Grafton wins state grant for beach wheelchair at Silver Lake

DATELINE — GRAFTON

Grafton has been named one of six New England communities to receive a 2026 SMILE Mass Floating Beach Wheelchair Grant, which will fund a floating beach wheelchair to improve accessibility at Silver Lake Beach.

TOWN HALL

The floating wheelchair grant, awarded through the SMILE Mass program, is aimed at giving residents and visitors with mobility limitations access to the water at Silver Lake Beach, according to the town's announcement. Town officials did not specify an installation date for the equipment.

Separately, the town confirmed that Pay-As-You-Throw trash bag prices rose effective July 1, an adjustment officials said is intended to fully fund trash operations through user fees rather than taxpayer support.

The town is also recruiting residents for its newly formed Grafton Common Traffic Study Committee, which will develop a strategic plan for traffic changes and improvements at the Common. Residents interested in serving can apply through the town website.

COMMUNITY & ARTS

Grafton Public Library's summer reading program, themed "Plant a Seed — Read!," remains underway for all ages, alongside the Massachusetts Center for the Book's July reading challenge. The library also holds a standing drop-in cribbage session every Friday for residents looking for a casual game.

ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS

"Patch AM: Grafton: Movement in the Park! and 11 more events" — Patch's roundup for Grafton pointed readers toward a Movement in the Park gathering and a dozen other local happenings on this week's community calendar, per Grafton Patch (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/grafton).

"Patch AM: Pay It Forward Card Show and 12 more events" — A separate Patch roundup flagged the Pay It Forward Card Show and the town's upcoming Summer Preview Days among the week's notable local events, according to Grafton Patch (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/grafton).

COMING UP

The Charter Review Committee's Article 6 Subcommittee meets Monday, July 20, followed by its Article 4 Subcommittee on Thursday, July 23. The Select Board and the Trails Committee both meet Tuesday, July 21, the same day Grafton's Summer Preview Days business promotion begins, per the Grafton Patch calendar. The Board of Sewer Commissioners and the School Committee both meet Wednesday, July 22, which is also a Grafton Farmers Market date on the Common. A Grafton Electronics Recycling Event is set for Saturday, July 25, according to the Grafton Patch calendar.