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Uxbridge Times
“Your Hometown News” Vol. 24 • Issue 7
FREE Monthly Since 1991
uxbrIdge • North uxbrIdge • lINwood • douglas • NorthbrIdge • whItINsVIlle • suttoN • MaNchaug
JulY 2015
New Fire Station approved by voters By Constance Dwyer After years of wondering when Uxbridge might have, at last, a new fire station, that dream came true when voters approved it at the May 12th Spring Annual Town Meeting. According to Fire Chief William “Bill” Kessler, the vote was “near unanimous.” The Town Meeting approval was followed a week later on May 19th with approval (681 yes, 185 no) of a debt exclusion ballot question. Now in his third year as Fire Chief, Chief Kessler said, “Discussions about a new fire station building have been going on for 20 years in town, back 2 chiefs ago (Chief Peter ostroskey & Chief Harley Keeler). We are very thankful to the residents of Uxbridge for supporting this project at this time.” The new station will be built adjacent to its current location in downtown Uxbridge. The good news for residents is that the tax rate won’t be increased from its present level due to the project. The Fire Chief explained that Town Manager/Finance Director David genereux determined that the cost of a new station could be offset by funds available at the completion of payments for the 1996 school project. A few years ago Mr. genereux made this recommendation to time the fire station project with this retirement of existing debt, thus without an increase in the tax burden on residents. over the years, as service needs and thus apparatus size increased, the fire department has outgrown the space at its headquarters. The station, built in 1928, still has the arched doors which limit the height of the apparatus. “This results in purchasing apparatus that is sized to fit, rather than sized for the job, limiting operational flexibility” the Chief explained. Limited space for getting the apparatus out of the back
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garage and for firefighters responding to calls also create problems. In addition, the department’s Ladder truck is housed at the unmanned south end station, resulting in concerns about this very important tool getting to the scene in a timely manner. A committee of department members and residents was formed in 2014, and it contracted with the architectural firm Donham & Sweeney to determine space needs and create a schematic design of the station. From this work, a cost estimate was developed, a site selected, and a determination made that the proposed station would fit on an existing site. With the approval to move forward, the next steps are to select an owner’s Project Manager as required by the state procurement regulations; to develop the construction design, and to put the project out to bid. “My hope is that we can break ground in early 2016 with completion date of spring 2017, roughly a two-year timeline,”stated Chief Kessler. “My thanks also go out to the members of the committee for their efforts during the space needs and schematic design steps to arrive at a solution that will meet the needs of the department for many decades, while keeping the cost within the current tax rate.”
THE BOYS OF SUMMER - Last month several Uxbridge youths attended the 23rd Annual Foxboro Cup Memorial Day Tournament. Pictured (left to right): U8 Soccar Team: Charlie Criscola, Brady Pitts, Khari Torku, Dillin McAlister, Micah Deters, Logan O'Connell, Willem Haker, and Gabe Deters.
Blackstone Valley Community Concert Band schedule The Blackstone Valley Community Concert Band will be kicking off its July/August concert series on Tuesday, July 7th at 7:00 p.m. at the H. Lowell Memorial Ball Fields Pavilion in Mendon. The band is composed of seventy talented musicians from the Blackstone Valley and beyond. The performances feature a variety of music including popular songs, jazz, music from Broadway and the movies, concert pieces, and marches. It is music the PRESoRTED STANDARD US PoSTAgE PAID BoSToN, MA PERMIT No 55800
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whole family will enjoy. Admission is free. Please join them for a great community event! Dates, locations and directions can be found at www.bvccband.org. The outdoor schedule for July and August is as follows: • Tuesday, July 7th: 7:00 pm (Rain Date: Tuesday, July 14th) H. Lowell Memorial Ball Fields Pavilion, Millville Road, Mendon • Thursday, July 16th: 7:00 pm St. Antoine’s Senior Living Facility
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Blackstone Valley Physical Therapy Area residents have the opportunity to find help for better health at Blackstone Valley Physical Therapy Services, Inc., managed by owner Eric Connolly. See story on page 33
10 Rhodes Avenue, North Smithfield, Rhode Island • Sunday, July 19th: 3:00 pm Kiwanis Beach 99 Kiwanis Beach Road, Upton, • Thursday, July 23rd: 6:30 pm (Rain or Shine) Alternatives, 50 Douglas Road, Whitinsville, MA • Saturday, August 1st: TBA (Rain Date: Sunday, August 2nd) Leicester Town Common Leicester, MA
The Blackstone Valley Community Concert Band is a non-profit organization. The band is supported in part by grants from the Uxbridge, Hopedale, Millville, Mendon, Upton, and Northbridge Cultural Councils. The band is also supported annually by a generous grant from Unibank and donations from the community. They would like to thank all of these organizations and contributors for their support of the arts in our communities.
~ INDEX ~ Town News ..............Page 4 Calendar...................Page 21 Society .....................Page 23 Senior Corner ..........Page 25 School News............Page 29 Business News........Page 33 Sports.......................Page 37 Classified .................Page 39