Our Town of Medfield: Five Things to Know This Week

With a Special Town Meeting coming up, festive holiday events filling the calendar, and plans for a new year and beyond taking shape, there's a lot going on in Medfield now and in the weeks ahead.

Here are five items of particular interest:

1. Water & Sewer Bills have gone out. If you have not received your bill or have questions, please contact the Department of Public Works at 508-906-3003. For more information about rates, how they are determined, timing of bills, and other information, click here.

2. If you missed the recent Townwide Master Planning Committee public forum on Oct. 20, you can view the report that summarizes the feedback here (as posted on Selectman Pete Peterson's blog). Small town/sense of community, open space, town center, schools and historic character were among the top favorite attributes mentioned, while traffic/road safety, taxes, lack of pedestrian/bicycle infrastructure, and lack of public transportation were cited as least favorites.

3. The Special Town Meeting to vote on proposed re-zoning of the former Medfield State Hospital property is 7 p.m., Nov. 18, in the Medfield High School gym. A detailed Warrant Report prepared by the Medfield Select Board is available online here. A hard copy was recently mailed to residents; copies are also available at Town Hall and Medfield Public Library. All registered voters in Medfield are encouraged to attend the meeting.

4. Medfield residents are asked to complete an Open Space and Recreation Survey to help the town assess its needs and determine priorities. The survey is being administered by the Medfield Open Space and Recreation Plan Committee, together with the Conservation Commission, and Parks and Recreation Commission.

5. To help keep track of local happenings, residents may want to bookmark the Cultural Alliance of Medfield (CAM) website where virtually all of Medfield's upcoming cultural events are listed, with holiday events increasingly added! The biggest weekend of festivities is Dec. 6-8 during which a number of events will be held, including the annual Holiday Stroll organized by CAM, the MEMO Tree Lighting, the MEMO Holiday Parade, the Medfield Garden Club "Holiday Home Sale -Deck the Halls," and the Lowell Mason House Concert, among others.

(Note: for November, there will be no Peak House Pantry Sale this year, as reported in the Medfield Patch.)