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Westborough sets new tax rate for FY22 Man found dead in pond
By Dan Miller Contributing Writer
WESTBOROUGH - Westborough’s single tax rate will fall slightly for the 2022 fiscal year, dropping from $18.54 to $18.49 per $1,000 in assessed property value according to a presentation by the Town Assessor, Jonathan Steinberg, Nov. 23.
That will still lead to an increase in the average single family tax bill, though, which will rise from $10,003 to $10,328 as property values increase, according to the assessor.
The Select Board opted to move forward with that single tax rate, despite a push from Select Board member Patrick Welch to adopt a split rate.
Select Board member proposes split tax rate
Welch wanted to shift part of the tax burden from homeowners to commercial and industrial properties. He also pressed for changes to reduce taxes for eligible homeowners and small businesses.
The board outvoted Welch 4-1 in all three cases, with other members voicing concerns that now is not the time to add to businesses’ tax burden, especially as businesses emerge from the pandemic.
This debate was part of Westborough’s tax classification hearing for Fiscal Year 2022.
Welch argued in favor of shifting part of the residential levy to businesses by changing the single 1.0 percent rate to a split rate of 1.05.
The average homeowner tax rate in Westborough has gone up in nine of the last 10 years, while the commercial tax rate has dropped in nine of the last 10 years, Welch said.
“That’s just not sustainable for our community,” he said.
Select Board Chair Allen Edinberg countered, saying that Milford had seen commercial property values drop after it adopted a split tax rate.
“You could say it backfired,” he said.
Select Board member Ian Johnson said the single tax rate has helped make Westborough “a favorable destination” for businesses.
Changing the rate sends the wrong message to businesses Westborough seeks to attract, Sean Keogh added.
“There is a cost to being in a town like Westborough and for the services that we ask for and we vote for,” said Shelby Marshall.
She pointed to ways the town can help residents with their taxes without increasing costs on businesses, such as through the town’s Senior/Disabled Taxation Aid Committee which funnels donations to low and fixed-income homeowners.
Split tax rate debate plays out in neighboring towns
The kind of discussion around Welch’s split tax rate proposal as well as the opposition to it has recently played out at other area tax classification hearings in Northborough and Southborough.
Both those communities opted to stick with single tax rates this year, with opponents of a split rate citing many of the same arguments noted in Westborough on Nov. 23.
See additional coverage online at CommunityAdvocate.com.
following multi-agency search
SHREWSBURY - A man was found in an area pond following an extensive search throughout the night of Nov. 24.
According to a Shrewsbury Police Department Facebook post, officers A Department of Fire Services Command Center was received a report deployed and aided in the search for a missing man in at about 9:12 p.m. Shrewsbury last week. that a 30-year-old man had run off into a wooded area near 25 Lebeaux Dr.
The caller told police the man may be in distress.
Shrewsbury officers and firefighters, working with Worcester EMS, the State Fire Marshal’s Office, State Police and Westborough Police began searching for the man, using K-9 units, drones and a helicopter.
“Personnel and assets were deployed for hours into the night, and the victim was unable to be located during the night,” Shrewsbury police wrote.
The search was called off at 2:30 a.m.
At about 9:53 a.m. Nov. 25, officers continued the search and tracked the man to a small pond.
Shrewsbury and Worcester fire department dive teams found the man in the pond.
“The victim was pronounced dead on scene, and was identified as the man who was reported missing,” officers wrote.
Southborough official asks to halt Marlborough Road project
By Susan Gonsalves Contributing Writer SOUTHBOROUGH - Southborough’s Historical Commission chair called upon the Select Board on Nov. 16 to halt plans to relocate the intersection of St. Marks Street and Marlborough Road out of concern for potential disruptions to graves along the margins of the Old Burial Ground in the area, among other issues.
In addition, Michael Weishan questioned what he said was the exclusion of both state and local Historical Commissions, as well as the Planning Board from the process to date.
