Town Manager Weekly Update - October 23, 2025
Elaine Lazarus
Health Department Vaccine Clinics
Vaccine clinics are being held at the Senior Center:
Link to register: https://home.color.com/vaccine/register/hopkinton?site=hopkinton-senior-center
And at the Public Library:
Link to register: https://home.color.com/vaccine/register/hopkinton?site=hopkinton-public-library
The Fiscal Year 2027 Town Budget - Share Your Ideas
The Hopkinton Select Board is responsible for submitting a budget each year to the Appropriation Committee and to Town Meeting. The Board wants your ideas and recommendations for the fiscal year 2027 budget (July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027), which is being developed now. The budget will be voted at the May, 2026 Annual Town Meeting. The Select Board will have time set aside at its November 4, 2025 meeting to hear your recommendations for the budget. All ideas are welcome. This is the first in a series of budget listening sessions, and there will also be an online form for submitting comments and ideas as well.
The budget timeline calls for municipal services budgets to be submitted by town departments by November 1, and the Town Manager will submit a consolidated budget to the Select Board on January 20. Capital project requests are due to the Capital Improvement Committee on October 24. The School Department is conducting a parallel and open budget process. Public hearings will be held throughout this process, by the Select Board, School Committee, and Appropriation Committee. Public hearings are just one of the ways you can participate. Stay tuned for more information!
How Could Your Local Government Work Better?
Do you have an interest in municipal government in general or in Hopkinton in particular, and how it works or doesn’t work? The form and organization of Hopkinton’s government is set forth in a Home Rule Charter that was adopted by the Town in 2006 following extensive work by a Charter Commission made up of Hopkinton residents. The Charter requires a review and report by a special Charter Review Committee every 10 years. Amendments were adopted to the Charter in 2017 after the first 10-year review.
It is now time to begin the second 10-year review. The Charter provides for the appointment of a 7-member Charter Review Committee, which will consist of seven (7) members who shall be appointed as follows:
- The Select Board, School Committee and Appropriation Committee shall each appoint one (1) person;
- The remaining four (4) members shall be appointed by a committee consisting of one (1) designee each of the Select Board, the School Committee, the Appropriation Committee, the Town Moderator and the Town Clerk.
Membership on the Charter Review Committee is open to all residents, and volunteers need not be members of the boards that are making the appointments. If you are interested in serving on this Committee, please apply using the link to the application below. The appointment will be for the life of the project, which could be up to two years. Please reach out to the Town Manager’s office or the Town Clerk’s office if you have any questions about the Charter or this process.
Interested residents must apply via the Online Volunteer form on the Town website here: Town of Hopkinton, MA: Board Application. The intent is to appoint members in November, so please apply soon. Thank you for considering this opportunity.
Hopkinton Organizing for Prevention (HOP) Youth Coalition Hosts First-Ever Pickleball Tournament
The Hopkinton Organizing for Prevention (HOP) Youth Coalition hosted its first-ever Pickleball Tournament at Hopkinton High School on Friday, October 15, as part of the district’s early release day.
Student organizers and adult advisors have heard from Hopkinton youth about the need for more opportunities to connect and socialize outside of school in a fun and substance-free environment. The event offered students a chance to be active, build community, and have fun.
The HOP Youth Coalition extends special thanks to the Hopkinton Police Department for providing Uhlman’s Ice Cream to attendees and to Domino’s for their support. For more information about HOP, please visit sites.google.com/hopkintonma.gov/hop-coalition.
Main Street Corridor Project Update
Have you noticed that trees and other landscaping is going in this week downtown? Planting has started on the east side of the project and is moving west. Have you noticed the gradual removal of utility poles and wires between the Police Station and Ash St.? There are some left, as you can see in one of the photos below, but eventually all will disappear.
Final paving on the west side of the project is tentatively scheduled for the first week in November. Prior to paving, the following will occur:
- All utility structures will be raised to final grade.
- MassDOT will inspect the intermediate pavement that is currently down.
- The transitions for side streets will be milled.
- Driveway aprons will be prepared for final paving.
- The project area will be swept to ensure the roadway is clear.
- There will be electric message boards to notify drivers.
The site for the statue honoring Bobbi Gibb, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon, is also coming along.
It is very exciting to see the downtown project coming together!
Looking back at some historical photos, I noted that there have been utility poles and overhead wires in the center of Hopkinton since at least 1910, see the photo of Town Hall below.
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