The Road from Providence to Worcester BUDgET___________

A 1795 Historic Journey

Who lived along the Great Road between Worcester and Providence in 1795? What points of interest were mapped in the 1790s that we can still find today? Join Cortney Keegan at the Uxbridge Quaker Meetinghouse on Sunday, September 10 at 2 P.M. to explore some of the fascinating history that she has discovered as a result of her of interest in answering these questions and more.

Cortney Keegan, a longtime resident of Uxbridge, came across a 1795 map at the Uxbridge Public Library 15 years ago. The plan listed every resident at every mile along the old route from the Providence Court House to the Worcester Court House, a distance of “40 1/2 miles and 48 rods”. The surveyor who created the document was Frederick Taft.

Taft was born in 1759 in Uxbridge. He served in the Revolutionary War, then married Abigail Wood of Upton in 1782. They had at least ten surviving children between 1787 and 1806. Frederick lived a modest life, applying for a pension based on his military service in1832 at the age of 73. He died in 1846 at 87 years old. His destitute wife applied for a widow’s War Pension shortly after his death. continued from page one

Despite his humble existence, Frederick Taft left an important historical document as his legacy. His meticulous 1795 survey provides a wealth of information about the time and place in which he lived. The Uxbridge Quaker Meetinghouse is on his plan, along with a number of Uxbridge residents and landmarks. On September 10, Cortney Keegan will present an overview of her research as she attempts to recreate the old Great Road and bring to life the families who lived along its route.

The budget also provides for $504.6 million in Special Education Circuit Breaker reimbursements, as well as $15 million in Rural School Assistance Grants.

Representative Soter said cities and towns will also benefit from an increase in the amount of grants the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) can provide to municipalities to assist with school building construction and renovation projects. For Fiscal Year 2024, the cap will increase from $800 million to $1.2 billion. Another $100 million has been set aside in supplemental grants for school construction projects previously approved by the MSBA to help offset rising construction costs.

During the initial House budget debate, Representative Soter successfully advocated for the inclusion of several local initiatives for his district, including:

• $15,000 – Bellingham Public Library

Electronic Sign

• $50,000 – Bellingham Town

Common Playground Equipment

• $15,000 – Blackstone Town Hall Public Safety Upgrades

• $15,000 – Millville Fire

Hydrant Repair/Replacement

• $15,000 – Uxbridge Youth Soccer League

Field Design

• $20,000 – Uxbridge Youth Sport and Public Park Infrastructure Projects

• $25,000 – Medway Community Farm, Inc.

• $200,000 – Medway Public Schools

Mental Health Programs

• $20,000 – Medway Paramedic Pedal Program

Those projects were retained in the final confer- ence committee report and will be authorized for funding as soon as Gov. Healey signs the budget.

According to Representative Soter, the new budget provides $171.5 million for universal free school meals, including $69 million to reimburse school districts and participating schools for offering these meals. More than 80,000 students a day have eaten lunch in schools since the universal school meals program started, saving households up to $1,200 per child per year. An additional provision inserted in the budget calls for the establishment of a special commission to study nutrition guidelines and standards for school meals and to develop recommendations for improving its nutritional content.

One controversial policy change included in the Conference Committee report would allow undocumented students to qualify for in-state tuition rates and state-funded financial assistance at the state’s public colleges and universities, provided they have attended schools in Massachusetts for at least three years. Representative Soter joined with his Republican colleagues in an attempt to suspend the rules and force a debate and vote on the in-state tuition language. This effort failed on a recorded roll call vote of 25-132 that was split along party lines.

The Fiscal Year 2024 budget also creates a new Education and Transportation Fund, which will be used to distribute $1 billion in projected surtax revenues from the newly implemented Millionaires Tax to fund a variety of education and transportation initiatives. However, Representative Soter expressed strong concerns about a provision included in the budget that would exclude income surtax revenues collected and deposited into the new fund from being subject to the allowable state tax revenue limitations established by Chapter 62F.