During discussions, the Select Board decided to form a group to discuss the issue further.
A large portion of this Nov. 16 meeting focused on this project, which is designed to add sidewalks, fix drainage and create a sufficient radius for fire trucks and school buses to turn around.
Creation of a “pocket park” was included as part of a $290,000 Shared Streets grant from the state, Department of Public Works Superintendent Karen Galligan said.
Originally, plans called for a children’s playground in the area and creation of a history walk with paths leading to the Old Burial Ground, library and Town Common.
However, the playground was scrapped for safety reasons and the walk idea was halted because of cost restrictions. The proposal still calls for a spot with curved benches and native plantings.
Old Burial Ground concerns aired
Weishan said cutting of woodland has ruined the windbreak for trees in the Old Burial Ground. He said it elevates the risk of storm damage to historical markers and asked the Select Board to fund a professional tree survey of the Old Burial Ground.
The Commission was initially excited about a proposed history walk, he said. Weishan expressed dismay over its removal from the plans.
“The money shifted over for sidewalks, road improvements and God only knows what else,” he said.
Weishan said the Commission was unaware of what was happening until trees started coming down.
“To say that the Historical Commission endorsed in any way this level of desecration is pretty sacrilegious,” he said.
He described the project as having “no oversight or consideration of relevant boards” that “threatens to unearth human remains” and is disrespectful to the Nipmuc tribe and Native Americans.
Representatives from the Nipmuc tribe should have been consulted, he said.
History possible walk back in plans
Select Board member Andrew Dennington noted that the omission of the playground opened up an opportunity to restore the history walk in the plans.
He also said there should be some sort of memorial or statue to recognize the Native American presence in Southborough. Dennington suggested they slow down the process to create the “best park we can.” He added that the Historical Commission could be a great help to fill out the contents of the walk.
Weishan initially balked at Dennington taking “credit” for the memorial idea. After more discussion, Chair Lisa Braccio said, “It’s not about who did what first. It’s about trying to do the right thing.”
Weishan also raised objections to the current design of the park, saying it made no sense to have a park “in a garden surrounded by stinging insects.”
Freddie Gillespie, chair of the Open Space Preservation Committee, said her group is focused on plantings that are part of an ecological effort to benefit pollinators including butterflies, bumblebees and birds.
She said there would be signs at areas people should avoid if allergic to specific insects.
She said it would be “short sighted,” to disregard hundreds of hours of volunteer work by kids from other towns and the science academy and not include this component in the park.
Weishan and other residents also questioned a reciprocal license agreement between the town and St. Marks School for easements. Acceptance of such easements are supposed to go through Town Meeting and need a twothirds vote to pass, he said.
Several people also questioned the absence of a site plan going before the Planning Board.
Select Board member Sam Stivers said the next step should be to put a group together to get input on how best to use the space. He said the group should be “inclusive of a variety of interests.”
Work at the intersection of St. Marks Road and Marlborough Road in Southborough aims to make a number of improvements. But some in town have raised concerns about how the project has played out.
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COMMUNITY NEWS Northborough adopts $16.49 tax rate for 2022
By Laura Hayes Senior Community Reporter NORTHBOROUGH - The Northborough Board of Selectmen unanimously approved a single tax rate of $16.49 for the 2022 fiscal year during its Nov. 22 meeting.
This rate translates to an average single-family tax of $8,195, representing an increase of $295 from the average bill of $7,900 in the 2021 fiscal year.
In Northborough, 80 percent of the town’s taxes come from real estate taxes, according to Town Administrator John Coderre.
“The strength of our tax base is absolutely critical to our ability to continue to maintain the services that people have come to rely upon,” Coderre said.
The 2022 fiscal year had seen $61.5 million in new growth, including $38.9 million in the industrial sector according to discussions in that Nov. 22 meeting. A bulk
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In upcoming years, Coderre said the town will need to assume new growth figures averaging $30 to $40 million.
