By K.B. Sherman, Contributing Writer
Shrewsbury – At their regularly scheduled meeting Dec. 23, the Shrewsbury Board of Selectmen heard from Derek Brindisi, public health director, regarding the Regional Substance Abuse Prevention Collaborative (SAPC)
SAPC has submitted a Request for Response submitted in cooperation with the Central Mass. Regional Public Health Alliance for a grant. Brindisi requested the board’s support for the grant request of $100,000 in January or February.
This grant request would address underage drinking and drug use in the Regional Health Alliance area. The study would proceed through the stages of assessment, strategy creation, implementation, results analysis, intervention and follow-up. While no specific age group would be the subject of the program, Brindisi said that it would most likely concentrate upon ages 13 through 18 – generally, high school-aged teens.
Selectmen asked Brindisi about the use of questionnaires for participants, the impact of social norms on abusive behavior, whether to include tobacco as an abused substance, linking risk analysis to behavior, and when action could be expected. After all questions had been addressed, the board voted unanimously to support the grant request.
In other matters, the board congratulated Selectman John Lebeaux for having been appointed state commissioner of agriculture by Matthew Beaton, newly appointed Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs for the incoming Baker administration. Lebeaux assured the board that he intended to remain a member.
In a related vein, the board discussed requesting an early 2015 primary and election for the replacement for Rep. Beaton, with the vote occurring in March or April instead of the usual voting time of May so as not to delay the replacement process.
The selectmen then addressed several traffic concerns in town. Town Manager Daniel Morgado reported that he had investigated complaints about the parking situation on Vancroft Avenue and had seen nothing to indicate that there was a problem that needed further resolution by the town. Similarly, petitions to add stop and no parking signs to areas along Tatum Road and Country Way were rejected.
