TEWKSBURY — The Tewks­bury Select Board met on April 24, 2023 at town hall, welcoming new­ly elected member Pat­rick Holland.

The board approved an order of taking for easements on Pringle Street for a culvert replacement project. The board also ap­proved a transfer of an all alcoholic beverages package store license from Lincoln Liquors to MB Spirits at the same premises.

The board took up a National Grid pole petition for installation of un­derground facilities at Foster Lane. This comes after the Planning Board recently held a discussion regarding a land disturbance permit for Kev­in O’Brien and O’Brien Homes at the same location.

The original proposal sought to disturb about 63,000 square feet over two areas — one for the construction of a home and one for the improvement of Foster Lane.

At the Select Board meet­ing, Plunkett asserted that O’Brien had no right of access, while O’Brien sought a determination from town counsel on the issue. O’Brien stated that he and his attorneys have repeatedly asked for documentation from Plunkett, which has not been provided.

O’Brien asked why a war­rant article for the up­coming Town Meeting was even on the docket, asking how the town can give away the rights to his property, which he has owned for over 20 years.

The board tabled the discussion to a future date, citing a need for more in­formation before making a determination.

The board discussed en­tertainment licenses for Wamesit Lanes. Market­ing director Janelle Wag­staff sought blanket ap­proval for several events based on demonstrated past success, including La­dies Nights, movie nights on the patio, comedy shows, Dueling Pianos, and a magician.

“Is it G-rated?” asked Hol­land of the comedy show.

Wagstaff confirmed the show would be appropriate for use with an amplification system. The board approved the requests, and Town Manager Rich­ard Montuori suggested that next year’s licensing could bundle all events into one package.

The board approved a change of office request for the 99 Restaurant. The board also appointed Hol­land to serve as its representative to the Commu­nity Preservation Commit­tee.

The board discussed sche­duling of retail marijuana license hearings. Member James Mackey sought to “draw a line” and start moving the pro­cess forward for applicants.

Member Jayne Wellman asked to set firmer deadlines so applicants could understand the town’s pro­cess and get in front of the Planning Board, hold community meetings, etc. as required.

According to the town manager, applicants were sent a letter at the beginning of the year reminding them to finish filing their paperwork, but no specific deadline was set.

Wellman proposed closing the round of applications on May 11 for all pro­ponents who have filed with the Select Board but have not set a date to go before the Planning Board.

“This is a new process that we’re going through,” said chair Todd Johnson.

“It’s not to anyone’s ad­vantage to wait,” added Wellman.

The board voted to ap­prove designs for switchbox art at Chandler and East Street, as part of a public arts program spon­sored by the Tewksbury Beautification Commit­tee, founded in 2015. The existing art on the box was chipped and the art­ist moved out of state.

The new designs were submitted by Shawsheen Tech students and represent “Tewksbury: Past, Present, and Future.” The board approved the designs.

The board voted to ap­prove participation in an affordable housing trust fund buydown at Merri­mack Meadows for two units at risk of losing their affordable deed riders. $215,640 from the Af­fordable Housing Trust Fund were approved to support the buydown with state contributions.

The deed restrictions are expiring, and the buy­down allows the town to retain affordability status and keep restrictions in place.

The board reviewed warrant articles for Town Meeting on May 1 and 3. The board voted to recommend adoption on most articles. Articles 16-19 were tabled for discussion at the board’s meeting before Town Meeting, as was Article 27.

Article 24, to eliminate secret ballots as a re­quired method of voting for personnel bylaw articles, was recommended for adoption in a 3-2 vote. Article 28 was recommended for indefinite postponement.

The board deferred re­commendation on Arti­cle 35, a zoning article, to the Planning Board, and recommended adoption of Article 25 to allow for a specific type of con­version of commercial space to affordable residential use.

The board voted to table Article 27. The board voted to recommend ad­option on all six special Town Meeting articles.

In board member re­ports, Wellman shared that the town recently received a Tree City designation, following an initiative by residents, in­cluding Al Mancini and Susan Young. Spring town clean up day will take place on May 6, sponsored by the Tewksbury Beautification Commit­tee. Supplies will be avail­able for pick up at town hall from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., and filled bags can be brought to the DPW.