There is available land spread throughout town, Coderre said, but Northborough doesn’t have the kinds of large industrial tracts that were available a decade ago.
“We are approaching build out, and so we aren’t going to see much more in the way of industrial development, commercial development,” Coderre said.
There have been eight to nine new single family homes added to Northborough over the last two years, he said.
Town shares list of top taxpayers
Overall, Coderre described Northborough’s tax base as “diversified” and “stable.”
“Through the worst recession in 80 years from 2009 to
The average single family tax bill in Northborough will increase by $295 under a new FY 2022 tax rate adopted by the Board of Selectmen.
PHOTO/DAKOTA ANTELMAN
2010 to the latest pandemic, we continue to see that our tax base is strong,” he said.
Coderre presented a list of the top 15 taxpayers in Northborough. The top payer was RPT Northborough LLC, whose major tenant is Northborough Crossing. Its tax under the 2022 $16.49 tax rate would be just under $1.67 million.
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Single offices short or long term Brownlee had presented three tax rate classification options when she addressed the Board of Selectmen. A dual tax rate and residential and small commercial exemptions were rejected by the selectmen.
“It’s important to understand that none of these three options change the amount of money raised by the town,” Brownlee said before those votes.
Instead of having one single tax rate, that split option would have offered a lower rate for residential properties and a higher rate for the commercial and industrial base.
By shifting five percent of the tax burden, the residential tax rate would have decreased to $16.19, translating to an average tax bill of $8,046 for single family homes.
For commercial and industrial properties, the rate would result in an average tax bill of $29,429 for commercial properties and $75,871 for industrial properties.
According to their presentation, Berlin, Framingham, Marlborough and Worcester were the only area communities with comparable tax rates that had a dual rate.
Under a small commercial exemption, commercial building owners whose property is valued at less that $1 million and who have 10 or fewer employees would receive a tax break, which would be shifted onto commercial properties with over $1 million in property.
“It’s important to note that many business owners lease the spaces where their businesses are,” Brownlee said, though. “Shifting the tax burden to a bigger commercial property could mean that landlords are being highly taxed, and they in turn will probably raise their lease rates.”
Selectmen Leslie Rutan and Kristen Wixted asked about the circumstances under which dual tax rates have been or could be adopted.
“It comes down to what you’re trying to achieve as a community,” said Coderre. “Our long-term strategy for economic development has been able to attract and retain a diverse tax base, which has the effect of subsidizing or balancing out the residential impacts.”
Discussion continues
Nick Orlov, who owns property at 309 Main Street in Northborough, said a dual rate would have a “significantly unfair impact” on commercial property owners.
“It would, in effect, drive down the values of the properties because their operating expenses would increase with the inability to recapture that. In the few properties where they could recapture that, they would then be taxing their tenants at a higher rate,” Orlov said.
The Corridor 9/495 Regional Chamber of Commerce recently wrote a letter voicing its support to continue a single tax classification. That letter was signed by 34 Northborough business owners and residents.
Under Northborough’s single tax classification, Northborough has prospered, leading to new jobs and tax revenue, said Chamber President and CEO Karen Chapman. A dual rate would lead to increased costs for local businesses, she said.
“Due to the pandemic, business owners are under unprecedented stress, and the last thing that they need in this situation is an increased expenses in business,” Chapman said.
She noted the work of local businesses, ranging from scholarships to sponsoring events like Applefest.
Northborough residents also weighed in on a dual rate.
“I don’t believe that we’re ever really going to change into a dual tax rate, but I am going to say that I feel that we talk about fair and equitable, and really, do we hear anybody representing the resident,” said resident Lisa Maselli.
Southborough adopts single tax rate of $16.28
By Susan Gonsalves Contributing Writer SOUTHBOROUGH - The average residential tax bill in Southborough will rise by $523, equivalent to 4.89 percent, following a vote by the Select Board last month.
