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COMMUNITY NEWS Westborough seeks members for Master Plan Implementation Committee

WESTBOROUGH - Westborough is seeking members for its Master Plan Implementation Committee.

Finalized last year, the 2021 Master Plan set out a series of goals and objectives to steer the town in the coming years.

The Master Plan Implementation Committee is, in turn, charged with “keeping the town enthusiastic and engaged in its 2021 Master Plan,” as noted in a press release last week.

The committee will be tasked with advancing the plan’s vision and goals, working with town departments, boards, committees and organizations to that end.

The committee will also be charged with tracking and reporting progress to the Select Board, the Planning Board and the community at large, as well as monitoring progress for improvement opportunities.

It is anticipated that the committee will meet twice per month for the first quarter and then evaluate its meeting schedule going forward.

Residents who want to be involved are asked to send a letter of interest to the office of the Planning Board at 45 West Main St., Westborough by Wednesday, Aug. 17.

Those interested should include a brief statement explaining why they are interested in the town’s Master Plan and why the town should choose them. Applicants should also identify an area of interest related to the Master Plan.

Letters can also be sent by email to planning@town. westborough.ma.us.

WRTA weighs extending bus route to Shrewsbury’s Edgemere Crossing

WRTA | from page 1 Worcester/Shrewsbury border along Route 20.

These proposed changes come after a National Community Survey administered to Shrewsbury residents earlier this year identified mobility as an area for growth.

According to the results, only 10% of surveyed residents had used public transportation instead of driving in the past year. Just 22% gave the ease of traveling by public transportation “good” or “excellent” ratings.

“I thought for the most part, particularly in areas where we might have scored lower, that the public was probably right on, especially in the mobility area,” Board of Selectmen Chair Moe DePalo said when the results were presented on May 24.

DePalo described public transportation in the area as “not great.”

“I think it’s interesting because it may be signaling an opportunity for us to provide a new service or think about partnering with the WRTA more than we have in the past,” Town Manager Kevin Mizikar later told the Community Advocate of possible responses to this data.

These proposed changes will not be final until the WRTA Advisory Board votes on them on July 21.

The WRTA already has some service within Shrewsbury, with a route stretching past the municipal campus on Maple Avenue into the Town Center.

See information on all of the proposed WRTA changes and learn more at https:// www.therta.com/.

A proposal from the WRTA would bring bus service to Shrewsbury’s new Edgemere Crossing development.

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Rep. McGovern touts recent donation to Grafton Food Bank

By Laura Hayes Senior Reporter GRAFTON - Rep. Jim McGovern joined local and agricultural leaders last Wednesday to highlight the recent donation of a refrigerator to the Grafton Food Bank.

“I appreciate the food bank for all that you do in this community,” McGovern said.

With the food bank being 100% volunteer run, Board of Directors President Jessica Melo said streamlining their process is “essential.”

The food bank recently got a boost in that effort, receiving a new fridge from the Dairy Farmers of America (DFA).

“Having a larger refrigerator reduces the amount of purchases and trips we need to make to restock in between our distributions,” Melo said. “The timing of this donation truly could not have worked out more perfectly.”

Food Bank sees increase in need

The Grafton Food Bank is located on the second floor of the Grafton Municipal Center. This has been the food bank’s home since the mid-1990s.

Demand has increased in recent years, however, particularly spiking during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Melo.

Before the pandemic, there were about 100 families registered to use the food bank. That number swelled to 200 during the height of the crisis. Now, the volunteers estimate that there are about 130 families who come to the food bank every month.

Food insecurity and hunger, McGovern said, doesn’t fall into a “nice neat category.”

“Some of them are jobless [and] some of them are working — a lot of them are working,” McGovern said of people utilizing the food bank. “Some of them are young. Some of them are old and everything in between.”

He continued, “I think it’s really important that a facility like this exists to make sure that people are treated with respect and dignity and they have access to really good, nutritious food.”

Sarah and Randy Jordan (left) present a check to Grafton Food Bank’s Jessica Melo, Rachel Costello and Paula Quartulli during Congressman Jim McGovern’s visit.

