The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 28

B2 City Region The Boston Globe Globe West Extra TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2001 WORKPLACE SECURITY in mind, gloves on hands an executive search firm headquartered on Route 9, were thinking differently. "I don't feel we really match up to who they'd be targeting," said owner Doug Ober. Still, he said, none of those who have contracted the disease prob- ably expected to be targeted either. "It (r, cant hurt just to be a The World as little more circuit we know it has changed. I hate the fact that have to do that But if sped," he said.

One Ober employee, Mike DeSi-mone, had a startling experience over the weekend: As he was returning to his Anthrax In suburbs, employees take precautions By Scott W.Helman GLOBE STAFF CORRESPONDENT FRAMINGHAM As the mail piled up yesterday at Framing-ham-based Process Software, Marcy Provencher, the company's 36-year-old shipping and receiving clerk, got an unusual directive from upper management: Take some cash and go buy yourself some rubber gloves. Such is life now for companies, town offices, and schools in the region as the threat of mail-borne anthrax continues to grow. Even in the western suburbs, where few expect bioterrorism to occur, a gloved mail clerk is a reminder that "the world as we know it has changed," said Ner-min N. Cook, human resources manager for Process Software. "I hate the fact that we have to do that," she said.

"But if something happened to one of my employees, I'd be devastated." Yesterday afternoon, Provencher went to Walgreens, where she found a box of 50 gloves for $5. "Why wait until tomorrow?" Cook said. Thafs salient advice as new anthrax discoveries emerge by the day. Yesterday, as authorities reported that a powdery substance in a letter sent to the Washington office of the Senate majority leader, Tom Daschle, tested positive for anthrax, even small suburban companies like Ober Consulting, apartment building something ESSffiuK happened after finding a small one of mV scoop of white pow- TJ der in the corner of employees, I crazy what's going on." Rush Cashman, Natick's comptroller, put it more bluntly. "We see a lot of boxes and packages coming in every day and we just sort of stand there and say, Who's going to take a chance on this Cashman said.

Anthrax scares at postal facilities yesterday in Waltham and Shrewsbury illustrated the new perils of mail delivery. One Natick mail carrier, who declined to give his name, said yesterday that there is little postal workers can do, given the sheer volume of mail. "You handle 4,000 to 5,000 pieces of mail a day," he said. "You can only do so much." Dennis Tarmey, the postmaster in Lincoln, said his postal workers have been briefed about what to look out for, and were all trained for new guidelines the Federal Aviation Administration implemented after Sept. 11.

The small town may seem an unlikely target, but it is home to Hanscom Air Force Base. "We have a small group here and we're all just dealing with it as it comes up," Tarmey said. A courier for Federal Express delivering packages in Framingham said the company was handing out gloves to everyone working in the processing center. No matter how distracting all the anthrax scares continue to be, companies like Process Software are aching to get back to normal to concentrate on the kind of work that makes, rather than costs, money. "You have to constantly change your mindset and your attitude and get yourself back on track," Cook said.

Nermin N.Cook Human resources manager at Process Software, where mail clerks now wear gloves firefighters were on the scene, his neighbors were evacuated, and a hazardous materials crew was operating within an area cordoned off by 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Illlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll News in brief 1 NATICK Pretrial hearing for shooting suspect A man charged with attempted murder will appear in Natick District Court today at 9 a.m. for a pretrial hearing. Nathan O'Dell, 20, of 66 Summer Natick, was arrested after a shooting in downtown Natick on Sept. 24. Police charged O'Dell with attempted murder, alleging that he shot Robert McMahan, 24, of Worcester.

McMahan was shot in the chest and torso, and recovered from his wounds. O'Dell is being held in Cambridge jail, and also faces charges of assault and battery, and pos-session of a gun without a proper permit. Three other men arrested in connection with the shooting will also appear at the pretrial hearing to I face charges of disturbing the peace. They are Michael K. Smith, 22, of 7 East Evergreen Road, Natick; Jermaine White, 21, of Jamaica Plain; and Nicholas Roy-Oden, 19, of 199 Walnut Framingham.

HOPKINTON Board to approve infrastructure funds The Board of Selectmen is scheduled to meet today at 7 a.m. and sign a $664,000 bond anticipation note that will fund sewer and infrastructure work on West Main Street. Town Meeting has already authorized the short-term borrowing so Hopkinton's Department of Public Works can improve water and sewer infrastructure at the same time that the state widens a stretch of West Main Street "It's part of the town's long-term sewer plan," executive secretary Theodore Kozak said, i FRAMINGHAM Concerns raised about homeless shelter After neighbors complained that homeless shelter residents urinate in public and panhandle, town officials have asked the South Middlesex Opportunity Council to explain at Thursday's Board of Selectmen meeting what measures the agency will take to address local concerns. James Cuddy, the council's executive director, said yesterday he was preparing to answer a series of questions the town raised in an Oct. 12 letter about the homeless shelter on the corner of Irving and Columbia streets, which admits intoxicated people.

