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Business-Growth Around Greater Gardner MA

Update 11-22-24 (11/22/2024)

Gardner Mayor Nicholson with a Holiday-Themed Update

Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson Updated the Chair City on November 22, 2024. Listen to the update on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Update 11-22-24

Mayor Nicholson opened the update congratulating Gardnerites who are marching in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this coming week.

The Mayor spoke about a letter which went out to offer guidance to people who might have lead in their private pipes. Mayor Nicholson stated “there is no lead in Gardner’s water” Report available on the City of Gardner website.

Square Two 23rd Annual Fund Drive for our Memorial Lights is underway. A wonderful opportunity to make a contribution to honor family members and friends, or show your holiday spirit and community pride. The forms for this are at Gardner City Hall, John’s Sport Shop, and The Velvet Goose.

19th Annual Festival of Trees is taking place at the Gardner Museum until Saturday, December 7th. Hours: Wednesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 4, Fridays 1 to 7, Saturdays and Sundays 10 to 4 p.m.

Date	Event Description
Saturday 11-23-24	Special Thanksgiving Farmers Market 10am to 1pm at Perry Auditorium – rear of Gardner City Hall – Everything from vegetables, produce, turkeys, knick-knacks, little crafts…
Saturday 11-23-24	First annual Fill a Cruiser food drive event this year in support of the Gardner CAC. Gardner Police Department at 200 Main Street on Saturday, November 23rd from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Holiday Hours	City Hall is going to be closing at noon Wednesday November 27th. Closed Thanksgiving Day and Friday November 29th.
Saturday 11-30-24	Small Business Saturday, nationally recognized on Saturday, November 30th from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday 12-1-24	Sunday, December 1st, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., there’s a wrapping station at the Gardner Library for all ages, co-sponsored by the Gardner High School Leo Club.
Sunday 12-1-24	Holiday Stroll and Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony will take place on December 1st, from 4 p.m. to about 6 p.m. Meeting first at the front steps of Gardner City Hall, where the Gardner High School Wildcat Marching Band will be playing some selections.

Nicholson Interview 11-20-24 (11/20/2024)

Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson on the Road Ahead

A Discussion with Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson on the Road Ahead in Gardner. We discuss various topics including the recent recount issue, various City projects, and the Road Ahead with all. Listen on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Road Ahead – Nicholson Interview 11-20-24

Re the potential recount: Even though Bruce Chester requested an incorrect form, City Clerk Titi Siriphan reached out to the State and then to Bruce Chester to make sure he got the correct form. Clerk’s office was staffed until 5:15pm on day of deadline to give Chester every chance. However, he did not turn in the forms. Interview contains complete explanation from the Mayor.

Re Paul DeMeo: Interview addresses some of the nonsense perpetrated against the City and some very good people.

Project Updates: We go over many of the projects as to status, speak about grants, and talk about possible uses for the roughly unspent $8million from the new Elementary School loan and the inherent restrictions. Note that Director Trevor Beauregard is leaving the City in December.

The Road Ahead – And literally at the end of the interview, Mayor Nicholson was on the road to meet with an investor interested in Gardner. Gardner Magazine will update you if there’s more good news to share down the road.
Westminster Meeting (11/18/2024)

Reflection on Wyman’s Pond Westminter

Westminster Town Hall

Special Town Meeting Tuesday, November 19, 2024 at 6:30pm at the Westminster Elementary School at 9 Academy Hill Road, Westminster

Westminster: Special Town Meeting November 19th

Registered Voters in the town of Westminster will be attending a Special Town Meeting on Tuesday, November 19, 2024 at 6:30pm at the Westminster Elementary School.

Town Meeting Warrant pdf, CLICK HERE.

The first 6 articles are money articles. Article 7 would dissolve the Holmes Park Water District and place the water service under the jurisdiction of the town of Westminster – MA legislature would still to to also approve. Article 8 concerns notification to the town of a change in volume or character of pollutants to be discharged into the sewer system. Article 9 concerns whether the Town will approve Tax Increment Financing in an agreement between Westminster and Home Depot. TIF provides for real estate exemptions. Article 10 concerns TIF Financing between Westminster and Global Packaging. Article 11 asks the town to seek an additional liquor license allocation for Vincent’s Country Store at 109 Main Street – Legislature would need to approve. Article 12 is a Citizen’s Petition would would restrict the total of full liquor licenses in Westminster to 2 (two) until the population of the town exceeds 10,000 per the most recent Federal census. Current population is about 8400. Next Federal Census is in 2030. Growth was 12.3% from 2010 to 2020 but has since slowed to an annual rate of 2.3%.

Information sheet on T.I.F. (Tax Incremental Financing)

Finance 11-14-24 (11/15/2024)

Finance Committee has Honor of Hearing from Assistant Director Evan Cudmore

All were impressed as Assistant Director of Community Development and Planning Evan Cudmore updated the Gardner MA Finance Committee on various projects and grants. Mayor Nicholson also added some information, but Cudmore was thorough. Cudmore has been with the City about 8 months, but this is his first meeting appearance. See a complete list of Project Updates below. Listen to the entire meeting on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Finance Committee 11-14-24

The Gardner Tax Rate has been certified at $14.36. Auditor John Richard spoke and praised the Assessor. Gardner was the 39th community in the entire State of MA to set its tax rate. Mayor Nicholson spoke about how this will help in planning.

The Finance Committee is sending some FREE CASH recommendations to the entire City Council include monies to the Stabilization Fund, 10% to roads, 100k towards a 3rd party grant writer, and 95k for IT software and cloud backup. Nicholson said he would wait until about April to utilize additional FREE CASH to be cautious. This is a strategy the City of Gardner usually uses because until Winter is over, for example, the total cost of snow removal is unknown.

Updates Provided to the Finance Committee by Evan Cudmore on 11-14-24
Rear Main Street Phase 2 North: The $3.64 million project is under construction right now Rear Main Street Phase 2 South: The $3.5 million housing works grant was recently awarded to the City. Bike trail, nature trail construction is continuing. The layout of the trail and the sub-base material is complete. The crossings are installed, and the contractor is working on finalizing the agreements with New England Power. The pathway should be complete this year, and landscaping is to be complete in the spring. Maki Park ADA Compliance Solutions: The Building Commissioner is reviewing 2 options for ADA compliance submitted by the City’s engineering firm. One option is $30,000, the other is $50,000. Funding may come from some CDBG projects which came in under budget. Potential New Industrial Park: City’s Engineering firm of Hudson O’Neill is currently developing concept plans for a potential build-out of proposed site based on wetlands and topographic data. Once complete, market analysis will be developed, and the location of land is south of Route 140 from Route 101 to Mathew Street. City would have to purchase the land. Currently Gardner has the Gardner Industrial Park, the North Gardner Industrial Park, and the Suffolk Industrial Park. This would be adding a 4th one. 16 Lot Subdivision being considered by Planning Board. See separate article. Public hearing is continued to the next meeting on December 10th. Greenwood Indoor Pool Building Demolition: Contractor has completed the site survey. The lake delineation testing and the hazardous materials testing is complete. Contractor is working on finishing the sketches for the plan and hopes to have that done by the end of the year. And then given the swim season in mind, demolition will be done probably late winter, early spring at most. 205-213 Main Street (Old Rome Building) Demolition across from Police Station: Bids were opened on November 13th. Awaiting Awarding of bid. Target time for demolition is mid to late December. Later, grant funding would be sought to improve the intersection itself. *Listen to the meeting for even more information.*

Updates Provided to the Finance Committee by Evan Cudmore on 11-14-24

Rear Main Street Phase 2 North: The $3.64 million project is under construction right now
Rear Main Street Phase 2 South: The $3.5 million housing works grant was recently awarded to the City.
Bike trail, nature trail construction is continuing. The layout of the trail and the sub-base material is complete. The crossings are installed, and the contractor is working on finalizing the agreements with New England Power. The pathway should be complete this year, and landscaping is to be complete in the spring.
Maki Park ADA Compliance Solutions: The Building Commissioner is reviewing 2 options for ADA compliance submitted by the City’s engineering firm. One option is $30,000, the other is $50,000. Funding may come from some CDBG projects which came in under budget.
Potential New Industrial Park: City’s Engineering firm of Hudson O’Neill is currently developing concept plans for a potential build-out of proposed site based on wetlands and topographic data. Once complete, market analysis will be developed, and the location of land is south of Route 140 from Route 101 to Mathew Street. City would have to purchase the land. Currently Gardner has the Gardner Industrial Park, the North Gardner Industrial Park, and the Suffolk Industrial Park. This would be adding a 4th one.
16 Lot Subdivision being considered by Planning Board. See separate article. Public hearing is continued to the next meeting on December 10th.
Greenwood Indoor Pool Building Demolition: Contractor has completed the site survey. The lake delineation testing and the hazardous materials testing is complete. Contractor is working on finishing the sketches for the plan and hopes to have that done by the end of the year. And then given the swim season in mind, demolition will be done probably late winter, early spring at most.
205-213 Main Street (Old Rome Building) Demolition across from Police Station: Bids were opened on November 13th. Awaiting Awarding of bid. Target time for demolition is mid to late December. Later, grant funding would be sought to improve the intersection itself.
Listen to the meeting for even more information.

Finance 10-30-24 (10/31/2024)

Pictured: Councilors Dernalowicz, Kazinskas, and Mack – Auditor John Richard and HR Director Amanda Morse, Veterans Agent Cory Hasselmann and Mayor Michael Nicholson

Gardner MA Auditor Reveals Dispute with Blue Cross – Blue Shield involving $920k

During the Finance Committee meeting of October 30, 2024, Gardner MA City Auditor John Richard went over various matters and disclosed a dispute with Blue Cross – Blue Shield over a $920,000 payment saying that the City can prove payment, but Blue Cross won’t budge. Gardner Magazine reached out to Blue Cross Media contact Amy McHugh and left a voicemail explaining that the City of Gardner online checkbook shows the payment for all to see and maybe they should take a look and apologize to the City. Kelsey Pearse returned our call and explained they did in fact see that the payment was made, would be discussing the matter in-house, and would send me an email when she could confirm the matter had been resolved. Listen to the portion of the Finance Committee meeting during which the matter was discussed on any device. CLICK PLAY.

John Richard Re Blue Cross

In other matters, HR Director Amanda Morse updated the Finance Committee on various things she is doing including updating job descriptions to more accurately reflect the work actually performed.

Purchasing Agent Joshua Cormier spoke to the Committee about the desire to get Council authorization to enter into certain 5 year contracts to economically benefit the City.

Veterans Agent Cory Hasselmann updated the Finance Comittee regarding the participation of veterans in a tax workoff program.

Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson spoke first about free cash and the possibility of that increasing by about a half million dollars and the status of Enterprise Accounts.

Listen to the full Finance Committee Meeting on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Finance Committee 10-30-24
Announcement 10-28-24 (10/28/2024)

Gardner Magazine is publishing text of all comments in their entirety.

Announcement 10-28-24

Phase 3 Zone

Formal Phase 3 Announcement for Rear Main Street Project

Representative Jonathan Zlotnik announced the $3.5 million State Grant last week in a Press Release. On October 28^th it was a big event with local leaders, officials, and business leaders all praising Zlotnik’s extraordinary effort in collaboration with others in the City. According to a separate statement by Director of Development and Planning Trevor Beauregard, “These funds will allow the City to complete the public sector infrastructure improvements to support the private sector housing project along Derby Drive, which is the last phase of a $20 plus million public / private partnership in the Rear Main Corridor” A formal announcement and comments on the project was held on Monday October 28, 2024. Given the magnitude of this project for Gardner, we are publishing the entire text of all the comments as well as the AUDIO which you can hear on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Announcement 10-28-24

“Take this spot that’s been vacant and run down in the city for almost two decades now and bring new life back to an area here in Gardner.”

Mayor Nicholson stated, “Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for joining us on this virtual grant announcement. Very exciting for us here in Gardner. If you’ve been watching the mayor’s updates or seeing the videos and the news that we’ve been putting out here in Gardner lately, you saw that last week we broke ground on phase two of Gardner’s Rear Main Street revitalization project. That included a 100-plus spot parking lot, event plaza, food truck court, water feature, and a lot more over on Rear Main Street and Derby Drive, just behind places that are familiar to us here in Gardner, like John’s Sports Shop, the Velvet Goose, Priscilla Candy, right by Levi Heywood Memorial Library. We’re here today to announce that we’re continuing that progress here in Gardner and announcing that Gardner has recently been awarded $3.5 million from the Commonwealth Housing Works grant program for us to continue that process so that we can go from that smokestack on Rear Main Street all the way to behind the Gardner Police Department, Cumberland Farms, Diamond Heart Art Studios, and finish that out there, too. We know it’ll be some type of residential structure with some more parking, some green spaces, and really take this spot that’s been vacant and run down in the city for almost two decades now and bring new life back to an area here in Gardner. So you’re going to hear from several people today who are going to be related to that project, have some type of involvement in that project, or will benefit directly from that. So I’d like to hand it off right now to our State Representative, Jonathan Zlotnick.”

“It’s great to be back on this site twice in two weeks to announce the next phase of this. And another big grant, you said $3.5 million, which I want to point out is one of the biggest awards the state made through the One Stop program this year, right here, making this important investment in Gardner.”

Jonathan Zlotnik stated, “Thank you, Mr. Mayor. It’s great to be back on this site twice in two weeks to announce the next phase of this. And another big grant, you said $3.5 million, which I want to point out is one of the biggest awards the state made through the One Stop program this year, right here, making this important investment in Gardner. And like the Mayor said, this is something that we’ve been at for many years, but this is an important piece towards the revitalization and redevelopment of downtown Gardner. I don’t think I’m going on much of a limb to say that when this is done, with the units of housing that this is going to add, the event space, the parking, that this is really going to be transformative for the city of Gardner in better utilizing this space in what we call Rear Main Street along Derby Drive, which was put in by another state grant that we announced on this spot many years ago. So I’m very happy to have been a partner in this project for many years, through several rounds of grants. And that’s the important part. Everyone you’re going to hear speak from today, and some people who couldn’t join us today, a project as big as this over as many years as this has taken doesn’t get done and isn’t a success unless every single person along the way, when it comes their turn, does their job and does so successfully, whether that’s myself, the Mayor, the City Council, the City Council President, the GRA, and the private sector, as well as the City’s Economic Development Department. Everybody has to do their job to make something like this happen. So I’m very proud and happy to have played a part in that, and I look forward, just like we were on the other end, breaking ground over there, to be back here soon enough, breaking ground on this phase of the project. So thank you. And I’d like to introduce another important person in making this all possible, through her leadership of the City Council, the City Council President, Elizabeth Kasinskas.”

“I want to thank Rep Zlotnik for his huge role in this, as well as everyone who’s put a piece of it together, and also here joining me today, my fellow city councilors, Brad Heglin, Alek Dernalowicz, and Paul Tassone, and on behalf of the City Council, I just want to say how excited we are…”

Elizabeth Kazinskas stated, “Good afternoon, everyone, it is wonderful to be here today. Again, I echo a lot of what the Rep had said about being here, back in rear Main Street, second time in just a couple of weeks, to make another exciting announcement. The City Council’s piece of all of these types of grants, typically to do a matching piece of it, it’s been several years where rear Main Street continues to be developed, and this is pretty monumental, as it’s phase three of this three-phase project, that now, since we have the funding, we can move forward and complete it. What we do at the City Council level is we review funding that we need to match these kinds of grants, and it’s significantly less than usually what the overall state contribution is, but it’s a huge part when it comes to what we have in the city to give and to distribute. And so when we put our piece into it, and the city side, and then we get rewarded on the state side or federal side, at times, for these kinds of grants to continue this type of development, it just, again, shows that you have to go hand-in-hand, you have to do your part, and it becomes more desirable to award us this money because we do our part on the city side, and we work to do the things we need to do to develop it, but we would not be able to do this by any means in the amount of time that we have and the scope that we have if we didn’t have our state partners, and I want to thank Rep Zlotnik for his huge role in this, as well as everyone who’s put a piece of it together, and also here joining me today, my fellow city councilors, Brad Heglin, Alek Dernalowicz, and Paul Tassone, and on behalf of the City Council, I just want to say how excited we are to be here today to celebrate this and to see what’s moving forward at the next groundbreaking and the ribbon cuttings and all the celebration down the road, but as many years as this takes to develop, there’s even more years ahead of us, so the city’s going to be able to enjoy it, and it’s going to be something really special for Gardner. It is my pleasure to introduce a fellow city councilor, but also the chair of the GRA, Paul Tassone.”

Paul Tassone stated, “How exciting is this? $3.5 million for the revitalization of this downtown area, from the smokestack to City Hall to the Gateway. I was here when we first broke ground for the Gateway to downtown Gardner, the city. $3.5 million, and from a GRA perspective, we worked behind the scenes acquiring and working with the city to ensure that we could make this project viable, so on behalf of the Gardner Redevelopment Authority, I’d like to thank Rep Zlotnick and Mayor Nicholson for their due diligence to help us get this award for $3.5 million, so thank you very much, and now I will introduce Patti Bergstrom.”

“How exciting is this?“

“Thank you Jon, and to all of the good people that help and work together to make this city as fabulous as it is, I’m really excited about this.”

Patti Bergstrom stated, “What a fabulous day in the city that we love. It is so exciting for me, who has been downtown for 37 years, to watch this project happening, because when I joined in 1987, the Rear Main Street was a project that was just talked about. We have all the elements that we need to make our downtown and our city even more successful and more fabulous. Housing is important down here, parking is very important, new businesses like Diamond Heart Studio, old businesses like the Paramount, John’s Sports Shop, Priscilla’s Candy, they’ve been here nine decades, six decades, eight decades, and I’ve been here almost four decades, and to have a fabulous mayor, a supportive city councilor, a state rep who makes our dreams come true, thank you Jon, and to all of the good people that help and work together to make this city as fabulous as it is, I’m really excited about this. Now, on a personal note, could I say that, I did announce my retirement last week, but I want you to know that even though I may be retiring, I am the self-appointed CFO of Gardner now, Chief Fun Officer, and I plan to use this event space and all that’s going on in our city to make it even more fabulous, so thank you. Oh, was I supposed to introduce? Sorry. The next speaker are Sean and Nancy Bray, who are also the newest downtown business, and we’re so excited to have them, and talk about fun. These people wrote the book on fun and are teaching us all.”

Sean and Nancy Bray stated, “ Hi. So we’re Sean and Nancy Bray. We own Diamond Hearts Art Studio, which is… Right there. The back of the studio will be to the back of this completed project. We are super excited to have so many more residents in Gardner, and so much more opportunity to have fun and new friends. When the mayor was asking us about, did we want to open our business in downtown Gardner, one of the things that sold us was he was talking about this exact project and how much vitality it was going to bring to the Main Street area, the behind Main Street area, and it sold us. We just got very excited. We can’t wait to meet all of our new neighbors. If Gardner is as welcoming to them as it has been to us, they’re going to love living in Gardner. Thank you. Mr. Mayor.”

“The housing crisis that’s facing Massachusetts is no stranger to us here in Gardner, so being able to work towards finding some type of a solution for that by the apartment building that’s going to be here and adding new residential space to Gardner. This, with phase two, almost doubling the amount of parking that we have in the downtown.”