Principal Assessor Paul Cibelli walked board members through a presentation Nov. 16 recommending a single tax rate for the 2022 fiscal year of $16.28 per $1,000 in assessed property value. That rate is a 0.43 percent increase over last year’s amount, $16.21.
It does not include Southborough’s Community Preservation Act surcharge — averaging $96.05 for a single-family home. money from the American Rescue Plan Act should be used to decrease the impact on taxpayers. That plan would reduce the residents’ tax bill increase to around 4 percent.
“The optics of a tax increase is not very attractive,” Stivers said.
He also referred to a study that he said showed communities with split tax rates don’t necessarily discourage businesses from locating within their boundaries. Stivers said he would like to keep the idea of a split rate “on the table” for the future.
Select Board member Andrew Dennington said although he is interested in Stivers’ data, it is a “uniquely bad time” to consider whether to change to a split rate.
“To change a longstanding policy without warning wouldn’t be the right approach,” he said.
Chair Lisa Braccio noted that the communities with split rates are typically larger, like Framingham. They also often offer sewer, she said, something Southborough does not.
In addition, she said businesses, both large and small, are all hurting still as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
No members of the public elected to participate in the discussion, so the Select Board voted unanimously for the $16.28 rate, although Stivers said he did so “reluctantly.”
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Assessor details tax rate, total valuation
The figures are higher than what was projected last spring at Town Meeting, but lower than what was stated at last month’s Special Town Meeting.
Commercial, industrial and personal property owners will see an average $279 increase on their bills, translating to a 0.55 percent increase.
Cibelli said the town’s total valuation increased by $103.53 million to $2.856 billion for fiscal year 2022.
Cibelli noted that the tax increase was partially due to new growth being down by about 20 percent. Other factors for the valuation increase include a rising residential market and declining commercial and industrial markets, he said.
The assessor explained that, although Southborough’s CIP (commercial, industrial and personal property) comprises 5.63 percent of the town’s taxable parcels, it generates 18.81 percent of the total tax revenue.
He pointed out that local businesses are typically also contributors to town events, athletics and recreation programs.
The Board of Assessors recommended keeping a single tax rate, with Cibelli noting that most communities with split rates are located along route 128 and in southeastern Massachusetts.
Select Board discusses increase
Select Board member Sam Stivers, acknowledging that he didn’t have support for his stance, said he thought federal
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Westborough asks EG America to contribute to traffic improvements during expansion project
Shrewsbury holds Turkey Trot for the Memory
The Cumberland Farms facility at 165 Flanders Road now acts as the US Headquarters for the EG Group.
By Laura Hayes Senior Community Reporter WESTBOROUGH - The Westborough Planning Board is hoping EG America will consider contributing to traffic improvement efforts at the intersection of Flanders Road and East Main Street as EG looks to add upwards of 95 parking spaces to its nearby headquarters.
Plans to expand the parking lot of the Cumberland Farms/ EG Group facility at 165 Flanders Rd. went before the Westborough Planning Board on Nov. 16.
The Planning Board requires a site plan approval any time a project adds six or more parking spaces, according to Town Planner Jim Robbins.
The EG Group acquired Cumberland Farms in 2019 and now uses its sprawling Westborough facility as its United States headquarters.
“Due to increased staffing as a result of the Euro Garage acquisition as well as a return to the office place as we hopefully emerge from the COVID-19 pan-
PHOTO/JESSE KUCEWICZ
demic, there’s been a need for additional parking at that facility for a little while,” said Bohler Engineering’s Lucien DiStefano in a presentation on the parking lot expansion proposal.
DiStefano told the Planning Board that he wanted to check the exact number of parking spaces, saying they lost one parking spot.
“Worst case, it’s 96 new spots, and the best case, it’s 97,” DiStefano said.
Traffic mitigation
There have been employees added since the acquisition. But DiStefano said the change hadn’t been significant.
Instead, he said, scheduling conflicts are causing problems as some shifts end and others start.
