Tuesday, November 15, 2011

GREEN COMMUNITY GRANT APPROVED!

Sherborn has been awarded a grant in the amount of $137,450 as a direct result of its attainment of status as a designated Green Community. The funds will be used for improvements in lighting, insulation, environmental controls, etc. at Town buildings including Pine Hill School, Town Hall, and the Fire and Police Stations. It also includes funds for anti-idling devices for certain Town vehicles. The great thing is that, in addition to the grant funding these improvements, the improvements themselves will reduce energy use thus resulting in more savings!

In addition to the funds, the Town will also receive road signs indicating its status as a Green Community and a "Big Belly" trash barrel with a solar-powered compactor to reduce the frequency of emptying.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

SHERBORN:AT A CROSSROADS - A PLANNING BOARD REPORT ON THE TOWN CENTER

The Planning Board has been spending several months on studying the Town Center and preparing a report on its existing conditions and potential impacts of changes under two different scenarios. The report includes information on the following:


  • Previous Town Center Improvement Efforts, including the major zoning changes, proposed road reconstruction plans and previous studies including the 1958, 1975 and 2001 Master Plans, the 1971 Town Center Study, the 1981 Zoning Study Committee report, the 1989 Town Center Master Plan,  the 2001 Livability Charrette, the 2001 General Plan, the 2004 Community Development Plan and the 2007 Final Report of the Town Center Water District Workgroup 
  • Documentation of Existing Conditions, including existing lot areas, building space, parking spaces and other information regarding the Primary Commercial Area and other areas within the Town Center 
  • Resident Survey and Citizen Input, including the results of a citizens survey conducted in 2008, and input from a set of public forums conducted in June and October of 2008 
  • Estimates of Future Development, based on alternative assumptions and visions 
  • An Evaluation of the Impacts of Alternatives, including fiscal impacts
The report does not yet include recommendations. The Planning Board has drafted a set of potential recommendations that span a wide range of options. Its plan is to present the report without recommendations in order to receive feedback and input from other boards and commissions as well as the general public before committing to specific recommendations. It is intended to be an inclusive process in an effort to achieve consensus on the actions the Town should pursue.

This report is the first step toward an update of the 2001 General Plan. Following the finalization of the the Town Center report, the Planning Board will begin to update the other elements of the General Plan. The full draft report is available here.