Chief Cara Rossi Sworn Into Office
Chief Rossi officially begins her next chapter as our new Police Chief. This past week, we hosted a formal swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, July 12, at Town Hall where 30 members of Chief Rossi’s friends and family, members of the Ashland PD and elected officials celebrated her latest achievement.
Chief Rossi has a unique ability to balance a vision for the department with the positive attributes and ideas of the men and women that currently work there. I firmly believe having a new chief leading us enhances the excitement and opportunity this move into a new public safety building provides. Welcome and Congratulations, Chief Rossi. I and the rest of the town look forward to seeing what the department accomplishes under your leadership.
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Rubbish Collection Update
As many of you know, over the last several weeks we have had issues with our trash service. Doug Small (DPW Director), David Miller (Program Coordinator), and I met with representatives from Waste Management to discuss our concerns. We stressed the importance of timely pickups and communication if there are future delays.
Part of the problem stems from the issues that everyone has: labor shortages and supply chain issues for parts. Waste Management has already made moves to correct both, including:
- Hiring 5 additional drivers for the region, which helps Ashland with regards to backup drivers in case of emergency.
- Waste Management has moved one of their newer trash trucks to Ashland to minimize the event of a breakdown.
Additionally, Waste Management is buying two additional trucks dedicated to Ashland. However, these will not arrive for at least a year.
We understand that trash pickup is a core municipal service and we are dedicated to making sure that the issues that have plagued us the last several weeks are non-recurring. If your pickup is missed, please let David Miller know at dmiller@ashlandmass.com or 508-532-7943.
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Pond Street/ Route 126 Construction Update
What to expect: This week, crews will continue paving from Eliot Street to Nickerson Road. Crews will continue milling in the Eliot Street Intersection until early next week (July 18th- 20th). Flaggers will be utilized to keep the traffic moving. They will be working from Eliot Street and the intersection up to Spyglass Hill Drive. Additionally, crews will be completing full-depth construction on Sewell Street with paving next week.
Downtown Construction
Crews will continue work on Front Street, removing existing curbing, installing new curbing, and building new sidewalks. Crews will move to Concord Street by the end of this week into early next week (July 17th). Crews are anticipating bringing in a second crew the week of July 24th to work on the area near the Farmers Market, 125 Front Street. Sidewalk work Downtown will continue for 3-4 weeks in this location. Traffic should not be impacted. At times, crews may alternate traffic.
Photographed below are the new sidewalks and acorn lights on Front Street.
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For more information, visit our website here. |
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COVID-19 Testing Kits Available
Town Hall | 101 Main Street
Community Center | 162 W. Union Street
Our local Health Department has at-home testing kits available for you.
Kits are available for pick-up during business hours at Town Hall at the Town Manager's Office and the Board of Health Office, as well as the Community Center.
Ashland residents are eligible for one testing kit per person. A valid proof of photo identification is required.
Testing kits are first come first serve. We will not be putting any kits aside for individuals.
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Participate in Ashland Day Committee's Fundraiser
Ashland's favorite corn is back! Stop by Lucky Farm Convenience Store located at 1 W. Union Street (next to Doragon Ramen Restaurant) to purchase ears of corn.
Participate in this annual fundraiser to support Ashland Day Committee's events such as the Summer Concerts at Stone Park, Halloween Parade, and Ashland Day '23.
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Vote by Mail in the Upcoming Fall Elections!
Massachusetts voters now have the option to vote early by mail in all elections, with no excuse required. To request your Vote by Mail ballot, all you have to do is submit a signed application to the Town Clerk’s Office.
For the Fall Elections, Vote by Mail applications will be mailed in July and September to every voter who has not already requested a mail-in ballot. These applications will be pre-addressed to the Town Clerk’s Office and postage pre-paid.
Applications can be submitted by mail, email, fax, or placed in the ballot drop box located outside of Town Hall. If you are emailing your application, you need to sign it in a way that can be compared to your hand-written signature. Electronic signatures, scanned applications, and photos of applications are accepted. Typed signatures cannot be accepted.