“Based on some of the new employees and the fact that there is a return to the office, they’re finding some daytime hours and even some early evening hours where they need the overflow parking,” DiStefano said.
Drivers are parking along the road into the site during some particularly busy hours, DiStefano said.
Planning Board Chair Mark Silverberg asked if the board should ask for traffic improvements in the area, specifically at Flanders Road and East Main Street. Analysis has shown the intersection is failing, he said.
“That residential road is already overtaxed, and any additional traffic on that road, I think, merits some consideration by this board,” Silverberg said.
Silverberg said the town is short on the funds needed for a light. So, he asked DiStefano if EG would be interested in a “minor contribution” to a solution.
DiStefano said he would have to run it by EG.
“I think the added traffic that’s going to be generated by an additional 97-spot parking lot is minimal and it doesn’t really have an impact on Flanders Road or the surrounding roadway system,” DiStefano said.
Runners cross the starting line of this year’s Turkey Trot for the Memory in Shrewsbury.
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SHREWSBURY - More than 1,900 runners turned out, Nov. 25, for the return of Shrewsbury’s Turkey Trot for the Memory road race. This was the 10th running of the race, kicking off once again after the disruption of COVID-19 a year ago. “It is very exciting and humbling [to be back],” event organizer and founder Jane Lizotte told the Community Advocate. More than $40,000 raised through this year’s Turkey Trot will go to the Alzheimer’s Association. That cause is personal for Lizotte, whose father, Francis P. O’Connor passed away due to Alzheimer’s in 2007. The same cause hit close to home for singer/songwriter and music therapist Cara Brindisi, who performed a pair Professional Staff Certified Technicians Send Us Your EST : Precisionautobody@live.com
This year’s Turkey Trot for the Memory raised more than $40,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association. of songs before the opening horn of this year’s Turkey Trot. Brindisi grew up in Shrewsbury and comforted her grandfather by playing music for him in the final years of his life before he passed away due to Alzheimer’s. “Have a great Turkey Trot,” Brindisi told the crowd as she capped her performance this Thanksgiving. Lizotte grew up with a familiar tradition of physical activity on Thanksgiving morning, as her father would encourage family members to get out and get fresh air before afternoon and evening gatherings. What became the Turkey Trot began as a small tradition among friends seeking that kind of Thanksgiving physical activity. In time, that group grew and began major fundraising efforts. More than a decade later, Lizotte said, she’s grateful to the community of runners, fellow organizers and neighbors who have turned out over the years. “It’s incredibly inspiring,” she said.
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Southborough Select Board continues to debate hiring fifth dispatcher
By Susan Gonsalves Contributing Writer
SOUTHBOROUGH - A majority of Southborough Select Board members are not comfortable hiring a fifth full-time dispatcher mid-year as requested by Police Chief Kenneth Paulhus.
Paulhus returned before the board on Nov. 16 after having presented members with written schedule sheets showing the amount of overtime spent under the current staffing circumstances. A fifth dispatcher would be the minimum required in order to fill shifts seven days a week, he said.
The chief said it would cost roughly $18,000 to bring on a new full-time dispatcher for the rest of the year. He emphasized that it takes 400-500 hours of training to get the person certified and ready to perform the job solo. The process takes at least a couple of months, he said.
Paulhus said that the practice of using part-time workers to fill in these gaps is no longer working. One reason is that he is unable to find parttimers willing to go through the training and take on up to 40 or 50 hours of work per week.
“The whole employment market has changed in the last year and a half,” Paulhus said. “It’s tough.”
Select Board member Martin Healey said that he is uncomfortable making an exception and hiring someone midyear. He said that, although public safety is a “heightened concern” for a municipality, it is not the only concern.
When asked what would happen if he didn’t get a fifth dispatcher, Paulhus said the situation is at a point where regular police officers and firefighters would be taken off their regular jobs to cover EMT dispatching. He added that such a scenario would cause problems with unions.
