Special Town Meeting Scheduled; Don't Flush That! (And More...)

Special Town Meeting Scheduled

At their August 20 meeting, the Stoughton Board of Selectmen voted to close the warrant for a special Town Meeting to be held October 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the Stoughton High Auditorium.

The warrant includes 13 articles.

Articles 1 and 2 are more or less placeholders - supplementing the FY14 departmental budgets and taking care of unpaid bills, if needed.

Articles 3-7 deal with collective bargaining with town unions that are still negotiating contacts, or settled their contracts after the conclusion of this year's regularly scheduled Annual Town Meeting (Stoughton Professional/Admin., Police Patrolman's Assoc., Public Works Assoc., Town Hall Employees Assoc., Local Firefighters 1512).

Articles 8-10 ask the town to amend some of its by-laws for purchase orders, capital outlay purchases and license fees to more align to provisions set forth in the Massachusetts General Laws.

Article 11 deals with clearing up title issues with the Jones School so work on the school which had been approved by previous Town Meetings can be completed.

Article 12 is for a Housing Production Plan as part of the town's master plan. Estimated cost is $10,000.

And finally, Article 13, submitted by Selectman T.J. Recupero, asks to fund the town's position concerning the South Coast Rail Project being proposed by the state, in order to pay legal fees, consulting fees, experts and analyses, and other related expenses that are necessary. Estimated cost is $150,000.

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Don't Flush That!

Over the past several months, the town has experienced "a great number of problems" in its sewer pumping stations due to the high amount of disposable materials being flushed down toilets, DPW Superintendent John Batchelder wrote in a notice sent with water and sewer bills.

Examples of these items include baby wipes, disposable mop cloths (like Swiffer), dryer sheets, and disposable dust cloths.

The notice reads:

"Many of these items are marketed as biodegradable. They do not break down but instead get caught in the impellers of our sewer pumps causing them to stop. This turns into a major project as pumps have to be dismantled and the rags cut out. Please put these items in the trash instead of flushing them into the sewer system."

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Kindergarten Meet & Greet

Join the Stoughton Mom's Club for a Kindergarten Meet & Greet at the Lessa Playground on West St. in Stoughton Friday, August 23 at 2:30 p.m.

Coffee and Munchkins will be served.

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Stoughton High Volleyball Car Wash

The Stoughton High volleyball team is holding a car wash this Saturday, August 24 at Walgreens in Stoughton from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Donation is $5 for a car wash.

Money will be used to help pay for uniforms, kneepads, and other needed equipment for the upcoming season.

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Flamingo Flocking Fundraiser

If you start to see a bunch of plastic flamingos popping up around town, there is a good reason why.