Tony Moreira, who teaches technology courses at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, has posted an article about a series of items he’s hidden around Newton as part of a “geocaching” project, a scavenger hunt that require the use of GPS technology.

He’s hidden caches in 13 different village locations — even in Thompsonville. (Given today’s forecast, I’m hoping some are located near ice cream vendors.)

Moreira writes:

Childhood memories were the inspiration for the hides, and while looking for each cache, be sure to take in the local sights, shops, and check the cache’s listing at the geocaching.com website for interesting historic information about each location.

The Newton Highlands Beautification Committee seeks volunteers to help plant flowers in pots and planters that line the village center’s sidewalks.

If you can make it, join the group on Tuesday, May 31, from 9-11:30am for their annual planting day. Volunteers are asked to meet in front of Bread and Chocolate at 4 Hartford Street and to bring gardening gloves, trowels, neighbors, and friends. Children are welcome. No experience necessary.

Rain Date: Wednesday, June 1.  Questions and to RSVP: Janet Zerlin Fagan, 617-965-9617, jzfagan@aol.com.

5/31 update: This event has been rescheduled for 7pm on Wednesday, June 15.

Newton Mayor Setti Warren is hosting a community coffee for Newton Corner residents and business owners.

The mayor’s office is soliciting input on such questions as:

• How can we improve the quality of life in Newton Corner?
• What changes can we collectively bring about?
• How can you work with your neighbors, businesses and City Hall?

The Newton Corner meeting will be held from 7-8pm on Tuesday, May 31, at the West Suburban YMCA at 276 Church Street.

This is the third community coffee in a series of outreach efforts by the mayor. Earlier meetings have been held in Auburndale and Newtonville.

[Read more →]

While Newton Villages was created primarily for the benefit of our village centers, we certainly appreciate Newton’s parks and natural areas. Today, our hats are off to Newton Conservators, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary this month.

To celebrate the occasion, the group will host its 50th Anniversary Annual meeting and Silent Auction on May 25. Newton Conservators is asking local businesses to support their conservation efforts by sponsoring the dinner or by donating an item or gift certificate to the silent auction.

The non-profit land trust has protected more than 350 acres of land in Newton since its founding in 1961. According to its website, the group is “raising funds to support our land acquisition program–our work to save appropriate Newton parcels, like those abutting conservation land or along the Charles River-from future development.”

The roof and south side of the historic Newton Centre T Station will get a facelift next month, thanks in part to a $25,000 contribution from Boston Development, which holds the long-term lease on the MBTA-owned property.

Boston Development’s contribution was part of the special permit the company, along with the Deluxe Station Diner, obtained from the city last year.

The diner owners also contributed money to the volunteer landscaping efforts being done by the Garden City Preservation Society., which is spearheading a landscaping and spring cleaning project for the station grounds as part of the community service day NewtonSERVES on May 15.

As Alderman Vicki Danberg reports, “It took several years of meetings with the T, and City cooperation, to achieve the restoration of the exterior of the front three sides, completed a year ago or so.” New benches and street furniture will be installed in the coming months, she said.

Want to voice your thoughts about the future of Needham Street? If so, then mark your calendar for a community meeting at 7pm on Thursday, April 14, in the War Memorial in City Hall.

The city’s Planning and Development Department is moving forward with its efforts to develop a “master plan” for the commercial corridor. These conversations will build on work done last fall by graduate urban planning students at MIT whose semester-long project envisioned some redevelopment options and recommended some implementation strategies to shaping future development along the commercial corridor.

The April 14 meeting, which is open to the public, will provide “a summary of the development ideas to date, and will invite participants to share their thoughts about what’s good and not so good about the existing conditions” on Needham Street. The planning department encourages property owners, business owners, and all interested Newton residents to attend this and subsequent meetings.

For more information, please contact Candace Havens, 617-796-1137, chavens@newtonma.gov.

Earlier posts on this topic:

• Needham Street 2.0
• Envisioning Needham Street