~ THE NEW NEW ~ ~ ~ THE
Uxbridge Times
Established in 1991 Vol. 27 • Issue 3
Over 21,000 Copies Mailed Free
Ux br Id g e • No r t h Ux br Id g e • LINw o o d • d o Ug Las • No r t h br Id g e • w h It INsVILLe • sUt t o N • MaNc h aUg
Uxbridge Fire Chief, William Kessler and Oliver.
March 2018
The new Fire Station is located at 31 South Main Street in downtown Uxbridge.
Uxbridge Fire Station complete and under budget
Story and photos by Richard Lombardo
o n January 16th, after 20 months of construction and costs in excess of eight million dollars, the u xbridge Fire d epartment moved into their new station at 31 South Main Street. This was the culmination of a concept that began
back in 2013. it was then that the Board of Selectman authorized both a feasibility and space need study for a new station. A conceptual design followed and ultimately the project was approved, nearly unanimously at Town Meeting. The end result? A 16,600 square foot station that houses ten assorted trucks and emergency vehicles and a fire
Design phase of Northbridge Balmer School approved
The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) voted unanimously to approve the preferred design solution for the Balmer Elementary School Project. This is a significant milestone in the nearly year long study overseen by the town’s School Building Committee (SBC). The preferred design solution, which addresses the elementary school educational needs of the town of Northbridge, is comprised of a new grades PreK-5 school for 1,030 students located on the Balmer site.
POSTAL PATRON
The town of Northbridge currently has two elementary schools which, under the proposed plan, would be consolidated. The plan would also return the 5th grade to the elementary school setting. The next step for the SBC will be to begin working on the schematic design, scheduled to be submitted to MSBA in May 2018. The SBC will then present the project and cost to the town of Northbridge in the Fall of 2018 for both a Town Meeting and Election Ballot for final approval. Pr ESo r TEd STANd Ar d u S Po STAg E PAid Bo STo N, MA PEr MiT No 55800
ECRWSS
department comprised of 25 men and women. Fire Chief William Kessler assumed the role six years ago when the department was still housed in the old 6600 square foot station - just more than a third of the size of the new facility. "The old station was built in 1928 and was sized for the trucks used at that time. As technology has changed and emergency vehicles have evolved, we simply outgrew the old station," explained Chief Kessler. Additionally, the old station was only built with merely fire trucks in mind. Having added ambulance service, the need of a new station was only a matter of time. Kessler added, "We went from housing just five pieces of equipment (fire engines, ambulances, etc.) to ten. The size and location of the new facility allows us to serve the community at an optimal level." The new station holds vehicles across five double-deep bays. The new, larger facility also includes a fitness room and training tower. "i think this new station gives us the ability to more effectively service the
town of u xbridge, not only today, but into the future as well," said Kessler. Eventhough the new station was up and running on January 16th, there are still a few items remaining with regards to construction. The front walkway is incomplete and the flagpole and sign have yet to be installed. There is also the question of parking for downtown, which was one of the major concerns of the project. The conversion of the old station to a parking lot addresses those concerns. But what will make the townspeople the happiest? The fact that the project is scheduled to be completed under budget. Approved at Town Meeting for 9.25 million dollars, Kessler expects final project costs to come in around 8.25 million. So what's better than a new fire station that better serves the community? o ne that makes the people of u xbridge safer ANd saves taxpayers one million dollars. An open house is being tentatively scheduled some time in May. For more information contact the u xbridge Fire d epartment at 508-278-2787.
Girls excelling at STEM Maddy Colbert, Ava Nadeau, Abby Buller, and Gaby Picard are the MAAD Lego Queens - a homeschool all girls’ robotic team. They have consistently delivered a high level of performance, repeatedly scoring in the top tier of an extremely competitive field, See story on page 5
The new facility not only makes room for added vehicles, it allows for much needed equipment and lockers for storage of gear.
~ INDEX ~
Town News ..............Page 4 Calendar...................Page 17 Senior Corner ..........Page 19 Society .....................Page 23 School News............Page 25 Business News........Page 27 Sports.......................Page 29 Classified .................Page 31