~ THE NEW ~
Uxbridge Times
“Your Hometown News” VOlUME 23 • ISSUE 1
FREE Monthly Since 1991
Uxbridge • North Uxbridge • linwood • Douglas • Northbridge • Whitinsville • Sutton • Manchaug
JANUARY 2014
Baker shares his vision for the Valley BY CONSTANCE DWYER
GRAND MARShAllS: (l to R) leo Beaudoin, Bill Albin, Stanley Smyth, Jr. and Ed Danis. These gentlemen have been part of the First holiday Night Committee for many years and the amount of volunteer time they have donated to the town of Uxbridge is unbelieveable.
Applications available for Uxbridge Community Gardens Would you like a to join the Uxbridge Community Gardens (UCG) this spring? Applications for new gardeners will be available on January 2nd at the Uxbridge Free Public Library, the Uxbridge Senior Center and at the Uxbridge Town Hall. An application can also be downloaded from the Community Gardens page of the town web site (www.uxbridge-ma.gov). The Community Gardens is located on town-owned land on Sutton Street adjacent to the Youth Soccer League fields. A garden is available to any resident or taxpayer of the town of Uxbridge. The fee is $20 per 20' x 25' plot per year. There are also some double plots available (40' x 25') for $40 per year. The gardens are totally organic; no chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides may be used. Those who had a Community Garden last year and are signed up for 2014
POSTAl PATRON
need only submit payment to secure their garden. New gardeners must file a signed application and release. March 7th, 2014 is the deadline for applications and payment for both new and returning gardeners. Make checks payable to Uxbridge Community Gardens and mail or deliver to Uxbridge Community Gardens, Town Hall, 21 South Main Street, Uxbridge, MA 01569. The UCG is a committee of the Town of Uxbridge, but receives no public funding. Individuals and businesses interested in making a contribution to the Gardens will find a donation form on the Town of Uxbridge web site under Committees/Community Gardens. For additional information see the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) on the UCG web page or email uxbridge communitygardens@charter.net
Jeannie Hebert, President and CEO, of the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce, enthusiastically welcomed members and guests to the 35th Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Sutton. Keynote Speaker, Charlie Baker, 2014 Massachusetts GOP Candidate for Governor, served as the former Administrator of Finance under Governors Weld and Cellucci and was CEO of Harvard-Pilgrim Health Care. He has been a highly successful leader of complex organizations in both the private and public sectors and has spent the past three years as an Entrepreneur in Residence at the venture capital firm General Catalyst. Chairman of the Board of Directors, Joseph, “Joe,” Deliso addressed the crowd of over 225 to wrap up a year during which he witnessed an evolution in the Chamber, resulting in an invigorated sense of growth and a new energy. He stated, “We have met and surpassed many of our projected goals and continue to grow and serve the business community.” He also announced the new initiative, the Blackstone Valley Leadership Council, which offers young business people and entrepreneurs the opportunity to work with the Chamber and the community to grow and develop their leadership skills. Of related interest is Charlie Baker’s initiative starting the Chamber’s Leadership Council. State Sen. Michael “Mike” Moore (DMillbury) presented the “Entrepreneur of the Year Award” to Brett Niver of Grafton for his Whitinsville business, Irrigation Automation Systems (IAS). The Company leads the industry in a technology innovation, a “first of a kind” automated system for agriculture, a monitoring and early warning system that collects, in real time, data on soil and weather conditions providing growers with status alerts and using these data to automatically direct the release of water and fertilizer when and
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where they are needed. Because of this invention, cranberry growers alone now save millions of gallons of water annually. It’s a tremendous “Infor-mation Age” resource for farmers who claim “the system pays for itself and is helping us to save the planet.” Sen. Richard Moore (D-Uxbridge) was presenter of the “Sustainable
“What I want to do for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts… make it a place where everyone who wants to work has a job, to develop entrepreneurial and leadership programs in high school where (students) can believe in a future for themselves. Aim high and choose to be great!” - Charlie Baker 2014 Massachusetts GOP candidate fOr GOvernOr
Business Award” to Tim Lewis, of Boston Bumper Supply, located in Whitinsville. It is the largest independent bumper recycler in all of New England: serving wholesale distributors and body shops stretching from Maine to Maryland. Boston Bumper’s 100 percent recycling program goes full circle and benefits the community in a variety of ways. Damaged bumpers, collected from local body shops, are saved from landfill disposal and the 30 percent deemed repairable are placed into inventory, with customers realizing a 50 percent savings over the cost of a
Business BiO
Helping you put your best foot forward
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Known as “fred the foot Guy”, alfred “fred” Gibson is a full time nurse who also manages his own business in toenail & foot care. Fred Gibson
See story on page 29
new bumper. The remainder are donated to the Blackstone Valley Recycling Center where they are sold for scrap to be reprocessed into other commodities; monies earned from this endeavor are given back to the community Lee Gaudette, son of Gerry Gaudette (his father was a “founding member” of the Chamber) said that he was honored to present the “Gerry Gaudette Extra Mile Award” to Michael “Mike” Robertson, President of New England Disposal Technologies, Inc., a company based in Sutton. Mr. Robertson joined the Board of Directors of the Whitin Community Center in Whitinsville, which is home for him, his wife Tammy and his sons; he “willingly gave hours and hours of his time as Acting Director until a new Executive Director was hired in June of 2013. “Mike deserves a gold medal for his extra work.” The next award, “The Cornerstone Award,” presented by Joe Barbato, Jr., President and CEO of the Millbury Credit Union, went to Mario and Gianni Romeo who had the insight to bring new life to the Felters Mill in Millbury, a dormant factory. The two brothers made “outstanding contributions” to the town in July, 2011, and consequently “made outstanding contributions to the financial and economic growth of the Blackstone Valley.” Because of these 2 visionary brothers, there are now 27 small businesses located within this rejuvenated mill. Historically interesting, in the 1900s there were 400 workers at the mill involved in “felt production.” State Rep. George N. Peterson-R, Grafton, introduced Keynote Speaker Charlie Baker, the 2014 Republican candidate for Governor of Massachusetts, summing up Baker’s knowhow in the words, “He gets it! Charlie knows what it takes to turn our state around…he understands the healthcare system, state budget, how the state works…” Mr. Baker, on a semi-humorous note, continued on page 24
~ INDEX ~ Town News ..............Page 4 Calendar...................Page 19 Senior Corner ..........Page 21 Dining Out…………Page 22 Society .....................Page 25 School News............Page 27 Business News........Page 29 Sports.......................Page 33 Classified .................Page 35