Residents can also make food pantry and textile donations at the DPW, and participate in electronics recycling and document shredding. Fi­nally, the Tewksbury Po­lice Department is nearing accreditation.

The next meeting is sche­duled for May 1, 2023. Re­sidents may find the meeting agenda on the town website. The meeting may be viewed on Com­­­cast chan­­nel 99 and Veri­zon channel 33.

“Plants are incredible stores of energy,” says photographer Tom Leighton, whose fluorescent-tinged images of foliage highlight the incredible night life of plants in his ongoing Variegation series. He explores the detailed colors and textures of leaves and stems, accentuating an important counterpart to the complex daytime process of photosynthesis, which creates chemical energy and oxygen from sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. “After the sun fades, the process of photosynthesis stops and respiration begins,” he says. “Plants begin to burn their stored sugars and breathe back in some of the precious oxygen they have created.”

Leighton primarily focuses on species found around his native Cornwall—often in his own garden—and captures contrasting venation patterns, serrated edges, and multiple colors. He digitally removes the green tones we associate with vegetation to reveal glowing violet, pink, and blue hues. “It is very experimental… There are limitless options and techniques that I combine to get to each finished image,” he says, sharing that a minor color choice or a small crop can transform the outcome.

Explore more of Leighton’s work on Behance, his website, and Instagram.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Fluorescent Photographs by Tom Leighton Highlight the Remarkable Complexities of Plants After Dark appeared first on Colossal.

BATAVIA – Heather Zerillo, the longtime art director of The Daily News, has been involved in nearly every aspect of producing the daily newspaper, coordinating everything from sales to production and anything in between.

On Monday, Zerillo’s experiences culminate with her becoming general manager of The Daily News and the Livingston County News.

Monday also marks a new chapter for the newspapers, when Sample News Group of Huntingdon, Pa., assumes ownership of the papers. The sale of the papers to Sample by Johnson Newspaper Corp. of Watertown was announced March 23.

“Over the past month as we (Sample News Group) have been working on this acquisition, it became immediately evident that Heather Zerillo is the true leader of our team here at The Daily News,” said Brian Nalepa, regional vice president and publisher for Sample News Group.

“She has a passion for this industry and is dedicated to serving this community with great products and service. I have seen the connections she has with community leaders, her volunteerism, and her commitment to getting the job done and done right. Our readers and advertisers should know they will have someone truly vested in the betterment of the community,” Nalepa said. “We are very fortunate to have her.”

In her new role, Zerillo will oversee day-to-day management of the business operations of the newspaper, consumer marketing, and advertising. She will also lead community relations and outreach efforts.

The business office will return to Batavia, with subscriptions and delivery information being managed locally. The Daily News office at 438 East Main St. will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“We have a really great team here that is willing to do whatever is needed to put together our paper. Everyone is dedicated and cares a lot about the work they do and the papers they put out,” Zerillo said. “And they care about the community.”

Regional Editor Ben Beagle called Zerillo an established leader at the paper and said that her experience and community involvement made her an ideal choice to take the general manager position, which had been vacant for the past three months.

“We have worked closely together for a number of years, and I look forward to that continuing as we work toward a shared goal of making The Daily News a part of every family in the GLOW region.”

Zerillo, who has a 30-year career in the graphics and newspaper industry, joined The Daily News as art director in 2008. In that role, she has managed the workflow, personnel and output of the art and production department, which includes print and digital advertising, video and audio creation.

As staffing levels have changed in recent years, Zerillo took on increased responsibility, that includes coordinating work across all four departments of the paper, sales, editorial, circulation and production.

“It’s like I’m an air traffic controller between departments,” Zerillo said. “I create deadlines and manage the schedule of publications and make sure everything is in and complete by deadline. I have to make sure everything lands on time.”

Outside of work, Zerillo is involved in a number of community organizations, often assisting with promotions and marketing materials, and volunteering at events. Those organizations include the Batavia Players community theatre troupe, St. Joseph’s Regional School, Notre Dame High School, from where she graduated in 1990, Our Lady or Mercy Parish, and Boy Scouts in Le Roy, where she is a committee chair and her husband, Phil, has been a Scoutmaster.

Zerillo has a bachelor of arts degree in graphic art from L.I.U. Southampton.

Though it was her pursuit of a career in marine biology took Zerillo, who grew up in Le Roy, to the east end of Long Island.