Mayor Nicholson closed with these remarks, “ I think you’ve seen the excitement that’s here around this project, and it’s true that this has been happening for quite some time. Patty mentioned that in the 1980s this was an idea, but this used to be an old factory site. In 2006, this started to enter into our urban renewal plans. In 2015, we had the new road funding approved by MassWorks to purchase the property that was there. The road was built in 2018, and we had the ribbon-cutting for that ceremony actually in this park. I remember that because I was just hired in the mayor’s office in a staff position at the time, and that was one of the first things that I got assigned was making this a ribbon-cutting spot for the brand new road that was there. That, hopefully, later on the road, something happened, literally down the road. Here we are about to launch into the final phase of this project and getting this going. The housing crisis that’s facing Massachusetts is no stranger to us here in Gardner, so being able to work towards finding some type of a solution for that by the apartment building that’s going to be here and adding new residential space to Gardner. This, with phase two, almost doubling the amount of parking that we have in the downtown to face the concerns that several businesses who are looking out to the area who want to know, am I going to be able to survive here? Where are my customers going to park? Now we’ve got an answer to that question. While it may not be the final answer, we’re getting there because we continue to invest in our community, and we continue to move Gardner forward. I want to thank the people on my team, our community development director, Trevor Beauregard and his staff in our community development project, who unfortunately weren’t able to be here today due to other scheduling conflicts, the members of the Gardner Redevelopment Authority, Paul Tassone and Magnus Carlberg, who are here with us today, the City Council, State Representative Jonathan Zlotnick, who’s been an integral part in this project alone, let alone all the other projects happening around Gardner, and making sure that we continue to work as a team to really make us stronger for a better future for us here in Gardner. And that’s exactly what this project’s doing, and I look forward to seeing the benefits that this brings, and we’ll see you at the groundbreaking for this part of the project in the very near future. Thank you all very much for tuning in and joining. If you have any questions, you can contact my office at any time, and we look forward to getting this going. Thank you very much.”
Rear Main Construction (10/25/2024)

Rear Main Street Phase 2 Construction Has Begun

Temporary construction fencing has enclosed the site. A couple pieces of construction equipment can be seen operating. The Rear Main Street Project Construction has begun. Completion of this phase is expected in 2025. With funding now approved for the next phase, see article, in a few short years this portion of Downtown Gardner will be transformed. Groundbreaking article, CLICK HERE.
One Stop 2024 (10/24/2024)

Representative Jonathan Zlotnik announced state funded grants for the greater Gardner area. The grants were awarded as part of the Executive Office of Economic Development’s Community One Stop for Growth program, which streamlines the application process for communities and other eligible entities seeking to access various economic development grant programs. In the FY25 round of Community One Stop for Growth awards, three recipients in the 2nd Worcester District are receiving important grant funding.

Gardner, Winchendon and Templeton “One Stop for Growth” Awards Announced by Jonathan Zlotnik

These state funded grants were announced on October 24, 2024. Gardner is benefitting from the new Housing Works Grant Program rolled out for Fiscal Year 2025 in the amount of $3,500,000, the Gardner Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center’s Winchendon project will receive $876,717 under the Underutilized Properties Program and Templeton gets $290,000 under the Rural Development Fund.

Details of Each of the Grants

The City of Gardner received $3,500,000
under the Housing Works Grant Program. The funding will be used to continue the North project, which will transform a vacant area into a vibrant public space by making public improvements to the water/sewer and drainage infrastructure along with associated parking to support a private development 45-unit multi-family market rate residential project.

The Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center (MVOC) received $876,717 under the Underutilized Properties Program. The funding will be used to support the redevelopment of the Streeter and Poland Schools in the Town of Winchendon into housing for veterans by supporting construction, demolition, elevator and steel work at the site.

The Town of Templeton received $290,000 under the Rural Development Fund. The funding will be used to fund all engineering costs related to the rehabilitation of Templeton’s Barre Road. The project consists of the design and permitting phase of the rehabilitation of nearly 4 miles of public roadway in poor and failure condition and also aims to support Barre Road’s residents, adjacent conservation lands, and farms and small businesses by maintaining public infrastructure and continuing the goals of RPAC in the process.
Assessors 10-22-24 (10/23/2024)

Exciting Gardner Board of Assessors Meeting on 10-22-24

The Board gets so much done in 5 minutes that they have a new theme song on Gardner Magazine which you’ll hear in the meeting AUDIO “Greatest Board of Assessors in the City”

Listen to the meeting on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Board of Assessors 10-22-24
Velvet Goose 10-21-24 (10/21/2024)

Downtown Queen Patti Bergstrom of the Velvet Goose Is Retiring

Velvet Goose Owner Patti Bergstrom is beginning her retirement sale this week with plans to be out of her store location by the end of January. Bergstrom has operated her store since 1987. Even though she is retiring, new merchandise for the holiday season has arrived so the shopping experience this season will be truly special. We have a special interview for you. At the beginning of the interview is a tease of the Velvet Goose Song. After the interview, you’ll hear the entire Velvet Goose song (written by Werner Poegel as a tribute to a great store and fine lady). After the song, Patti tells her personal story of how she ended up in Gardner. Listen on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Patti Bergstrom – Velvet Goose 10-21-24

The Velvet Goose posted, “The time has come for me to announce that I am planning to retire…This decision comes after a lot of thought, and it is truly bittersweet. I have spent more than 37 years at The Velvet Goose—that is more than half my life. My 3 year lease that I signed in March 1987 turned into my 37 year LOVE STORY!” The retirement sale begins on Wednesday October 23rd and will continue through Christmas.
Rear Phase 2 (10/18/2024)

Rendering – Rear Main Street Phase 2 – CLICK IMAGE for larger view.

Rear Main Street Project Breaks Ground on Phase 2

At a ceremony held in Gardner on October 17, 2024 various officials and business leaders gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of Rear Main Street Phase 2. Construction is expected to last at least until the summer of 2025. Official Press Release, CLICK HERE. To listen to the event on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Rear Main Street Groundbreaking 10-17-24

Speakers included Mayor Michael Nicholson who stated, “I’m really happy that we’re able to now celebrate this next milestone in this project.”

State Representative Jonathan Zlotnik stated, “I’m proud to say that this is the second time we’ve been able to deliver a big MassWorks grant to support this project, and maybe, I don’t know, maybe we’ll be back here again soon announcing some more state money to see this project go even further. “

Director of Development and Planning Beauregard provided a history of the project which was conceived in the early 2000’s and part of the Urban Renewal Plan approved in 2011. He explained that the 2000 foot long Derby Drive was built after the property was acquired with a $1.75 million MassWorks grant in 2016. The second MassWorks grant was for $4.1 million. Because design and engineering costs have gone up, the project was divided into a North and South portion. Beauregard stated, “This being a north portion, we put it out to bid probably a few months ago, hired UEL contractors, Construction Dynamics, out of Fitchburg, and yeah, they’re ready to go. They’re out here, and they’ve already started clearing the site and doing the good work. It’s going to be a really transformative project for the City of Gardner, and it’s really exciting for me to be able to be here.”
Zlotnik 10-11-24 (10/11/2024)

Running on His Record – Interview with Jonathan Zlotnik

Gardner Magazine spoke with State Representative Jonathan Zlotnik about his record. Listen to the entire interview on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Jonathan Zlotnik 10-11-24

Zlotnik describes how he has put working families first. He speaks about fighting for the wallets of his constituents. Zlotnik talks about fighting for our schools, fighting for fundamental freedoms, and running to be the people’s champion. He explains exactly what he means and draws on his record.

Jonathan Zlotnik speaks in great detail about his efforts to directly help the non-profits in his district including a description of his extensive efforts on behalf of Heywood Hospital. He speaks of fostering economic development, supporting small businesses, and making sure taxpayer funds have the most impact. Representative Zlotnik is running for reelection on his record and he gave us specifics regarding his efforts over the past 12 years.
Update 10-11-24 (10/11/2024)

Upcoming next week: Thursday October 17, 2024 at 3:30pm is Groundbreaking for the Rear Main Street Project Phase 2. That broadcast will be the Mayor’s Update next week. Public may attend.

Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson Updates the Chair City on 10-11-24

Listen to the update on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Mayor’s Update 10-11-24

GAAMHA received $225,000 funding through efforts of Lori Trahan and Jonathan Zlotnik. It is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month. EEE was found in a Mosquito in Gardner. The Winter Coat Drive of the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office has begun. There was a Flag Raising Ceremony at Care Central VNA. The Gardner Museum will have a presentation, an Evening of Chair Caning. And Mayor Nicholson wished the best of luck to the Gardner Wildcats who are playing Saturday.
Tenacity of Bombaci (10/10/2024)

Jonathan Bombaci on Tenacity and the Projects in Downtown Gardner

In Gardner, Bombaci’s firm has invested in residential real estate, renovated commercial real estate, attempted to buy properties from the City of Gardner, and is currently working on 25 Main Street and the Garbose Building. Project delays have resulted in part from a wait on getting enough electricity which is an issue throughout the Downtown.

Jonathan Bombaci spoke about challenges, progress and timetables in the Gardner Magazine interview available on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Bombaci 10-10-24

Jonathan Bombaci stated, “I can’t tell you how many times we start projects and they don’t go to plan, whether it’s something to do with the building, something to do with the renovation, something to do with tenants. So persistence and having a plan A, plan B, plan C definitely goes a long way in this industry.”

With respect to a property on Pine Street, a contractor literally put up a wall in the wrong spot, delaying progress on the building. Project continues.

With respect to 73 Stuart Street, “We very quickly during due diligence, talking to the city, kind of realized that that project wasn’t financially feasible. And so we withdrew.”

With respect to 25 Main Street and Brilla Coffee,”Permits have been approved. There was some back and forth just due to the complexity of the building and the fact that we’re putting in a full hood system, which creates some complications, because obviously they want to do some pretty good cooking there. And piping through a hood system with ventilation out three stories of a historic building has its challenges. So that was part of the delay, but we’re on track. You should see people there working consistently. We’ll have them opened in Q1 2025, pending nothing crazy happening.”

With respect to further progress on the Garbose Building which already has the outside done and a new tenant in the iconic corner spot, “We’re matching everything up to the energy plan. And things don’t move very quickly when you’re talking about energy plans. … Garbose will probably push into Q1 or Q2 of 2026, assuming that we’re able to get the energy plan finalized in a reasonable amount of time.”

With respect to buying locally, “The windows were bought from Maki’s. We buy a lot of our lumber. We buy a lot of our construction material from Maki’s. We also use a lot of local contractors. We do our best to keep as much as we can close to the towns that we’re doing the work in. One, it’s good for relationships, better products, better quality of service, someone you can call when something goes wrong, and two, a lot of times it’s cheaper, you know. Staying locally means that I don’t have to transport it long distances, which tends to save us a lot of time and money, both of which benefit a project.”
73 Stuart (10/8/2024)

Former Factory at 73 Stuart Street in Gardner not owned by Candor Realty

A published report elsewhere inaccurately described the situation which has led to some inaccurate comments and negative public reaction on a rogue Gardner Facebook group. The publication has since corrected its article. While Candor Realty initially had a request for proposal accepted in 2023, that sale did not go through. According to Jonathan Bombaci of Candor Realty, Candor withdrew from the RFP in 2023 because of the projected high cost of demolition. The City of Gardner still owns the property. A storm in early 2024 damaged the building to the point where demolition was required because part of it came down on a neighboring yard. An insurance claim was filed.

Publisher’s Note: Common sense informs the notion that the City of Gardner could not file an insurance claim on a property it did not own. The postings and comments on that Rogue Gardner Facebook Group should come down because they unfairly and falsely disparage Candor Realty as a private entity, the City of Gardner, and City officials.

UPDATE: What happened and what will happen next? Gardner Mayor Nicholson wrote “The situation with the 73 Stuart Property is this- the City put it out for RFP and received only one offer from Candor Realty in the amount of $17,000 but the offer was contingent on them obtaining zoning relief through a variance that allowed them to put condominiums on the site. However, we advertised the property “as is,” meaning we could not accept the contingency portion of the offer. Additionally, the time allowed under Chapter 30 fo the General Laws, would not have allowed them to get the variance in that timeline. As such, we had to reject the offer and the City retained ownership of the property. We do plan to put it out for sale again once the final clean up after the demo is completed. “
Council Matters (10/6/2024)

Transformer – Transformer Shortage has slowed down some construction projects nationwide.

Gardner MA City Council Takes up Various Matters on Monday October 9, 2024

The City Council will review recommendations of the Finance Committee which met on October 2^nd regarding various communications from the Mayor including property valuation changes, City Health Insurance costs, and a measure authorizing the Mayor to enter into a grant agreement with the Gardner CAC for use of a portion of the space at Waterford Community Center. Matters were discussed extensively. The Committee heard from the Mayor, Julie Meehan of the Gardner CAC, and Assessor Christine Kumar. Listen to the Finance Committee meeting on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Finance Committee 10-2-24

The Gardner City Council packet for 10-9-24 is about 380 pages due to the detail of the minutes of prior meetings. CLICK HERE.

Other Items Before the Council

Other items include the sale of 94 Pleasant Street, authorization for a 5 year contract for grant writing services, the November 5^th election, various proposals for ordinance amendments to clean up the City Code, and a matter carried over since March regarding parking on certain streets – Edgell Street from Elm Street to Lawrence Street.

Transformer Easement

Also: The City Council will vote on whether to grant National Grid an Easement to install a transformer at 95 Pleasant Street. A shortage of transformers has held up construction work throughout the United States. The shortage is holding up further work at the Garbose Building as a transformer with a greater power rating is required due to increased electrical demands.
Heywood Stakeholder Meeting (10/3/2024)

Listen to the Stakeholder Meeting on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Heywood Stakeholder Meeting 10-3-24

Heywood Healthcare Holds Stakeholder Meeting and Moves to Next Chapter

The October 3, 2024 meeting concerned the road forward for Heywood Healthcare as it exited Chapter 11 on September 30^th. It was noted that Heywood achieved what only 5 percent of similar healthcare systems are able to do – coming out of bankruptcy as a stand-alone organization.

Dawn Casavant, Vice President Heywood Healthcare

MC was Dawn Casavant who introduced everyone and later spoke about Heywood’s Community Services. Speakers were: Heywood President and CEO Rozanna Penney, Undersecretary Chris Harding of EOHHS , Kirby Lecey Division of Community Health, Jake Mastrandrea, Outreach Director for Congresswoman Lori Trahan, State Senator Peter Durant, State Representative Jonathan Zlotnik, – President of the Health and Hospital Association Steve Walsh, Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson, and Chairman of the Heywood Board of Directors Robert Chauvin. Listen on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Heywood Stakeholder Meeting 10-3-24

Heywood Healthcare is stronger with less debt, restructured commitments to achieve savings, and renegotiated payor agreements. During the next 6 months, Heywood is expected to negotiate a successful agreement with the developers regarding the incomplete Surgical Pavilion. During the past year, Heywood has added medical professionals and staff with a total of 100 new hires. It has made investments in the Obstetrics Infrastructure and restored the Mental Health Unit to full capacity. Heywood’s deep engagement with the community was also highlighted with 30 employees dedicated to delivering services outside the hospital walls such as school-based health centers, telebehavioral health services, and a myriad of community programs.
ZBA 9-30-24 (10/1/2024)

Parking Discussed at Gardner ZBA Meeting

The Gardner MA Zoning Board of Appeals took up matters concerning an update on 163-165 Pine Street, relief on a side yard setback, a single family house, and changing a two family to a 3 family.

Sounds simple enough, but the complexity of the issues required a meeting lasting almost 2 hours. The problem of parking was a large part of the various discussions.

Listen on any device, CLICK PLAY.

ZBA 9-30-24
Waterford Interview (9/24/2024)

Money spent on the Waterford Community Center so far exceeds $1.3 million. A bill signed by the Governor this summer means long-term lease agreements can now be signed with prospective tenants. If interested, check with the City of Gardner as to the process.

Bringing a Dream to Reality – the Promise of Waterford Community Center in Gardner

From the announcement in summer 2022 to getting to the current official name “Waterford Community Center”, Gardner Mayor Nicholson has stuck with the project through its ups and downs, challenges, and legal hurdles. Now with an investment so far in State, Federal, and City funds of over $1.3 million as shown on the spreadsheet in this article, the City of Gardner has been formally authorized by Governor Healey’s signature to move forward on tenant leases. Gardner Magazine spoke with Gardner Mayor Nicholson about the Waterford Community Center. Listen on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Nicholson on Waterford 9-24-24

Not shown on the spreadsheet is the future expenditure to be made by a solar company who will be taking on the estimated $450,000 cost of a new roof. Other continued work is expected. The Gardner CAC is expected to move in sometime in the coming months. Growing Places has been operating at the site with a license agreement and is expected to be a long-term tenant. The Gardner Senior Center also plans a move to the building. GAAMHA was among those initially interested.

Expenditures covered by 550k Loan

550k loan approved by City Council has been spent as indicated on left for a total of $539, 221.22 (included in larger spreadsheet above)

Projected lease agreements of about $500,000 per year are expected to more than cover the costs associated with the continued operation of the building. Mayor Nicholson anticipates the principal of the $550k loan to be paid off within 5 years. An official long-term name still has to be chosen. It may be “Gardner Community Center” or it may be another name. And now, rather than another abandoned building, Gardner City officials came through for the taxpayers and with funding from various sources to have a building worth more than 20-30 times the investment. Gardner Magazine will keep you informed as more developments are known about this exciting addition to Gardner.
Diamond Hearts (9/23/2024)

Diamond Hearts Art Studio Ribbon Cutting Celebrates Official Opening

On Friday, September 20, 2024, Diamond Hearts Art Studio officially opened in Downtown Gardner at 112 Main Street with a ribbon cutting that featured a cake which said, “We’re Finally Open!”.

On their website, owners Sean and Nancy Bray state, “We’re a wife and husband team of artists creating abstract acrylic paintings and crafts in the central Massachusetts area. When we create art together, it is as if we are dancing. Frequently, we do!” For more information, visit their website, CLICK HERE.

Diamond Hearts plans regular classes on various nights during the week and on weekends, Resin Art classes utilizing silicone molds, private classes, and an all-weather indoor art gallery which as you can see has already been started. Other plans include Open Mic Nights, Poetry Slams, book signings by local authors and artists, and room for presentations.
Tri-City Breakfast (9/21/2024)

Mayor Nicholson Takes the Gardner Message to Tri-Cities Breakfast

Gardner may be the smaller of the 3 cities of Gardner, Fitchburg, and Leominster, but it has powerful and consequential stories to tell. As one of the speakers at this breakfast held in Gardner on September 13^th, Gardner Mayor Nicholson spoke about Gardner and the relationship among the tri-cities. Listen to remarks from all 3 Mayors on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Tri-Cities Breakfast 9-13-24

Mayor Nicholson spoke for about 10 minutes saying about Gardner once again: “It’s busy, but a good busy” Listen to just his remarks in this clip.

Mayor Nicholson Comments 9-13-24

Nicholson highlighted: The Rear Main Street Project with groundbreaking just days away. —- Delays of Downtown Gardner construction due to transformer shortages and National Grid backed-up work — Rome Square at Willow and Main —- new stores in Downtown — the success of the monthly Gardner Farmers Market —- the success at filling storefronts in Gardner —- the rebuilding of the Gardner Music program.
Maki Park 9-17-24 (9/17/2024)

ADA Modifications Underway at Maki Park – on way to Full Compliance.

Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson provided an update on Maki Park. Listen to this short interview segment on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Mayor re Maki Park 9-17-24

The Mayor stated, “Once those concerns were raised to us, we got the team together….We have met with Tighe and Bond, our design engineers on the project, who have come up with a ramp solution….There are some smaller fixes that have already been made” Photo shows the small asphalt bump added to make the third level fully ADA compliant. “By next spring for sure, we should be done.”

UPDATE: A special meeting of the Gardner City Council will be held regarding Maki Park on Thursday, September 19th at 7pm. Council will consider whether to initiate an investigation under Chapter 25 of the City Charter regarding potential errors in the park’s construction. Request was made by Councilors Tyros and Dernalowicz. See meeting agenda and packet, CLICK HERE.
Farmers Market 9-21 (9/16/2024)

Gardner Farmers Market to hold Harvest Market

On Saturday, September 21, 2024 from 9:30am to 1pm, the Gardner Farmers Market will feature more than 20 vendors at its 62 Waterford Street location. Other activities planned include live music by the group Obscure Notation, touch a tractor, a fall-themed photo booth, story time and crafts with folks from the Levi Heywood Memorial Library, and more. Of course, the best activity is finding those fresh foods including local produce and local products including handmade goods which have attracted almost 1000 people to past week’s markets.

While this is the final market of the year at Waterford, a Thanksgiving Market is planned at City Hall just before Thanksgiving. This week before the market Erica Bosse was busy juggling her duties on her local farm, her COO consulting firm responsibilities, and was getting stuff ready for the market on Saturday. However, she stated the success of the market was due to a “dedicated group effort.”
Hubbardston Pitch (9/6/2024)

Hubbardston Town Administrator Nathan Boudreau Brings out the First PITCH

It’s an idea designed to get ideas from the public. It’s called P.I.T.C.H. and stands for “Public Ideas Transforming Capital in Hubbardston” Town Administrator Nathan Boudreau is inviting proposals to include infrastructure, vehicles, parks, and more. Just submit your idea to admin@hubbardstonma.us by October 6, 2024. Submissions should include details on the proposed project including benefits, estimated cost, and any other relevant information. Hubbardston residents can participate in Fall and Winter meetings or opt for one of the two open seats on the Capital Improvement Planning Committee. For more information visit this page on the Town of Hubbardston website, CLICK HERE.

Boudreau notes, “After the deadline, submissions will be reviewed for safety, feasibility, cost, and community benefit. Top proposals may be included in the five-year capital plan.”
Heath Eats (9/6/2024)

Dana Heath Confesses – I Did It 3 Times This Week

Gardner MA City Councilor Dana Heath spoke at the City Council meeting of September 4, 204 and confessed that he ate at Jersey Mike’s 3 times in one week and he’s not proud of it, but it was good food. Listen on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Dana Heath 9-4-24

Councilor Heath thanked Jersey Mike’s for feeding the Gardner High School band when they first opened up.
Nature Grows (9/6/2024)

Nature Takes Over When Humans Aren’t Looking

Throughout the City of Gardner, the weather has allowed for accelerated foliage growth in some areas. For example, the barricade at South Main Street almost looks like a hedge. A retaining wall at Timpany Plaza is showing signs of structural infiltration by Mother Nature. The Mill Street Corridor sign is somewhat obscured by foliage as is the sign directing people to Superior Kitchen Design. While the humans have been busy, Mother Nature is taking over.

At Gardner Elementary School, the $90million building, parts of walkways, and some curbing has been infiltrated by un-mowed foliage.
John’s 2024 (9/5/2024)

John’s Sport Shop has the School Sports Spirit

Last year they celebrated 60 years in business and this year they are going strong. John’s Sport Shop has unveiled some more Wildcat Wear while wishing local students a Happy First Day of School.

The iconic Downtown Gardner store is noted for being a pillar in the community. With an average score of 4.8 in Google Reviews, it’s obvious residents and those from out of town love the place. With their slogan “All We Sell Is Fun” how can you go wrong?

From their website, “Since its inception, John’s Sport Shop has been a fixture in downtown Gardner. We have seen and survived every retail trend: from the movement toward shopping malls and megastores in the 1980s, through the revitalization of downtowns in the 1990s, to the 21st century trend toward on-line shopping.Our focus has been, and continues to be, to work with area schools and sport leagues, while continuing to support the individual athlete. We provide the goods and services our customers need and deliver quality merchandise on time. We enjoy being part of the sporting goods industry; and stay on top of innovative sports technologies that lead to exciting new athletic equipment and fabulous sports fashions.”
Just Dance 2024 (9/5/2024)

With more than a 2 year journey complete, Just Dance Performing Arts Center has a new permanent home at 25 Kraft Street, Gardner

Just Dance Performing Arts Center Gets Permanent New Home

The Dance Center has a new home just in time for 2024-2025 Dance Season which runs from September 9^th through May 17^th. New location is 25 Kraft Street in Gardner which was previously the site of Lachance Interiors Furniture. Location has a large amount of interior space and plenty of available parking for customers. There are 4 dance instructors on staff including owner Rebecca Wilson, Joy Kapp, Kate McGuiness, and Melissa Woolfrey. All have decades of experience as outlined on the Just Dance website, CLICK HERE. All dancers who have enrolled in classes prior to December 1^st may participate in the Just Dance annual May Dance Recital which will take place May17, 2025 at Narragansett Regional High School.

Previously located in Downtown Gardner: Just Dance was previously located in Downtown Gardner in what is now apartments at 42-52 Parker Street. The business moved 5 years after the Gardner Redevelopment Authority purchased the buildings in 2017 with the intent on selling them to a developer so they could be properly renovated.

Sale to Developer and Relocation Help by City: When a sale to a developer occurred, Mayor Nicholson met personally with Wilson and informed her how the City would provide a relocation specialist at a cost to the City of up to $80,000. Sign at old location went down on May 31, 2022. Wilson eventually looked at dozens of properties. See complete article, CLICK HERE. The City of Gardner provided Just Dance considerable assistance with the business receiving almost a $200,000 benefit over the 5 years GRA paid for gas, water, sewer, trash, property maintenance, and insurance etc. In addition, the City of Gardner wrote a check for $69,500 to Wilson to assist in relocation and fit out costs for a new location.

Previous Option Didn’t pan out: Wilson looked around and thought she had a new spot on Lincoln Street. A plan had been discussed and initially approved to locate the studio it what was a former church on Lincoln Street but that never materialized. Previous article regarding 69 Lincoln Street location, CLICK HERE The Zoning Board of Appeals had approved the Lincoln Street location and Rebecca Wilson had a beaming smile at the meeting, CLICK HERE. We’re not sure what happened with that idea. Most recently, Just Dance was operating out of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on Cross Street in Gardner.
Maki Park Update (8/30/2024)

Publisher’s Note: As soon as he was made aware of the issues, Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson reached out to the appropriate people so that an expeditious solution could be attained.

ADA Compliance Solutions in the Works for Maki Park

Gardner Magazine spoke with Gardner Mayor Nicholson on August 30, 2024. The Mayor followed up with us regarding the ADA compliance issues at Maki Park. Mayor Nicholson stated that the fault lies with the design engineers as the construction people just built it as designed. The City met with the design engineers this week and they are reviewing everything with the Building Department. They are working on coming up with a solution and how to fix everything. ADA compliant Issues include lack of appropriate ramps and the stone dust used. Stone dust will need to be replaced by concrete.
Update 8-23-24 (8/23/2024)

The Gardner City Clerk’s office is having a special Saturday voter registration session August 24th from 9am to 5pm in Perry Auditorium. Last day to register to vote for the upcoming September 3rd State Primary (other offices – Presidential Primary held earlier this year.)

Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson Updates the Chair City

On August 23, 2024, Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson provided an update for residents of the Chair City. Listen on any device., CLICK PLAY.

Openings: Jersey Mike’s Sub Shop opened 15 minutes early and closed late due to the number of people waiting. Remaining storefronts at Timpany Crossroads will be filled by a dentist and a swimming pool company. According to Mayor Nicholson, “We’re almost at 40 businesses in 2024 alone.” In Downtown Gardner, Diamond Hearts Studios is having an opening on September 20th at noon.

Insurance: The Mayor reiterated that insurance was fully covering Fire Department roof damaged by a storm last February and fully covering damaged playground equipment at Ovila Case.

Longest Land Court Case: 94 Pleasant Street, Gardner is available for purchase after being declared surplus recently by the Gardner City Council. It took Gardner 30 years to take the property after a land court case was filed in 1992. Contact the City’s Purchasing Department if interested in the RFP process for the property.

Rear Main Street Project: Bids being opened on Wednesday August 28th. “The project for this includes the parking lot, the public park area, the food truck plaza, the water feature…. Phase two will be the residential part of it which will be you know some type of housing unit and parking for the people who live there...”

Events: International Overdose Day and Night of Hope is Wednesday August 28th. Saturday August 31st is the Elks Riders Lodge 1426 Charity Ride.
Phase 1 (8/23/2024)

Hubbardston MA Town Meeting Overwhelmingly Approves Phase 1 of Project

According to the Town of Hubbardston website, “The 48 Gardner Road Phase 1 Proposal has officially passed, with strong support from the community—339 votes in favor to 33 against. This approval marks a critical milestone as we begin the much-needed renovations and upgrades to our public safety facilities, ensuring that Hubbardston remains a safe and thriving place for all residents.” Note that this vote was 91% YES and only 9% NO. Many supporters credited Hubbardston Town Administrator Nathan Boudreau for being completely transparent and detailed in presenting the idea which will have two more phases pending Town Meeting approval at future dates.

The project will bring Police, Fire, Emergency Services, and Town Offices to one facility over time and allow for modernization to current standards. The YES vote allows Hubbardston to proceed with the purchase of the 48 Gardner Road property. It will immediately start saving money as Hubbardston is currently a tenant on the property. Lease payments from other tenants are expected to more than cover any monthly costs.
ZBA 8-20-24 (8/22/2024)

Gardner MA Zoning Board of Appeals Tackles 3 Interesting Cases

The Gardner Zoning Board of Appeals had 4 members at its meeting of August 20, 2024 and 3 interesting cases. Listen on any device. CLICK PLAY

Zoning Board of Appeals 8-20-24

At First there were 2 driveways: The applicant is trying to get its 2nd driveway back after it got curbed over when sidewalks were revamped.

The Mobile Home Debacle – The application was withdrawn without prejudice so that it could be refiled. The issue is relocating a mobile home on a property with proximity to wetlands and edges of the property.

Wall in the Wrong Place – A contractor putting an outside wall in the wrong place complicated compliance with a Special Permit. The Board is working with the applicant to get things back on track.
GRA 8-21-24 (8/21/2024)

Gardner Redevelopment Authority: from left: Magnus Carlberg, Timothy Horrigan, Neill Jansssens, Trevor Beauregard and Paul Tassone (on phone)

For the opportunities presenting themselves in this article, please contact the Development Department at the City of Gardner. They’ll put you in touch with the appropriate broker and you can snap up one or both of the parcels. Website, CLICK HERE.

Progress Discussed at Gardner Redevelopment Authority Meeting

The Gardner Redevelopment Authority met on August 21, 2024 regarding Urban Renewal Plan including Downtown Gardner and the Mill Street Corridor. Listen on any device. CLICK PLAY

Rear Main Street Project: The bid will be opened towards the end of August regarding the multi-million dollar Rear Main Street Project. Construction will be starting this Fall to include a large oval-shaped parking lot with about 100 public parking spaces and a large oval park in between. There will be a patio area with a water feature. The electrical infrastructure will be underground.

Mill Street Corridor: The cap on the former Garbose Metal site was recently checked. A new real estate broker was recently hired and the intent is to market the properly heavily. Trevor Beauregard told us that the property is currently zoned for industrial use. An opportunity awaits some business owner.

140 South Main Street: available and suitable for many activities.
Jersey Mike Opens (8/21/2024)

Jersey Mike’s Opens in Gardner MA

Gardner now has another place for delicious subs as Jersey Mike’s opened on August 21, 2024 at Timpany Crossroads.

Elsewhere in Gardner, Five Below has been open a couple of weeks in the Timpany Plaza. Another place to eat, Chipotle is expected to open in the months ahead. The Chipotle Building construction continues to proceed.

In Downtown Gardner, Candor Realty reports that it is awaiting permits so that construction of Brilla Coffee’s new facility can proceed. At the Garbose Building, the developer reports that the lack of electric service is holding up construction. Note that there is a transformer shortage nationwide.
Gardner Rail (8/17/2024)

Complete 112 page Study, CLICK HERE.

Rail Service to Gardner a Real Possibility for the future

Right now, it’s a conceptual planning study requiring many more steps before any construction would occur. The Study was done by MassDOT as directed by the Massachusetts Legislature 4 years ago to examine the benefits, costs, and investments necessary to implement a new passenger rail service that would be a competitive travel option along the Northern Tier, connecting North Adams, Greenfield, and Boston. The attached 112 page document – CLICK HERE – details the study which documents various alternatives. In order for anything to proceed, it would need to be funded. The study anticipates many more steps along the way.

In a draft of the Northern Tier Passenger Rail Study Report, Gardner would get a station in a similar location to what it had years ago. At one time the parking lot on the west side of the former Jade II restaurant was the location of the original Union Station. The study notes that the track running between Pearson Boulevard-Chestnut Street and Route 2 would provide an opportunity for a 510 foot platform. Potential parking is noted as a small lot between the former D’Angelo’s Restaurant and the Tender Heart facility. The attached study outlines various possibilities and alternatives.
Planning 8-13-24 (8/14/2024)

Planning Board Approves Salt Shed – Not Affecting Wetlands

The Gardner Planning Board on August 13, 2024 approved the Definitive Site Plan for the new DPW Salt Shed. Listen to the meeting on any device. CLICK PLAY

Planning Board 8-13-24

The 9100 square foot salt shed is identified by the rectangle on the property shown in our graphic. According to the site plan and the engineering report, the proposed project is not expected to have any impact on the environment. Engineering report stated that no work would be performed within jurisdictional areas of the Wetlands Protection Act. While a Gardner resident showed up at the last moments of the public hearing and voiced opposition, the Planning Board ignored his statements in favor of the objective data before it. The DPW Salt Shed Definitive Site Plan was approved unanimously. It is not known whether the Conservation Commission will even need to take up the matter.
Temple Stuart Hazard (8/11/2024)

Complete EPA Fact Sheet, CLICK HERE.

EPA Removal Action to Take Care of Dangerous PCBs at Temple Stuart

The factory has been inactive for years, but the chemicals known as PCBs at the site remained. The site located at 24 Holman Street in Baldwinville was targeted in the Spring of 2023 for cleanup and the short-term cleanup began in July 2024 under the supervision of the Massachusetts Department of Environment Protection. Goal of EPA is to help communities safely and sustainably redevelop once used commercial property.

About PCBs from the EPA: “PCBs belong to a broad family of man-made organic chemicals known as chlorinated hydrocarbons. PCBs were domestically manufactured from 1929 until manufacturing was banned in 1979. …Exposure to high levels of PCBs or exposure for long amounts of time may cause health effects. Health effects that hav been associated with exposure to PCBs includew acne-like skin conditions in adults and neurobehavioral and immunological changes in children. PCBs are known to cause cancer in animals.”
ADU 2024 (8/9/2024)

“This new policy replaces a patchwork of zoning regulations across the state with a uniform law that allows homeowners on single-family lots to add these small units without needing a special permit or variance unless they want to add more than one. Construction of ADUs is still subject to local building codes. The Healey-Driscoll Administration estimates that between 8,000 and 10,000 ADUs will be built across the state over the next five years due to passage of the law.”

Accessory Dwelling Units Allowed by Right Under New Law

The Affordable Homes Act has been signed by Governor Maura Healey. Intention is to build or save 65,000 homes through $5.1 billion in authorizations and 49 policy initiatives. More information, right here.

Part of the bill allows Accessory Dwelling Units under 900 square feet by right on single-family lots. According to the Press Release, “Often referred to as in-law apartments, accessory dwelling units can be attached or detached from a single-family home and often take shape as a basement or attic conversion, a cottage in a backyard or a bump-out addition to a home.“

We spoke with State Representative Jonathan Zlotnik about the signing of the housing bill, ADU’s and the possibility of Tiny Housing Villages for the homeless. Listen on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Jonathan Zlotnik on ADUs

We spoke with Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson about ADU’s and Tiny House Villages. Gardner already has had an organization reach out to it regarding land for a Tiny House Village. Listen on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Mayor Michael Nicholson on ADUs
11 Nos (8/5/2024)

Councilors consistently referenced risks, concerns about items not addressed completely, and opposition of most constituents contacting them.

Gardner City Council Votes Unanimously Against the Horse Racetrack

Gardner City Council voted 11 to 0 against the Horse Racetrack proposal by BayState Racing LLC. The City Council discussed the matter before the vote. Listen to the beginning of the meeting, the discussion, and the vote on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Beginning of Meeting – Discussion – Vote 8-5-24

After the vote, the Host Community Agreement was taken off the calendar as it was now moot.

WGAW Radio carried the discussion and vote LIVE on AM 1340, 98.1FM, and streamed live to anywhere in the world.

Gardner Magazine will publish the entire August 5, 2024 City Council meeting when AUDIO is available.

BayState Racing LLC released the following statement on August 6, 2024: “While tonight’s vote isn’t what we had hoped for, we appreciate the City Council hearing our proposal. Tonight would have given us the opportunity to continue with the process and work with the city on Baystate Park. We will continue to work with the Massachusetts horse community on finding a welcoming location for them to breed, race and retire thoroughbred horses.”
Hotline 8-3-24 (8/3/2024)

WGAW Hotline Radio takes Calls on August 3, 2024 – Program Extended by more than 1 hour

The program included Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson, Veronica Patty regarding National Night out, an interview with John Stefanini, and numerous phone calls from the public which extended the program past 3 o’clock. Listen to the program on any device, CLICK PLAY

Hotline Radio August 3, 2024

Except for a few callers, all of the callers to the program were in opposition to the Racetrack. The biggest concern expressed was for the water supply. After a commentary by Gardner Magazine Publisher Werner Poegel, Paul DeMeo called in and complained that it contained what he termed a personal attack by “Judy Mack”. Other callers expressed their concerns for the AUDIO system in Perry Auditorium, saying it was shi**y and that the Open Meeting Law complaints were valid. The program was extended for over an hour. Hotline Radio is heard on AM 1340, 98.1 FM, and streaming to anywhere in the world. For the 24/7 live stream, CLICK HERE.
Upcoming 8-5-24 (8/2/2024)

Document may be digital but 700 Pages is still HUGE

The Gardner MA City Council Agenda and packet for the upcoming Monday, August 5, 2024 meeting is 700 pages. Agenda and packet, CLICK HERE.

The Council will consider various appointments. —The Council is scheduled to vote to determine if a track of land located at 827 Green Street be approved as the location of a running horse racing track. It is also scheduled to consider an Ordinance to add the “Agricultural Commission” which has been postponed at meetings since March. —– Perry Auditorium will be available as an overflow room should the City Council Chamber reach capacity.

