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Question: What are the current mortgage rates? Answer: Check out this week’s new communityclassified.com section

SHS spring schedules 

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Opinion

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Obituaries

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Arts

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Classified

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Complete index on page 2

SHARON ADVOCATE

Serving Sharon Since 1873

www.wickedlocal.com/sharon

Community Newspaper Company

FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2009

40 Pages, in 3 sections ■ Vol. 30, No. 4 ■ 5 Cents

Selectmen approve RFP

A C R O S S T H E G E N E R AT I O N S

By Victoria Groves CORRESPONDENT

The Board of Selectmen voted to authorize the issuance of a request for proposals (RFP) for the leasing of a portion of the property formerly known as Horizons for Youth at their Tuesday meeting. Acting through the town’s Horizons for Youth Reuse Committee, the board is looking for respondents interested in using the 56 acres of land, located at 125 Lakeview Street, for year round recreational, cultural or educational activities. This RFP is separate from an additional RFP for the lease of an administration building on approximately one acre of land at the same location. “We’re looking for someone to take on the entire inventory of buildings,” said Mike Bossin, chair of the Horizons for Youth STAFF PHOTOS BY ERIN PRAWOKO

Reuse Committee. “And community access is a big part of the proposal…not just the waterfront and the trails, but having community groups incorporated into the programs.” The Horizons for Youth property includes approximately 10 lakefront acres and an additional 46 acres of camp facilities. Twenty-five buildings include 12 overnight cabins, three residential houses, a dormitory, an 8,000 square foot dining hall, a recreation hall and numerous athletic fields and hiking trails. Ideally, the committee and the board are looking for an organization that would lease the property from five to twenty years, improve the buildings and put forth a clear and comprehensive plan for managing the site. In the RFP, they are requesting adherence to an environmental impact SELECTMEN, page 11

From left, eighth-grader Alison Collins, sixth-grader Alison Ruttenberg, center, get a dance lesson from COA director Norma Fitzgerald during an intergenerational program at Sharon Middle School.

Students, seniors share how they listen to music

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onday’s “Across the Generations” program was aptly named, as middle school students and seniors shared their music and players with each other. The program was conjured up by Norma Fitzgerald, director of the Council on Aging, and middle school teachers Jackie Mann and Joyce Talbot, Community Service Learning advisors, as a way for seniors and middle schoolers to teach each other about how technology was used. “The teachers were trying to come up with something intergenerational,” Fitzgerald said. “I read about Twitter, and wanted to know more. My staff was involved. We’re always trying to come up with these sorts of programs.” Al Shapiro led the instructional section about record players. Then, Shapiro brought out a unique piece of his record collection: a recording from his college band from his days at MIT. Fitzgerald started dancing the Charleston, and sixth grader Alison Ruttenberg and eight grader Alison Collins took Fitzgerald’s challenge of learning the new dance. Other sessions have covered topics ranging from Morse code and typewriters to texting and downloading digital pictures. “The texting was a hit,” Mann said.

Record Players Alan Shapiro puts in a record to play during the Across the Generations program at Sharon Middle School. At the request of a student, Shapiro changed the speed of a record. The resulting sped-up, high pitched version elicited giggles from the sixth, seventh, and eighth graders.

iPods Sixth-grader Sophia Einis teaches Reba Levine how to use an iPod during the Across the generations program at Sharon Middle School. The middle school students answered such questions in this session like “How much can it hold?”; “You can watch movies on it?”; “How long does it stay charged?”

The next one The groups will meet again on Monday, April 26, at the middle school library. Fitzgerald said the plan for that session was a recap of the previous meetings.

PHOTO BY SEAN BROWNE

TAKING A SHOT From left: Morgan Goldberg, 7, and friend Sofie Smith, 7, watch as Sofie’s little sister, Emma, 4, putts the ball during Sunday afternoon’s Mini-Golf fundraiser to raise money for the Sharon High School Athletic Department.

Kafka climbs State House ladder

Town site continuing to add new features

Rep named chair of committee By Brian Cook CORRESPONDENT

By Phil Salisbury STAFF WRITER

Systems Administrator Done Hillegass is trying to transform the town’s Web site, www.townofsharon.net, into a place where residents “can get the info online rather than call”. One of System Administrator Don Hillegass’ jobs is to maintain the town’s Web site. He said he and his part time staff spend SUNSHINE, page 10

PHOTO BY SEAN BROWNE

PLAYING A TUNE The Sharon High School Concert Band performs a selection of songs during Thursday afternoon’s concert at the Sharon Adult Center.

In his 10th two-year term, local State Representative Lou Kafka (D-Stoughton) has been appointed to a key post as chair of the Massachusetts State House Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling. The appointment was made by the new House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo (D-Winthrop). The committee is responsible for assisting the speaker and members of the State House of Representatives in identifying the major matters that are pending before the General Court. Kafka said he was honored by the appointment and that the committee is an important part of the process whereby legislation reaches the house. “An example of what that

means is that recently we dealt with a home rule petition for Randolph that had been approved by the senate,” he said. “The town wants to change its forms of government but the lawyers from the Secretary of State’s department had indicated that as presented they would advise the Governor to veto the proposed legislation because it did not meet the proper requirements.” Kafka said that he organized a meeting between the various state representatives from the town, members of the town selectmen and the various legal counsel members to work through the issue. “The state department lawyers led the discussion and eventually everyone agreed to make changes KAFKA, page 11