WESTFORD — Welcome to the Jan. 14 edition of Weekend Wrap-Up. Here, we highlight the most important news you may have missed this week in Westford.
Cold Stone Creamery site receives administrative approval
By: Ben Domaingue
Cold Stone Creamery is one step closer to opening a new location in Westford.
The Planning Board voted unanimously during a Jan. 8 meeting to authorize administrative approval to change the use of a Supercuts site at 174 Littleton Rd. to accommodate the new business.
A change of use application was submitted by Ranjith Chandra and Snehal Desai on Dec. 21, 2023.
According to the application, Cold Stone Creamery will operate from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
The site will undergo renovation and permitting before it can open. A date for when the location will open has not been announced at the time of reporting.
Parks and Recreation Commission approve American Legion Fields redesign plan
By: Melanie Duronio
The Parks and Recreation Commission has voted to move forward with a project to renovate the American Legion Field.
The Parks and Recreations Commission voted unanimously on Monday to move forward with an updated project plan and request funding for renovations to the American Legion Field Ball Field.
Renovations could include four new baseball fields and a new parking lot, among other changes.
What is in the redesign project?
Weston and Sampson has been selected to lead the design and construction on 15 acres of parkland purchased by the town of Westford in 2010, as well as design for renovations for the existing field.
It aims to “not only expand the use of the fields for residents but [to] enable regional games and tournaments to take place there, increasing its regional use exponentially,” according to its proposal.
After initial feedback regarding the cost, Chair of the Parks and Recreations Committee Chris Barrett worked with Weston and Sampson to bring the total request to $5.2 million.
As the process moves forward, the Commission is also budgeting between $600,000 to $700,000 for design work and additional amenities. “It’s still a lot of money, but [it’s] better than where we were before,” Barrett said.
However, he acknowledged that “this is a big ask, and there were several projects that came forward this year … we have talked to the Director of Finance several times to make sure the Community Preservation funds are available to cover this if it was moved forward to Town Meeting for a vote.”
Updates, potential changes
Currently, the facility has “a parking lot not large enough to accommodate traffic in the complex,” which “does not accommodate Westford’s baseball and softball needs.”
Additional design elements have been added to the plan to compensate for traffic flow and pedestrian accessibility, including:
- The removal of a proposed roadway behind section G4 due to the amount of slope
- Widening the central corridor to 24 ft., which could shift section G3 farther south
- Adding a parking area to provide more accessible parking for lower fields
- Adding additional handicap-accessible parking spaces, raised pedestrian crossings, and speed control bumps
- Adding lighting to fields G5 and G7, both of which are primary baseball fields for the complex
These changes would create “more formalized parking” and better accessibility for cars, while allowing the Commission to expand the field in the future if needed.
“We have no way of knowing when that might happen, but we want to make sure that we’re setting ourselves up for success,” Barrett said.
The Commission must now seek Community Preservation Act funding and approval at a future town meeting.
Robinson Elementary qualifies for MSBA grant eligibility period
By: Melanie Duronio
Robinson Elementary School could soon be eligible for grant funding through the Massachusetts School Building Authority after its board voted to invite the school into its eligibility period a school building project.
The board voted to invite the district’s Statement of Interest into a 270-day eligibility period for grant funding on Dec. 13, 2023.
Project for Robinson Elementary School
Robinson Elementary School is one of 19 schools selected to participate in the MSBA grant process, which is “a non-entitlement, competitive program, and its grants are distributed by the MSBA Board of Directors based on need and urgency, as expressed by the district and validated by the MSBA,” as stated in a presentation of the MSBA Statement of Interest Recommendations.
Districts can submit an SOI for facilities that need roof, window, or boiler replacements, or for additional projects “in need of a larger scope of work,” according to the MSBA.
“Being invited into this eligibility phase is just step one of [eight],” Superintendent Dr. Christopher Chew said in a December 18 School Committee meeting. “At the earliest, this is a five to seven-year process if everything … [falls] in along their timeline.”
He added, “the fact that we were invited into this eligibility period is wonderful.”