Various communications from the Mayor include:
the Bay State Racing LLC Host Community Agreement, Ovila Case Playground, the City’s new Disc Golf Course, Gubernatorial Appointments, Upcoming Paving and Infrastructure Projects, Knowlton Street Parking Lot Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Project, City’s Solar Canopy Initiative, Storefront Revitalization Districts, Projects Currently Being Funded by Federal Grant Funds,…

…Intermunicipal Agreement between Gardner and Princeton for Veterans Services, Intermunicipal Agreement between Gardner and Westminster for Animal Control Services, Declaring Surplus for the Purpose of Disposal (Lease) 62 Waterford Street, Declaring Surplus for sale 94 Pleasant Street, Declaring Surplus for the Purpose of leasing to a solar photovoltaic array 100 Heywood Street and 21 acres of land at the Gardner Solid Waste Landfill, Information regarding Stone Field, A resolution in support of City Application to the Community Change for Environmental Justice Communities Grant Program by the US EPA, Accepting Donations of Picnic Tables and Flyers to Gardner Farmers Market, Ordinance changing fee for solid waste collections, ordinance re sewer rates, ordinance amending Non-union Compensation Schedule, Information on the RAISE Grant, information on the Massachusetts Electric Vehicle Incentive Program, Mass Trails Grant Wards, On-call grant writing services, CDBG Grant programs, Federal Earmarks for Gardner.
Bargains and Bragging (8/2/2024)

Customers Bragging about Bargains Going Shopping in Gardner MA and Noticing Progress in the Chair City

The Date: Friday, August 2, 2024. The location: Gardner, Massachusetts. Observation: Consumer Activity.

In the Timpany Plaza: The sign at Big Lots said “Bargains to Brag About”. A few doors down, the new 5 Below Store opened to a healthy crowd of shoppers. In the same plaza, Construction gurus were inside evaluating and discussing next steps at the Chipotle site. While the Chipotle site has undergone significant progress, no opening date has yet been announced.

At Nearby Timpany Crossroads, the Jersey Mike’s Subs sign was up and electrical work was underway.
Last week, hiring at Jersey Mike’s was taking place under an outside temporary shelter. Jersey Mike’s has announced an August 21, 2024 opening.
CDBG Grants 7-29-24 (7/29/2024)

CDBG Grants Announced in Front of School Street School

School Street School has been vacant for almost 40 years, has fallen in to disrepair, often has vandals and police calls. Gardner applied for a Community Development Block Grant to demolish the building and received it along with others to benefit the City. Listen to the announcements and comments from officials on any device. CLICK PLAY.

CDBG Grants July 29 2024

Pictured are 2^nd Row: Gardner Mayor Nicholson, State Representative Jonathan Zlotnik, and City Council President Elizabeth Kazinskas. 3^rd row: City Councilor George Tyros who serves as Chair of the CDBG Steering Committee, Julie Meehan of the Community Action Committee, Bernice Richard of Voices of Truth, and both James Deveau and Janet Stankaitis from the Gardner Emergency Housing Mission. The CDBG Grants will also benefit athletes as fees will be completely covered again this year. Demolition of the building will be the middle of next year. Complete Press Release, CLICK HERE

Breakdown of the $925,000 total funds: School Street School Demolition and Associated Costs 95% or $877,000 —- Gardner Emergency Housing Mission $5,000 — Gardner CAC $16,000 — Athletic Fees $15,000. Voices of Truth $12,000
50 to 25 million (7/29/2024)

Graphic depicts Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson looking at the “Mountain of Money” the City has received in State and Federal Grants.

Gardner MA Turns 50 Grand in to $25 Million – How Is That Even Possible?

The City of Gardner Massachusetts seems to have a knack for grants. Recently, U.S. Senator Ed Markey visited Gardner and remarked that Gardner was 1 of only 3 communities in the State (besides Boston and Salem) to receive a particular R.A.I.S.E. grant. That will cover a full mobility study of Downtown and engineering for the 4 story parking garage.

The City of Gardner has invested $50,000 so far in 3rd Party Grant Writers. The payoff so far: $25 million in State and Federal grants which is 500 times the investment. Gardner has really worked the process, even lobbying cabinet secretaries in Washington D.C. directly.

Now pending: 12 Federal Grant Applications and 8 State Grant applications. What this means to taxpayers: Your taxes don’t go up as much and the City of Gardner is vastly improved. An example of one is a possible appropriation of close to a million dollars towards the Waterford Community Center which is pending the exact funding amount and approval of the Federal budget.
Chipotle – Jersey Mike’s (7/25/2024)

A snapshot of 3 businesses at different stages on July 25, 2024 in Gardner MA.

Hiring Underway at Jersey Mike’s and Paving Underway at Chipotle, While Five Below Gets Ready

Jersey Mike’s plans to open at Timpany Crossroads on August 21st and was interviewing prospective employees outside on July 25th while construction continued inside. A beautiful paving job was completed at the Chipotle location with no opening date announced yet. Five Below in the Timpany Plaza is getting ready for its opening now scheduled for August 2nd.
City Council 7-23-24 (7/24/2024)

Gardner MA City Council Meets for More than 5 Hours

The Gardner City Council heard a presentation from John Stefanini of BayState Racing LLC on July 23, 2024 regarding a proposed Horse Racetrack at 827 Green Street in Gardner. Following the presentation, the City Council took a non-binding straw vote which was a resounding 10 NOs to the project. A Public Hearing followed during which less than a handful of speakers expressed support while all the rest were opposed. Listen to the entire evening on any device, CLICK PLAY.

City Council July 23, 2024

The Gardner City Council will meet again on August 5, 2024 at which time it could take a vote on the proposal or it could opt to take more time. In any case, with an overwhelming majority of the public opposed to the proposed Racetrack and virtually no City Council support, it appears the item could easily be headed for defeat.
Airport 7-17-24 (7/20/2024)

More Updates on Airport Progress in this week’s Meeting

The Gardner Airport Commission had a lengthy meeting on July 17, 2024. Discussions revolved around a Runway Update, Master Plan Update, and Ramp Repaving. The Airport Manager presented information on Guard System Counts, gave a facility update, went over the budget, and reviewed certain policies and procedures. Listen to the meeting on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Airport Commission 7-17-24

Currently there are 4 chapters of the Master Plan available for the public to view. There may be as many as approximately 3 more chapters when the plan is complete. Unclear when more material will be available online for the public to see.

Airport Commission page on the City of Gardner website, CLICK HERE.
Update 7-19-24 (7/19/2024)

U.S. Senator Ed Markey closed the update stating, “I’m Senator Ed Markey. I’m here with Mayor Nicholson, all the leaders of the City of Gardner. This city has a beat in its step. It’s receiving a disproportionate amount of federal funding than other communities. It’s size in our country, and it’s for transportation. It’s for small business. It’s to create a vision of Gardner for the 21st century that’s even better than any of the preceding centuries. And that’s what I feel walking around, just a community that has come together to really just transform this community and to make everyone proud but prosperous at the same time.”

Downtown Gardner MA and Markey Visit Highlight Mayor’s Update of July 19, 2024

Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson speaks of U.S. Senator Ed Markey’s visit to Downtown Gardner on July 18th and also talks about various Gardner events. Listen on any device. CLICK PLAY

Mayor’s Update July 19, 2024

Mayor Nicholson stated, “Senator Markey came to tour the downtown, visited with the owners of Bria Coffee and toured their future site over at 25 Main Street. Construction is starting to move along there, too. They’ll be getting their demolition of the interior soon and start their build out of the inside. The Senator then joined us through a walk of the downtown to talk about some of the different projects that are planned through the downtown area that we’ve received Federal funding for….”

The Mayor spoke of the vinyl wraps going around the trash cans in the Downtown. Some of the vinyl is backordered so the rest will be covered by the end of the summer when received. — The front nine of the new Disc Golf Course at Bailey Brook Park has been completed. —

Events: Farmer’s Market July 20th 9:30am to1pm at Waterford. Household Hazardous Waste Day is Saturday, July 20th — Patriot Riders America Day in the Park Sunday July 21st. — Wildcat 5k is Sunday July 21st. —- National Night Out is Thursday, August 8th at Gardner High School. —- Night of Hope is August 28th.
Markey Visit (7/18/2024)

U.S. Senator Ed Markey Tours Downtown Gardner and Sees Growth

U.S. Senator Ed Markey is the latest in a series of regional, State, and Federal officials to visit Downtown Gardner and view ongoing projects.

Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson stated, “Thank you to US Senator Ed Markey for joining us downtown today to discuss ways Gardner has used federal funds to further our economic development, housing production, and infrastructure improvement goals. Thank you to all of our community partners who joined us for the event and for the work we’ve been able to do as a team to move Gardner forward. In the last 4 years, over $15 million in federal grant funding has come to Gardner, and we’re going after every grant available to continue the progress we’ve made.”

Previous visits have been made to Gardner by Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities Ed Augustus, both Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll, Congresswoman Lori Trahan, and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Fix it 2024 (7/16/2024)

Gardner MA Still Has “Fix It Fever”

In July 2022, we first reported on this contagious condition and are pleased to report that there has been no cure. Show your support and post this on your wall. “I Caught Fix It Fever Gardner MA” Printable pdf. “Fix It Fever” reportedly started shortly after Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson took office 4 years ago. This week, Nicholson started YEAR FIVE.

Positive Consequences of the “Fix It Fever” Phenomenon in the Chair City.
A growing list of Completed, Ongoing, Contemplated, or Proposed Projects utilizing funds from the City of Gardner, State and Federal Government, Investors, and Private businesses.
25% of all Gardner roads have been paved in the last 4 years.
New businesses opening in Timpany Plaza, Timpany Crossroads, Downtown Gardner and other parts of the City.
Maki Park in Downtown Gardner is under construction right now and completion is expected by sometime in the Fall.
There is a continued proactive effort being made to improve various life issues in tangible ways.

What’s happening in Gardner in 2024? “Fix It Fever” is more contagious than ever. Everybody’s noticing it and everybody likes it. Gardner MA doesn’t need a cure for “Fix it Fever.” The blessings it brings continue to improve Gardner as a great place to Live, Work, Play, and Visit.

Racing 7-15-24 (7/15/2024)

Race Track Proposal BayState Racing LLC John Stefanini

A Candid Interview with John Stefanini of BayState Racing LLC

We go round the track with John Stefanini on July 15, 2024 and cover all the bases regarding the proposed facility at 827 Green Street, Gardner. Listen on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Sometimes through ridiculous analogies we reveal just how hyperbolic and misleading some opposition statements have been about this proposed project. We thank John Stefanini for being a good sport as we asked him some silly questions along the way. But, the result was that we cut through the clutter regarding the environmental concerns, speak of animal safety, and get real on traffic and other issues. It’s a good interview to help you assess what your actual, valid concerns are and what items are non-issues or have already been addressed. The Gardner City Council will hear a presentation from BayState Racing LLC on July 23, 2024 and hold a public hearing the same evening.

Some key takeaway quotes from this interview:
We would instantly be the largest taxpayer in Gardner, paying $500,000 approximately a year. The next closest taxpayer pays $173,000. And to put that in perspective, the site, if it were to pay taxes today because it’s by a not-for-profit, would pay $15,000.
Whether you think we’re doing it because it’s the right thing to do, which I hope you do, or whether we’re required to do it, it matters not. We are going to do what we say we’re going to do.
We will improve the manure management on this site because we will collect the manure, we will store it properly, and then we will truck it off of and dispose of it off-site. We will be required to do that.
We have some of the best engineers in the state who’ve done large and small projects for the state and municipalities, and we will have a system designed that directs and improves the storm water management on this site
Massachusetts horse owners and horse breeders have been leaders in the nation for decades in terms of care and treatment of animals. Massachusetts was among the first to have anti-slaughter, anti-doping regulations, which Congress has now adopted in something called the Horse Integrity Security Authority, HISA, which we will have to follow their strict adherence to.
You can expect one, two, three weekends a year, but never more than 20 days a year. We don’t think we have the purse money or the horses to do more than one or two weekends a year, and that’s what we’ve said. And we’ll work with the community on a traffic plan.
The wagering on this site will happen one, two, three weekends a year and we will have all kinds of safeguards put in because the gaming commission will require us to do that. In addition to that, we will be required to fund local addiction and other prevention related measures. We’ll do self-exclusion lists on the site. We’ll monitor if there’s a problem or someone has an issue. We’re aware of the concerns just like a tavern that sells alcohol. You need to be a responsible server and you need to understand the rules and you need to be trained.
We also know we know how to care for horses. Our owners, our 350 horse farms from around the Commonwealth love their horses, just as you love your pet.
We’re going to renovate one or both of the barns. Maybe, I don’t know if there’s a need for that addition or not, we’re going to renovate and improve the houses there, we’re going to build a pad for food trucks and other temporary facilities, we’re going to build a gazebo. So the only new structure we’re really talking about building is a gazebo and we’re talking about constructing a track, which is a one mile strip that’s 70 feet wide. So that would go through the woods around that hill that’s there and we would construct into the hill, we would terrace it, which takes advantage of the natural topography
You don’t need to take my word for any of these things. We need to go before the Conservation Commission and work through the rules and regulations which are considerable for the site, with our engineers, for the waste water management and storm water management of this site and that will take six to nine months to go through a process to figure that out and all those meetings will be in the public and all those meetings will follow rules and regulations. In addition to that, we will go to the planning board with a full traffic study and we’ve agreed to pay for whatever peer review they need to review those traffic studies
Website: BayStateRacingLLC.com Questions? Call (978) 277-3382

7% Tax (7/4/2024)

Which Cities and Towns Have Opted for Local .75% Option

In the City of Gardner as of July 1, 2024, here is the accurate information regarding how your cost of a meal and/or takeout has been impacted by the adoption of the .75% option. A $40.00 tab used to cost $42.50 total with the 6.25% MA tax. Now with the added .75%, the total is $42.80, a difference of 30 cents. However, during the course of a year, even a seemingly tiny amount can help the City of Gardner’s budget. For example, if 10,000 residents had a $40 tab each week for a year, the total amount spent before taxes would be $20,800,000. State of MA would collect 6.25% meals sales tax of $1,300,000 and City of Gardner would receive .75% meals tax of $156,000.

Other communities which had already adopted the option to tax meals at 7% instead of 6.25% are:Athol, Orange, Phillipston, Rutland, Templeton, and Winchendon

The nearby cities of Fitchburg and Leominster have not adopted the .75% option on meals. Boston has had the added amount in place since 2009, Framingham since 2010, Springfield since 2009, and Worcester since 2009. A total of 257 out of 352 cities and towns have the added tax in place. Current List, CLICK HERE.

Change in Meals Tax Reporting July 1, 2024

Under the new title of “Meals, Food & Beverage”, multiple locations may be combined on one return. Details from State of MA, CLICK HERE.
Zlotnik 7-1-24 (7/1/2024)

Starting July with an Uplifting Interview with State Representative Jonathan Zlotnik

Sporting a joy for the job and a zeal for helping others, State Representative Jonathan Zlotnik spoke with us about 3 major items. Listen on any device. CLICK PLAY.

We spoke with Zlotnik about an act strengthening Massachusetts economic leadership, an act relative to municipal tax lien procedures and protections for property owners in the Commonwealth, and the MVOC Winchendon Housing Project for veterans. Thank you to State Representative Jonathan Zlotnik for providing complete details on the 3 items for our readers. See below.

Zlotnik goes in to detail about how the MassWorks program has significantly helped Gardner. He speaks of various projects. He explains the bills. And he glows with enthusiasm over bringing to fruition the Winchendon Project for veterans which has been in the works for about 5 years.

Some details about the $3.5 billion Economic Development Bill

$500 million for the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center to provide grants and loans in order to grow the life sciences industry in Massachusetts —- $400 million for MassWorks public infrastructure grants to cities and towns —- $250 million for the Mass Impact grant program to support large transformational projects that drive economic growth —– $200 million for the Clean Energy Center to support the research and commercialization of climate technology across the state —-$200 million for the Massachusetts clean energy technology center to invest in research, and in the implementation of offshore wind infrastructure —- $150 million for grants for cities and towns for approved library projects —- $100 million for Municipal Financial Assistance Grants to municipal entities to assist them with workforce development —- $100 million for Applied AI Hub Capital grant program to support the adoption and application of AI technology in the state’s tech sectors —- $100 million for the Rural Development Program to provide financial assistance to exclusively rural areas with the goal of economic development —- $100 million for the Seaport Economic Council Grant program for municipalities for the construction or repair of coastal assets that have the potential to stimulate economic growth —-Includes new policy regarding the Economic Development Incentive Program (EDIP) and Tax Credit. The bill requires the director of the Massachusetts Office of Business Development (MOBD) to administer the EDIP in consultation with the Secretary of the Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED) and the Economic Assistance Coordinating Council (EACC)

Some details about the act relative to tax lien procedures and protections for property owners

The bill secures the rights of property owners to reclaim any excess equity to which they are entitled after all taxes are repaid to the municipalities following a tax foreclosure. It additionally substantially increases required notifications and other protections for property owners throughout the foreclosure —- Requires that a detailed accounting be taken following a foreclosure in a tax taking of the excess equity that is available —- Any excess equity taken must be returned to the former owner within 60 days —- Allows for retroactive claims for excess equity from May 25, 2023 until date of passage —- Updates notice requirements where the subject property is residential —- Allows former owners to have the opportunity to file a claim in Superior Court if there is a dispute on the amount of excess equity owed —- Increases the maximum length for repayment agreements for owed taxes from five, to 10 years—- Decreases the amount for a down payment for the repayment agreements from 25% to 10%

Some Details About the Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center Winchendon Housing Project

The Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center (MVOC) acquired the vacant Streeter and Poland School buildings in Winchendon to repurpose into low-income apartments for veterans. The project will ultimately repurpose the school buildings into 44 single resident apartments dedicated to veterans housing. The 44 one-bedroom units will provide much needed housing for low-income veterans in the area who find themselves at risk of homelessness. These units also will offer a stable place to live for veterans to receive assistance for substance use disorder, job searches, or other issues they may be facing. MVOC will also provide residents with case management, assistance with finding employment, assistance with benefits, and other assistance programs. In addition to veterans housing, there are plans for including activity areas that are furnished with equipment and for resident use. Additionally, there will be a brand new courtyard, as well as several recreation areas, a grill area, and raised beds for gardening on the site. Representative Zlotnik helped secure roughly $25 million in funding from the State to cover almost all of the costs for this development. Additional information on this project can be found on MVOC’s website, CLICK HERE.
Maki Park 6-30-24 (6/30/2024)

Maki Park Project Continues to Progress in Gardner MA

The Maki Park on Parker Street has continued construction. Seen now are stairways which will lead visitors to various tiers of this so called pocket park. When complete, the location will allow for seating, cornhole game play, and a bandstand.

CLICK IMAGE for larger view.
Progress Puzzle (6/30/2024)

Pieces Coming Together to Further Progress in Gardner

Five Below is stocking its store for its July 26th opening. Chipotle construction continues. Lovewell Beauty Supply grabs a spot at Timpany Plaza. The Jersey Mike’s location is getting ready for possible August opening.
Hotline 6-29-24 (6/29/2024)

WGAW Radio is heard on AM 1340, 98.1 FM, and streaming to anywhere in the world. Stream is available 24/7. LISTEN LIVE NOW. Hotline Radio airs Saturdays noon to 2pm.

