Counsel for the Cosland Drive project updated the Planning Board on progress toward filing site‑plan and special‑permit applications, proposed a working subcommittee for detailed technical review and noted the attorney general delayed approval of the zoning amendment after receiving a complaint; town counsel is responding.

At its Dec. 30 meeting the Master Plan Implementation Committee reviewed a draft 2025 annual report (noting the report author’s resignation), recorded regional transit gains expected in 2026, discussed a Route 9 wastewater study and ongoing trail and restoration projects, and approved minutes.

The Board of Health approved a septic plan for a proposed 32-townhouse project at 250 Turnpike Road on Dec. 23, 2025, contingent on a Department of Public Works memo confirming septic/waterline crossings. The design calls for a pressure-dose system serving 68 bedrooms and three large tanks.

After public comment from a police lieutenant, the Personnel Board agreed to sponsor a $25,000 paying-class study warrant article while agreeing not to change lieutenant pay language in the SAP until any collective bargaining agreement is ratified.

After a debrief with MassWorks, the Town of Southborough wastewater committee learned its application was denied because it lacked a specific treatment/discharge site; members agreed to finish feasibility, produce a preliminary plan and rework the funding request for the next grant cycle.

The Select Board set a Saturday, Feb. 28 special town meeting to consider three warrant articles for Neary School—(A) full schematic renovation at the existing site, (B) feasibility/schematic for expanding other schools and closing Neary, and (C) feasibility/schematic for moving fifth grade—with board members divided over a long‑term full renovation, a 15‑year interim repair plan, and whether to give architects cost guardrails.

The committee discussed major tricentennial events — an October 2027 parade (possible oxen/cannon reenactment), a drone show on Jan. 1, 2027, a time capsule plan, legacy trees in eight villages, and a community barbecue and music festival — and assigned follow-ups for vendors, sponsors and logistics.

Phase 2 bids for the Peninsula Trail (bridge and boardwalk) came in significantly above the CPC budget. The trails team proposed switching from a fiberglass modular bridge to a timber option to reduce costs and asked the CPC to prepare placeholder warrant articles and consider a contingency release; CPC asked for updated cost breakdowns and schematics for January.

SJB Investments presented a concept for two 30-unit rental buildings (60 units total) on a 4-acre MBTA-overlay parcel. Developers requested a parking-location waiver because of septic and riverfront constraints; the board and neighbors raised questions about wetlands buffers, roof form and compliance with the 35-foot/2.5-story guidance.

At the Dec. 8 planning-board meeting, master electrician Matt Brascio briefed members and residents on battery energy storage systems, stressing UL9540 and NFPA 855 standards, 24/7 monitoring, emergency response plans and a typical 30-year lifecycle with decommissioning and recycling.

Select Board, School Committee and advisory panels agreed to ask voters to fund feasibility work on three school‑site options and to include a separate warrant article for a Neary roof, while members debated timing, financing guardrails and risks of funding a standalone roof.

The Town of Southborough Board of Health heard a technical briefing on a proposed 14.616 MWh battery energy storage system at 150 Porterville Road. An MAHB expert urged careful data collection on fire, smoke and noise risks and flagged the nearby Sudbury Reservoir and homes as key siting concerns.

The Southborough Zoning Board of Appeals voted 4–1 Dec. 10 to approve a special permit allowing a battery energy storage system as a second use at 150 Corteville Road, subject to conditions requiring Southborough Fire Department sign-off on energy-storage permits, hazmat mitigation, decommissioning and training plans.

The Select Board continued discussion of options for the NHERI school after presentations from the building commissioner and a board member’s demographic analysis; members agreed the roof is urgent and discussed funding feasibility studies for three options ahead of a March 7 special town meeting.

The ZBA granted a special permit allowing multiple principal uses across the combined 118 and 120 Turnpike parcels, enabling owners to lease to nontraditional tenants without returning to the ZBA for every change of use; planning-board site-plan review and ZBA jurisdiction for higher-impact uses remain in place.

Bauerslaw Insurance presented a July 2026 renewal forecast for the town's Harvard Pilgrim plan, projecting a released renewal near 16% and an optimistic negotiation target of about 12%; the firm highlighted approximately $1.3 million in GLP‑1 weight‑loss drug spend (Jan–Oct 2025) and said removing GLP‑1 coverage could cut 2–4% off renewal, while adding a rider to keep coverage would add about 8–10% to premiums.

The Select Board discussed funding feasibility studies for multiple school‑facility options, including a proposed 'b2' Finn expansion, and debated holding a special town meeting in early March 2026 (penciled dates March 7 or March 14). An OPM estimate cited an approximate $1 million cost to study three options to schematic design.

The Wastewater Study Committee told the Select Board it is technically feasible to build a Route 9 wastewater system and estimates it needs roughly 300,000 gallons per day (ideally up to 500,000) of capacity; the committee asked for Select Board help with site acquisition, outreach to potential system users and neighbors, and a design‑funding appropriation (a 'few $100,000') for site evaluation.

At its Nov. 12 meeting the Town of Southborough Tricentennial Committee approved multiple event concepts for 2027—History in Bloom (April), a nominations-based 'People of Southborough' recognition program, and exploratory approval to work with Saint Mark's on campus tours—and discussed scaling the town's Summer Nights music series into a large tric

Planning staff briefed the board on draft state guidance (225 CMR 29) for battery energy storage and said a proposed battery storage installation at 150 Cordoville will likely require a site plan modification and special permit; expert Matt Bracio will meet with the board on Dec. 8.

At the Nov. 6 meeting Trails Committee members reported National Grid will replace high‑voltage transmission poles along the Sudbury Reservoir corridor, a year‑plus project that will require temporary trail closures and matting to protect access. National Grid outreach staff told the committee they will coordinate closures, permit requirements and—

Chair Kevin Miller presented a conceptual adaptive-reuse plan and reported initial interest from Boston-based William Rawn Associates to study converting the Rural Cemetery water tower into a columbarium to extend burial capacity. Commissioners discussed preservation standards, possible funding paths and next steps, and agreed to explore the idea.

National Grid plans transmission-line replacement that will overlap trail corridors in Southborough. The Trails Committee urged members to attend an open house Nov. 6, discussed timber-mat access, temporary closures and restoration requirements, and agreed to photograph trail conditions before and after work to document impacts.

The Town of Southborough Trails Committee advanced plans to install kiosks, interpretive signs and benches along the Peninsula Trail as part of a Phase 1 project funded by MassTrails and town CPC funds. Committee members reviewed proposed kiosk locations, discussed ADA access and bench surfacing, and agreed to seek DCR guidance and tribal review of

After reconsidering a prior position, the Select Board voted unanimously on Oct. 21 to support Article 1 at the special town meeting: a zoning amendment that would permit a major‑highway retail use (e.g., a large format grocery/household retailer) on a specific Cosland Drive parcel owned by Atlantic Management. Board members emphasized the article\