In other matters:
Gardner Fire Department: The Mayor reported that the Fire Department received an 11 thousand dollar State grant to replace portions of their breathing apparatus.
Police Dog for Gardner PD: The Stanton Foundation is providing funds through a grant to purchase a new Police Dog for the Gardner PD.
New Road Salt Formula: With respect to SALT on the roads, this year the formulation is different and contains Molasses, giving the product a brown color , the mayor assuring residents that it is SALT, not dirt.
Impressive Gardner Cheerleaders: The Mayor says that we should be impressed with the performance of the Gardner Cheerleading squad making it to nationals in Texas, especially since there was no cheerleading last year and thus no seniors on the squad. There will be a special send-off ceremony for the Gardner Cheerleaders on January 18, 2022 at 6pm in Gardner City Hall Auditorium with a 5 dollar suggested donation at the door to help cover their travel costs to Dallas. The Cheerleaders will be performing their Dallas routine at the ceremony.
Gardner MA Mayor Nicholson Delivers First Update of 2022
Gratitude: Mayor Nicholson started off with gratitude: Heaps of praise for all those who were part of the Inauguration Ceremonies in any way and thanks to all who contributed to the successful vaccine clinic at Gardner Middle School.
Pandemic Concerns: The mayor indicated he was asked by Heywood Hospital to speak about the Covid pandemic in the City of Gardner, relating that the hospital has “well over 25 patients admitted to the hospital testing positive for Covid 19, the intensive care unit is full, …they have started for the first time to double up on beds in the intensive care unit….the other day they had 13 beds in the hallway of the emergency room…it’s really getting to become an issue here. “
Testing Issues: The mayor stated, “We’re also seeing a very big strain on the amount of testing that has to be done….the amount of people who are calling for a test has been such a large amount that Heywood Hospital’s phone system crashed 3 times in the past week.” Nicholson said that in order to help alleviate the testing load, about one thousand testing kits have been distributed to private physician offices in the city. He also stated that he has spoken with neighboring communities about hosting a rapid test distribution day to help with the problem.
Weekly Updates: Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson generally releases an update each week which is posted on the City of Gardner’s YouTube Channel.- CLICK HERE We also maintain a Mayor’s update page on Gardner Magazine, CLICK HERE.