State Representative James Arciero (D-Westford) will chat with Patch readers on Thursday at noon.
Get your questions ready, Westford and Chelmsford Patch readers! Third Middlesex District state representative James Arciero will address your questions live on Thursday at noon. We'll have a recap of the live chat the next day in our newsletter as well.
The Central Massachusetts Mosquito Project has issued a release regarding upcoming visits in Westford.
Central Massachusetts Mosquito Control Project personnel are tentatively coming to Westford on May 22, 24, 30 and June 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, 26, and 28. Complaints about mosquitoes can be registered by calling 508-393-3055 between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. If warranted, spraying will occur at defined, site-specific areas in town, although state regulations prohibit pesticide sprayings on private property with consent of the owner. More information is at the Central Massachusetts Mosquito Control Project website.
Although it's nearly a year away, Westford residents can expect a more thorough and understandable town budget to vote on next spring according to town officials.
On top of Thursday afternoon’s significant healthcare agreement announcement, the Westford Finance Committee learned later on Thursday that another large piece of news on the Fiscal Year 2014 budget. Westford Finance Department director Dan O’Donnell informed the Committee during their meeting that the budget presented to the Committee and Town Meeting voters next spring will have an entirely new look, incorporating not just data, but also organizational charts, mission statements from each department, and narratives on changes. “This is basically a chance to let the public know what each department does,” said O’Donnell. “It will be a lot more information based than previous budgets.” The initiative came from a citizen’s request to the …
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Westford town manager Jodi Ross has just announced an agreement that will save the town over $200,000 in expenditures over the next year.
Westford town manager Jodi Ross has just announced an agreement with local unions and retirees that will save an estimated $237,000 for employees and the town in overall health premiums over the next year. The agreement, which was concluded on Monday, will go into effect on November 1 and reaches across all of the town's 12 public employee unions, with employees paying more for emergency room visit co-pays, doctor visits and mail order prescriptions. "We are pleased that our town and school employees recognized the importance of changing our health plan design," said Ross. "Health insurance costs have escalated over the past several years, and our town cannot sustain the level of benefits that had been previously provided."
5:18 am on Saturday, May 19, 2012
I remember last year when the insurance change was being touted as the same service but with substantial savings for the town. On that scale that type of deal just doesn't exist. I haven't see what the plan entails so I con't have much to say about it, it's about the bait and switch, which I don't think was intentional. It's just naive to think Tufts didn't offer the town a deal in order to get … more ›
In a move approved by the board, the development on Boston Road received permission to get occupancy permits for units ready for residents prior to the completion of the entire project.
Cottages in the Woods, an affordable housing development just off Exit 32 on Boston Road across from Coldwell Banker, received a boost from the Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday night. The development was given an amendment to their comprehensive permit that would allow individual occupancy permits to be given for each unit on a unit by unit basis. Before the decision, which passed without any opposition, occupancy permits would not have been allowed prior to the total completion of the development. While Cottages in the Woods attorney Douglas Deschenes indicated that two occupants are set to move in and could do so as early as Friday barring any other pending issues, the project had been more difficult than expected due to disputes …
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10:58 am on Monday, May 21, 2012
The fact is that the developer of the Cottages in the Woods is suppose to have his "Utility Easements" all worked out and installed before any Individual Unit is sold and an Occupancy Permit is issued. The ZBA is suppose to be checking on and enforcing this and not allowing Occupancy Permits to be issued individually for each Unit! In the past, I have seen that whenever a Developer is granted … more ›
The matter now goes back to the Tax Possession Sales Committee, which meets on May 17, and appears that it will eventually go before Town Meeting.
In the latest chapter of the ongoing Bruce Freeman Rail Trail parking issue, the Conservation Commission agreed to help place a conservation restriction upon the controversial Vose Parcel. After a recent discussion by the Tax Possession Sale Committee (TPSC) on how to dispose of the property drew a lengthy debate, a delay was made to see if the parcel could be transferred from its current status as a TPSC property to the ownership of the Conservation Commission. The idea was brought forth as a way to ensure that the town could keep the property in a natural state while ensuring that people would not congregate near the property per the neighbors’ desires. “This is a happy solution for all sides, but we’d need to get a legal opinion,” …
3:34 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012
Kathleen, Rich is telling the "skinny" on the dealings on EBC. .......Frustration? You have no idea. The 'good ol' boy' policy is in effect here. I suggest you get a copy of the original rules and regulations that were in place when the Town bought the parcel,and the R&R today. more ›
The topic was introduced on Tuesday night after budget concerns were raised by Parks and Recreation Department director Pat Savage and Parks and Recreation Commission chairman Kacy Kaviston.
