Hopkinton Town Meeting Concludes Wednesday After Three Nights

HOPKINTON, MA - After a late start Wednesday night, Hopkinton's Town Meeting concluded after nearly an hour of debate, with the tax increment financing agreement between the town and Lykan Bioscience the major item approved.

For the third straight night, Town Meeting was plagued by quorum issues. Town Moderator Ellen Rutter urged residents to attend Wednesday evening, as the assembly was about 40 members shy of reaching the quorum of 128 necessary for the meeting to proceed. That number was reached at 7:49 p.m.

The previous meetings on Monday and Tuesday also faced delays as well as quorum shortages, causing a vote to be postponed after discussion on Monday.

On Monday, Town Meeting passed the $104 million budget unanimously. However, another key article that generated the most discussion that night, Article 22, could not be voted upon until Tuesday because a quorum was short by nine members at the time of the vote.

Here are Tuesday's and Wednesday's key votes.

Town approves articles to connect to MWRA water system, filter PFAS-contaminated water in Well #6

This measure, brought forward Monday and continued Tuesday, sought $25 million for a design study as well as engineering and construction costs for a pipeline to connect to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority water supply through Southborough.

This move was deemed beneficial by John Westerling, the town's Department of Public Works director, because of the issues with PFAS contamination in Well #6, which supplies one-third of the town's water. If the MWRA connection were not made, he said, a filtration system would have to be implemented at all eight of the town's wells. The wells also contain iron and manganese. They would be retired after the MWRA connection is completed, and the filtration system would then be auctioned off to recover some of the cost.

After debate about the cost effectiveness of the plan and the MWRA's ability to supply enough water for the town's expanding population, it passed easily by a voice vote. It would allow the town to comply with regulations set by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Article 23, approved on Tuesday, allotted $600,000 for an interim PFAS filtration system for Well #6. The money will come from water enterprise retained earnings.

Conservation Commission member Ed Harrow noted before the vote that 56 other Massachusetts communities share a problem with PFAS in their water systems.

"It's not clear to me that depending on the MWRA is a solution," he said. "I think we're going to have to go in a more local sort of way."

Fruit Street turf field replacement funding approved

Another key article that passed 168-7 Tuesday was Article 28, which would allocate funds for the synthetic turf replacement at the Fruit Street athletic facility. The project is expected to cost $1.7 million, with $400,000 coming from allocated user fees that come from field rental charges. The motion easily received the two-thirds vote required to be placed on the ballot for the May 16 election, where voters would need to approve it.

Need for turf replacement has been discussed by the Parks and Recreation Commission over the past year.

Dan Terry, chair of the Parks & Rec Commission, explained that the facility, built in 2012, includes two full-size fields and has more than 1,200 in-town participants who use it annually as well as event rentals that generate revenue, which has led to deterioration.

"Replacing the turf really is to ensure that it’s safe, first of all, and we continue to have a high-performance field for our residents and our guests,” he said.

The new surface will include a shock pad and safer infill such as silica sand to replace the crumb rubber infill, which is not as environmentally safe. These materials were not available when the fields were originally constructed. If the voters approve the finding, construction will begin in June and be completed in August. The new turf is expected to last for a decade.

Funding for four additional classrooms approved for Marathon School

The approval of Article 29 passed unanimously Tuesday, allocating addtional funding for four new classrooms to be added to the Marathon School.

The 2021 Annual Town Meeting had approved $3,625,000 to construct four additional classrooms. But recent supply chain issues and inflation surge have caused the cost to escalate by 19%.

Because the original approval was part of a debt exclusion, it will need to be voted upon at the May 16 election.

Community Preservation Committee projects approved

Article 31, which was approved unanimously Tuesday, allocated $1,753,15o in funding for community preservation projects. The first section of Article 32, which had two sections, was approved unanimously. It recommended recreational use projects, including additional money for the skate park, parking at the town forest, and $775,000 funding for tennis and pickleball courts as well as parking at the Fruit Street athletic facility.

There was no action taken on the second part, which dealt with the potential purchase of the Conroy property between Saddle Hill Road and the Town Forest. Because a purchase price had not been established between the property owner and the town, the CPC recommended no action, and the members agreed.

Citizens petition to take the forest behind 71 Frankland Road by eminent domain fails

Resident Ann Karnofsky presented Article 45, a citizen's petition on behalf of a group called Save the Forest, for the town to take the 70 acres of land at 71 Frankland Rd. by eminent domain and add it to the Deer Run sanctuary. A Connecticut solar company is interested in developing a commercial solar array on the property.

Matthew Kizner, a member of the Capital Improvement Committee, disapproved of the measure, noting that the land had been privately purchased.

"I worry about the chilling message that it would send to businesses looking to work with our town if the commitments made by this town and the residents cannot be believed to be honored," he said.

The town is heavily reliant on its residential tax base, which makes attracting businesses a priority for the town.

After a lengthy discussion Tuesday, 87 residents voted against the article while 26 supported it, falling short of the two-thirds vote required for passage. The presence of a quorum was questioned, but the vote stood.

On Wednesday night, Karnofsky asked that the article be reconsidered. A vote to suspend the bylaw to allow for reconsideration overwhelmingly failed in a voice vote.

Lykan Bioscience tax increment financing agreement approved

Lykan Bioscience is planning to expand next door to its current building. It will demolish two buildings at 105-107 South St. to construct a 112,000-square-foot manufacturing facility with a 54,000-square-foot parking area beneath it. Lykan is investing $90 million in the property, and the facility will create 175 new jobs.

Article 51, which would provide Lykan with a tax increment financing agreement, was approved unanimously by voice vote.

"Lykan is making a significant investment that will increase the base tax rate of the property, create jobs and revitalize an underutilized site,” Select Board member Amy Ritterbusch said on behalf of the board.

Commission on Disability created

Article 48, which passed unanimously, created the Hopkinton Commission on Disability. Four of the seven members must be persons with disabilities, while one may be a caregiver. The other two can be elected or appointed officials.