I am looking forward to hosting open office hours this week. I invite you to join me in an open discussion about what is happening in town. There is a lot going on and I want to make sure I am available to the residents of Ashland to answer any questions and provide updates to construction and development.
Join me virtually this upcoming Wednesday.
Office Hours
Wednesday, August 11th
Between 5:30 - 7 pm virtually with Zoom
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The following information as of 8/5/2021:
Ashland has a total of 1586 confirmed cases of this, 1569 have been cleared.
Ashland has a total of 215 Probable cases of this 212 have cleared
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According to DPH as of July 27th 2021 they feel that the DELTA Variant is the most prevalent at this time in Massachusetts at around 55% and to note it is twice as contagious as the original virus.
Please remind people if anyone is sick in their homes regardless of vaccine status and/or test status they and everyone in their household should remain home.
We also need to encourage testing for anyone who feels they were exposed or has any symptoms at all.
Please also note if you are vaccinated you are protected at a minimum of 90% so you still have a small chance of getting Covid-19 if exposed to a positive person.
For any concerns or questions contact Sgt. Ed Burman at 508-532-7988 or the Covid-19 hotline at 508-532-7900
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Vaccination FAQs
Click each question for more information
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Vaccinated Individuals within the Town of Ashland as of 7/28/21 |
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Facial Coverings/ Masks will be required on Monday, August 9th in Municipal Buildings
Due to the increase of COVID-19 Cases within the Town of Ashland, beginning Monday, August 9th, face coverings/ masks will be required by all individuals regardless of vaccination status when inside municipal buildings. Staff members will be wearing masks when directly interacting with residents. On Monday, we will have masks available upon entering, but we will begin enforcing this new policy on Wednesday, August 11th.
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IMPORTANT CONSTRUCTION INFORMATION
DOWNTOWN:
Beginning Monday morning, crews will begin construction on Main Street towards Front Street, specifically in the intersection of these two roads, installing Eversource duct banks. There will be a detour in place. See below for detour information. This section will be cleared by Wednesday afternoon, bearing any setbacks. Crews will continue up Front Street to Concord Street during the remainder of the week.
Please follow direct communications from Ashland Public Library, and local establishments, Erika's Ristorante, Sunnyside Cafe, Blush Bouquets, Santander Bank, and Needham Bank, for updates in daily operations.
Beginning Monday, August 16th, crews will be installing Eversource and Verizon manholes until August 27th.
DOWNTOWN DETOUR INFO: On Monday there will be three closures for through traffic: Front Street westbound between Concord and Main, Cherry Street northbound between Tilton and Pleasant, and Main Street southbound between Pleasant and Front.
Traffic heading southbound on Main will be rerouted along the same Pleasant-Tilton-Cherry-Park-Summer detour that’s currently in place. Traffic heading west on Front will be detoured through a Concord-Raymond Marchetti-Myrtle route. Traffic turning left onto Main from Front will have to either follow the two above detours to get to Main/Summer, or access Main from Fountain Street/135. Cars also won’t be allowed to turn right from Concord onto Front.
There’s two exceptions in place: local residents on Cherry/town hall visitors and employees can still access Cherry between Tilton and Pleasant (but no turning onto Pleasant is permitted), and patrons of businesses on Front between Concord and Main can still access those businesses. For them it’s as if Front Street dead ends at Main—when leaving the businesses they will need to exit via Front Street eastbound.
We understand traffic is troublesome in this area during peak travel times. This is a sizable project and the crews are doing their best. This will all be worth it! Click here, to view the project's end result!
ROUTE 126/ POND STREET:
Northern Construction is working on new drainage infrastructure between Nickerson Road and Eliot Street for the next two weeks. Eversource will be wrapping up its undergrounding work in the next three weeks.
We understand traffic is troublesome in this area during peak travel times. This is a sizable project and the crews are doing their best. This will all be worth it! Click here, to view the project's end result!
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Please Help Us Build a Path for a More Equitable Future in Ashland
As part of the Ashland racial equity initiative (REI), Suffolk University’s Institute for Public Service is asking community members to share their lived experiences and reflections surrounding race, diversity, and equity. The past year has revealed heightened concerns over racial inequality throughout the United States, and the current COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated these worries. The REI will aid in local government efforts to better understand how these issues are impacting Ashland’s multicultural community, with the goal of fostering and supporting a greater sense of inclusion and belonging for all who work and reside here. Your participation in the project is crucial for moving Ashland toward this goal.
If you were unable to participate in a focus group, please complete THIS SURVEY.
