By Cynthia Whitty

Christmas Tree Pick-Up

The Ashland Department of Public Works (DPW) will pick up Christmas trees on Jan. 3 and 10. Please remove all decorations, do not bag or tie the tree, and have your tree curbside by 7 a.m. on those dates.

Ashland School Calendar

The Ashland School Committee has approved the 2022-2023 school calendar. Find it online at www.ashland.k12.ma.us/Page/2698.

Environmental Reads

The GreenUp Ashland Committee, the Ashland Sustainability Committee, and the Ashland Public Library will host an environmental book club starting in January. Everyone is welcome to join for discussions. This is an opportunity to share tips, topics, and issues facing the globe. Attendees at the first meeting on Jan. 4 at 6:30 p.m. will discuss the book Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale by Adam Minter. The book asks, what really happens to the clothes we put in those donate bins around town? For more information and to register for the meeting, visit https://bit.ly/3IGfofx.

Trolley Brook Trail Officially Opens

Ashland’s Trolley Brook Trail, the first section of the Upper Charles River Trail, officially opened on Nov. 19. The trail is a multi-use, paved and unpaved, 0.6 mile long by 10-foot wide path and runs from Megunko Road to Memorial Drive, through wetlands and wooded areas of the town’s Rail Transit District. The Upper Charles River Trail (uppercharlestrail.wordpress.com) is a proposed 25-mile trail that will incorporate the communities of Milford, Ashland, Sherborn, Holliston, and Hopkinton, linking the towns via an abandoned CSX rail bed.

Mark Your Calendar for Town Elections

The next scheduled election in Ashland is May 17. The town clerk’s office will accept Vote by Mail applications beginning Jan. 1. For more information, visit www.ashlandmass.com/219/Elections-Voting.

Seats Available in 2022

• Moderator - 3 years (vote for 1) expires 2025

• Select Board - 3 years (vote for 2) expires 2025

• Board of Assessors - 3 years (vote for 1) expires 2025

• School Committee - 3 years (vote for 2) expires 2025

• Board of Library Trustee - 3 years (vote for 1) expires 2025

• Board of Health - 3 years (vote for 1) expires 2025

• Housing Authority - 5 years (vote for 1) expires 2027

• Planning Board - 5 years (vote for 1) expires 2027

Special Town Meeting (Dec. 1, 2021) Recap

• Article 1: Free Cash Transfer- needed a simple majority vote, passed unanimously 

• Article 2: Reauthorization of Bonds for the Public Safety Building- needed a 2/3 vote, passed unanimously 

• Article 3: Property Tax Exception- needed a simple majority vote, passed unanimously 

• Article 4: Extend the End Date: Riverwalk, Mill Pond Park, Beautification and Stone Bungalow Projects- needed a simple majority vote, passed unanimously 

• Article 5: Authorize funding for Marathon Park Enhancement- needed a simple majority vote, passed unanimously 

• Article 6: MWRA Bond for I & I program Phase II - needed a 2/3 vote, passed unanimously 

• Article 7: Road Acceptance: High Street Ext and Weaver Road- needed a simple majority vote, passed unanimously 

• Article 8: Resolution to call for Decarbonization in the Commonwealth- needed a simple majority vote, passed

For more information, visit www.ashlandmass.com/449/Town-Meeting. To watch a recording of the town meeting, visit https://bit.ly/3IxDhWF.