Three years after a motion to change the name of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples day failed in a split vote, the Hopkinton select board revisited the idea and voted in favor of the change. The board approved the change with a unanimous 5-0 vote at its Oct. 29 meeting. Beginning in 2019, the October holiday will appear as Indigenous Peoples Day in the town’s employee handbook and calendar. It will also appear on signage when the town offices are closed for the holiday.

Lynn Clark, a Hopkinton resident and former director of the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum, said the change is a positive step toward honoring Native Americans. “We’re not going to be solving all of the problems, but it’s a great first step for us to recognize that there were indigenous people here and that they are still here,” she said at the board’s Oct. 15 meeting.