Hotline Radio Featuring Discussions About Funding, Racetrack Topic, and City Council Procedures

The WGAW Radio program aired Saturday, June 29, 2024. Will play seamlessly from WGAW website. Just CLICK PLAY.

Mayor Nicholson: On speaking about Gardner in Washington D.C. — Additional Grant Funding for the City of Gardner — Uptown Rotary Ahead of Schedule —- Racetrack Topic —- WooSox Takeover Day

GAAMHA President CEO Shawn Hayden – Regarding false statements made on Facebook about the organization and speaking about some work on the property. The Baystate Proposal and GAAMHA programs

John Stefanini and others in portions of the BayState Racing LLC presentation made this week in Gardner.

City Council President Elizabeth Kazinskas on the procedures involved with the BayState Racing LLC proposal and a comprehensive explanation of how to get your views to Council members.
Mayor- Racetrack (6/28/2024)

Mayor Nicholson, “I do think this is a benefit to the City.”

The Gardner City Council will meet on July 1st to decide whether or not to schedule a public hearing. If they vote No, the matter and transaction effectively ends. If the vote is yes, a public hearing will be held.

Mayor Michael Nicholson Issues Statement Regarding Racetrack Proposal

Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson has issued a complete statement regarding the Racetrack Proposal. Listen on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Nicholson Regarding Racetrack 6-28-24

This statement was also included in the Mayor’s Weekly Update of June 28, 2024. Mayor Nicholson explained that the proposal started out as a private transaction between GAAMHA Inc. and BayState Racing LLC for the land at 827 Green Street in Gardner. The Mayor stated, “There’s a lot of misinformation that’s out there.”

With respect to the transaction, “This is not something the city went out and recruited, this is not something the city went out and started. This is something that under state law, two private business entities can certainly enter into an agreement to sell and purchase whatever they’d like, and that’s exactly what happened. However, under state law, Chapter 128A of the General Laws of the Commonwealth say that in order for a horse track to be put here in Gardner, the City Council has to have a public hearing, and then from that public hearing, vote whether or not to allow racing to take place on this parcel of land or not.”
Kamuda 6-28-24 (6/28/2024)

Carolyn Kamuda says City Council should give more study to the proposal.

An Interview with Carolyn Kamuda regarding the proposed Racetrack in Gardner MA

We spoke with Carolyn Kamuda on June 28, 2024 about the proposed Racetrack in Gardner. Listen on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Carolyn Kamuda 6-28-24

Carolyn Kamuda is opposed to the proposed racetrack at 827 Green Street in Gardner. Kamuda is concerned about the Water Protection Overlay District. Kamuda is concerned about the revenue estimates in the host agreement and outlines why.

Carolyn Kamuda suggests that more industry should be found to come in to the City. “I think industry is much better than a racetrack, which in my opinion would drain the community.”

With respect to the City Council, “What I’m hoping is our City Council will take more time, will, you know, create a subcommittee to get more information. I think it would be irresponsible of them to move this forward, even to a public hearing. I believe that they should give more study to this, create a subcommittee, and really do their homework. I think they really need to do that..”
Downtown 6-25-24 (6/25/2024)

Complete Press Release with comments from local and Federal officials, CLICK HERE.

“I am very excited about Gardner receiving this grant award,” said Gardner Mayor Mike Nicholson. “To be one of only three communities in Massachusetts to be selected is a testament to the work we have accomplished and the growth we have seen in Gardner over the last few years. One of the main concerns people have had in the downtown lately is how do we deal with the issue of parking. By creating the possibility of us having a new parking garage downtown, it allows for continued business and housing growth in the area without further congestion concerns. I can’t thank our federal delegation enough for their support of the Chair City and also congratulate Salem and Boston on their awards as well.”

4 Story Parking Garage now possible – As Significant Grant is Approved

$1.2 Million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding for Gardner was announced on June 25, 2024. The money will be used to advance critical infrastructure projects in the Downtown Area.

Gardner was awarded this federal investment through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program, a competitive program that supports local infrastructure projects that will significantly improve communities. The $1.2 million in funding will support Gardner’s efforts to make the downtown area more accessible, including improving parking and safety infrastructure as well as the planning and engineering of a new four-story parking garage on West Street. The project complements the work that the City has done already to support 32 commercial storefront renovation projects and 225 new housing units, which are expected to be completed in the coming months and years.

Congresswoman Lori Trahan, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Senator Edward Markey supported passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021. Massachusetts is slated to receive at least $9.5 billion in funding through the package between 2022-2027, and as of May 2024, $7.4 billion has been announced for 310 projects across the Commonwealth. Last year, the lawmakers secured $21.4 million in RAISE grant funding to support the rehabilitation of four bridges in Lowell.

In order for the City of Gardner to advance the idea of the 4 story parking garage beyond the planning and design stage to the construction stage an additional grant would be sought.

Previous Article on this subject, CLICK HERE.

Racing Yes or No (6/23/2024)

Yes or No to Horse Racing? A Check of Facts

Which poster will reflect the decision of the Gardner City Council who decides on July 1st whether or not to schedule a public hearing regarding the possibility of horse racing at 827 Green Street in Gardner?

Our Chart Lists the publicized positives from proponents and negatives from opponents and a corresponding Fact Check.

Review Proposed Host Agreement. Review additional info on proposal from packet.

Positives

Negatives

Statement	Fact Check
Sale of Land Benefits GAAMA	TRUE. GAAMHA would receive $1.6 million for the land at 827 Green Street in the transaction, plus an additional unspecified multi-million dollar donation.
City of Gardner to receive $500,000+ annually	Possibly TRUE. As City of Gardner would receive a percentage of revenues, exact annual amount would depend on success of the business. Clarification 6-26: BayState Racing LLC states to us, “The approximate $500,000 is calculated as the PILOT payment, revenue from simulcasting, meal and hotel tax. It may be more than $500,000 some years..”
Can benefit other local businesses	TRUE. Increased people traffic to Gardner could mean additional customers for existing businesses.
Next Step is City Council 7-1-24	TRUE. City Council will vote on whether to schedule a public hearing.
Mayor Michael Nicholson is in favor of the project	TRUE. He was skeptical at first, had Assistant City Solicitor negotiate Host Agreement to make sure all concerns and impacts adequately addressed. Mayor has stated he is in favor of proposal.
After Public Hearing, City Council can vote to approve Racetrack	FALSE. City Council can only approve that 827 Green Street is suitable for a Racetrack. Mayor must also approve. Thereafter, anyone owning that land could apply for license with Gaming Commission.
If City Council and Mayor approve of land use, item goes forward to Gaming Commission	FALSE. City Council and Mayor must first approve a Community Host Agreement. CLICK HERE TO REVIEW AGREEMENT
Next Step is approval from Gaming Commission	FALSE. Massachusetts Gaming Commission will first schedule a public hearing prior to granting a gaming license.
Gardner completely loses control once license is granted	FALSE. Gaming Commission holds a hearing every year on renewal of the license Additionally, the Mayor will appoint a Gardner resident to serve as a member on BayState’s Oversight Committee which will report yearly to Mayor and Council.
Manure from Race Horse a positive for environment	Possibly TRUE. Each horse produces about 9 tons of manure each year. Off-site companies can process this into safe and clean fertilizer
Comprehensive Proposal Provided by Bay State Racing LLC.	TRUE – Here is the 187 pages of information on the proposal included in the City Council packet, CLICK HERE.
BayState Racing LLC claims site has a history of breeding, training, and racing of horses	TRUE – BayState Racing LLC has launched a website providing their view of the project. Website, CLICK HERE

Statement	Fact Check
Manure from Race Horses an environmental concern	FALSE, manure would be collected, kept on a concrete slab, and disposed of properly off site. Horse Manure itself contains a high amount of phosphorus which would contribute to excess nitrates in the environment. However, concern is addressed upfront.
Shady Business Going on Behind the Scenes	FALSE, Agreement with GAAMHA disclosed, proposed agreement between Bay State Racing LLC and Gardner disclosed.
BayState Racing LLC turned down for similar project elsewhere	TRUE. Town of Hardwick voters voted NO in January 2023 on having a racetrack in their community.
Majority of Gardner Against Racetrack	Probably FALSE. A meeting of those opposed was held on Sunday, June 23, 2024 and less than 100 people attended. This represents under 1 percent of Gardner’s approximately 14,000 registered voters.
Lack of Oversight	FALSE, if this moves forward, the MA Gaming Commission would hold public hearings every year prior to license renewal.
No oversight re Surface Water Protection	FALSE. Conservation Commission will review site for buffer zones and surface water protection. BayState Racing LLC claims project improves stormwater management and environmental concerns.
Site Plan can be whatever Bay State Racing LLC wants	FALSE. Gardner Planning Board will have final site plan approval.
A court could override a decision of the Planning Board	TRUE. Any applicant not satisfied with a decision of the Planning Board can appeal the ruling in court where both sides would be represented.
Racing is Cruel	Partially TRUE – Anecdotal reports in recorded history exists of horses mistreated elsewhere in the industry. However strict regulations and laws now on the books would make animal cruelty unlikely here. BayState Racing LLC publicly states its love for horses. MSPCA oversight is mandated by regulation.
Gambling to Take Place	TRUE – Part of the Appeal of the venture to BayState Racing LLC is the revenue to be derived from wagers from online gambling. Clarification from BayState LLC: Gambling only takes place on festival race days in temporary kiosks. There is no wagering on site beyond those days. Overwhelmingly amount of wagering will take place on cellphones. There will be no expanded gaming on site.
Proposed Racetrack would have additional costs to the City	PARTIALLY TRUE – Proposed host agreement mandates BayState Racing LLC pay for all police, fire and EMS details on festival days, and any other impacts on the city

BayState Racing LLC stated the following: “What you see today from Route 140 is what you will see as Bay State Park. —- Renovate: the barns and the current house —– Build: gazabo and pads for food trucks—- Grandstands for the track will be built into a hill, as a natural seating —- Event parking will be off-site to remediate traffic issues on Route 140.”

Event 6-22-24 (6/22/2024)

Downtown Gardner Welcomes Visitors on Small Business Saturday Birthday Celebration

On Saturday, June 22, 2024, Downtown Gardner merchants, vendors, and event participants welcomed visitors to the Chair City in celebration of Gardner’s 239th birthday. The weather held out for hours and people came from miles around. Merchandise was sold by Downtown businesses and outside vendors. Delicious food was eaten. Local non-profits provided valuable information.

The Gardner Community Action Committee held a Peanut Butter Challenge and due to the last minute donation of 130 jars of peanut butter from Fidelity Bank over 333 jars of Peanut Butter were collected. The Gardner CAC stated, “So love our kind and generous community! It truly takes a village and so grateful we all help each other!”

Next Saturday, the celebration continues with Fireworks on Kendall Pond.

Details on the June 29th activities, CLICK HERE.
Downtown Look (6/21/2024)

Downtown Gardner Looking Good

Downtown Gardner is “Picture Perfect” for Small Business Saturday, June 22nd from 10am to 4pm. Many events, activities, shopping, food. Don’t Miss It!

Complete List of events from Gardner Square Two website, CLICK HERE.
Uptown Rotary Progress (6/21/2024)

Uptown Rotary Construction Underway in Gardner MA

The Uptown Rotary Project in Gardner MA is still an active construction site with progress being made every day. Some paving has been completed. The center circle is partially completed. Concept Drawing is below.
ZBA 6-18-24 (6/20/2024)

Lengthy Zoning Board of Appeals with Approvals Consequential to Gardner MA

In an almost 4 hour meeting with a full house, the Zoning Board of Appeals heard a number of cases and came to several decisions. Listen to the meeting on any device, CLICK PLAY.

There will be additional housing units in the City and a larger, modernized sign at the Gardner Ale House, Moonhill Brewing Co. on Parker Street.
Small Business 6-22-24 (6/17/2024)

Previous Article and interview, CLICK HERE.

Greater Gardner MA Eagerly Awaits Small Business Saturday – Latest Info

There will be at least 37 outside vendors with a variety of foods and merchandise. Patti Bergstrom was kind enough to update us with more details on the exciting event occurring Saturday June 22^nd from 10am to 4pm in Downtown Gardner MA. Listen on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Patti Bergstrom 6-17-24

The latest information is on this page of the Gardner Square Two website, CLICK HERE.
Race Track Item (6/14/2024)

Horse Racing Track a Possibility Again in Gardner MA

Bay State Racing LLC has entered into a contingent Purchase and Sale Agreement with GAAMHA, Inc. for 114.7 acres of land at 827 Green Street in Gardner. “Baystate wishes to locate and operate an Equine Center providing for the breeding, housing, riding, showing, studying, treatment, training, retirement, and racing of horses and other equestrian and agricultural related uses, which also includes wagering on live and simulcast horse racing as authorized by Massachusetts General Laws…” In other words, it would be a horse racing track. An extensive amount of information is provided in the packet and agenda for the Gardner City Council meeting on June 17, 2024. CLICK HERE for 472 page pdf..

The Purchase

GAAMHA would receive payment of $1,675,000 plus a multi-million dollar donation to their organization to facilitate the construction of a larger farm program. The agreement with Bay State Racing LLC would also lease back the current facilities to GAAMHA for free for an initial 12 month period. Transaction is subject to layout approvals from Conservation Commission and the Planning Board on the local level and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission with regard to the gaming license.

According to Mayor Nicholson, “Since the General Laws of the Commonwealth exempt this use from Zoning – negating any requirements for special permits, zoning relief, approval hearings before the Planning Board of Zoning Board of Appeals, etc. – the only real authority that the Executive Branch agencies, departments, or commissions can do is regulate the layout of the facility, but not its existence in the City.” The Mayor also stated, “while the General Laws prohibit the City from placing any conditions on the approval to race at the site, the Gaming Commission has full authority to issue any conditions, regulations, restrictions, etc. that they choose to, based on the input and evidence received at their public hearing.”

Projected Revenue

Bay State Park Projected revenue to the City would be about a half million dollars per year. According to Bay State, approximately 25 full-time jobs would be created. The City Council will initially take up the matter at its June 17, 2024 meeting and may choose to schedule a public hearing which possibly may be June 27, 2024.

Public Outcry Last Year – Will it Affect Decision of City Council?

Last year when a parcel of land was identified by Bay State Racing LLC as being of interest if it was suitable for a commercial purpose, there was substantial public outcry. It is possible that if the matter was put to a vote it would be defeated resoundingly, although such a vote is not contemplated. It is unclear if the Gardner City Council will summarily vote down the proposal based on the previous perception and/or knowledge of overwhelming public opposition, or if it will vote in favor placing heavy consideration on the large amount of revenue potential for the City and the current desire for new revenue sources to keep property taxes as low as possible. The City Council Packet contains an extensive marketing pitch by Bay State Racing LLC.

Opposition in 1950’s Overwhelming

In the 1950’s, the issue was opposed by 67% of voters who cast ballots in a November 1955 election, even though according to the law just like today, the will of the voters would not come in to play. The Gardner City Council and Mayor make the decision. More detail is below on what happened at the time.

This has Happened Before in 1950s

According to current City Solicitor John Flick, a racetrack was proposed on the identical site by Gardner Raceway Inc. in December 1954. The Mayor did not approve the City Council vote at the time. The City Solicitor at the time wrote an opinion to the City Council that only the City Council and Mayor could make the decision and could not pass it on to the voters. However, in spite of this opinion, The Gardner City Council at the time voted 8 to 2 to place the question on the ballot at the next regular City election. Of 10,082 registered voters, 2,185 voted in favor of the measure and 5,609 voted against. 587 people did not vote either way. A total of 8381 people appeared at the election to cast ballots. Opposition was 67%.

Specifics on Opposition at the Time – 70 years ago

At the time only 1 out of 18 members of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce were in favor of the track. 15 were opposed. 2 had no opinion. A survey was conducted by Forrest C. Knight of the Mercantile Division in the square, “and they certainly do not want a race track here.” Chris Watkins, the Chairman of Simplex Time Recorder at the time “pointed all fully to you all the sordid evils that will come with a race track in Gardner. Let us face our facts honestly, raise our money legitimately. Let us have a good clean community in Gardner now and in the future.” Richard N. Greenwood, President of the Heywood-Wakefield Company stated he was against it and that it was unfortunate form the view of the welfare of the City of Gardner to have a race track located in the City of Gardner. Howard Ferguson, Chairman of the Mayor’s Industrial Committee and President of the Gardner Trust Company stated he knew about horse racing and dog racing, it was a lot of grief and we want no part of it.

John Flick: The Past Has No Bearing on Current Options

City Solicitor Flick states that the vote of November 8, 1955 has no binding effect on the current Council and Mayor. He also indicated that it is within the jurisdiction of the City Council to vote on whether or not there would be a public hearing on the matter and whether 827 Green Street is an appropriate location for horse racing. Gardner Magazine will update you as we have more information on the issue.
Restaurant Issues (6/14/2024)

On Thursday, June 13, 2024, 3 different Gardner MA restaurants had 3 very different issues.

McDonald’s had to close for a time due to a malfunctioning fire suppression system. It reopened after the system was refilled. Burger King was closed for a time for renovations. It reopened. Friendly’s had a small fire due to a cigarette which was carelessly disposed of outside, rolled under siding and caused a slow, smoldering fire in the wall of a bathroom. Fire was put out by the GFD. Friendly’s reopened.
Progress 6-11-24 (6/11/2024)

Progress in Downtown Gardner, Timpany Plaza, and Timpany Crossroads

25 Main Street Construction soon to be in full swing after a $250,000 loan was approved for developer.

Construction of the 3 tiered Maki Park continues with preparation of the site. Storefronts available.

Five Below’s sign is up as well as an announcement in the window that the store opens July 26th.

Construction of the Chipotle Restaurant location continues. A few storefronts remain available.

Construction Materials arrive for the storefront set to house the new Jersey Mike’s.

At this stage, all of the storefronts in Timpany Crossroads have been rented.
Small Biz Event (6/9/2024)

Gardner Gearing Up for Huge Small Business Saturday Event

Small Business Saturday is June 22, 2024 from 10am to 4pm in Downtown Gardner. It’s an event so big Don and Joe did a 60 second ad you can hear on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Gardner’s WGAW will play it on AM 1340, 98.1FM, and stream it to all the countries of the world. With Downtown Gardner regaining its vibrancy, business and vendors will provide a variety of merchandise, food, and services. Chris Guerra will be the DJ/MC for the day. Other events include a touch a truck, dunk tank, reptile shows, introduction to the Summer Reading program, belly dancing, line dancing, intro of new business owners, FREE cupcakes, Rocky the K-9 meet and great, pottery throwing, and a live concert by “Out of the Blue” More information, CLICK HERE.

We had the honor of speaking to Patti Bergstrom who gave us details about the event. Listen on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Interview with Patti Bergstrom

In the interview, Bergstrom described the events and also reflected on Downtown Gardner, “Every day when I drive to downtown, I am impressed and so happy about all the work that is going on. The flowerpots were planted this weekend, the parks were planted this weekend. It looks beautiful. There is work going on on so many buildings downtown. I don’t know if I ever recall it looking better, but it does get exciting to see so many people putting improvements and investing in our downtown.”

