News
Intel Closing Impacts Region
By Nancy Arsenault
Late last week, word reached the public that international semi-conductor giant Intel will be shutting down their chip manufacturing facility in Hudson. The shut down will slash 700 positions by the end of 2014. The first round of layoffs, affecting 100 people, is expected to take place over the next few months. When the entire layoff concludes, the Hudson workforce will have been cut nearly in half.
“Intel has informed its employees that it plans to cease manufacturing operations at its wafer fabrication facility in Hudson, MA,” confirmed Ann Hurd, Manager of Corporate Affairs Intel East Coast, speaking to The Stow Independent on Friday. She said Intel is developing plans to offer other manufacturing positions within the company to laid off employees, but none of those positions are in Massachusetts. “Our other factories are in Arizona and Oregon,” said Hurd of the relocation options.
Reduced School Year Assessment for Stow
By Ann Needle
As plans were laid out for the new school year, Stow taxpayers received some good news at the Nashoba School Committee’s first meeting of the 2013/14 year held on Tuesday night.
In sum, Superintendent Michael Wood noted that new state accounting rules and corrections made to enrollment numbers mean Stow’s assessment is about $150,000 less than its original 2013/14 calculation. Lancaster sees an $85,000 drop, while Bolton’s contribution ticks up by $200,000.
Police Impersonator Pulls Woman Over
By Nancy Arsenault
Stow and Maynard police are issuing a warning to local motorists to be on the lookout for a “police impersonator”. A young woman from Stow reported to police on August 22 that a car was following closely behind her as she traveled through the eastern towns on Rt. 117, heading to Stow after work, around 12:45am. Near Erikson’s Ice Cream, the car activated a blue flashing light, and thinking it was the police, the woman pulled over.
What’s New at Nashoba
By Ann Needle
As Nashoba Regional High heads back to school today, many Stow students will be adjusting to a number of changes in personnel and facilities at both Nashoba Regional High School and the central District office.
At NRHS, perhaps the most visible new face belongs to Kerry O’Donnell, who has taken over Tracy Calo’s position as assistant principal, announced Principal Dr. Parry Graham. “She is a rock star, she will be wonderful,” Graham enthused.
West Nile Virus Found in Adjacent Towns
By Ellen Oliver
Last week, mosquitoes with the West Nile Virus were discovered in surveillance traps set in Boxborough and Maynard. Central Mass Mosquito Control Project Executive Director Tim Deschamps confirmed the CMMCP captured a Culex mosquito with the West Nile Virus in Boxborough in the Meadow Lane area.
Deschamps explained that although the area in Boxborough where the mosquito was found is near the Stow border, there is a large expanse of wooded areas along the border and the characteristics of the type of mosquito that was infected made the risk to Stow very low. “The Culex mosquito is not an aggressive biter,” explained Deschamps. “They aren’t strong fliers either, but are seen as amplifiers, which means they will transfer the virus to birds.”
Joint Discussion on Marijuana Proposed
By Nancy Arsenault
The Planning Board hopes to gather Selectmen and the Board of Health to discuss Stow’s approach to medical marijuana facilities locating here, as Bolton looks at a multi-faceted facility proposed for Rt. 117 in that town
New Floodplain Maps Impact Properties
By Ellen Oliver
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) updated the Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Stow, reshaping the areas considered in and out of floodplains. In a joint presentation with Bolton on July 29 at the Stow Town Hall, Stow’s Assistant Town Planner Jesse Steadman gave an overview of the detailed, and often confusing, issues related to the proposed maps.
Assabet River Fish Succumb to Heat… July 31, 2013
By Nancy Arsenault
The recent near record high temperatures and the prolonged hot weather have combined to induce a “fish kill” in the shallow Assabet River. According to the environmental organization OARS, there are hundreds, if not thousands of fish who succumbed under these extreme environmental conditions that occurred earlier this month.
These dead fish are now floating atop the water, many in large massed groups at various levels of decay. They are caught in grasses and weeds or grouped along the shorelines. Others are floating singly atop the water, attracting flies as they decompose in the sun, with an ensuing odor that is becoming more pungent each day.
Fire Chief Candidate Selected
By Nancy Arsenault
A new Fire Chief was tentatively named, Solar Energy received support and updates were given on several water sources and a potential plan for the library building at Tuesday night’s Selectmen’s meeting.
Pending contract negotiations and a physical, Stow native Joe Landry is expected to be the Town’s new Fire Chief. Landry, a Maynard Fire Captain and the Head Mechanic for the Stow Highway Department, was the unanimous choice of both the Search Committee and the Board of Selectmen. Announced at last night’s Selectmen meeting, the Hudson resident is expected to bring not only professional experience and outstanding credentials to the position, but a strategic long term approach to managing the department well into the future.
Solarize Stow Coming Closer
By Nancy Arsenault
It’s in Harvard, Acton and Concord and spreading across the state – community sponsored programs that encourage residential solar installations with accompanying financial incentives.
According to Sharon Brownfield of the Stow Energy Working Group, Stow is on the cusp of a local program similar to the very successful program in nearby Concord, a town also served by a municipal electric company rather than a larger public utility.