CONSTRUCTION & ROAD WARRIOR

Houses Passes Transportation Bill; $2.84 Million Set Aside for Framingham

On Wednesday, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a $300 million transportation funding bill, that gives Framingham $900,000 more than last year. The bill must still go before the Senate.

On Wednesday, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a $300 million transportation funding bill that will dedicate $2.84 million to Framingham. State Rep. Tom Sannicandro, who represents one-third of Framingham's 18 precincts joined his colleagues in passing the bill. The transportation revenue represents a $100 million increase over last year, including $900,000 more for Framingham. “A functioning transportation system is one of the most critical ways the state can support economic growth,” Sannicandro said in a press release. “As an innovation center and a big resource of the state’s, the MetroWest needs to maintain our infrastructure so businesses can operate, people can travel, and the area can continue to grow.” With the …

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Framingham, Ameresco Sign Energy Savings Agreement

The agreement between the Town of Framingham and Framingham-based Ameresco Inc. could save the town hundreds of thousands in energy costs.

The Town of Framingham signed an agreement with a Framingham-based energy services company, taking advantage of a regional contract that could save millions of dollars through energy efficiency and renewable energy investments. The Town fo Framingham signed an agreement with Ameresco, Inc. to audit and assess all town-owned facilities to discover all potential opportunities for energy and water conservation and cost savings, as well as renewable energy generation. Framingham will work with Ameresco to choose specific projects from this comprehensive list of energy efficiency and renewable measures. The town will then enter into an energy savings performance contract with Ameresco for these selected projects.  “As a Massachusetts-based …

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Framingham Gets Additional $954,398 in Senate's Transportation Budget

In the Senate's $300 million transportation budget, Framingham is scheduled to receive $2.8 million.

The Massachusetts Senate passed legislation calling for a $100 million increase over Chapter 90 funding from last year, as part of a $300 million local transportation funding package for Fiscal Year 2014. In the budget, Framingham is scheduled to receive $2,863,194 in funding, an increase of $954,398. “Investment in our local road and bridges is essential to the lives of our residents and the economic health of our communities,” said Sen. Karen Spilka, who represents Framingham “This is a significant and much-needed boost for each city and town across the state and will give our partners at the local level additional resources to help accelerate these important projects.” Communities can use Chapter 90 funds for local projects such as …

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Town of Framingham to Host Pakistani Government Officials

The Town of Framingham has partnered with the Massachusetts Municipal Association and the Institute for Training and Development to host a group of Pakistani officials between April 29 and May 9.

The Town of Framingham has partnered with the Massachusetts Municipal Association and the Institute for Training and Development to host a trio of Pakistani officials between April 29 and May 9. The three Pakistani officials are Robin Haider Bokhari, Zareen Zafar and Nusrat Iqbal. “We are excited about this opportunity to show the Pakistani government managers how town government is organized and to share some actionable ideas and practices that they could implement in Pakistan,” said Framingham  Town Manager Bob Halpin. The project goal for the Pakistani participants is to develop new professional skills, relationships and gain valuable insight into the infrastructure of Town government. The United States-Pakistan Professional Partnership…

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Former Genzyme Building Sold for $5.5 Million

MetroWest Place, the iconic five-story glass top office building in Framingham, sold last week to a New Jersey firm.

A five-story office building, formerly occupied by Genzyme Corp., was sold to a New Jersey firm. The broker told the Worcester Business Journal that the company is planning a major expansion and plans to renovate the building, known as MetroWest Place. The iconic glass top building was sold to Normandy Real Estate Partners for $5.5 million, according to the broker, Richards Barry Joyce & Partners. The seller was Crosspoint Associates of Natick. The property is located near 9/90 Corporate Center and The Framingham Technology Park. Genzyme had occupied the 95,000 square-foot office building until 2012.

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UPDATED: Power Outage in Salem End Road Neighborhood

Residents are reporting a power outage in the Salem End Road neighborhood Friday night.

UPDATED: 10 p.m. Power has een restored. *** Residents are reporting a power outage in the Salem End Road neighborhood Friday night. NSTAR says about 361 customer or 1 percent of its almost 30,000 customers are without power. NSTAR is aware of the outage and is working to get the power restored.

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Framingham: Here Are Your Boston Marathon Runners

Here are the Framinham runners participating in the 2013 Boston Marathon.

They run for all sorts of reasons: in memory of a loved one, to raise money for a cause ... and just to say, "I did it." The 117th annual Boston Marathon takes place on April 15 this year, taking runners through the course that threads from the Hopkinton starting line to Boston. As it states on the official website, "the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon and ranks as one of the world's most prestigious road racing events. The Boston Athletic Association manages this American classic, which is sponsored by John Hancock Financial Services. The Boston Marathon has distinguished itself as the pinnacle event within the sport of road racing by virtue of its traditions, longevity and method of gaining entry into the race (via …

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Ramuel M. Raagas

11:32 am on Monday, April 15, 2013

Best wishes, Mike Bower!   more ›

Saxonville Restaurant Closing Its Doors

A Saxonville restaurant in Framingham announced today, on its Facebook page, it is closing.

LandoZ Homewtown Grille, which just opened last year, is closing. On its Facebook page the owners wrote: It is "with great sadness that the Lando Family has to close the doors due to unforeseen medical reasons. We can't thank all of you enough for making our short, but exciting run, a successful venture. We only wish we could continue to hold on till it really picks up however we just can't manage. THANK YOU especially to the best staff an owner could ask for. It's time to move on and get back to being healthy again." LandoZ has its grand opening in 2012 on Jingle Bell Day.    

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Study: Middlesex County Second Healthiest in Massachusetts

Among Massachusetts' 14 counties, only Dukes County was healthier according to the study.

Is Middlesex County the healthiest place in Massachusetts to live? If not, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation says it's right up there. In a recent study done by the Foundation called "County Health Rankings and Roadmaps," Middlesex ended up second in the state, trailing only Dukes County overall. Framingham is part of Middlesex County. Even there, Middlesex County exceeded Dukes in some areas such as patient to doctor and patient to dentist ratios. In measures ranging from adult obesity and insurance coverage to premature death and teen birth rates, Middlesex County was at or exceeding the state average. It also met or exceeded the national benchmark standard in all categories except for poor physical and mental health days, sexually …

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Water Leak Closes Memorial Building

Repairs are being made now and the building is expected to re-open Tuesday.

"Due to a significant water leak in the Memorial Building," Town Manager Bob Halpin closed the building at 3 p.m. today, March 18. Employees said there was about an inch of water on the floor, before it was turned off. Heat and water were both turned off so repairs could be made. Framingham's Town hall is expected to re-open Tuesday, post repairs.

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