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Don't want to vote by mail?
Vote Early In-Person Instead!
All early voting in-person will be held at Town Hall, 101 Main Street.
September State Primary Election
In-Person Early Voting will take place from August 27th to September 2nd
Hours are to be announced
November State Election
In-Person Early Voting will take place from October 22nd to November 4th
Hours are to be announced
Keep in mind, that you may still vote the “Old Fashioned Way” and go to your polling place on Election Day and cast your ballot in person!
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Town Meetings, Community Programs, & Events |
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Friends of Ashland Public Library Mini Book Sale- Art Sale & Donation Day
Saturday, July 16 from 10 am to 1 pm
Ashland Public Library | 66 Front Street
In addition to the Friends regular Mini Book Sale and Donation Day, we are ALSO selling beautiful art! It was donated to the Friends by Don Gordon, owner of Premier Image Gallery, and we could not be more thrilled.
Come on by, grab some books for summer reading, drop off some books (to make space), and check out the hundreds of original brush paintings that would look amazing in your homes.
AND, this month's BOGO (buy one, get one free) genres are History/Politics and Biography/Memoir. It's a steal!
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Read Across Ashland Day!
Saturday, July 16th from 10 am - 2 pm
The Corner Spot | 6 Cherry Street
Bring your books, blankets, food, family, and be ready to read, relax, and socialize! Miss Lois and our new children's room library assistant, Mr. Ryan, will be on hand from 10-12 to read books to the kids.
Take some time to just be in the company of other book people!
If it rains, go to the library instead.
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Ashland Farmers Market
Saturdays 9 am - 1 pm
125 Front Street
This week join AFM for fresh produce, prepared foods, baked goods, and more! Featuring live music by Mama's Boy and Home2Homes Ashland community tent. Learn more
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CultureFest
Saturday, July 23rd from 12- 4 pm
The Corner Spot | 6 Cherry Street
Enjoy a great afternoon of music, dance, diverse cuisine, and beverages, as we celebrate a variety of cultures that make our community fabulous!
Grab a bite to eat from Chef Alan MacIntosh and Chef Sentie and fresh lemonade from our friend Dennis.
Enjoy live performances from Trade Route Dance, Drum Nomads, Crocodile River, the McCrites, Miguel Melendez, and Nivetha Dance Crew!
This event is sponsored in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council Festivals Grant, the Ashland Cultural Council, and Needham Bank.
Visit our webpage for all upcoming events at the #bestspotintown, here!
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Town Forest- Mushroom Identification Walk
Saturday, July 30th from 10 am- 12 pm
Dave Babik, head of the Boston Mycological Club ID Committee, will lead this walk. David regularly walks the forest trails and is very familiar with the fungi of the area. Ashland has literally thousands of species of mushrooms in the summer months (Some rainfall always helps) We will explore the town forest and collect some specimens to identify. The walk usually runs about 1 ½ to 2 hours. After the walk, there will be a short break so we can organize what was found.
Our collections are laid out on a table and a short talk is given, discussing what was found. You will be amazed at the diversity of fungi that exist in this area. We will point out many of the most common edible varieties and which types are poisonous. This is a great event for both beginners and more experienced mushroomers.
Bring a snack and plenty of water and bug spray.
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Ashland Day Committee Summer Concert Series
Tuesdays at 7 pm in July and 6:30 pm in August
Stone Park | 73 Summer Street
Bring a chair and a picnic dinner and enjoy the sweet sounds of summer with this concert series presented by our Ashland Day Committee!
7:00pm July 19th- Back Pages
7:00pm July 26th- Flash Back Band
6:30pm August 2nd- Community High School Concert Band
6:30pm August 9th- Rail Road House
6:30pm August 16th- TBA
6:30pm August 23th- Groove-A-Saurus Rex
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Wait!!! There is more!
There are so many events coming up in our community that we've created a separate newsletter. Sign up for our Community Events Newsletter with the button below!
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