Select Board member Sam Stivers said that he was “on the other side of uncomfortable.”
He said he would have preferred hearing about this situation before the budget process began. But he added that he supports the request. Stivers advised Paulhus to try to find other ways to fund the requested position, including using contributions from the fire department.
Select Board member Chelsea Malinowski suggested hiring a temporary employee and then having Town Meeting vote on the matter next spring.
Healey supported that idea, saying the town’s finances are tight and that “the budget is not going to be pretty.”
He also said voting on such a proposal midyear would send a bad message to himself and others.
“It sends a message that I can’t be disciplined and also sends a bad message to other town departments and the taxpayers,” Healey said. “They want us to be disciplined about this stuff.”
If Town Meeting were to approve the position next spring, he said, “We have to live with it…but to have it embedded midyear, I’m not willing to go there.”
Paulhus previously discussed this matter with the Select Board on Nov. 3.
He faced questions at that meeting, though, over the timing of his request, just two days after Southborough held its Special Town Meeting on Nov. 1.
“The timing is less than ideal,” Healey said at the time.
All this does also take place as Southborough considers regionalizing its dispatch services with a number of neighboring communities. Town officials and an outside consultant kicked off a study of that regionalization proposal in October.
Paulhus noted on Nov. 3, though, that any regionalized system will take at least two years to set up, not resolving what he described as an “emergency” staffing situation.
In the meantime, Braccio noted on Nov. 16 that she would be sitting in with dispatchers to gain perspective about operations. Paulhus invited other board members to also visit and gain a firsthand look.
The issue was scheduled to be discussed again at the Select Board’s next meeting.
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Westborough discusses using ARPA funding for Otis St./Rt. 9 safety upgrade
By Dan Miller Contributing Writer WESTBOROUGH - New funding made available by the recent passage of federal infrastructure legislation could help pay for proposed safety improvements at the intersection of Otis Street and Route 9 in Westborough, according to discussion during the Select Board’s Nov. 23 meeting.
Massachusetts is expected to receive up to $13 billion in funds for infrastructure improvements as a result of the legislation, according to preliminary estimates presented to the board by state Sen. Michael Moore.
Westborough to join new senate district
Moore was at the Nov. 23 meeting primarily to introduce himself to the board, as Westborough will soon become part of Moore’s state senate district. The change is a result of redistricting following the 2020 census.
Westborough is currently part of Sen. Jamie Eldridge’s Middlesex and Worcester district. Come January the town will be part of Moore’s new state senate district, which Moore told the board will also include Auburn, Millbury, Grafton, Shrewsbury and up to about 40 percent of Worcester.
‘It’s a really unsafe intersection’
Moore said the federal infrastructure legislation is expected to pump up to $9 billion into Massachusetts, with up to another $4 billion coming in for “separate programming.”
Moore said it’s not yet known what restrictions would be in place on the money, but he encouraged the Select Board to put together a list of infrastructure projects that need to be addressed in Westborough.
The most pressing need, according to Select Board member Ian Johnson, is safety improvements at the Otis Street and Route 9 intersection.
“That intersection is one that we have numerous accidents there,” Johnson said, noting the large Arrive apartment complex that overlooks the intersection. “We would love to give [residents] safe access to the other side of Route 9.”
“Now we have them crossing where there is no crosswalk,” he continued. “It’s really an unsafe intersection.”
Moore asked if the town has a project cost estimate, to which Johnson responded “a lot.”
Board Chair Allen Edinberg noted that one option could involve installing a median wide enough to protect pedestrians who cannot cross the street in one light cycle.
Edinberg added that the discussed improvements aren’t just important for the apartment complex residents and those using roads feeding into the intersection. They’re also important to support continued commercial and industrial growth impacting the intersection, he said.
He specifically mentioned the recently opened Amazon Robotics facility at the old As-
Select Board Member Ian Johnson recently described the intersection of Otis Street and Route 9 as “unsafe.”