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Ashland Day Committee Snack Shack
OPEN Daily from 11 am to 1 pm
Stone Park Pavillion | 85 Summer Street
Nothing says summer like grabbing a treat from the Snack Shack at the Stone Park Pavilion, next to Kidspot!
All proceeds benefit the Ashland Day Committee and help raise funds for their annual events such as the Summer Concert Series and Ashland Day.
Their menu includes:
Hot Dogs, Mac & Cheese, Nachos/ Cheese, Chicken Nuggets, Pizza, Goldfish, Chips, Pretzel, Soda, Water, Juice Box, Iced Tea, and Ice Cream- popsicles, ice cream sandwiches, fudgesicles, creamsicles, BombPops, and Chocolate or Strawberry Eclairs.
Please go see Donna and Liz for lunch this week. Each item is under $3.00!
Click the photo above on the right to enlarge the menu, print it, or save it to your device.
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A note from the Building Department
Please remember ANY structure that holds 24" or more of water requires a building permit. For the safety of all be sure to follow the procedure and have it checked to make sure it's safe for all.
For questions, please contact the building department at rporter@ashlandmass.com, 508-881-0100 x 7123
To complete a permit please visit Ashland Town Hall, 2nd floor.
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Central Mass Mosquito Control Project - Tentative Spray Dates
Central Mass. Mosquito Control Project (CMMCP) personnel will be in Ashland to respond to residents' concerns about mosquitos in their neighborhoods on the following dates in August: 9, 16, 23, and 30. Dates are tentative and subject to change.
Residents may request service for spraying by calling the CMMCP office at
(508) 393-3055, or on the Central Mass. Mosquito Control Project website, click here for the website. Residents may also wish to request exclusion from wide-area pesticide spraying, this may be done using the State online exclusion form www.mass.gov/forms, or by mail. Find additional information regarding pesticide exclusion requests here.
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Upcoming Meetings & Community Events
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Check out what's happening at the #bestspotintown!
The Corner Spot is open for tons of fun this summer! There is a lot happening at this spot all summer so don't miss a thing!
Tuesday, August 10th - Book Chat
Wednesday, August 11th- Library Kids
Thursday, August 12th- Tot Spot, Open Mic Night & in the Shed Uncle Joey's Cannoli!
Friday, August 13th- Movie Night with WACA
Saturday, August 14th- Local Author Book Fair then Community Night under the Stars
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Ashland Farmers Market
Saturdays from 9 am - 1 pm!
National Farmers Market Week highlights the essential role farmers markets play in the nation’s food system.
Join Ashland residents from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM for a morning of Backgammon. All levels of players are welcome. If you have never played, this is your opportunity to learn this enjoyable, simple to learn game of skill, strategy, and chance. AFM volunteers are there to help. If you have a board, please bring it. If not, they have several that are available for all players.
Visit their website for weekly updates for themes and a list of vendors! CLICK HERE to see what you can look forward to!
Remember: The Ashland Farmers Market continues to offer a SNAP match of $25 per shopper each week! In addition, free fruits and vegetables for SNAP users are available at 2 farm vendors under the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP).
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Local Author Book Fair
August 14th from 2- 5 pm
The Corner Spot, 6 Cherry Street
Ashland Public Library is so excited to be hosting a huge range of local authors (of books for adults - and a couple of YA )! Join for a fun afternoon as the authors share their wonderful stories and processes - many will "take" the stage for a few minutes to run short workshops or do readings of their work.
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Movie Night with WACA
Friday, August 13th at 5 pm
Raiders of the Lost Ark will begin playing at 8 pm
The Corner Spot, 6 Cherry Street
Our friends at WACA TV have come through again! Join us for Movie Night at the #bestspotintown! This year we will enjoy watching Raiders of the Lost Ark on the big screen! Bring a chair or blanket and pick your spot early. Before the movie starts at dusk you can enjoy tons of fun!
The Cardinal will be playing great music from
5 -7 pm. Uncle Joeys Cannoli will be serving up themed cannoli in the shed. Wine Empire will be serving beverages. Imagine That! Face Painting & More will be offering tattoos and face painting for the kiddos. Refreshin' Concessions Ice Cream truck will be there and a Fork n’ Delicious Food Truck.
RAIN DATE: Friday, August 20th
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Ashland Day Committee Stone Park Summer Concert Series
Bring your chair or a blanket and enjoy the sounds of summer!
August 10th - Middlesex Concert Band Sponsored by the Ashland Cultural Council starting at 6:30 pm
August 24th - Groove-A-Saurus Rex rock n' roll band at 6:30 pm
Refreshin' Concessions Ice Cream Truck will be at each event!
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