LETTERS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
ANNOUNCEMENT 1: Local Trails and Hiking for Princeton Residents
Princeton has many trails and excellent hiking opportunities. Many of these have been documented on the town website, by the Open Space Committee (OSC).
For the past four years, the OSC has been leading guided hikes on the trails in Princeton and surrounding towns. Our goals are to show off our great hiking routes, to encourage exercise and socialization, and to provide a safe hiking experience.
Guided hikes have been run with COVID-19 masking and distance rules, and recently the group sizes have been limited to five or so people in each hike.
As COVID-19 restrictions relax, the OSC will be opening up the hikes to larger groups. In addition, OSC plans to make two important changes to the program:
- To start over with the exploration of 30 or so great hikes within town, and
- To strengthen the focus on Princeton residents.
We will continue to welcome hikers from other towns, but the communications focus will be mostly to Princeton residents.
Hikes will be three to four miles in length, and each will be rated by difficulty. Most hikes will be easy or moderate. We plan to continue with our 9 a.m. Saturday times, generally every second and fourth Saturday.
We encourage all Princeton residents who like to hike or walk in the woods to join our mailing list by writing to TrailAroundPrincetonMA@GMail.com. Whether you want to join our group hikes, or whether you just want to get more information on Princeton hiking routes, this will be a good resource!
ANNOUNCEMENT 2: Holden Grange Offering $800 Scholarship
Holden Grange is offering its W. Sumner and Howard L. Jordan Scholarship in the amount of $800 to a graduating high school senior or to a student in attendance at any recognized institution of learning beyond high school who has not received this scholarship previously.
An applicant who does not belong to Holden Grange must reside in Holden, Paxton, Princeton, Rutland, or Sterling and be pursuing a course of study in agriculture/horticulture, veterinary science, or conservation/environment. A Holden Grange member in good standing for at least one year preceding the date of application is eligible to pursue any course of study.
The scholarship recipient will be named in June, and funds will be awarded to the applicant upon successful completion of the first semester with at least a 3.0 grade point average.
An application in the form of a letter of intent, stating future educational goals and a description of three community activities or three Grange activities in which the applicant is involved, must be accompanied by an official transcript and a letter of recommendation. All parts of the application must be postmarked by May 1 to Holden Grange, 26 Glenwood Place, Rutland, MA 01543. For more information on this scholarship or the Grange in general, please contact 508-886-2341 or holdengrange78@gmail.com.
ANNOUNCEMENT 3: Public Safety Building Survey
Town voters will be asked to approve funding for design and construction documents for a new Public Safety Building at Annual Town Meeting on 5/15. To help us understand if there is more information you need before this important vote please fill out the survey available at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BDHCV2G
If you have any questions at all, contact Karen Cruise at crukaren99@gmail.com or 978-852-2709.
ANNOUNCEMENT 4: Reminder to License Dogs by April 30
The deadline to license dogs in the Town of Princeton is April 30. Licenses are valid for one calendar year, and are required by State law. New residents have 30 days to license after move-in date, and may transfer licenses from other Massachusetts towns for $2.
For more information and to license your dog online, visit: https://www.town.princeton.ma.us/town-clerk
For questions or concerns, contact Assistant Town Clerk Susan Priest at 978-464-2100 or by emailing asst-townclerk@town.princeton.ma.us
ANNOUNCEMENT 5: Captain Christopher Sullivan Scholarship Available to Princeton Residents
Applications for the 2021 Captain Christopher Sullivan Scholarship are available now. This scholarship is aimed to assist a student from Princeton who has given back to their community through volunteer work or service and to encourage independence, morality, and good citizenship. Applicants must have completed one academic year of post-secondary education with a minimum GPA of 2.5, must be a resident of Princeton at the time of application.
The scholarship committee will award a $1,000 scholarship to the selected applicant. The deadline for submission is May 28, 2021
Send completed application to:
Captain Sullivan Scholarship Committee
P.O. Box 164
Princeton, MA 01541
Applications are available at: www.town.princeton.ma.us/
ANNOUNCEMENT 6: Coal Kiln Road Closure through May
Beginning the week of Monday, April 12, 2021, Coal Kiln Road will be temporarily closed to through traffic. The road is closed to enable the town hired contractor to begin a series of culvert replacements. Motorists are asked to use the detour route of Mason Road (Holden), Sterling Road /Holden Road, Route 62, Coal Kiln Road. This closure is currently scheduled to last until late May.
ANNOUNCEMENT 7: WPI Outdoor Light Use Research: Please help
A group of juniors from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is looking for your input as they work on a research project in Princeton. Please consider helping them by completing a survey on Outdoor Lighting in Princeton. This WPI team is working with the Town of Princeton’s Environmental Action Committee to learn about the views of Princeton residents concerning light pollution. Your participation will help them learn more about light use in Princeton.
Through interviews with light pollution experts and town officials, and through survey results from Princeton residents like you, the students will be able to identify feasible measures to potentially address light pollution. Please complete the survey by April 22 by following the link below.
Link to survey: https://forms.gle/UuUdXBHcTifK9rPk7
ANNOUNCEMENT 8: Princeton Tennis Club Ready to go in 2021
Princeton Tennis Club (PTC) is getting ready to open the 2021 tennis season! In April we will be setting up courts and preparing to start playing.
PTC has two excellent Hard-Tru courts off Goodnow Road. The club has been running since the 1960s, and limits membership to 60 families.
In addition to scheduled court times, leagues of various levels are established for Women’s, Men’s, and Mixed Doubles. In addition, the club sponsors many social activities and friendly tournament activities.
PTC has also worked carefully to allow responsible tennis during the COVID-19 pandemic. The club has a set of COVID-related rules. While most tournaments and social activities were halted in 2020, most leagues operated successfully, and the club is hoping to do more in 2021.
The club is owned by members, who buy a share of the club upon joining, and then pay an annual fee to cover the cost of maintenance. PTC is a nonprofit with elected officers, and an annual meeting is held each spring. All town residents are welcome to apply for membership in the club.
PTC currently has a full set of 60 member families, but operates with a short waiting list, and membership is available to all Princeton residents. People wishing to join should email the PTC Secretary at ptcprinceton@gmail.com.