PHOTO/LAURA HAYES

National organization spearheads donation

DFA Director of Industry and Community Affairs Stephanie Walsh called McGovern a “champion for hunger” in comments last Wednesday.

The DFA is a national milk marketing cooperative based in Kansas City, Kansas.

At the start of the pandemic, one of the DFA’s farmers made a donation to start the organization’s Farmers Feeding Families Fund, according to Walsh.

“[It was] specifically for funding for food banks to be able to pivot and serve dairy products during the pandemic,” Walsh said.

The fund has since raised and donated funds and refrigeration equipment to over 600 communities across the country.

Walsh said the nonprofit New England Dairy connected the DFA to the Worcester County Food Bank, which in turn identified the need at the Grafton Food Bank.

This new refrigerator is more than twice the size of the food bank’s old refrigerator, which was also donated, Melo said.

Having this larger refrigerator has allowed the food bank to stock more perishables and dairy products while adding additional options for customers, Melo said.

McGovern said he appreciated the generosity of the dairy farmers, including local farmers, who made this donation possible.

“Dairy farmers are doing this all across the country, and we’re really grateful,” McGovern said.

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Juniper Hill Golf Course is the perfect setting for the very social sport of golf

By Kathryn Acciari Contributing Writer

NORTHBOROUGH - Four generations of golf professionals have served the area community from the picturesque grounds of Juniper Hill Golf Course in Northborough.

Third generation, Dudley Darling has a vision to continue the tradition.

Juniper Hill celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2021, and Darling’s son Matthew recently joined the management team following his career as a lawyer in California.

In addition to multiple generations managing the golf course, Darling is seeing multiple generations of customers playing on the course.

“Golf is one of the few sports that grandparents can play with their grandchildren,” he said. “We have people come to play whose fathers brought them, and now they are bringing their kids and grandkids.”

Darling’s grandfather (who built the first 18 holes of the now 36-hole golf course) described Juniper Hill long ago as a golf factory.

“We teach people to play,” he said. “Some stay with us, and others move on to a country club.”

“A cross-section of golfers come here to play,” Darling continued, “from tradesmen and women to executives. It’s still predominantly a male sport, but we like seeing that more and more women are getting interested in golf.”

Golf is a rare sport in which participants can play while also being social. But Darling has seen some golfers take their game too seriously.

“Many life lessons can be learned through the game of golf, particularly integrity,” he said. “You can have a good game and not keep score, but you are also supposed to call penalties against yourself.”

In the spirit of giving back, Juniper Hill is well-known for hosting charitable events. A recent Stephen Jones Memorial Tournament, which raised money to buy beds for children, brought over 120 players to Juniper Hill.

For the sixth year, the course will also host Golf Fights Cancer in August, which is a marathon golf fundraiser in which participants of all levels of ability play 100 holes of golf to raise funds to fight cancer and raise cancer awareness.

With summer’s arrival, the Golf Teaching Center at Juniper Hill offers its golf camps for kids.

“We introduce kids to the game and watch the kids grow up right here,” Darling said. “It’s cool to see that this may become their home course.”

Ultimately, Darling said that he likes to see people of all ages enjoying themselves at Juniper Hill. People come out from dawn to dusk to play.

“We want people to have fun,” he said. “I always say to golfers, ‘Thank you for coming out today and have fun today.’”

Learn more about Juniper Hill Golf Course at http://juniperhillgc.com or call 508393-2444. Business Profiles are advertising features designed to provide information and background about Community Advocate advertisers.

Juniper Hill General Manager Dudley Darling poses for a photo with Assistant General Manager Matt Darling.

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E.W. Gemme & Sons Co. boasts four generations of home improvement experience

GRAFTON - For over 100 years, the Gemme family has provided its customers with superior painting and decorator services. Now known as E.W. Gemme & Sons Co Inc., (since its incorporation in 1980), the company, based in Grafton, provides painting as well as various contracting services for exterior and interior spaces for residential and commercial properties in the region and beyond.

The company was started by Paul Gemme in Worcester in 1907, focusing on interior and exterior painting. They also provided marbling, wall tapestry, natural wood finishes and gold leafing. Over the years, other family members joined the company as well, as it continued to expand its services. Roger became president in 1980 when the business was incorporated. His brother Maurice (Mo) still works in the company.