In honor of Gardner’s 239th Birthday, goal is to collect 239 jars of peanut butter for the Gardner CAC Booth on Main Street.
City Progress (5/30/2024)

Downtown: Construction is underway at what will be an attraction in Downtown Gardner: Maki Park. Maki Park will be a 3 tiered park offering seating, cornhole, and a bandstand. Stunning facade improvements have been made to the M Building of Empire Management. The company recently purchased the former Bank of America Building and anticipates readying the bottom floor for a new restaurant.

Timpany Plaza: Chipotle Construction is underway. The Iconic Blue of Five Below is reflected in the ongoing work. A few other remaining vacant locations in the plaza are being marketed at this time.

Timpany Crossroads: Joint Operations is open and work is anticipated soon to ready this storefront for the new Jersey Mike’s.

As we head towards Summer in Gardner MA, 2024 is slated to be known as another year of progress in the Chair City. Gardner has had a record number of business openings in the last 4 years.

Interested in bringing your business to Gardner? A great place to start is Economic Development at Gardner City Hall – here’s a link to the webpage.
Market Details (5/24/2024)

Note: The Gardner Farmers Market will feature over 20 local vendors, including participants in the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), ensuring equitable access to fresh, nutritious food for all residents. For more information about the Gardner Farmers Market, CLICK HERE.

Details on the New Farmers Market Opening June 15, 2024 at Waterford

The new Farmers Market will be run by Erica Bosse of Flicker Hill Homestead LLC and opens on Saturday June 15, 2024 from 9:30am to 1pm. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held on the opening day.

“We are excited to bring the community together to support our local farmers, bakers, and other small businesses,” said Mayor Mike Nicholson. “This market is a testament to the collaborative spirit of Gardner, and the unprecedented amount of growth the City has seen over the last few years.”

The Gardner Farmers Market wrote, “The Gardner Farmers Market will be held on the third Saturday of each month from June through September, featuring over 20 vendors at each market. These rain or shine events will offer a variety of local products and family-friendly activities, including a bubble machine, story time, and craft activities for children, all organized by Gardner Librarian Stephanie Young. We are also excited to announce that we will have live music at at least two of the events and are working to schedule performances for the remaining two markets. We are grateful to MART for adding stops to their routes for our four scheduled markets this season, making it easier for residents to access the market.”

Vendors included in the Farmers Market – AGRICULTURE & FARM PRODUCTS: Guy’s Bee Apiary, Rock Harvest Farm, Five Chicken Farm, My Friends Farm, Hubbards Farm, Plant Matter Microgreens, Partridgeville Farm, Bee Nice Farm, Lone Larch Farm, Tiny’s World, Growing Places Mobile Market, Carl E. Dahl House, Singing Kettle Botanicals, Flicker Hill Homestead — BAKERIES & PREPARED FOODS: Deer Creek Farm, Victoria Coffee Co., Hubbards Farm, Giacomo’s Gourmet Foods LLC, Five Chicken Farm, Josilyn Straka Baked Goods, Growing Places Prepared Foods —- HANDMADE ARTS & CRAFTS, NON PROFITS, & ENTERTAINMENT: MART, Levi Heywood Public Library, Carl E. Dahl House, Growing Places, Ascentria – SMART Resources, Obscure Notation, Rebel Bath & Body, Kyla’s Creations, House of Handmade Cards For more information, visit the website, CLICK HERE. There are a limited number of vendor spots still available.
ZBA 5-21-24 (5/24/2024)

Farmers Market APPROVED at Zoning Board Meeting

Zoning Board of Appeals 5-21-24: The First case at the meeting was that of the Farmers Market. Erica Bosse went over the details. Gardner Mayor Nicholson also provided details. The Farmers Market was approved. (Complete Article later today.) Listen to this particular case on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Farmers Market Approval 5-21-24

Other cases included that of a single family dwelling and a proposal for 9 one bedroom apartments. Listen to the entire meeting on any device. CLICK PLAY

Entire Meeting ZBA 5-21-24
Funding the City (5/22/2024)

View the entire proposed budget in pdf format with all of the details the Mayor speaks about in this interview, CLICK HERE.

Funding the City in Challenging Times – Interview with Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson

It’s budget season and Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson spoke to us about how he is proposing to fund the Chair City at a time when costs are up. Listen to the interview on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Funding the City 5-21-24

The budget process started in December of 2023 and currently the various subcommittees of the Gardner City Council are having meetings on various portions of the budget. The Mayor cut $13 million from what was proposed. He speaks of the challenges in retaining staff and we go over specific ways of increasing revenue to lessen the property tax burden. The mayor stated, “So while we’re able to do what we need to do and live within our means, it was a situation where we had to weigh out what’s a want versus what’s a need, and that’s something that we have to do every year, because when you’re dealing with the taxpayer’s money, we really have to maintain our fiduciary responsibility to the people who live here.” View the entire budget in pdf format, ,CLICK HERE.
Fiber Begun (5/21/2024)

Fiber Optic Progress in the Chair City has Begun

Work utilizing the $200,000 fiber grant Gardner was awarded in the summer of 2023 has begun. Some have reached out to ask what the crews are doing.

Gardner Director of Information Technology Bob O’Keefe wrote, “The City has Com-Tract installing Fiber from the Fire house to the former Waterford School and from the Police Station to the High School. The entire project will take approx. 6 weeks.”

Mayor Nicholson explained in a statement, “Some of you have reached out asking about crews running wires throughout the City recently. This work is related to the $200,000 grant the City was awarded last August from the Commonwealth’s Municipal Fiber Grant to connect all of our City buildings with fiber optic cable.”

Here is our complete Article from August 2023 with all the details, CLICK HERE – Original Press Release, CLICK HERE.
Small Biz 2024 (5/16/2024)

Gardner Square Two Announces Small Business Saturday and Happy Birthday Gardner Festival

The event will be Saturday, June 22, 2024 from 10am to 4pm in Downtown Gardner. Vendor space is still available and Square Two members get a free space. More information from the Gardner Square Two website, CLICK HERE.

How to get a completely FREE SPACE: Just become a Gardner Square Two member which is $100 for a business, $50 for a non-profit. Since a single space is $100, joining Gardner Square Two makes your membership pay for itself right away, plus you get another FREE space at the Fall Festival, putting you $100 ahead. So, join today and reap the FREE benefit. CLICK HERE.

Gardner Square Two had other good news for vendors, “The City of Gardner Police Department no longer requires that you obtain a hawker/peddler license to set up at our festivals. That saves you over $50, and a lot of time and effort.” However, here is the vendor application for Square Two, CLICK HERE.

This Small Business Saturday event in Downtown Gardner is Saturday June 22, 2024 from 10am to 4pm. This year, the Fireworks will not be held the same day as the Festival. They are scheduled for the following Saturday, June 29^th. Visit our 2024 Events page for details on upcoming events.
Update 5-10-24 (5/10/2024)

Bonanza of Community Events and Project Progress Highlight of Weekly Gardner MA Update

Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson updated the Chair City on May 10, 2024. Listen on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Mayor’s Update 5-10-24

Community Events: Annie Fields at Gardner Museum on Thursday May 16th —- Gardner Area League of Artists Art and Music Festival May 17th to 19th — AED Foundation Recovery Comedy Night is May 17th at Perry Auditorium —- Saturday, May 18th is First Responder Day at Levi Heywood Memorial Library —- Sunday, May 19th is a Journey of Life Concert at Bethany Baptist Church —- Popular Cruise Nights and Concerts at PACC set to begin on May 24th — Relay for Life June 7th and 8th at MWCC —- High School Graduation is Saturday, June 1, 2024 at 10am at Watkins Field at Gardner High School. —- Greenwood Outdoor Pool scheduled to open June 19th —- Library Summer Reading kickoff is June 26th at 4:30pm. —- First Concert at Monument Park is June 22nd —- Visit our Events page, CLICK HERE

Project Progress: Construction of 3 tier Maki Park has begun and will consists of outdoor seating, picnic tables, cornhole boards, and a complete outdoor stage area with electricity. —-

Road paving: Work has begun on completing Fredette Street, Wilkins Road, and Lower Parker Street. Pothole Week: All 4 DPW crews, not just the highway department will do nothing but potholes next week. Paving schedule will be released ahead of time in weekly updates.

New Businesses in 2024: Mayor Nicholson recapped the businesses which have opened and/or have had ribbon cuttings so far this year.
Maki Park 5-7-24 (5/7/2024)

Construction Fencing Goes Up Around what will be Maki Park

From a grassy field of green at the location of the torn-down Maki Building to the promise of a new Maki Park in the near future, the next step was taken this week as temporary construction fencing surrounds the rectangular area.

The Concept Drawing shows a three-tier terraced park with each section fulfilling different recreational needs including plans for a Bandstand and cornhole play. Because the land is at more than a 15 degree angle, it could not be left flat due to ADA requirements.

More than one year ago, the Gardner City Council allocated almost $200,000 for the project. Another part of the plan is to put in electricity which would allow for electric vehicle charging in the nearby parking lot.
Timpany 5-7-24 (5/7/2024)

Progress at Gardner MA Timpany Plaza Continues

Grocery Store Aldi opened in Timpany Plaza in April 2024. The construction crew immediately moved over to its next project, the location leased by Five Below for its new Gardner MA location. Completion is projected to be within several months.

With the former Santander Bank building completely gone, the new Chiptotle Mexican Grill is well under way. Shown in the top photo is the start of the framing for the building. An interesting tidbit for those interested in Chipotle: They claim to use 53 ingredients you can actually pronounce. Visit their website, CLICK HERE.

Timpany Plaza still has room for other new tenants. It is home to some popular businesses including Gardner Cinemas which upgraded to luxury reclining seats over a year ago. Get your movie times right here, Website.

Previous article showing available locations in Timpany Plaza, CLICK HERE.
Council Results 5-6-24 (5/7/2024)

Agenda and Packet, CLICK HERE. – The discussions within this meeting are very informative. Listen on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Informal and Regular City Council 5-6-24

Gardner MA City Council Makes Decisions in Informal and Regular Meeting

The Gardner MA City Council held an Informal meeting on: (1) Increasing room occupancy tax from 4 to 6 percent (2) adding Local .75% sales tax on meals and (3) resolving to review the Zoning Map. Listen to the combined AUDIO of both meetings on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Informal and Regular City Council 5-6-24

It was noted that Leominster increased its room tax to 6% in 2017 and Fitchburg did so last month. Here’s how Gardner voted: At the regular City Council meeting, the room occupancy tax increase to 6% was approved unanimously. It is estimated this will bring in about $50k per year. The Sales Tax on meals at the rate of .75% was approved on a vote of 10 to 1. It is estimated this will bring in $500k per year. A resolution was adopted to review the Zoning Map. Mayor Nicholson earlier in the meeting had told the Council that grant funding was being sought as cost could be around $150,000 and given the time involved the State recommends an outside firm do the job.

In other matters, the Open Meeting Law finding was placed on file. Other items including the big budget items were referred to either subcommittees or the Council as a Committee of the whole.

Open Meeting Law Matter – Inaccurate Statements by Paul DeMeo

Listen to what was actually stated by Councilor Alek Dernalowicz at the City Council Meeting on any device. CLICK PLAY

Councilor Alek Dernalowicz actually stated, “I just wanted to quickly point out that the complaints, the items listed in the complaint were not found to be in violation. There was a finding that we failed to review the minutes in a reasonable interval, which is how it’s stated in the Mass General Laws. Even the Attorney General has difficulty, it seems, defining what a reasonable interval is in their ruling. At one point, they say it’s a certain set of months, and at another point, they say a different amount. I think, in reality, it could possibly turn on what the executive session was about, but that being said, we will follow the guidance from the Attorney General and do this as they prescribe going forward.” While Councilor Dernalowicz clearly states (words in bold) that the City Council will follow guidance of the Attorney General, Paul DeMeo in a post inaccurately states “he should have cautioned the city council to comply with the law.” – an inaccurate statement because that is exactly what he did do. Publisher’s Editorial Note: DeMeo also makes other disparaging remarks which we won’t dignify by repeating here. As Paul DeMeo had made the original complaint, we can understand why he reacted negatively, but that is no excuse for making inaccurate statements simply to disparage an effective, honest, and hard-working City Councilor. Once again, Pauly Potato is simply wrong and the AUDIO above proves it. Further comment regarding DeMeo: Gardner is not a dystopia. Gardner’s officials and employees are hard-working, honest people leading the Chair City on an effective trajectory of success. When a City like Gardner is held in high esteem by other municipalities often as the “Gold Standard” of how things should be done (including its transparency), it is very odd when negative comments often appear out of nowhere with no foundation in fact.
Empire Purchase (4/24/2024)

Empire Management Starts Next 30 Years with Purchase of Iconic Gardner Building

Gardner Magazine spoke with both Operations Manager Gabrielle Surette and Empire President Jenna Hartman regarding the purchase of the Bank of America Building at 29 Parker Street, Gardner. Listen on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Empire Management 4-24-24

Empire Management was founded in 1994 and has been in the building at 14-24 Parker Street for over a decade, purchasing the building last year. This new acquisition is right across the street. Surette spoke of plans for the building. “So the first floor, we are looking to have a family upscale restaurant.” Surette confirmed a lease has been signed with a tenant. Jenna Hartman said the restaurant itself would make an announcement in Spring or Summer this year. With respect to the other floors, Surette stated, “We are looking for medical arts offices is what we’re planning.”

Planned updates may include windows purchased locally stated Surette, “We’re at Maki’s almost every other day picking up supplies for any of the things that we need to do, so we’ll definitely reach out to them and see what they have in stock.” And Jenna Hartman said they may even restore the clock on the front and they did just put the flag back up which people have noticed.

What would Jenna Hartman like to see in the restaurant and invite everybody down to eat? “You know, I got to say steak. That would be my favorite thing.” Does that mean Gardner is getting a steakhouse? Ah, the mystery… Empire Website, CLICK HERE.
Maki Rentals (4/23/2024)

To find out more about this 75 year old Gardner company, please visit the MAKI website, CLICK HERE.

Locations: 513 Betty Spring Rd • Gardner,160 Mass. Ave (Rt. 2A) • Lunenburg, and 36 Worcester Rd (Rt. 12) • Sterling —- (978) 632-5354

They Make A lot – Now They’ll Rent A lot – New Rental Business is Born at MAKI.

Host of the Hit Hotline Radio Show on WGAW, Steve Wendell and Gardner Magazine Publisher Werner Poegel spoke with Jim Leblanc, COO of Gardner MA Maki Corp. and the Rental Team of MAKI veteran Jeff Cossette and the addition of Greg Tardiff who worked for Taylor Rental for 37 years. It was a fascinating conversation with some great people with a few surprises. The wind you hear is because we were outside near this new $65,000 piece of equipment they’ll be renting. Listen on any device, CLICK PLAY.

MAKI is taking over the various equipment rentals where Taylor Rental left off. Should you have any questions about what they rent, just call the store at (978) 632-5354. MAKI has experience in rentals having operated a location in Lunenburg for many years. They chose not to compete with Taylor while they were in business. We also spoke about many of the things MAKI makes in Gardner including windows, doors, trusses, steel fabrication etc. – Many of the windows recently put in at Downtown Gardner buildings came from MAKI. Jim says they make it local and cut out the middleman, “go above and beyond because we’re a smaller company.” Speaking of which while we were there we snuck a picture of the MAKI built picnic tables. Direct price only $179.99. Looks like they might have one in stock for you.
Zoning 4-16-24 (4/19/2024)

The Farmer’s Market is planned at the site of the former Waterford Street School which is slated to become Gardner’s Community Center. Gardner Farmer’s Market website, CLICK HERE.

The Doucets get their chickens, the Fosters have some work to do, and the Farmer’s Market needs some planning in Gardner MA.

This was the result of a lengthy Zoning Board of Appeals meeting on April 16, 2024 held in Perry Auditorium because the City Council meeting was delayed by a day due to the Patriot’s Day holiday. Listen on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Complete ZBA Meeting 4-16-24

Oscar & Joshua Doucet – 185 South Main Street – Chickens – Approval given to have 4 hens, but no roosters. Donald S. Foster – 0 Talcott Avenue – Single Family Dwelling – more work needed before approval. — Flicker Hill Homestead, LLC – 62 Waterford Street – Outside Farmer’s Market will appear in May again with the complete plan requested by the Board. They must do this and get approval so the first Farmer’s Market can be held as proposed on June 15, 2024 with up to 30 total vendors. A number of people showed up in support. Here are their comments, CLICK PLAY.

Comments re Farmer’s Market

The Farmers Market is to be run by Flicker Hill Homestead, LLC whose Manager is Erica Faughnan Bosse of 435 Partridge Street, Gardner where the Bosse’s have a flower and veggie farm. Their annual report for 2023 was timely filed the day after this meeting on April 17, 2024. Report, CLICK HERE.
Capital FY25 (4/14/2024)

Gardner MA Capital Improvement Committee Report Is a BIG LIST.

The Gardner City Council meeting on Tuesday April 16, 2024 includes an agenda item to receive the Capital Improvement Plan. The Capital Improvement Committee includes George Tyros, Robert Oliva, Trevor Beauregard, Jennifer Dymek, Dane Arnold, Joshua Cormier, John Richard, and Mark Hawke. The Committee had met in March to discuss and comment on the list.

Items generally stay on the list until completed. Some items end up being treated as repairs and come out of the budget. Some items may not end up being funded. However, there is a requirement in the law that items be on the list in order to receive certain funding. Some are of lower priority and are on the list with the hope of receiving grant funding.

Complete Plan has all the details. CLICK HERE.

HIGHEST PRIORITY FY 2025

View the Complete Capital Improvement Report, CLICK HERE.
Planning 4-9-24 (4/11/2024)

Planning Board Meets Regarding 52 Unit Multi-Family Development – Applicant to Revise Plan

PrivateOversight LLC has proposed a 52 Unit Multi-Family Development on West Broadway in Gardner at the Gardner- Templeton line. Listen to the entire meeting on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Planning Board April 9, 2024

Considerable discussion revolved around whether or not it is a good idea for parking spaces to be located in the front or the rear of each building. City Planner Trevor Beauregard advised the Board that in his opinion having parking spaces in front presented a safety issue. Board members voiced similar opinions. Attorney Christine Tree for applicant PrivateOversight LLC argued that the parking spaces should be in front. An abutter voiced an opinion that the plan for the development is congested and not in keeping with the character of the neighborhood. Other abutters voiced safety concerns with potential traffic. Applicant requested continuance in view of Board members opinions re parking. Planning Board voted to continue the Public Meeting until June while applicant submits plan revision, presumably with parking in the rear..
Marion on Aldi (4/7/2024)

Marion Knoll – Coordinator at the Gardner Museum

Gardner Museum Website, CLICK HERE.

Aldi in the Timpany Plaza, Gardner

Gardner MA Museum Coordinator Has Experience with Aldi

Marion Knoll wrote a very good and illuminating piece on Social Media regarding her experience with Aldi. It is presented here with her permission.

Marion Knoll writes: With all the hype about the new store in town, let me tell you what I like about it. I have been shopping at ALDI already when still living in Germany.

Saving money is a driving factor. They keep prices low by MINIMIZING AIR IN PACKAGING (in bags of chips or cereal) = smaller boxes and bags for the same amount of product, also leading to less transport; you RETURN YOUR OWN CART (and get the quarter back you initially had to insert to unlock it from the chain) = saves labor costs since employees don’t have to do it; they LIMIT THEIR STOCK and so get bulk discounts (example: a huge quantity of one or two kinds of ketchup instead of small quantities of 20 different types); they LIMIT THE SELECTION OF PRODUCE AND PERISHABLE ITEMS = minimizes waste; their products are typically SHIPPED IN THE SAME BOXES that are going to be put on the shelves, some still on the pallet = cuts back on labor costs for stocking shelves; Aldi staff fills a variety of roles which keeps STAFFING TO A MINIMUM = reduces labor costs.

