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www.wickedlocal.com/ashland

ASHLANDTAB Community Newspaper Company ■ Vol. 22, No. 47

28 Pages ■ 3 Sections

MARCH 26, 2009

Superintendent lands new job on Cape

COMING

By John Hilliard

UP

STAFF WRITER

in Ashland

Learn how to slice energy bills on Saturday

Want to reduce your home energy costs? Looking for cheap, do-it-yourself solutions? Interested in ways to finance energy and heating improvements? Residents can learn about all this and more at a free seminar, Introduction to Home Energy Savings, on Saturday, March 28, at 9:30 a.m. at the Ashland Community Center at 162 West Union St. The Board of Selectmen is hosting this session, one of the 130 being held statewide. The workshop will stress the importance of reducing heat usage through do-it-yourself sealing techniques; information on which in-depth alterations are most cost-effective; tips on reducing electricity and water usage; resources for home energy audits; and resources for rebates and financing alterations. Presenters will lead a slideshow to illustrate hands-on tips and provide free educational materials for everyone attending. Organizers say the “Introduction to Home Energy Savings” seminars cover key elements in reducing home energy costs and will teach residents how to be most effective in reducing energy use and costs. To find out more about this workshop, contact Susan Robie at 508-881-0100, ex. 7614, or at [email protected].

Schools Superintendent Richard Hoffmann will start as the top boss for the Nauset regional school district on July 1, ending nine years of leading Ashland’s education system. “It’s a very high performance district ... it’s similar to Ashland in that way,” said Hoffmann of his new job in Nauset. Hoffmann emerged as the winning candidate out of three finalists after in-depth interviews and lengthy debate Thursday by Nauset’s joint school committee, which is made up of the Nauset Regional School Committee and voting members from the elementary

school committees of the four member towns of Brewster, Eastham, Orleans and Wellfleet. Nauset has 1,519 kids in the grades 6-12 regional system, which includes a regional middle school in Orleans and regional high school in North Eastham, according to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Hoffmann beat out two other finalists, Marie H. Doyle, superintendent of Carlisle schools, and Elizabeth A. Sorrell, Carver’s superintendent of schools. Hoffmann, who makes about $149,000 as head of Ashland’s 2,630-student district, meets this week with Nauset’s board chair-

man to work out details of his new contract. The Nauset job offers a salary ranging from $150,000 to $165,000. As a former art teacher, he was attracted to what he said was academic strengths and emphasis on the arts for its students, he said. Hoffmann also owns a house in Brewster, plus hopes to work on environmental issues as Nauset’s superintendent, such as promoting “green” building practices. He hopes to take a few vacation days and visit Nauset schools while they are still in session, he said. He notified the Ashland School Committee HOFFMANN, page 6

Trading condos for sports?

The Lions hold a live art auction Saturday, March 28, with a preview at 7 p.m. and bidding at 8 p.m. Admission is $10 per person and $15 per couple. There will be hors d’oeuvres, door prizes, raffles and a cash bar. Prizes include a new Bose Wave music system valued at $500. The auction will be at the Warren Conference Center at 529 Pleasant St. For details, contact Paul Ciccolo at 508-881-2397, Trish Miller at 508-569-9791 or any Ashland Lion. MasterCard, Visa, Discover and AmEx will be accepted.

The Ashland Variety Show is coming your way Sunday, March 29, at 4 p.m. in the High School auditorium. Tickets are $5 per person and will be available at the door.

FILE PHOTO

Richard Hoffmann

Super finalists visit Ashland Interviews slated this Saturday By Aaron Wasserman STAFF WRITER

Lions hold live art auction

Variety Show displays local talent

75¢

PHOTO BY MARK FISETTE

Ashland lacrosse player Jen Cuain practices for the spring season. A deal between town officials and a local developer could mean new fields for the Clockers.

Key vote tonight on Fafard deal for school field The Past: Two weeks ago, selectmen and the Planning Board approved a deal allowing big changes to the Village of the Americas project, initially planned with 328 townhouse condos and 200 more homes mixed with commercial space. The two boards agreed to let Fafard Real Estate drop the mixed use component and build up to 397 traditional condos. In exchange, Fafard agreed to boost payments to the town from $1,000 per condo to $5,000, and to build a new athletic field at Ashland High School, valued at $2.5 million. The School Committee also agreed to allow the new field.

The Present: The Planning Board is expected to vote tonight, March 26, on whether to accept Fafard’s new site plan for the project. While selectmen and planners already voted on the deal itself, changes to the project are still contingent on tonight’s Planning Board vote, which will decide on new designs for the project. The board’s meeting starts at 7:15 p.m. in the High School auditorium, with discussion on the Village of the Americas slated at 8:30 p.m., according to the meeting’s agenda. Public comment is expected to be heard.

The Future: If the site plan passes muster with the Planning Board, the new field would be finished by October. However, Town Manager John Petrin has said the field could not be used for two years while grass grows in. If the town opts instead for an artificial turf field, Fafard agreed to pitch in $75,000 of what would likely be at least a $750,000 project, Petrin said. Athletic fields were originally planned at the high school, but removed when voters rejected the first proposal to fund the project. School officials said old plans will be updated for this project and a new field will not hurt their budget.

WE WANT YOUR »

MarathonPHOTOS

Are you training for the Boston Marathon? Do you have a family member or friend who plans to run? Or are you one of the many thousands who will cheer along the 26.2-mile route from Hopkinton to Boston on April 20? Whatever your role, we want to showcase your photos – from training and race day. Please be sure to include names and hometowns of those pictured and where the photos were taken.

The three finalists to be schools superintendent were expected here this week for extensive meetings with teachers, administrators and the public and, ultimately, interviews with the School Committee. The final interview is scheduled tonight, March 26, with Lexington Deputy Superintendent Lynne Sarasin. Meetings were scheduled Tuesday with Ashland Assistant Superintendent Ann Dargon, followed by Acton-Boxborough Assistant Superintendent Susan Horn on Wednesday. The public was invited to ask questions of each candidate in hourlong sessions. Prior to that, the candidates were slated to meet each day for several hours with students, teachers, union representatives and Town Hall officials. The School Committee holds its formal interviews March 28, from 9 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. in the high school library. The interviews are open to the public. “The School Committee has been really committed to the idea of having the next superintendent embraced by the entire community,” said School Committee CoChairwoman Marcia Reni. “These community meetings are a continuation of that goal, so that this superintendent we bring in is someone who everyone in the community feels like they had a part in bringing to Ashland,” Reni said. Each public session will be held from 7 to 8 p.m., Reni said. The first two were in the high school library and the third us in the middle school library. The school district is searching for a new superintendent following because Richard J. Hoffmann is stepping down after nine years. (Aaron Wasserman may be reached at 508-626-4424 or [email protected].)

SUBMIT PHOTOS Please e-mail your BOSTON MARATHON PHOTOS to [email protected] and we’ll run them in our print edition and on our Web site www.wickedlocal.com/ashland