The New Uxbridge Times - July, 2019

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THE NEW

Uxbridge Times

Established in 1991 Vol. 28 • Issue 7

Over 21,000 Copies Mailed Free

UxbrIdge • North UxbrIdge • LINwood • doUgLas • NorthbrIdge • whItINsVILLe • sUttoN • MaNchaUg

JULY 2019

School finds new life as affordable housing by Abigail Epplett

AMERICAN PRIDE - Vincent R. Mitchell, Master Sargent Army 69th infantry mash unit (front passenger seat)  was honored at this year's Memorial Day Parade in Uxbridge. He is a recipient of a bronze star and fought in Germany during WWII. Riding along is his daughter, Mary Cates, Veteran; Henry Kosiba (Retired) and driving; Grandson Rich MacLeod of Douglas. Above left, Mitchell watches the parade  with  Great-Grandson  and  namesake,  Vincent  MacLeod.  Above  right,  Angelina  MacLeod, Great Granddaughter salutes her hero.

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On June 7th, a diverse crowd including board members of the Virginia Blanchard Memorial Housing Association, politicians, former teachers and students at the Blanchard School, and other local residents gathered at the Progressive Club in Uxbridge to witness the ribbon cutting for the Blanchard School Apartments. Harry Ramasco, president of the housing association, paraphrased Mr. Rogers in his opening remarks. "It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood...let’s call it Uxbridge,” he said. It was a beautiful day because the Blanchard School has been renovated into twenty-five units of affordable housing for local residents. The Virginia Blanchard School Project began on May 2nd, 2006, when the town received a $35,000 grant in emergency funding for a feasibility study about the preservation of the Blanchard School, which was built in 1873 but then lay vacant for several years. “It was the seed… that grew into what we have today,” explained Ramasco. Early efforts to restore the school proved difficult. While the $100,000 used to purchase the building became the Virginia Blanchard Scholarship Fund, funding for the restoration was hard to come by. They finally “struck gold” when they called Sara Barcan, the Director of Housing Development at the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation. “I had to look on a map to find where Uxbridge was,” Barcan admitted with a smile. Despite the initial confusion, the project received a loan of over $300,000 in exchange for the guarantee that two units would be set aside for people with low mobility. The members of the association continued to apply for grants and loans, including the allocation of taxes through the National Park Service and the Massachusetts Historical Commis-

Mendon Lions prepare for Circus On Monday, July 15th The Zerbini Family Circus will present two shows under the Big Top at 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. for the enjoyment of all area residents. The Circus will be located at the Fino Lot, corner of North Ave and Rte. 16. The show is a one ring presentation under an attractive Big Top Tent featuring performing camels, a liberty horse act and amazing trained dogs and its rounded out with clowns,

acrobats, aerialists and jugglers. Advanced discount tickets will be sold at Charles River Bank (Mendon Branch), Dean Bank & Willowbrook Restaurant. Advance prices $10 for Adults & Children and $15 on day of Show. (Kids under 3 yrs are free.) The Circus is sponsored by The Mendon Lions Club. Free parking will be available at Clough School and Town Field off North Ave.

sion, a $250,000 permanent mortgage from the Massachusetts Housing Partnership Fund under Senior Loan Officer Amanda Roe, $1.8 million from Unibank, and an over $6.2 million construction loan from the Life Insurance Community Investment Initiative. The initiative’s president, Kristen Harol, was confident in the investment. “It was a very fragile-looking building when [restoration] started,” she admitted about the 146-year-old school, “We didn’t worry about it for a minute because of the strength of the team and the commitment of the community. Despite all their success, a critical loan from Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation seemed out of reach. Although the applications in 2015 and 2016 were rejected, the application in 2017 was accepted. This year, the project even received an “Excellence in Affordable Housing Award” for being both on time and on budget. “Honest, intelligent, hard work always pays off,” Romasco said of the award. After certificates from both the Massachusetts Senators and Representatives were presented to the association by Ryan Fattman and Mike Soter respectively, the assembled crowd went down the street to watch the ribbon cutting in front of the apartments. A few residents were also present. To comply with National Park Service and Massachusetts Historical Commission requirements, artifacts found in the school and donated by community members are displayed in the common rooms on the second and third floors. Student desks, a blackboard, an unfinished portrait of George Washington, and a photograph of Virginia A. Blanchard are included in the collection. These glimpses of the past are sure to inspire apartment residents for years to come. The Virginia A. Blanchard School Apartments are located at 65 Hartford Avenue East in Uxbridge.

~ INDEX ~ Town News ..............Page  4 Calendar...................Page  17 Society .....................Page  19 Senior Corner ..........Page  21 School News............Page  25 Business News........Page  27 Sports.......................Page  29 Classified .................Page 32


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The New Uxbridge Times - July, 2019 by The New Uxbridge Times - Issuu