Get Involved attend Town Meeting

Letter to the Editor,

The Uxbridge Spring Town Meeting is scheduled to be held at Valley Chapel Church hall at 14 Hunter Rd. in Uxbridge at 7:00 PM on May 9, 2023. It is vitally important that more town residents attend because the 85-150 voters who do attend make critical decisions that affect all 14,000 residents, and those decisions may not reflect the will of the nearly 10,000 registered Uxbridge voters.

Town Meeting is managed by the Town Moderator, who presents voters with Articles on a Warrant. Some of the Articles have been approved by the Board of Selectmen and can be found on the town website (Uxbridgema.gov); others have been submitted by citizens’ petitions or by heads of town departments. In the Spring Annual Town Meeting, many of the Articles concern how the Town spends its money. Debate on Articles can be lively and informative, ensuring that the democratic process is honored. Voters cast their votes using individual clickers which assures that their votes remain private.

If it helps your situation, volunteers provide babysitting! You can attend all or part of the debates and votes. Get there early to register!

A few key topics for the Spring Town Meeting include authorization for spending on budgets prepared by town departments (schools, DPW, administration, others), water and sewer enterprise funds, capital purchases, tax increment financing agreement for Big Y, expansion of the Town’s Historic District, Rt. 122 reconstruction and a change in the name of the Board of Selectmen to Select Board.

Please get involved and help to guide town government in making decisions that affect all of us and our personal finances!

- Patrick Stephan Uxbridge

Dear Residents of Northbridge,

My name is Michael J. Wilkes. I am a 20-year-old student at Bryant University, majoring in Finance and minoring in Political Science & Law. I am currently serving my second term on the Northbridge Redevelopment Authority. I have had the honor of serving as Vice Chairman of the committee since May of 2022. I also serve on the Northbridge Economic Development Committee.

I am writing you all today to announce my candidacy for the Northbridge Planning Board to hopefully earn your vote in our Town Election on May 16th. As a candidate for the Northbridge Planning Board, I am committed to promoting sound fiscal policies that will support economic

Family Fun Fishing Day May 6th

growth and development in our town. I believe that by streamlining the permit process, we can help local businesses thrive while also protecting our natural resources. I am also committed to working with local businesses to create a more pro-business environment within our Town.

As your representative, I will be dedicated to bring a fresh new perspective and work with community members, local businesses, and residents to move Northbridge forward.

I would like to thank you for your consideration, and I hope to earn your vote!

- Michael J. Wilkes Vice Chairman of The NRDA, Member of The Northbridge Economic Dev. Committee, Bryant Class of 2025

Open Sky Community Services is excited to co-host the 8th Annual Family Fun Fishing Day at Riverbend Farm in Uxbridge along with the Blackstone River National Heritage Corridor Volunteers-in-Parks Program, the Blackstone River Watershed Assn., Mass. Department of Conservation & Recreation, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife.

This year's event will be held on Saturday May 6th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a rain date of May 7th. There will be activities for the whole family, ice cream will be available for purchase from Sweet Wise Ice Cream truck, as well as food, face painting and raffles. All ages and ability levels welcome.

Fishing poles, bait and instruction will be available with pre-registration and participants are welcome to bring their own. This is a catch and release event for everyone from first time fishers to experienced anglers, with prizes for each age group. Adults must accompany children under 12. Registration is now open at thebrwa.org/familyfishing2023. This is a FREE event, but pre-registration is required. Please contact Lori Girard with any questions at 508-234-6232 or lori.girard@openskycs.org.