"Our position is twofold," Cuddy said. fThe overflow shelter saves lives, and we want a good relationship with the town." Several neighbors complained to selectmen last week about the shelter's impact since it moved a year ago to its current location. They've caused a lot of problems in the neighborhood," said Joe Gilbert, who manages an elderly and handicapped living complex across the street from the shelter. Framingham officials have asked the opportunity council to describe the qualifications of the shelter's staff, parking and community relations procedures, finances, and the agency's future plans for the facility. i College wants to reroute some traffic Framingham State College officials are looking to close the portion of State Street that runs through the center of the campus, spokesman Peter Chisholm said yesterday.

Though it would have to work with the town to reroute traffic from the street, which runs from Route 9 south to Maple Street, the college wants to make the area safer for students and faculty walking on campus, Chisholm said. "Right now a lot of cars race through it and if dangerous at times," he said. Chisholm said some (traffic would be rerouted to Main Street, and he stressed that neighbors would not be adversely affected. LINCOLN Kennedy, Swift praise Hanscom base Acting Governor Jane M. Swift and US Senator Edward M.

Kennedy yesterday lauded Hanscom Air Force Base at a State House news conference, saying the base was vital to the regional economy and the nation's defense. "What they do up there is key to our national security," Kennedy said. "That story is not as well known, even in the Department of Defense, as it should be. We are prepared to make the strongest possible case." Hanscom attracts $4 billion annually in contracts and provides 9,000 jobs. It's the ninth largest business organization in Massachusetts, based on revenues, according to the state.

President Bush earlier this year called for a new round of base closings. The Pentagon said yesterday no decisions are imminent, however. Supporters hope improvements will make the base even harder to close or downsize. (AP) Public library offers a night of fables part of an effort to provide cultural offerings on par with the options available in Boston and Cambridge, the Lincoln public library has organized a night of fables tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. As part of the library's Wednesday Evening Salon Series, translator Craig Hill will discuss the -Well-known fables of French writer La Fontaine, who died three centuries ago.

man Paul Donovan. "We've been on a heightened state of alert across the board and around the world since Sept. 11," Donovan said. Framingham-based Staples Inc. finds itself in the unusual po- sition of fearing the kinds of envelopes it sells at stores across the country.

A Staples spokesman was hesitant to talk much about security. "We're taking all necessary precautions," said Tom Nu-tile. In an e-mail to be sent out today, Framingham State College police officials are instructing everyone on campus to carefully examine their mail. The memo Includes what have become standard warnings: Beware of unusual postmarks, lopsided parcels, heavy letters, no return address, and so on. "You can't play around in this day.

and age," said Peter Chisholm, assistant to the president Even town offices are taking precautions. Starting today, employees of Ikon Office Solutions, who open mail for the Town of Natick in the basement of Town Hall, will do so with surgical gloves. "No, ifs not something I imagined I'd be doing," said Dan Soares, a site representative for the company. "With our current crisis situation in America, it's Grafton station often end up parking on grass and along nearby roads. A large industrial complex is being built on land directly behind the North Grafton station, and the situation will probably get worse before a project to add extra spaces is completed.

A project supervisor from Edwards and Kelcey, the project manager for the three MBTA stations, announced the delay in a letter to the Westborough Board of Selectmen. 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 i 1 1 i 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 tit yellow police tape. DeSimone said authorities told him it was probably just laundry detergent, but nevertheless the event unnerved him. "I'm thinking, I'm sitting on this elevator," he said. At highly visible companies such as Boston Scientific, new security precautions are extending far beyond the mailroom.

After last month's terrorist attacks, the company is trying to maintain a low profile for its employees and its brand, said spokes- We asked that they not open one station this year, one the and one the year after Dexter Blois, Ashland town manager They'll wait for the stations a little longer dico0tond5lobe Directory Globe West Extra, covering the towns of Ashland, Dover, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Lincoln, Natick, Sherborn, Sudbury, and Wayland. next year "I asked for that" Danis said. "Our Board of Selectmen were curious about how the project was proceeding, and I contacted the engineering firm and they faxed over an update." According to the letter from Edwards and Kelcey, the project has been stalled by difficulties in getting necessary workers from the local railroad to help construction at the sites, and trouble relocating utility poles near the Westborough site. 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 i 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Home Delivery TOLL FREE: For delivery by 6 a.m. weekdays 8 a.m.

weekends and holidays (1-888) MY GLOBE (1-888)694-5623 Delivery by US mail (1-617)929-2215 Subscriber Assistance Hours: Mon-Fri 6 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat-Sun 8 a.m.-noon. Our automated voice response system is available 24 hours a day at the phone number above. We can also be reached via our website: www.bostonglobe.comsubscribe. Subscription rates, xeeekly 7-day $5.75 Mon-Sat Sun. $2.50 'Rata may vary try area Questions about your bill 1-888-MYGLOBE Hours: Mon-Fri 6 a.m.-S p.m.

