding an error in the recent property tax bills showing past due balances from the second quarter.  
  FinCom members asked Boxborough Finance Director Hoghoa Le to explain how the error could have occurred. Le said she believed that while property taxes were paid by residents, the Treasurer/Collector’s office failed to post payments in Vadar, a software program used by the town to track revenues and expenses. Digging deeper, FinCom members asked what methods are used to reconcile taxes collected in each quarter versus revenues recorded in Vadar and suggested that the town consider an audit of the Treasurer/Collector’s office to level set the department. 
  Boxborough News followed up with the Treasurer/Collector’s office and learned that the only residents affected were those that mailed their property tax payments to the lockbox facility used by the town. 
  The lockbox is a bank-operated facility that receives payments through the mail and deposits the funds in the town’s bank account. An electronic file is then sent to the town and uploaded into Vadar by town employees. The second quarter property taxes were not uploaded to the town’s software and, consequently, when the tax bills went out in December, it showed a balance due for the second quarter added into the third quarter tax bill.
  This article has been condensed for print. Read the full version of this article at www.BoxboroughNews.org. Subscribe to the free weekly newsletter from Boxborough News to read all of our articles:  https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.

At their meeting on January 8, the Boxborough Fire Station Building Committee (FSBC) voted to recommend 984 Mass Ave as the best location to build the town’s new fire station.
  The Committee voted unanimously to ask the Boxborough Select Board to place two articles on the March 9, 2026 Special Town Meeting warrant. The first article asks voters to approve the town’s purchase of 984 Mass Ave for $2.4 million. The second article asks voters to approve $2.8 million in funding for the next step of the fire station project, the “design and bid” phase. These two funding requests will also require a separate ballot vote, scheduled for March 17.
  The FSBC met twice in one week, on January 5 and 8, to compare the three remaining sites under consideration: 984 Mass Ave, 1300 Mass Ave, and 72 Stow Road.
  At the end of the January 5 meeting, the FSBC voted unanimously to remove 1300 Mass Ave from consideration. On January 8, the Committee reconvened to decide between the remaining properties – 984 Mass Ave and 72 Stow Road.
  Although the conceptual cost of building a fire station at the 72 Stow Road property is estimated to be $2.6 million cheaper than building at 984 Mass Ave, all committee members were in favor of recommending 984 Mass Ave. The stated reasons for choosing 984 Mass Ave included the fact that it is closer to areas of town that are more densely populated; that it is the Fire Chief’s preferred site; and that it is located on Mass Ave and thus would be more “visible.”
  This article has been condensed for print. Read the full version of this article at www.BoxboroughNews.org. Subscribe to the free weekly newsletter from Boxborough News to read all of our articles:  https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.

 

Visit www.BoxboroughNews.org for the latest news stories and community features, as well as calendars and notices about local events in Boxborough and surrounding towns.
  Subscribe to receive a free weekly email newsletter from Boxborough News at https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.
  Last week’s Boxborough News headlines include:

• Finance Committee Reports Actual FY26 Tax Rate “Slightly Higher” Than Estimated
• Zoning Board Approves Special Permit Application for “Building Trade” Use at 975 Mass Ave.
• Boxborough Board Briefs: Planning Board and Housing Board
• Land Stewards and Boy Scouts Preserve Access on Have Not Pond Trail
• Community Preservation Committee Holds Public Hearing on Six Final CPA Fund Requests
• School Committee Begins Discussion on Final Four AB Forward Options
• Select Board Discusses FY2027 Budget and “Clickers” for Town Meeting
• Town Hosts Back-to-Back Holiday Celebrations, Invites Volunteers to Light Town Menorah December 15-22
• Sustainability Matters: Wrapping It Up

 

  At its meeting on December 8, the Boxborough Select Board heard a preliminary budget presentation by town administration and discussed whether the town will need to pursue a Proposition 2 ½  override.
  At its last meeting on November 24, the Board had discussed the likelihood that Boxborough would need a Proposition 2 ½ override next year and voted unanimously to direct the Town Administrator to prepare two draft budgets, one assuming that the override vote passes and one as a contingency in case the override vote were to fail.
  After hearing the town’s budget presentation, Select Board Chair Kristin Hilberg opined that because the preliminary “A Budget” appears to come in under the levy limit, the town may not need to pursue a Proposition 2 ½ override and may not need an alternative “B Budget.”
  Finance Committee (FinCom) Chair Tony Newton cautioned that there are “a lot of unknowns” at this point in the budget process and that it is too early to conclude that an override is not needed. The budget process will continue with the town’s “Budget Saturday” meeting on Saturday, January 3.
  The Board also heard a presentation from Town Clerk Becky Harris about potentially implementing an electronic voting system (also known as “clickers”) for a future Town Meeting. Harris, on behalf of herself and Town Moderator Dennis Reip, recommended that the town not pursue electronic voting at this time due to the financial and logistical costs not outweighing the potential benefits.
  However, several Board members expressed their support for electronic voting, noting that it may make proceedings more efficient and may decrease the “peer pressure” of public voting, allowing voters to “vote their true preference.” The Board asked Harris for additional information, which she is expected to bring to the Board’s next meeting on December 22.
  This article has been condensed for print. Read the full version of this article at www.BoxboroughNews.org. Subscribe to the free weekly newsletter from Boxborough News to read all of our articles:  https://www.boxboroughnews.org/subscribe.