Westborough forms Country Club Building Use Committee Applications available for Corridor 9/495 scholarships

By Maureen Sullivan Assistant Editor

WESTBOROUGH – While the Recreation Department is preparing for the new season at the Westborough Golf Club, a new committee will help determine the future of the club’s building.

During the Select Board’s meeting on Feb. 14, members voted to form the Country Club Building Use Committee. It will consist of seven members – one from the Select Board; one from the Recreation Commission or the recreation director; the town manager or her designee; the club’s golf pro; the Department of Public Works director; a resident who’s an active member of the country club; and two residents who are not active members of the golf club, with a preference for residents who reside full time in town.

The committee’s charge is to recommend whether or not the town should consider significant capital investment in the country club building whether it be renovation or construction. The committee will also identify the expected use of the building considering the needs of the golf course, pro shop and maintenance barn. Specifically, they will address any level of food service desired and consider other recreational uses or community needs that may be addressed by the building.

The committee will make its recommendation by Oct. 1.

The Select Board will appoint its member representative at the Feb. 28 meeting, and the Recreation Commission will need to appoint its representative.

Letters of interest must be received at the Select Board’s office by March 10. Hard copies can be mailed to 34 West Main St., Westborough MA 01581 OR emailed to cdorr@town.westborough.ma.us.

It is anticipated that the Select Board will make the resident appointments at their meeting on March 14, and the work of the committee shall commence forthwith.

“There will be a lot of interest,” said Select Board member Sean Keogh.

A building assessment conducted by the town over the winter found that the country club building needs about $800,000 in repairs. In late January, the Select Board opted to not extend a request for proposals to lease out space for a restaurant.

As a result, the Civic Kitchen & Drink, which had been operating in that space since 2015, shut down.

The pro shop will remain at the building, and it will be open for the season.

Recreation Department requests

Recreation Department Director Jenn Kirkland presented an update on requests the department is making for the upcoming Town Meeting.

Kirkland said that because of the needs assessment, the department decided to hold off on a request for $50,000 for a golf simulator.

A request of $50,000 for a new utility tractor remains on the warrant. The tractor is used to help maintain the golf course. According to Kirkland, the current tractor is about 30 years old, and it has become unreliable.

There is also a request of $10,000 to upgrade the lights at the tennis and basketball courts at Haskell Field.

REGION – The Corridor 9/495 Regional Chamber of Commerce has announced that its 2023 scholarship application is now available.

An applicant must be a 2023 graduating high school student pursuing a business degree or trade certification and residing in one of the core towns of the Corridor 9/495 Regional Chamber of Commerce (Westborough, Northborough, Southborough and Shrewsbury).

Scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, leadership, work and/or internship experience, essay, financial need and appearance of application.

The chamber will award a total of $16,600 in scholarships. Application deadline is Friday, March 3. Applications postmarked after the deadline date or not fully completed when submitted will not be considered.

Completed application must be mailed or delivered to Corridor 9/495 Regional Chamber of Commerce, 30 Lyman St., Suite 6, Westborough MA 01581.

Since the establishment of the scholarship program in 1986, the chamber has awarded more than $407,000 in scholarships. Thanks to the support of the business community, the scholarships are made possible through proceeds from the chamber’s annual School/ Business Partnership Golf Tournament, along with contributions from the Robert J. Lemieux Charitable Trust, individual donation from Leo Casey of B2B CFO, and Howard Grossman of Grossman Development Group of the Lakeway Commons Scholarship fund. The scholarship application is available on the chamber’s website at www.corridornine.org, and copies are available in many of the local high school guidance departments.

Please call the Corridor 9/495 Regional Chamber of Commerce at 508-836-4444 on any questions about the scholarship.

Vote for your favorite businesses in Westborough

WESTBOROUGH – The “Year in Review” Awards Celebration is an annual event, hosted by the Westborough Economic Development Committee, to bring state and municipal officials together with local business leaders to honor Westborough-based companies and highlight the town’s economic accomplishments.

This year’s event will take place on Friday, April 28, from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Forbes Municipal Building, and businesses will be recognized for their impact in 2022.

This year, the EDC is recognizing businesses across six award categories: New Development Project, New Small Business, New Downtown Business, Innovation, Civic Pride and Hall of Fame.

Historically, the EDC has selected award winners internally, but this year the EDC is asking for members of the public to determine the winners of the New Downtown Business, Civic Pride and the Hall of Fame awards.

It asks you to consider the nominees and cast your vote via https://edc.town. westborough.ma.us/edc-annual-year-review-awards/ webforms/2022-year-reviewawards for the business you think should be recognized by March 3.

Please note that nominees were selected by the EDC, and that the board prioritized nominating businesses that have not previously been recognized as part of the “Year in Review” Awards Celebration.