LOCAL MEETING ROUNDUP.

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COLUMN: LOCAL MEETING ROUNDUP

Grafton

Playground committee narrows down its plans

GRAFTON - Plans for a new Super Park playground are ready to be sketched out with a range of feature options to bring to fall town meeting, Super Park Study Committee members told selectmen Tuesday night.

The committee is working with town officials to issue within the next two months a request for proposal for a site architect.

The previous town playground on Providence Road was torn down to make way for the new high school.

The Super Park would meet all accessibility requirements.

Voters at town meeting in October appropriated $34,000 from Community Preservation money for a site architect.

Michael Scully, chairman of the Super Park Study Committee, said the architect would develop renderings and a list of options that could be phased in, which would allow for more precise budget estimates.

"In order to be able to see, can we fit our design? We need a site architect. ...The site architect is what allows us to button all that up," Mr. Scully said.

The committee developed its proposal for a 12,000- to 14,000-square-foot park, which selectmen unanimously supported in July, based on its recommended location on 2.5 acres of town-owned land on Worcester Street, abutting Kessell Street.

Mr. Scully said the site ranked highly on all measures, including safety, lighting, central location, usability, visibility and other factors.

Selectman John Dowling said he wanted to reconsider other site options, including the Perrault property and Norcross Park, before bringing a formal plan to town meeting.

The board and committee agreed to review the site recommendations at the March 12 selectmen's meeting.

- Susan Spencer

Webster

Board told rate better for $73M school project

WEBSTER - John LaFleche, superintendent of Bay Path Regional Vocational High School, told the Board of Selectmen Tuesday night that 64 percent of the $73.8 million cost of the proposed school renovation and expansion project would be funded by the state.

Webster, one of 10 towns sending students to the school, approved the project at a special election in October. Voters will be asked at a special election March 11 to approve a debt exclusion to fund the project.

Mr. LaFleche told the board that 64 percent would be covered by the Massachusetts School Building Association and $27.3 million would be borrowed and funded by the 10 towns.

"The first one-third of the project costs, or $9.1 million, was borrowed...