The question of whether outside groups should pay for using the Town Common will be continued as a topic at the next Board of Selectmen meeting following a discussion brought to the Board by Parks and Recreation officials on Tuesday night. Parks and Recreation Commission chairman Kacy Caviston told the Selectmen that the Common was now taking up 10 percent of the department’s budget while making up only 2.5 percent of the total land area within the department’s responsibility. However, the tipping point came from a recently installed irrigation system and increasing fuel and equipment costs that have not been accompanied by increases in the department’s budget. Caviston and Parks and Recreation Department director Pat Savage floated the …
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5:55 pm on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
The Westford Farmer's Market, sponsored by Sustainable Westford, is not currently registered as a non-profit organization, (I.R.S. 501 (c) (3)). Sustainable Westford is charging a Seasonal Fee for all the Farmer's and Vendors that participate on a weekly basis. I don't know how much, but it is enough to have turned away one of their local Farmer's (that participated from the beginning) and they … more ›
While no decisions were made on Tuesday night, it appears that the Jack Walsh Field is not the definite location for a Parker Village Fire Station being paid for by Cornerstone Square.
It is certain that Parker Village will be getting a new fire station as part of the upcoming Cornerstone Square project, but it appears that there may be some question as to its exact final location. Parks and Recreation representatives were on hand to talk about a land swap with the town to provide the 1.4 acres at the Jack Walsh Field for the fire station, requesting land next to the Stony Brook School in exchange. The parcel, which abuts the north side of the school, was originally planned for use as a possible Town Hall annex sometime if the need arose in the future, something that made Selectman Jim Sullivan hesitant to trade away the parcel. “If you look at a map of the area, it looks like there’s plenty of recreation there already…
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11:07 pm on Monday, May 14, 2012
To answer some questions: The area under consideration is not the ball fields. It is about 0.2 mi further towards Carlisle at the top of the hill. Because the ball fields were purchased in the '70s using federal funding, there are requirements in the event the land is used for a non-rec or non-conservation purpose. That is why Rec is looking for a parcel of public land in exchange. Hope this … more ›
As Cornerstone Square withdrew its sign application for Monday night's Planning Board meeting, the focus shifted towards moving forward with the Comprehensive Master Plan Committee.
What will the next decade and beyond bring for Westford? One document was created to provide answers for the town’s government on that question, and bringing those answers to fruition was the main topic of discussion for the Planning Board on Monday. Completed in April 2009 after several years of deliberation, Westford’s Comprehensive Master Plan was created by a dozen residents as a 287 page set of guidelines for what Westford wants to be and how the town can maintain those principles with future land use practices. Concluding the Plan are 126 action items meant to be implemented by a specific implementation committee to be appointed by the Planning Board, although that task had been continually pushed back due to large and time …
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Democrat Geoff Hall served Westford in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1991 to 2009 and served with Scott Brown for several years, which was one of the key reasons why Brown picked up Hall's endorsement at Kimball Farm on Thursday.
The race between incumbent Republican Scott Brown and expected Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren came to Westford on Thursday as former Democratic Geoff Hall announced his endorsement for Brown outside of Kimball Farm in an impromptu press conference. Hall, a life-long Democrat who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1991 to 2009, knew Brown when he represented Wrentham in the House and developed a respect for the eventual state and U.S. Senator. “The issues that were important to me were important to him were important to him, (such as) economic issues, but his ability to reach across the aisle and work with folks across the aisle were the important things,” said Hall. “When Scott was elected to the (…
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10:05 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012
I bet Granny Lizzy is on the warpath now! http://bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view/20220429indian_lorewill_play_okin_her_tribe more ›
Dan C
3:25 pm on Monday, May 21, 2012
I was really hoping this guest would be Olsen to talk about the teacher contract and school issues or Principal Antonelli to talk about drugs and the equity of treating all cases similarly regardless of parent. Andrew, Am I to assume both of these men declined to just havnet gotten back to you yet? I think I speak for MANY in town when I say these are the people we have many important questions … more ›