The school requires exterior and interior replacements and repairs, including updated plumbing, fire protection, heating and ventilation, and electrical systems. Classroom spaces were also identified as being more than 20% smaller than the MSBA guidelines.
Abbot and Blanchard
Abbot Elementary was also identified as one of the “highest needs” for renovation. According to Dr. Chew, “this proposal will [also] consider consolidating those two schools into one school, and that will be a part of this process.”
A feasibility study that explores consolidating both schools would require an additional vote from the MSBA in the future.
Other schools, Like Blanchard Middle School, have previously received approximately $2.5 million from the MSBA for a roof replacement project authorized by Annual Town Meeting on March 25, 2023.
The Town must now complete several preliminary requirements, including a compliance certification, local vote authorization, forming a building committee and a feasibility study agreement during its eligibility period between Aug. 1 and April 28, 2025.
PFAS testing program for private wells moves forward
By: Melanie Duronio
A proposed Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances private drinking water well testing program may now move forward.
The Select Board voted unanimously to approve the project on Dec. 9.
The Select Board previously approved $20,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds on June 6, 2023 for the project. Fifty households with private drinking wells are eligible for the program, based on location and availability.
Testing of irrigation wells and reimbursement of previous PFAS well testing are not eligible for the program.
According to Health Director Rae Dick, the Department will choose around 10 to 12 wells per quadrant. Approval will be determined based on the location of the applicant’s well and its proximity to other applicants. All submissions will be reviewed on a first come first serve basis.
“We want to be fair and get a good representative of if there is any PFAS contamination [across Westford],” Dick said in a Jan. 9 Select Board meeting.
Residents of the approved well and the Health Department will receive sample results.
Residents that participate can collect samples from the Health Department, which then should be delivered to the Nashoba Analytical Laboratory in Ayer.
Data will be shared with the Water Department and GIS Department, as well as the greater community to “encourage residents to test if there is a positive sample in their neighborhood,” as stated in according to a memo from Dick.
“I’m very excited about this project,” Select Board Chair Thomas Clay said. “We’ve been talking about it for a while, so I’m glad it’s coming to the forefront.”
Application forms can be found online or picked up at the Health Department.
Health Department, public safety to distribute winter safety kits
By: Ben Domaingue
The Health Department and public safety officials will soon distribute winter safety kits to eligible residents.
The program is part of a collaborative effort between the department, Upper Merrimack Valley Medical Reserve Corps, public safety and several local businesses.
Officials say these kits are aimed at preventing falls among seniors during the winter months. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, approximately 1 million adults over 65 years old are hospitalized due to falls, with over 36,000 deaths reported in 2020.
Kits include ice melt, a snow brush and an ornament.
The National Council on Aging recommends that individuals enhance lighting near their front doors, use rubber-backed rugs, use non-slip mats in showers and ensure that their front steps are in good repair.
100 kits are available. Kits will be delivered to seniors and residents listed on the town’s functional needs registry, which includes residents with disabilities, chronic conditions and special health care needs. Residents can be included in the registry by submitting an application to the Health Department.
Health Department offers Opioid Overdose Kits to businesses
By: Melanie Duronio
The Westford Health Department is offering opioid overdose kits for local businesses to install at no cost.
The town’s program is funded through use of some of $129,745 of opioid settlement funds the town received as part of a nationwide settlement with opioid distributors and manufacturers earlier this year.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, there were 2,357 opioid overdose-related deaths in 2022, a 2.5 percent increase from 2021.
“Our goal is to save overdose victims by increasing access to publicly available Narcan,” Health Director Rae Dick told WestfordCAT.
Kits contain two dose Narcan dispensers, gloves, instructions, and a barrier device for rescue breathing. Each kit can be mounted in businesses next to an AED or first aid kit, or a public space for employee and public access. Kits are valued at $290.
Kits have already been installed in all town buildings and schools, with several local businesses requesting kits, according to Dick.
Limited supplies are available, with one kit allowed per business. Those interested can call the Westford Health Department to reserve a kit for their business.
Free trainings, education, and support are also offered by the department as part of the program. An online user guide is also available.