Of course, not everything there is a great buy but cost saving is not the only reason I like Aldi. Although a discount store, you can find QUALITY PRODUCTS at very reasonable prices: Aldi has removed synthetic colors, partially hydrogenated oils and added monosodium glutamate (MSG) from their private label goods. And that makes a huge impact since more than 90 percent of the items on their shelves are a part of their own private label. Aldi’s Simply Nature line is organic or non-GMO verified. You also won’t find any added artificial ingredients and preservatives, including artificial flavors#, artificial colors, high fructose corn syrup as well as hydrogenated oils & partially hydrogenated oils. They also offer a gluten-free line called LifeGfree.

Another aspect important to me is that there it’s possible to shop responsibly. They are becoming the first U.S. retailer to eliminate plastic bags entirely: they have tote bags available to purchase, and empty boxes you can use, but mainly YOU SIMPLY BRING YOUR OWN BAGS/BASKETS. (And you bag or box your items yourself). Not buying plastic bags for their customers worldwide also means huge savings they’re passing on to customers. And the planet. Plus, they are also working to make 100% of ALDI own-brand product packaging reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025. They work with their suppliers on sustainable packaging innovations, and are committed to respecting human rights and improving living and working conditions throughout their supply chains in several international projects. Aldi stores are designed and outfitted to be as environmentally friendly as possible (a complete energy management system, LED lighting, natural lighting), and the company is transitioning to a more sustainable refrigerator system by 2035 with the goal of lowering carbon emissions by 60% each year.

Gardner Magazine thanks Marion Knoll for her informative insight. It is very much appreciated.
3 Grocery Stores (4/6/2024)

Grocery Store Business in Gardner MA Saturday, April 6, 2024

With the new Aldi store located at the Timpany Plaza in Gardner, the remaining Gardner grocery stores are getting some competition.

Photos taken within a few minutes of each other about 11am on Saturday, April 6, 2024 show that the new Aldi store was busy. At the same time, the Hannaford parking lot was reasonably full. The Price Chopper lot had some empty spaces. We did not visit the Walmart site.

Aldi had its grand opening and ribbon cutting on Thursday, April 4, 2024. A grocery store has been in operation at the Hannaford location for many years. The Gardner Price Chopper opened in Fall 2012. Walmart originally opened as just a Department Store and then added the food store section at a later date.
Update 4-5-24 (4/5/2024)

Gardner’s Decades-old tree was damaged during the storm. Mayor Nicholson stated, “If anyone has seen any of these updates in the past four years, you all know Christmas is my favorite holiday, so I’m sure we’re going to have something in place there too. It is sad to see that giant Christmas tree fall as a result of the wind that we had during the storm and the ice, but we’ll come up with some type of plan to move forward with that.”

Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson Updates the Chair City After April Storm

In his April 5, 2024 Update, Mayor Nicholson stated, “We definitely had a quite exciting week this past week with the late April snowstorm that we had but that’s what you get when you live in New England.” Listen to the update on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Mayor’s Update 4-5-24

Nicholson thanked the DPW crews for work in clearing the streets and for work on water main breaks. “The DPW crew that we have in Gardner has always been very dedicated and gets the job done in a very effective manner.” —–

Events: Chamber of Commerce Annual Economic Forecast Breakfast Friday April 12th, 7:30am at Great Wolf Lodge. —– Wachusett Business Incubator Open House Thursday, April 18th at 5pm —- Book Sale at Levi-Heywood Memorial Library Friday April 19th and Saturday April 20th. —-Councilor David Thibeault-Munoz Ward 1 Discussion Group Monday April 29th , 5:30pm at the Gardner Museum.

On Aldi Opening, “Aldi had their ribbon-cutting this past week despite the snowstorm. It was a very successful event. Over 300 people showed up before the doors opened and the line was down by Dollar Tree in the movie theater. So I want to thank everyone who braved the storm to come out for that event and thank Aldi for investing in the city.”
Aldi 4-4-24 (4/4/2024)

Aldi Opens in Gardner – Mayor Michael Nicholson Shares Photos

Despite stormy weather, Grocery store Aldi opened in Gardner’s Timpany Plaza to an enthusiastic public on April 4, 2024. Mayor Nicholson congratulated the store on its official grand opening and ribbon cutting stating, “Even with the weather, the line was down to Big Lots…”

This is the newest area store for Aldi which also has locations in Leominster MA and Keene NH. Aldi has a website, CLICK HERE. For seven years running, ALDI has been recognized by the dunnhumby Retailer Preference Index as #1 in Everyday Low Price. See this external article, CLICK HERE. The company plans to add 800 stores nationwide by the end of 2028 through a combination of new openings and store conversions.

Aldi thanked customers for coming out, “Aldi is officially open for business! Thank you to the people of Gardner for coming out in the storm to meet us and see what we’re all about!.”
Lamontagne 4-2-24 (4/2/2024)

Complete Roundabout Rendering, CLICK HERE.

Town Administrator Adam Lamontagne urges residents, both current and prospective, to email him via ALamontagne@templetonma.gov or via phone at (978) 894-2778 Town of Templeton Website

“Moving Mountains In Templeton” – An Interview with Adam Lamontagne

We spoke with Templeton Town Administrator Adam Lamontagne on April 2, 2024 sitting at a conference table in his office. Listen to the interview on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Adam Lamontagne 4-2-24

The Town of Templeton is juggling a number of complex projects at one time, many heading towards final completion. From demolishing buildings, repaving roads, creating a new roundabout, to focusing on a possible major bridge project, Adam speaks of the town’s efforts with pride and appreciation for the Templeton team.

We spoke extensively about budget issues. There’s currently a projected shortfall of about a half million dollars which will need to be addressed at Town Meeting.

If you’re interested in listening to the Templeton Select Board meeting of March 27, 2024, you can listen to it here on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Templeton Select Board 3-27-24

Ongoing projects discussed included: 10 Pleasant Street – “We have a demolition revolving account that had to go through a special act of the legislature. Once we created that, we put in enough free cash into that revolving account where we’ve taken down, demolished 10 Pleasant Street. We actually have that out to bid right now. It should be coming in April 17th.” Scout Hall Project – going to completion. Other construction: “The State’s finished up the Rotary project, and we also have multiple bridges the state’s going to be working on.” Templeton was awarded over a million dollars in CDBG funds. “We’re going out to bid for School, Vernon, and Cottage Street in the Baldwinville section of town” Lamontagne spoke of working on a master plan for the Houghton Park project.

We spoke about the number of restaurants in Templeton: “A lot of these places are wonderful places to sit down, have a meal, talk with folks ”

Lamontagne spoke of the challenges of the Main Street Bridge Project: “The town voted to support all the design, and that’s getting completed. It’s going to take us all the way up to 100% design, state review, as well as getting bid-phase services to go out to bid. The challenge is, we don’t have the construction funding at this moment. So the people in town will have a question in front of them for whether or not to go above Proposition 2.5, it’s a debt exclusion, to repair the Main Street Bridge Project, Main Street Bridge for this project. And a lot of people say, well, what’s going to happen? What is it that’s going to take place? And they unlikely think, oh, well, let’s just use the number of bids came in, 3.7 million it comes to, roughly.” With 350k in debt payments dropping off in Fiscal Year 2025, Lamontagne is hoping that the Main Street Bridge Project could fit in after that. Lamontagne’s strategy is to used State Aid to decrease what is needed for the bond.

Lamontagne explained the strategy of replacing water mains proactively before the rest of the East Templeton Roundabout Project was done, “Because the last thing you want to do is have a beautiful rotary and then not have the infrastructure underneath.”

Outlook and Goals for 2024 include: “I would like to see this project completed, when I say this project, the Maple and School Street Neighborhood Improvements project completed, I would like to see the Baldwinville School Apartments get revitalized in that section and provide 54 units to folks in Baldwinville over there. I would like to see the Main Street Bridge repaired and then continue with our Chapter 90 projects.”

Thinking of relocating to Templeton? Because of Templeton Municipal Light, Templeton residents pay about half what others pay for electric.
City Council 4-1-24 (4/2/2024)

Waterford Street School – Fall 2022

Gardner City Council Gets New Council President For 1 Meeting

Alek Dernalowicz was elected unanimously to serve as Council President Pro Tem for the April 1, 2024 meeting as Council President Kazinskas was absent from the meeting. Listen to the meeting on any device, CLICK PLAY.

City Council 4-1-24

While many items were referred to committees there were some big wins on items put forth by Mayor Michael Nicholson affecting Waterford, Cyber Security, and future grants.

A measure to formally change the status of the usage of the Waterford Street School was approved. The lead up to this has been an ongoing process of properly surveying the land and dividing it so that Wilder Field can continue and the Waterford Street School building can be used as a Community Center. Without the formal designation, any tenants such as Growing Places have month to month licensing agreements. Once status changes, long-term lease agreements can be entered into with the various tenants. This is the last step in a process which began in the fall of 2022 when the School Committee formally voted for the change in use.

The Cyber Security request of $77,000 passed. This buys a storage appliance and a 3 year service agreement designed to keep the City of Gardner more secure.

Also approved: $49,000 for a 7 month grant writing contract with another 3rd party who will work on securing Federal grants. City of Gardner has obtained $2.7 million thus far on an investment of $25,000 out of $60,000 allocated for a 3rd party grant writer.

A Finance Committee Meeting preceded the City Council Meeting. Listen on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Finance Committee 4-1-24
Purple Reaction (4/1/2024)

Joe and Don React to April Fool’s Joke at 25 Main Street

Fictional Presidents Joe and Don have reacted to the photo displayed by Jon Bombaci of Candor Realty on April Fool’s Day. Listen on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Joe and Don – April Fool’s

There are now 11 released regular episodes of the Joe and Don Series. CLICK HERE for the page.

If you’d like to reach Jon Bombaci, here’s the Candor Realty website, CLICK HERE.
Changing Geography (3/30/2024)

Positive Changes to the Gardner MA Geographic Landscape

Changing Gardner Geography Includes: Aldi with Grand Opening on April 4, 2024 (soft opening day before), Five Below in Summer 2024, Chipotle to be built, Brilla Coffee Summer or Fall 2024, and a new Stone planter beautifying Monument Park. Elsewhere at Timpany Crossroads, Joint Operations opens in April and Jersey Mike’s opens later this year.
Council 3-25-24 (3/26/2024)

Council President Kazinskas stated, “The Community Development Block Grant, or CDBG Program, provides funding and technical support for projects that achieve the city’s development objectives while principally benefiting low- and moderate-income persons and or addressing slum and blight conditions. Funding for the CDBG Program is provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under the guidelines of Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended.”

Director Trevor Beauregard responded by describing some funding being held up by the need for an environmental review and indicated that his Department did respond to an audit for the 2021 grant. Hear his opening comment, CLICK PLAY

Director Beauregard Opening Remarks 3-25-24

Other Councilors asked questions of the Director. (Best to listen to entire meeting) Councilor Judy Mack alleges Gross Negligence by a Former Development Department Employee. CLICK PLAY.

Councilor Mack 3-25-24

Gardner City Council Meets on CDBG Grants and Goes over Issues

Various State Reviews of prior year CDBG Grants are taking place and Director of Development and Planning Trevor Beauregard was on hand to answer Councilor questions. Councilor George Tyros (the City Council designee to the Steering Committee) had requested the meeting to review the City’s management of the Community Development Block Grant Program. Listen to the entire meeting on any device, CLICK PLAY.

City Council 3-25-24

Councilor Tyros stated, “In preparation for the first CDBG meeting of this year, I reached out to the Director in February to request an update on previous block grant projects, specifically the demolition of the Greenwood indoor pool, construction of a new pavilion in its place, and the construction of Maki Park downtown. The Director informed me that the Block Grant 2022-2023 funds have not yet been released, so no project could be initiated. And in a follow-up question, he informed me that all work related to the Block Grant 2022-2023 grant would need to be completed by the Assistant Director after he starts. The reason why we’re here this evening is because at that meeting, the Director shared with me and the committee that as a part of regular monitoring and review by the State of the program, issues were found in the administration of both construction and public social services aspects of the Block Grant program. Issues that, as I’ve said before, are not detrimental, but are holding up funding for important projects and opportunities that we have to action on if we want to continue moving Gardner in the right direction and keep this important funding.” Tyros stated his objective was to have a discussion about the challenges being faced, to make sure changes are being made, and to prevent future issues that could threaten the source of funding. Listen to Councilor Tyros’ full remarks on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Councilor Tyros Opening Remarks 3-25-24

We reached out for further comment to a number of people and Councilor Judy Mack responded, “The grant audit list of errors is a direct result of someone not doing their job of which they were responsible for which was why I said it was a gross negligence on the person who was responsible.”

We did reach out to the former Assistant Director, current Director Trevor Beauregard, Councilor George Tyros, and Mayor Michael Nicholson. We will post their comments here if they choose to add something.
Tassone 3-24-24 (3/24/2024)

Listen to the Complete Interview on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Councilor Paul Tassone 3-24-24

Gardner’s No Nonsense Councilor Is “No Boloney Tassone“

We spoke with Gardner MA City Councilor Paul Tassone on March 24, 2023 and again on March 24, 2024. We’re calling our conversation, the “No Boloney Tassone” Interview. Listen on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Paul Tassone Interview 3-24-24

The Councilor filled an unexpired term and is now serving a full 2 year term after being re-elected in November 2023. We asked about improvements in the past year and Tassone responded, “We’ve done quite a bit of infrastructure work with the roads and sidewalks. And coming this summer, we’ll be doing more work both on Reagan, Moran, and I believe Greenwood. And there’s several other streets that we’ll be working on.”

Councilor Tassone is earning the trust of his ward through some hard work. “I’ve had the honor of speaking with many of the residents in Ward 3, whether it be about trees being dead or being removed on their particular street or whether or not, they’re having issues from a property perspective. I’ve made house visits. I’ve listened to what people had to say. Anytime someone gives me a call on the phone, I answer the call. And I’m always good to follow up and follow through.”

No Boloney: Tassone stated he’s had fairly good success in working with City Departments including DPW, Building, or Health. “I am a straight shooter, Werner, 100%. What comes out of my mouth is I’m going to come straight at it and I’m going to get to the bottom of it.” We asked, “Is that why some constituents are calling you No Boloney Tassone?” and the Councilor said, ” I love it, from time to time, I guess that’s OK.”

Tassone complimented the Mayor on his transparency. He understands why a new salt shed was needed, but wants the City Council to do its due diligence to get the money back in to the stabilization account. Tassone also complimented the City Council President on the job she does.

Regarding Downtown Gardner: “It’s very easy to drive through the downtown and see the major improvements that we’ve done to our downtown and much more to come with rear Main Street as well. Businesses continue to open up housing, rental housing available in the downtown area. More prevalent now than in years past. Millions of dollars have been spent in our downtown to improve the look, the feel, and the overall community, to be quite honest with you, I’m proud of what I see moving forward and moving in the downtown area.”

Tassone had much more to say which you can hear in the complete AUDIO of the interview above. He concluded, “I would just say I appreciate my constituents in Ward 3 having confidence in me, and voting me in for two more years this past November. I do appreciate that. I’m going to continue to work hard, and we’ll continue to see Gardner improve over the next year. I’m sure we’ll talk before then, Werner, but I think we will have even more exciting things happening in the next year, for sure.”
Zlotnik 3-21-24 (3/21/2024)

Wood You Build It has a website. CLICK HERE.

Positive on Business – Interview with Jonathan Zlotnik

State Representative Jonathan Zlotnik is Positive on Business in general, and especially positive on Gardner’s newest furniture factory, Wood You Build It. Listen to the Interview on any device, CLICK PLAY

Positive on Business -Jonathan Zlotnik Interview 3-21-24

Jon Zlotnik posted about the visit to Wood You Build It, “Last Friday we toured Wood You Build It, a new furniture factory in the City of Gardner. This business moved from Etsy to a 25,000 square foot factory with the help of the Wachusett Business Incubator. I’m very proud of the work the incubator is doing to help local start up businesses. Wood You Build It specializes in kitchen islands. Their products are hand made and custom made to order by expert craftsmen and artisans.” According to their website, the company makes kitchen islands, trash bins, stools & chairs, pet furniture, storage benches, and miscellaneous furniture. They write, “If you dream it, we can build it.”

“Wood You Build It is trying to bring the notation of handcrafted, heirloom furniture back to the City of Gardner, MA for which it belongs, one home at a time.”What started out with a makeshift basement workshop, has now become an endeavor of over a dozen employees. We now manufacture out of a 25,000 sqft facility.”

Economic Development Zlotnik’s Top Priority for the last 12 Years

Representative Zlotnik spoke of his priorities, “The number one need in this region, and certainly in my district: The creation of jobs, the creation of opportunity, the revitalization of vacant or underused properties is so important, not just for the,… community at large, but also really for the local tax base, to make sure that the municipalities out here can provide the services that their residents need and expect, and make sure that, the community can grow, prosper, be safe, and have all those opportunities.” Ten years ago, Jon Zlotnik and some business leaders were instrumental in starting the Wachusett Business Incubator. “The one that has become really a standout success is Would You Build It.”

Other Sections of Gardner

Jon Zlotnik spoke of the changes in Downtown Gardner and the conversion of manufacturing buildings to housing. He spoke of the possibility of another industrial park in Gardner. Zlotnik spoke of another ribbon cutting ceremony on West Lynde Street and celebrating the grand re-opening of Tanguay Jewelers being passed from the next generation to the next. He spoke of “investments from the state, federal, and local government into water and sewer infrastructure to make sure that those capacities are up to snuff for a growing population and a growing business community, as well.” We spoke of the Route 68 area, the tenants in Timpany Plaza, and the former Garbose metal property which is still up for grabs. “along Route 68 is, I think, one of the prime areas for significant economic development.”

