Latest Globe Local Briefs headlines

Scituate will get a new senior center as part of a $12.2 million plan for the vacant Gates School complex.

Mayor Yvonne Spicer has proposed hiring a chief diversity and inclusion officer.

The funding for the program in Wellesley is limited and is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Participants will create two-person canoes using a cardboard base and other materials.

The Peabody Institute Library, in collaboration with the Peabody Garden Club, recently opened The Peabody PeaPod.

Iluminación Lawrence is aimed at improving public safety and creating artistic vibrancy throughout the city.

Norwood voters will decide June 3 whether to increase their property taxes through a $5.95 million override, the bulk of it to support schools.

Those affected by the cutback hours include a popular high school woodshop teacher, as well as a social studies teacher and a Spanish teacher.

OIL

The measure, which passed by a voice vote, now needs approval from a townwide ballot question at a May 28 special election.The existing Bolivar Pool is about 40 years old and in poor shape.

Douglas Lapp will start work as Rockland’s town administrator on July 8, promising to help lead Rockland “to a more stable and professional future.”

The park, within a block of about 93 senior affordable apartments, is intended for use by residents of all ages.

Last fall, Acton joined Minuteman Bike Share, a program that includes Concord, Lexington, and Maynard.

Somerville formally celebrated the start of renovations to its historic West Branch Library at a recent groundbreaking ceremony.

Town Meeting voted to ban any new automatic irrigation sprinklers that connect to the town’s water supply.

Construction is underway on the $3.1 million Brookline Reservoir Park and Gatehouse improvement project.

The Malden Cannabis Licensing and Enforcement Commission is accepting applications from companies interested in operating a marijuana establishment.

Letter carriers for Boxford will work out of the Danvers office so there will be no impact to street delivery for homes and businesses.

Julie Mercier, the former community development director in Reading, will be the third person in the post in the last year.

Voters in Groveland, Merrimack, and West Newbury agreed to debt exclusions that will allow the regional school district to proceed with plans for a $146.3 million middle and high school building project.

Local officials are seeking resident input into the plan, which will outline how the town would evolve in areas such as the quality of neighborhoods to traffic and safety issues, and the local environment.

Lions Club President Mark Casale said the Lions Club has not only dwindled in size but also aged, and only two people are doing all the work required to organize the event.

By a vote of 868 to 336, a Special Town Meeting on May 6 approved borrowing the money for the $2.1 million project.

The average US price of regular-grade gasoline jumped 5 cents a gallon over the past two weeks, to $2.97.

The city’s NewMo program will allow people age 60 and older to book a ride through an app on their phone or with a phone call.

Climate change talks heat up in Norwell at the South Shore Climate Change Symposium on Thursday, May 9.

The state grant provides technical support, data, and planning tools to identify hazards associated with the changing climate and to be better prepared to mitigate those risks.

The new harbor village overlay district includes the Cohasset Harbor Inn — formerly Kimball’s By the Sea — and would allow residential and commercial development by special permit.

The town has signed an agreement with Liberty Ledge LLC to purchase the 44-acre Camp Sewataro property.

The mayor’s recommendation to appoint Acting Fire Chief Gino P. Lucchetti will go to City Council and can be voted on as early as May 20.

The projects — a $640,000 upgrade at Spy Pond and $370,000 in improvements to Wellington Park and Mill Brook — are being undertaken by separate contractors.

The department scheduled the event after a previous workshop in February attracted significant public interest.

The buildings are available for reuse because their operations were transferred to the J. Michael Ruane Judicial Center on Federal Street when it opened in 2011.

Federal Reserve

Wellesley’s Board of Selectmen will hold a public forum Monday, April 29, on a proposal by the community organization World of Wellesley to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day.

The Arlington Police Department has begun a new initiative to help its officers locate elderly and other residents who wander from home and become lost.

Carlisle plans a series of measures to improve pedestrian safety at various roadways in town through new state funding.

Holocaust survivor Janet Applefield joins other speakers at a community Holocaust commemoration Wednesday, May 1, in Peabody.

Somerville residents are invited to join in a conversation about how the city can become a more welcoming and safe community for migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees on Wednesday, May 1.

Medford will be able to expand its ability to generate and store solar power with the help of state funding.

Aquarion Water Co. had fought what it described as a hostile takeover, but an 1879 state law allowed the town to buy the water system if two-thirds of Town Meeting agreed.

The town-owned McKinley Community Center will close mid-June while officials figure out how to deal with its faulty fire protection sprinkler system, but they said all programs located there will remain open at other locations.

The town’s cultural organizations have banded together to present a week’s worth of events through May 5 as part of the state’s Artweek celebration.

TRADE

Celebrating our environment can be possible even after Earth Day ends. Head to the SustainaVille in Somerville for ten packed days of environmental activities.

Michael Loughran increased his margin — from one vote to three — to win a two-year vacant seat on the board in a busy election week that brought voters out in Avon, Dedham, Rockland, and Stoughton.

The Peabody Pride Spring Volunteer Community Cleanup and Greenfest will be held on Saturday, April 27.

The town plans to use the $8,000 grant to fund overtime shifts for police officers specially geared toward enforcing traffic rules for all road users.

Town Manager James Malloy recently named Derek Sencabaugh to serve as the town’s new fire chief.

Residents are invited to give input at a community meeting on April 24 at East Somerville Community School.