PHOTO/DAKOTA ANTELMAN traZeneca property in town. That facility now has up to 250 full-time jobs and is projected to add roughly 150 more such positions, Edinberg told Moore.
ARPA discussions proceed in neighboring communities
ARPA discussions continue outside of Westborough as local leaders weigh their options amid some continuing uncertainty about this federal funding.
Shrewsbury selectmen broke down their options in a meeting last week.
Hudson’s Executive Assistant, meanwhile, listed specific ARPA priorities in a Select Board meeting more than a month ago on Nov. 1.
That list included funding bridge repairs, a planned wastewater treatment plant upgrade and office space for a set of new Health Department hires.
Before either of those discussions, Southborough hired a consultant to guide its planning and utilization of ARPA funds.
Developers pitch zoning bylaw changes to Northborough Planning Board
By Laura Hayes Senior Community Reporter NORTHBOROUGH - Developers who want to build homes at 75 Ridge Road recently laid out proposed changes to Northborough’s zoning bylaws to help make their proposed project possible.
The site spans roughly four acres and developer Damon Amato said there’s a large cleanup that needs to occur on the property.
Developers outline plan
The developers raised the idea of a zoning overlay district back in July. At the time, they discussed various plans for the site, including creating a public dock.
In talking with town staff, Amato said he and his team learned that Northborough has a bylaw for open spaceresidential design (OSRD). They had utilized such bylaws previously in other communities, Amato said.
According to Northborough’s bylaw, the purpose of OSRD is to protect open space while also encouraging “creative” and “environmentally sensitive design” as a preferred form of residential design that consumes less open space while respecting the existing topography of a property.
While OSRD has been a part of Northborough’s bylaws, Amato said no one has used it.
“I guess we would be the first,” Amato said. “It’s something we know a lot about, and we think would fit great on this site.”
This site on Ridge Road, however, is in Northborough’s Residential C zoning district. The OSRD bylaw only applies to the Residential A and B districts. So, developers want the Residential C zoning district to be added to the overlay.
The developers presented potential additions to the bylaw, Nov. 16, to include Residential C.
“What we’re trying to accomplish with that is not only for this site, but for the rest of the town [and] give the Planning Board a lot more options to be able to approve sites that otherwise wouldn’t have the ability to be done,” Amato said.
Under these changes, the developer would be able to fit as many as eight homes on their site. They’ve reduced that number to five, however.
With five homes, all future residents would have “decent” yard space, Amato said.
Town engineer weighs in
Town Engineer Fred Litchfield said town staff weighed in on modifying the developers’ equation in their proposed bylaw changes.
The minimum lot area in Residential C is 20,000 square feet compared to 80,000 in Residential A, which Litchfield said was a pretty significant reduction in size.
He said the original OSRD bylaw was intended to get a maximum amount of open space, particularly in larger lots in the northern part of Northborough.
“As they both have stated, it’s never been utilized,” Litchfield said, though. “So, clearly something needs to be done to entice people to take action with that, but still not overdevelop.”
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Shrewsbury selectmen approve plan for ARPA funds
By Laura Hayes Senior Community Reporter SHREWSBURY - Shrewsbury plans to use a portion of the funds it is receiving through the American Rescue Plan Act on mental health services.
Town Manager Kevin Mizikar presented phase one of a list of projects to be funded during a Nov. 23 Board of Selectmen meeting. The list was unanimously approved.
Proposal would support SYFS initiatives
Mizikar proposed a fouryear commitment to increase the capacity at Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services (SYFS) to overcome the “extreme increase” in mental health challenges and requests for services at SYFS.
That investment would total $606,000 and help SYFS hire three additional mental health clinicians to provide services to Shrewsbury residents.
Selectman Beth Casavant said she was “really glad” to see the commitment to SYFS. She asked what it would look like beyond the four years if the town wanted to maintain the three clinicians.
