1. In a conversation that may seem to be never-ending, the Board of Selectmen opened their meeting last night by discussing the upcoming DISC meetings and the conversations they have been involved in around the project. Several selectmen said they felt the group was making little progress; however, Town Manager Norman Khumalo assured them that after this month’s public hearings the committee would begin to put together a 25 percent plan for submission. “They want to make sure they get as much public input as possible before moving too far forward,” Khumalo said.

2. Khumalo and the board also held a more in-depth conversation about the budget last night than they have in the past. Without discussing specific numbers the board looked at the preliminary budget submissions and where that would leave the town in terms of reaching a level-funded budget like they asked each department for. At the Feb. 28 selectmen meeting Khumalo will be presenting a preliminary budget after meeting with members of each department.

3. The Hopkinton Youth Commission gave the committee an update about what they have done recently. Chairman of the youth commission Dorothy Maruska spoke about some of the initiatives the group has seen but reiterated that the town could have a catastrophe on its hands soon. “There are a number of us that feel like Hopkinton is a ticking time bomb, as a youth commission we are hoping to prevent that,” Maruska said.

4. The selectmen heard a presentation from Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Board Ken Driscoll and Head of the Demons Hockey organization Jack Bloomer about the progress they have made in solidifying plans for an ice arena on Legacy Farms. The selectmen gave their approval for Khumalo, Driscoll, Bloomer and Legacy Farms developer Steven Zieff to finalize the legal discussions so a building plan can be completed and eventually construction can begin.

5. In one of the more interesting conversations of the night, selectmen approved the transfer of the liquor license for Cornell’s restaurant. The current owner will be selling the business to Colm and Ellen Scanlon. The Scanlons said they will be keeping the business very similar to the way it is now and even intend to maintain the current staff. The sale needs to get approved by several more boards before it becomes official so keep an eye out for an update on this story in the coming months.