“But I had motion sickness that could not be easily overcome. I thought over time I would conquer it, but I just couldn’t,” she said.

A college advisor, who noted that Zerillo had been active in her high school newspaper and the yearbook, pointed her toward a course in typography and layout that would lead to her degree.

“I found I had a talent,” said Zerillo, who followed college co-op and internship experiences with jobs at a pair of Long Island newspapers, including roles as advertising art director and production manager.

“Each time I got a little more involved in the planning and structure of the paper,” she said.

Zerillo moved back to Le Roy in 2001. She was employed as a graphic designer and art director in Rochester, working on campaigns for some of Rochester most-recognizable companies, including Wegmans, the University of Rochester, and several sports teams, before coming to The Daily News.

With her husband Phil sent on multiple deployment with the National Guard to Iraq, a growing family, and daily commutes that cut into family time, Zerillo was looking for a job that would be closer to home.

“The Daily News offered the flexibility to come and go with my kids. That was the additional support I needed,” she said.

“Coming to the Daily News was like a family,” said Zerillo, a mother of five children. “And I’ve enjoyed the friendships it has afforded me as well; my co-workers have become friends.”

CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) – The Montgomery Museum or Art and History is hosting the Arts NRV Market on April 28-29.

Vendors from across the NRV and Roanoke Valley are set up allowing for people to support local business and experience the museum.

It is free and open to the public.

“This is a collection of really great diverse artists, we have photographers, we have painters, we have crafters, all sorts of things that you don’t see everywhere but we’ve put it all together in every nook and cranny of the museum,” Montgomery Museum Events and Marketing Coordinator Courtney Amos said.

The market will be open on Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Food trucks will be onsite throughout the day.

Copyright 2023 WDBJ. All rights reserved.

If you feel like a fish out of water, the saying goes, then you’re probably feeling a little confused or uncomfortable. St. Paul-based artist Liz Sexton gives the simile new meaning with recent marine-themed additions to her ongoing papier-mâché masks series, highlighting the distinctive faces of familiar creatures like walruses, manatees, and polar bears that find themselves out and about on dry land.

Sexton enjoys papier-mâché for its versatility and accessibility, using additional readily available materials like cloth, wire, and acrylic paint to build up each animal’s unique textures, patterns, and colors. Comprising her upcoming solo exhibition Out of Water at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum, the lifelike wearable sculptures draw attention to a variety of beings that rely on aquatic ecosystems for survival. Barnacles and belugas are photographed in atmospheric settings by the artist’s partner and collaborator Ben Toht, who captures each animal’s unique details and expressions.

Many of Sexton’s sculptures portray species that, in their native habitats, are under threat as they increasingly become entangled in nets and suffer the effects of the climate crisis. The delicate and often awkward balance between the human-made environment and natural ecosystems is highlighted in photographs of the masks in atmospheric settings by the artist’s partner and collaborator Ben Toht. The portraits playfully juxtapose the creatures with unusual locations like a grocery store freezer aisle, a campground, or a laundromat.

Out of Water opens May 6 and continues through September 3 in Winona, and you can find more work on the artist’s website and Instagram.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Marine Animal Masks by Liz Sexton Spotlight Beloved Species in Lifelike Papier-Mâché appeared first on Colossal.

The Weatherford Art Association will showcase photographer Carmen Davailus May 22 for her presentation, “Rock Your Social Media by Being Yourself” from 6 to 7:45 p.m. at Barlow Hall, 125 S. Waco St. in Weatherford.

Carmen Davailus is a fine art/lifestyle photographer who learned the hard way about social media marketing and then helped many other entrepreneurs show up for themselves. As she puts it, “Social media marketing can be a scary thing. We need to show up when we really just want to make our art. It should be about our art and not ourselves, right? What can we do to make and sell more art without it being painful?”

Learn more about this artist at www.carmensfineart.com.

Weatherford Art Association is a non-profit 501© (3) corporation that promotes the growth of art appreciation among members and the public through community education, instructional demonstrations and lectures plus public display and sales of member artwork. The group welcomes students, single adult and family memberships and includes beginning and seasoned artists in all 2-D and 3-D media. Regular meetings are held every fourth Monday of each month except December. Learn more about Weatherford Art Association at weatherfordart.com.