“I can’t imagine that we’re going to have less people who need mental health services,” Casavant sait. “I would think it’s either going to be steady or rise.”
Mizikar said $202,000 is required annually for those support services.
“This will provide us with a long onramp to consider and allocate ongoing resources through the budget process,” he said.
The town is proposing spending $5,000 on collaboration between the Shrewsbury Public Schools, the Central MA Regional Public Health Alliance and SYFS for mental health programming, support and education throughout the school district.
“Mental health is just an issue now that seems to just permeate every discussion about our society,” Selectman Maurice DePalo said. “So, I’m glad that we were able to do that.”
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Shrewsbury plans other uses for ARPA money
Shrewsbury was allocated a total of $11.5 million under APRA’s Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund. So far, Shrewsbury has received just under $5.8 million. Mizikar’s recommended first phase of expenditures would total $4,749,680 on public health, revenue loss and infrastructure. Staff at Worcester’s Department of Public Health serves as Shrewsbury’s public health agents. So, $114,000 would support additional resources through Shrewsbury’s intermunicipal agreement with Worcester.
Additional costs include everything from funds for town and school testing programs to a small business COVID-19 recovery grant program and a document digitization effort.
Shrewsbury also wants to
Shrewsbury create a communication stratYouth and Family egy. This would emphasize Services is communication with nonlocated on Maple Ave. A portion of Shrewsbury’s federal funds will help SYFS hire homeowner residents, such as people who live in apartments, and their landlords. “We don’t have good inthree additional sight into the needs of those mental health residents,” Mizikar said. “Ofclinicians. tentimes, but not always, those residents are of lower income and were more significantly and disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.” The town is additionally planning to use $2.2 million to replace the Clinton Street water main, which Mizikar said is high on the list of improvements required in upcoming years. “I like what you’re proposing,” DePalo said after the public health portion of Mizikar’s presentation. “I think we could all make an argument for almost every one of them that more money could be used, but I think that this is a good place to start.”
Shrewsbury eighth graders may no longer be admitted to Assabet Vocational High School, Superintendent says
Assabet | from page 1 regional technical high school district.
According to Sawyer, a new state policy is requiring vocational technical high schools to change their admission processes to prevent them from being selective in who they admit.
“There’s sort of a minimum standard that a student [is] progressing to the next grade, and they don’t have any really significant behavior, disciplinary history over the past year,” Sawyer said.
He said the policy states a school must give preference to students from their member communities before they enroll outside students.
Assabet’s district includes Berlin, Hudson, Marlborough, Maynard, Northborough, Southborough and Westborough, according to its website.
Shrewsbury sent its students on a tuition basis.
According to a presentation to the School Committee earlier this month, there were 96 Shrewsbury students enrolled in a vocational technical high school in 2021. Sawyer said there are typically 30-35 Shrewsbury students joining the Assabet school community in a given year. This year Shrewsbury had 15 students enroll.
‘A complete loss’
Sawyer said the change leads to policy questions for the Shrewsbury Public Schools. It will also likely lead to increased enrollment at Shrewsbury High School.
Although not at the same level as Assabet, Sawyer said students who still want some of the educational opportunities provided at vocational schools will be able to participate in hands-on programs like Project Lead the Way.
Selectman Beth Casavant, whose child graduated from Assabet last year, said she couldn’t imagine where Shrewsbury would start in replicating Assabet’s program.
“That program, in and of itself, is masterful in taking kids for whom a traditional high school educational program that we offer at Shrewsbury High School is not the correct fit,” Casavant said.
These students need the balance of academics and hands-on setting, focusing on the basis of a career, she said.
“I just think that it’s a complete loss for the current eighth-graders to know that avenue of a high school education [is gone],” Casavant said. “And if it was my child and I heard this, I would be just devastated, just knowing the value of that education at Assabet and knowing that Shrewsbury did tuition and paid that tuition for my child to have that experience.”
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