“He does amazing work,” Roger said. “He can match any wood stain and is very experienced in gold leafing.”

Rene Gemme took over as president in 2021, and Roger retired but still helps out with errands. Jason Gemme, Mo’s son, is now lead foreman and has been for several years. He is the ultimate professional in all phases of prep work and painting. As such, the men promise that the company will continue to offer the quality of workmanship that generations have come to depend on.

The company’s legacy of top-notch work continues to this day. Other companies might be less expensive, they noted, but Gemme offers extensive experience with all sorts of jobs, residential or commercial. Many times customers come to Gemme after finding another company did not or could not offer them the level of service they desired.

Gemme still does interior and exterior painting but also offers a number of other contracting services such as wall and ceiling repairs, exterior power washing, replacing rotten wood, surface prep, window replacement and more. (See their website for a complete list https:// www.ewgemmeandsons. com/painting-n-decoratingservices.)

When the crew is onsite, “We are always courteous and professional,” Rene said. “Many times they don’t even know that we are there. And we always leave behind an immaculately clean work site.”

A testimony to their work is the number of repeat customers who ask the company to work on additional projects after their first one is complete.

“We’ve done second homes down on the Cape, because people know the quality of our work,” Rene said.

“If you are spending a lot on a beautiful, expensive home, you don’t want to skimp on it,” Roger added.

Many of their customers have been referred to them by other customers who have appreciated their excellent work, Rene said.

And although they have decades of experience, the Gemmes note that they are always striving to stay up to date on industry trends and practices and continuously improve their work for their customers.

The company is fully insured and they guarantee every job.

The company still has openings for the winter months; Roger noted that they give discounts on every job. They are now booking jobs for the summer months.

To get a quote or more information call 508- 839-4775 (Grafton) or 508- 757-5239 (Worcester) email gempntg@ hotmail.com or visit www. ewgemmeandsons.com.

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Quick Removal Service values dependability and pride of workmanship

Quick Removal Service is a family-owned business serving clients across the region.

By Kathryn Acciari Contributing Writer MAYNARD - John Maciel describes his clean-out company, Quick Removal Service, as a “family-run, honest business that takes pride in its work.”

Quick Removal Service helps a variety of different types of customers on any given day. Most of their work comes from residential clean-outs and apartment complexes, including clean-outs after real estate closings. On the commercial side, they get calls for cleaning out office buildings and banks when they move locations. Assisted living facilities have also begun to make use of the company’s services.

“One thing that sets us apart is that we care about cleaning up after we do a clean-out,” Maciel said. “It’s like night and day, leaving a work site neat and clean.”

Family is a core value of Quick Removal Service. Maciel’s wife Sandy helps with the phone, and his daughter does the books. His sister-in-law Joan helps with clean-outs. One grandson handles social media. And a second grandson, Brandon, is being trained to take over the business in about five years. He already has growth and creating jobs in mind for the company.

“The more business we get, the more people we can hire,” Maciel said.

Maciel believes in giving and strives to donate a good portion of the items picked up during clean-out jobs. He sends dozens of used air conditioners to families in Haiti each month and donates furniture and medical equipment to local senior centers.

“I like to see these items go to people in need rather than have them go into a landfill,” Maciel said.

Quick Removal Service takes on a long list of jobs. In addition to clean-outs, the company does demolition work, from shed and barn demolition to pools and RV removal. They even remove large objects such as pianos from people’s houses.

The growing fleet at Quick Removal Service is memorable: Big black trucks with red, black, and white lettering depict the company’s slogan — “You call John. It will be gone.”

“I get calls where people ask, ‘Is this John-Be-Gone?’” Maciel said with a laugh.

Maciel screens all of the phone calls that come in. He takes pride in the level of professionalism of his crew. The company is bonded, insured, and carries workers compensation.

“We’re dependable and reasonably priced,” Maciel said. “We are prompt, and we answer the phone. We really care about all of our customers.”

Quick Removal Service is a Better Business Bureau accredited business with a 5-star rating and offers a discount to senior citizens. Learn more at quickremovalservice.com or call 1-978-897-JUNK for a quote.

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