Grafton Lands Statewide Grant for Beach Wheelchair, Opens Traffic Committee

GRAFTON — Grafton was named one of six New England communities to receive a 2026 SMILE Mass Floating Beach Wheelchair Grant, a piece of accessibility equipment that will be added at Silver Lake Beach, the town announced. The award came as Town Hall also opened applications for two new advisory efforts and confirmed a change already hitting residents' wallets: a higher price for Pay-As-You-Throw trash bags.

TOWN HALL

The SMILE Mass grant will fund a floating beach wheelchair at Silver Lake Beach, intended to make the town's swimming area accessible to residents who use mobility devices, according to the town's announcement.

Town Hall is also recruiting for two efforts at once. The Select Board is looking for residents to fill several vacancies on town boards and committees, and a newly formed Grafton Common Traffic Study Committee is taking applications; that group will be responsible for developing a strategic plan for traffic changes and improvements around the Common. Separately, the town confirmed that Pay-As-You-Throw trash bag prices rose July 1, an adjustment officials said was made to fully fund solid-waste operations through user fees rather than property-tax support.

COMING UP

Two town committee meetings fall within the coming week: the Charter Review Committee's Article 6 Subcommittee meets Monday, July 20, and the Trails Committee meets Tuesday, July 21. Grafton Patch's community calendar also lists the Pay It Forward Card Show on Sunday, July 19, and Summer Preview Days on Tuesday, July 21 (per Grafton Patch, https://patch.com/massachusetts/grafton).