Military, student, and mail subscription rates upon request, e-mail: circulationglobe.com Sunday borne delivery subscriptions include Thanksgiving issue The Boston Globe Store 1 School Street, Boston By phone: (1-617) 367-4000 www.globestore.boston.com Front pages, photographs. Globe gear suesiot wv of The New York Times Company I pTj gional station than the other two as it is, and we worried that if we opened first, everyone coming here would preclude Ashland residents from using the station," Blois said, adding that the town wants to avoid "what's going on in North Grafton." He was referring to a similar commuter rail station on Route 30 in Grafton, not far from the Westborough border. With limited parking at the station, commuters looking for a parking spot at the ri 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ri 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 LOTTERY Monday number 8995 MONDAY PAYOFFS (based on $1 bet) EXACT ORDER All 4 digits $4,722 First or last 3 $661 Any 2 digits $57 Any 1 digit $6 ANY ORDER All 4 digits $393 First 3 digits $220 Last 3 digits $220 MASS MILLIONS Oct 15 111 13 32 3645 (Bonus ball 25) Jackpot: PREVIOUS DRAWINGS Sunday 7450 Saturday 9132 Friday 8039 Thursday 0838 Wednesday 3913 MONDAY NUMBERS AROUND NEW ENGLAND Maine, N.H., Vermont 3-digit 777 4-digit 1817 Rhode Island 3335 Connecticut 3-digit 559 4-digit 6122 News Desks Local NationalForeign Business LivingArts Sports Editorial Page Switchboard (1-617)929-3100 (1-617)929-3125 (1 617)929 (1-617)929-2800 (1-617)929-3235 (1-617)929-3025 (1 617)929 2903 2000 There's always something By Ted Flanagan GLOBE CORRESPONDENT ASHLAND Commuters hoping to use new MBTA stations in Ashland, Westborough, and Southborough this winter will have to wait a few extra months. Deferring to an agreement calling for all three stations to open within 90 days of each other, contractors last week said that the three stations wouldn't open until sometime in the spring. The stations were scheduled to come on-line Dec.

31 and are designed to help improve commuter rail service between the Worcester area and Boston. The announcement came in a letter sent to Westborough's town coordinator, Henry Danis, who had asked for an update at the behest of the town's Board of Selectmen. Although he had not yet received a copy of the letter, Ashland Town Manager Dexter Blois said he welcomed the delay as long as it gives contractors a chance to properly complete the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's $14.2 million, three-station project that has been more than a decade in the making. Ashland's MBTA station is slated to have 680 parking spaces. The town's facility will be larger than either the Westborough station, with 300 parking spaces, or the Southborough station, which will have 370 spaces.

Under an agreement with the state, the stations in all three towns will open within 90 days of each other. "If they can't get it done, I wouldn't be so brash as to say it's no skin off our noses, but one of the things the three towns were insistent upon is that they open all three stations at the same time," Blois said. "We asked that they not open one station this year, one the next year and one the year after that That way, no single town will bear the brunt of the traffic." Blois said Ashland officials also worried that the town's station might become even more of a transportation hub than already planned. "We're going to be more of a re great in store for you. Boston Globe published photographs.

High-quality reproduction of Globe front pages Globe Gear and Boston.com merchandise, and other special girt items. At the comer of Washington and School Street, Downtown Boston 617-367-40O0 www.globestore.boston.com Submit a news tip to: Globewestglobe.com 508-820-4200 Spotlight Team tip line: (1-617)929-7483 The Globe ombudsman: Fornader comments and complaint! By phone: (1-617) 929-3020929-3022 Bye-mail: ombudglobe.com Globe Online On the Internet: http:www.boston.comglobe By e-mail: bosfeedglobe.com By phone: (1-617) 929-7900 Advertising Classified (1-617)929-1500 Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Sat-Sun p.m. Place a classified ad online at: www.bostonglobe.comclassifieds Display Adv. (1-617) 929-2200 Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. PICK YOUR OWN 'MLPLPLLE DAILY 11-5 VISIT OUR FARM STORE OPEN 7 DAYS, 9-6 APPLES CARAMEL APPLES MUMS PEARS CIDER DONUTS PIES vcj CIDER -SQUASH GOURDS Come See 3 UtUe Piggies Other Farm Animals I All A i I lm 1 iff rnTraimrrri 3 flfe 12S to 26 20W to 3 3 ni taarng 1 beyond Sutuy onto Hudson to 33 ff0 notfl onto Sutuy OR (- 2 to 62W no Sto Afmvs wwftfi tor but vons.

978-562-5666 con 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 i 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 I 1 1 1 IIM tl 1 1 1 1 (1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 II I III 1 1 1 1 II II II 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 I ril 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 II 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 I II 1 1 1 1 1 I II 1 1 1 1 i I B2W2.