On Politics

Zlotnik concurred that moving forward regardless of party is the way he thinks. We asked, “How about everybody just cooperate on ideas, forget the party, and just move forward, ” Zlotnik’s response: “I couldn’t agree more...” He pointed out the of 12 State budgets he’s worked on, 11 have been passed with unanimous or near unanimous support. “Despite the lopsided nature of the partisan balance in Massachusetts, there’s still a lot of effort to make sure that we can come together.” He also stated, “Political bickering and partisan fighting serves almost no one.”
Council 3-18-24 (3/19/2024)

Council President Elizabeth Kazinskas Invokes Section 24 at Gardner City Council Meeting

Based on Section 24 of the City Charter (shown in graphic here) Council President Kazinskas clarified that a majority of City Council is required for 1st printing, thus the vote of 7-3 at meeting of March 4, 2024 was sufficient to get Marijuana Zoning Article to next step. For convenience, here is her explanation and apology from the March 18, 2024 meeting. Listen on any device, CLICK PLAY. (Entire meeting AUDIO is further below)

Kazinskas re Section 24 of City Charter 3-18-24

While the CDBG Block Grant Resolution was approved, Councilor George Tyros objected to the lack of the informal meeting which had been scheduled but was subsequently canceled. —- Cyber Security item and Grant writer item were sent to Finance Committee for study and report —- The $625,000 request for a new salt shed was approved by a unanimous vote. —- Adopted and sent to 2nd printing were the Two Zoning Articles: adding Sports Betting to the table of uses and increasing the quota of Marijuana Establishments to 35% of the total liquor licenses allowed. Listen to the entire meeting on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Complete City Council Meeting March 18, 2024

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

The Complete Gardner MA City Charter on pdf from which the above screenshot was made, CLICK HERE. —- Massachusetts Law Relating to Zoning Changes, CLICK HERE. —- Gardner City Code, CLICK HERE.
Bombaci 3-18-24 (3/18/2024)

25 Main Street, Gardner in September 2022

Progress in Downtown Gardner – Interview with Jon Bombaci on March 18, 2024

We had the honor of speaking with Jon Bombaci of Candor Realty on March 18, 2024. The reason was some big news happening in the Bull Nose Building at 25 Main Street, the arrival this summer or fall of a brand new Coffee Shop, Restaurant, and Bakery. It will be the third location for Brilla who currently operate in Holden and Northborough. The spot will be about 3500 – 4000 square feet upon completion is planned to be by October or sooner. Listen to the complete interview on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Bombaci stated, “They’re a great, great established coffee shop, but they’re going to be launching a full-scale restaurant in the building, complete with a whole bunch of other things that they’re experimenting with down in their Holden location. So we’re excited…. so I think they’re going to go from breakfast all the way through dinner. They’re planning to serve alcohol. They’re planning to kind of be open for whatever it is you want, and having a changing menu from breakfast, lunch, to dinner. They’re already experimenting with this in Holden, and they found some success at it, and so we’re kind of looking forward to helping them launch full service, three meals a day type of a space.”

Other plans for the 25 Main Street building include setting aside 800 square feet for Candor Realty offices. The second and third floor are going to be apartments with a total of 14 units of mostly two bedroom units. Press Release from Candor Realty regarding Brilla.

The Garbose Building

Bombaci spoke about progress on the building. “ We’re working on a couple of leases, but should have announcement over a business moving into what is 8 Parker. That will kind of complete the ground floor. Upstairs, the framing is going on, but we’re kind of at a little bit of a stop where the buildings require a tremendous amount of electricity, which makes sense. And so the holdup at the moment is we’re working with National Grid on sourcing power.” The issue is that with using more electricity to heat and cool, National Grid needs to provide a new transformer. There’s actually a shortage of transformers nationwide which is holding up building. Aside from rough framing and inspections, they will wait “until we can get a firm timeline from National Grid on when we’ll be able to energize the building.” We found an excellent article from Builder on this Nationwide issue, CLICK HERE. Apparently, the shortage of transformers has even slowed down the completion of single family homes.

Other Buildings

82-84 Main Street, a vacant commercial building. “There’s two spaces there that we’re working on filling, and then there’s a basement with a walkout to the back, which is kind of cool.” 88 Main Street is where they have their current offices. Work was wrapped up in 2023 at 104 Parker Street where the Buffer Zone hair salon is.

Real Estate Forecast

Jon Bombaci was very honest in that it is hard to predict the direction of the Real Estate market, but “The real estate market in 2024 is ramping up…There’s a lot of people out looking at houses. The buyer demand is there. Rates haven’t come down yet. So that’s kind of kept people in check a little bit.”

Mission of the Company

Jon Bombaci spoke about his company: “Historically, what our focus is value-add multifamily. We like buying two to 50-unit type buildings, fixing some operational problems, increasing the building, make them safer, update them, make them more comfortable for everybody, and then either pass them off to our investors or refinance them and do those types of things. We have a full service team where we do in-house construction, we do in-house property management, and we’re getting to the point that we’re offering those services to other people. So we’ve historically only helped our clients, but now we’re kind of getting to the point that we can help people we don’t know. And so part of our goal is, you know, our mission is to help people reach financial independence to real estate.” Candor Realty website, CLICK HERE.
Brilla Coffee (3/16/2024)

Construction is expected to begin shortly and approvals from the City have been obtained.

Mayor Nicholson stated he has worked directly with Mr. and Mrs. Vallejos for several years to bring them to Gardner, “When I was first sworn in as Mayor in July of 2020, I invited Alexis and Osiris to attend the ceremony and spoke when them about looking at downtown for a new storefront…”

Brilla Coffee to open Coffee Shop and Bakery at 25 Main Street in Gardner MA

In a Press Release sent out on Saturday, March 16, 2024, Gardner Mayor Nicholson stated, “They have a really strong business model and a great product, and I’m excited to welcome them here to the Chair City.” View Press Release, CLICK HERE.

Brilla Coffee currently has locations in Holden and Northborough, Massachusetts. Owners Alexis and Osiris Vallejos say “We are third generation farmers from Nicaragua, Coffee Roasters, and professional baristas which allows us to know and control our Coffee quality very well from the Farm to your Cup.”

Planned offerings include a full menu ranging from breakfast to dinner with meals and sandwiches and “more unique and healthy options such as granola bowls.” Pastries and desserts will be baked in-house at the new 25 Main Street, Gardner location.
Solutions 3-13-24 (3/13/2024)

Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson discusses real solutions to real problems. Many cities and towns are trying to emulate the Gardner Model of transparency, financial stability, and incoming grants which reduce taxpayer burdens. CLICK PLAY.

Solutions with Michael Nicholson 3-13-24

Real People. Real Problems. Real Solutions. The “Solutions” Interview with Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson.

On March 13, 2024 we spoke with Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson about issues directly affecting Gardner residents. Listen to the “Solutions’ Interview on any device. CLICK PLAY

Solutions with Michael Nicholson 3-13-24

We spoke with Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson at his office in City Hall about issues directly affecting Gardner residents including transportation, housing, parking, grant funding helping Gardner, Maintaining City Buildings including Waterford and Helen Mae Sauter, the Waterford story including ADA accessibility and project status, goals for 2024, the Rickity Salt Shed, and various initiatives providing solutions to real problems. The Mayor is open to Gardner doing anything to help the homeless and we discuss.

Mayor Nicholson spoke of the upcoming budget and the internal procedures involved in coming up with a budget to present to the City Council.

The Grant Bonanza

The Gardner City Council had approved $60,000 for a 3rd party grant writer. The City has spent $25,000 of that. Total return so far, $2.7 million. As a result of this success, the Mayor will be submitting a proposal to the City Council for an additional grant writer to specialize in one area so both State and Federal grants can be covered, “the best bang for our buck.”
Timpany Happenings (3/8/2024)

Things are Happening in the Timpany Plaza in Gardner MA

From the data we have at Gardner Magazine regarding the public’s interest, Greater Gardner MA residents are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Aldi grocery store to be located at the site of the former Stop and Shop. A sign at the plaza has announced the opening date to be April 4, 2024. Aldi website CLICK HERE.

Meanwhile, an area has been blocked off so that demolition of the former Santander Bank building can begin in order to make room for the future Chipotle Restaurant can be built on the site.

While all of this is going on, other area movie goers are enjoying the comfortable seating at the Gardner Cinemas which replaced the traditional movie seats with luxury reclining seats just about a year ago. Get your movie times right here, Website.
U.S. Debt (3/3/2024)

Website has current statistics which are updated continuously, CLICK HERE.

Unique website keeps track of U.S. National Debt in Real Time

We took a snapshot at about 8pm on March 3, 2024. The United States National Debt is approaching $34.5 trillion, over $100k per citizen, over $250k per taxpayer. To put this in perspective, just the interest on the debt this budget year is at $761 billion while the defense budget is about 100 billion above that at $864 billion. Also listed is state and local debt and many other current statistics. There’s even a mortgage/loan calculator
Transportation Taskforce (3/1/2024)

Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson Appointed to Transportation Funding Taskforce by MA Governor Healey

According to a Press Release, “Taskforce to develop recommendations for a long-term, sustainable transportation finance plan for roads, bridges, railways, & bus and transit.” View the Complete Press Release, CLICK HERE.

As a representative of the Massachusetts Municipal Association members, Mayor Nicholson was the only municipal elected official appointed to the taskforce and he stated, “I am very excited to be a part of this group and look forward to the work we will accomplish … Transportation touches every aspect of how people view our state. From economic development, housing production, public health, and more, people need to get where they want to go and often times our streets are the first impression people have of our communities. Programs like Chapter 90 funds, the Transportation Improvement Program grants, regional transportation authority funding, and more directly impact our communities, and I look forward to adding a voice with that perspective to this work. I want to thank Governor Healey for appointing me as a representative of local officials in Massachusetts” Additional Press Release from Massachusetts Department of Transportation, CLICK HERE.
Zoning 2-20-24 (2/22/2024)

Previous Articles with meeting AUDIO on this matter:

Planning Board October 10, 2023

Planning Board November 14, 2023

In December, Private Oversight LLC requested an extension to the January meeting.

Planning Board January 9, 2024

The Planning Board met on February 20, 2024 and put the matter on the next month’s calendar.

Multi Family Proposed Project Facing Abutter Opposition

Private Oversight, LLC is proposing to build a project of 52 units of Multi family housing, 42 in Gardner, and 10 in Templeton. Attorney for the proponent, Christine Tree indicated that a Planning Board decision on the site plan is being sought first. Chairman Lafond agreed that resolving any Planning Board issues would make sense so there are no conflicts between boards. “We will wait for the Planning Board to go through their site plan review.” However, even after that was stated, various opposing abutters wanted to be heard and were heard. Listen to the meeting on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Zoning Board of Appeals 2-20-24

Various abutters oppose the project. One reason is a general opposition to having multi-family housing in a single family area. Another reason concerned the potential for the project to affect drainage. According to one abutter opposed to the project, another developer who clear cut land in the same area on the Templeton side caused drainage issues for abutters. At the meeting, the attorney for Private Oversight LLC offered to email project plan details to abutters if desired.

The Board voted to take up the matter again at its April 16, 2024 meeting.
Truck Fire (2/20/2024)

Gardner Fire Department Extinguishes Truck Fire and Saves old Rome Furniture Building

From Gardner Fire Department on 2-20-24 “Around 9:00 A.M. this morning, Gardner Fire Group 3 responded for a reported truck fire on Main St. Fire crews arrived to find a fully involved pickup truck, just mere feet away from the old Rome building. Crews were able to knock the fire down just as heat from the fire was beginning to melt siding and break windows on the Rome building. No injuries on scene. “ No further details are available at this time.

While they have not yet opened a furniture store at the location and it is unclear if they will, Manzel Furniture and Rugs out of Peabody stores a significant amount of inventory in the building which could have been lost had the Gardner Fire Department not gotten the fire under control.

We wrote about Manzel in 2021,but the furniture store they said was coming did not come to pass. View our original article, CLICK HERE.
New Business (2/19/2024)

New Businesses Coming to Gardner MA in 2024

A variety of new businesses are expected to come to Gardner in 2024. In the Downtown, Timpany Plaza, Timpany Crossroads, Gardner Plaza, elsewhere in the City, and other types of commercial business including manufacturing and industrial. Please visit our New Businesses in Gardner page for 2024 expectations and helpful links. CLICK HERE.
Housing – Augustus (2/14/2024)

A Concept of a Tiny Village for the Homeless

Secretary Ed Augustus Reflects Proactively on Housing in Massachusetts and Greater Gardner MA

Gardner Magazine Publisher Werner Poegel spoke with Ed Augustus, Secretary for Housing and Livable Communities for the State of Massachusetts. We spoke about housing issues including the proposed Affordable Homes Act. Listen to the interview on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Interview with Secretary Ed Augustus

Secretary Augustus explained that Massachusetts is the only state with a large portfolio of state-owned public housing, over 43,000 units. The bill would fund much needed updates to roofs, windows, heating systems etc. to “make those units attractive, healthy, and really dignified.” The bill has several components intended to increase the amount of affordable housing in the state.

We spoke about the possibility of Tiny Houses for the homeless, accessory dwelling units, affordable housing, and even touched on how the reality of Climate Change will affect building in the future because it’s “not, you know, 100 years off, it is in front of us today, and we need to act with some sense of urgency.” He also stated, “Governor Healey has appointed the first climate chief in the country, and she’s been very focused on, you know, really putting together some new policies and plans to make sure that we’re really thinking about how to build redundant resiliency into projects that we’re funding.”

The Secretary explained Accessory Dwelling Units (ACUs) which would be allowed by right. “Accessory Dwelling Units can be a number of things. They could be a space above a garage, they could be a walkout basement, they could be an attic, or they could be a standalone building if you have a big enough, you know, plot of land that your home sits on or a tiny home. And this, we think, is a very, you know, quick way to create a large number of units. We estimate that just that policy change alone could create between 8 and 10,000 units over the first five years across Massachusetts. And the good news about that is it’s no cost to the Commonwealth. Those are costs that individual property owners, if they decided to build one of these ADUs, would take on themselves.“

It’s Possible: Gardner Could Have First Tiny House Village for Homeless in MA

According to the Secretary, the City of Gardner could allow a Tiny House village for the homeless with a Zoning Change and it might actually get grant funding, “You know, we’d have to look at the proposal and see how it fits, but we do have various parts of funding that do support everything from supportive housing for formerly homeless individuals that can be part of the solution to ending homelessness in a particular community. And we do have pots of money that could be available to fund those types of things. So I think it’s plausible. We haven’t seen something yet anywhere in Massachusetts along those lines, so we’d have to look at the particulars. But I think at a high level, the theory of a tiny homes village that is designed to meet the needs of the homeless population of the area, you know, would be something that potentially could receive some funding from existing programs that we have.”

Significant Praise for the City of Gardner and its Shared Vision

Secretary Augustus was impressed on his last visit to the City of Gardner stating in this interview, “Everybody was kind of coordinated and pulling in the same direction. Just my experience from Worcester, I know what a difference that makes. If everybody’s got a shared vision, moving in the same direction, it makes it so much easier to get things done. The mayor has really crafted that strategy, and he showed me, I think it was six or seven different projects that they had in the pipeline that they were hoping to get funded over the next couple of years to bring more housing of different types to Gardner. So I was just impressed. They knew what they wanted to do. They knew where they wanted to do it.They knew what programs that they needed to take advantage of for that, and they were very proactive in asking me to come out and educate myself about what their plan was and how we could help. I think having a plan, working together as a cohesive unit, and then really bringing in all the partners that you need to make it happen, and Gardner’s checked all those boxes.”
Ribbons Four (2/13/2024)

All of the existing Chinese restaurants in Gardner have positive Google reviews from 4 to 4.4.

With Four Season Cutting Ribbon, Gardner Officially has 4 Chinese Restaurants Again

Roughly 2 months after opening, the Four Season Chinese Cuisine located at 19 Union Square in Gardner had its official ribbon cutting on February 12, 2024. MENU AND WEBSITE. You can order online. The owners, Tom and Emily Cheung also run Long Long Noodle restaurant in Baldwinville and last year purchased the vacant lot located across the street from Kenny’s Chinese Restaurant on Parker Street, Gardner. Plans for that lot are unknown at this time. The Cheungs actually used to own Kenny’s.

The 3 other Gardner Chinese Restaurants

Kenny’s, Parker Street, Gardner. Here’s the MENU AND WEBSITE for Kenny’s – you can order online.

Yen Yen located in the Gardner Plaza. Online ordering is offered, CLICK HERE

SawaAsian Cuisine & Lounge located in the Timpany Plaza. Online ordering and website, CLICK HERE.
Farmers 2024 (2/11/2024)

Gardner Farmers’ Market Setting Up to Impress Greater Gardner Area in 2024

The Gardner Farmers’ Market will be held the 3rd Saturday of every month from 9:30am to 1pm beginning in June 2024 at the Waterford Street School, 70 Waterford Street in Gardner. Vendor applications are being taken now. For more information, CLICK HERE.

Areas of focus include locally grown produce including fruit and vegetables, locally grown flowers, locally made baked goods, local meat and eggs, and locally made crafts. Website, CLICK HERE.

From the website: “The Gardner Farmers’ Market aims to improve access to high quality local produce for the Gardner community and bolster local producers by promoting locally grown and/or produced products.”

Open 9:30am to 1pm on these important dates: Grand opening: June 15, 2024 —–Summer Market: July 20, 2024 —- Harvest Festival: August 17, 2024 —- Fall Harvest Market: September 21, 2024
Aldi Progress (2/10/2024)

Aldi Getting Ready for Spring – Summer Opening in Gardner

Gardner is abuzz with discussion about when Aldi will open in the Timpany Plaza. Gardner Magazine visited the location on February 7th. We were able to find out that construction has progressed to indoor shelving and a Spring opening is forecast.

For those who wish to sample ALDI, there is a store in Leominster Massachusetts. Aldi carries most of what a conventional grocery store carries including fresh meat and produce. It claims to have low prices. Gardner area residents will soon be the judge.

For more information, visit their website

Some stores in the Timpany Plaza, Gardner
Housing Downtown (2/10/2024)

Downtown Gardner is undergoing a period of positive transformation as a number of buildings are being renovated including the historic Garbose Building and the Bullnose Building. Work on the former Bank of America building and the Gardner News building is expected in the near future.

29 New Housing Units Officially Open in Downtown Gardner

The building was vacant for years and taken over by the Gardner Redevelopment Authority to sell to a private investor. Mass Ave Rentals purchased the property at 42-52 Parker Street and invested millions to create 29 new Market Rate housing units. A $900,000 underutilized property grant also helped with the project. Now, the building is an integral part of an increasingly beautiful Downtown Gardner. SEE PHOTO.

According to a Press Release: “The need for housing is at an all-time high and a pressing issue in our community. Projects like this development address that need head-on,” said Ali Lorden of Mass Ave Rentals. “We are so happy to be bringing 29 units to the downtown area of Gardner, a city that has been working tirelessly to improve for its residents and future residents.”

“Gardner, like every other community across Massachusetts needs more housing,” said Gardner Mayor Mike Nicholson. “This project gets us one step closer to getting us where we need to be. We know there are over 225 market rate housing units currently being planned for the downtown and we know our population in this area is continuing to grow. Over the last five years, our population has grown by over 10%, and that trend is continuing, with the biggest demand being for one- or two- bedroom units for young professionals or families who are just starting out on their own. This project really starts the City working to meet that demand and launch ourselves forward.”

Complete Press Release, CLICK HERE.
Airport Boost (2/10/2024)

Documentation on why regional airports like Gardner Municipal Airport help the Economics of the Greater Gardner Area

The Gardner Municipal Airport is located in Templeton, MA on land owned by the City of Gardner. It recently received millions in grants to fund brand-new runways and more. So what’s the big deal, what can an airport do to help the community? We have some facts below and AUDIO of the recent Gardner Airport Commission from 2-7-24 is right here. Progress at the airport is discussed. Listen on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Airport Commission 2-7-24

Airport has a big impact: To quote Aviation Pros “Some tend to overlook a significant economic driver for many less-populated areas of the country – regional general aviation airports. While these airports are small compared to those found in major cities, their economic impact is extremely significant. In fact, the general aviation industry generates $219 billion in total economic input and contributes $109 billion to the nation’s gross domestic product. The airports support 1.1 million jobs and allow America’s smaller communities to attract business and tourism.” Here’s the complete article, CLICK HERE.

To quote RAA News: ““The main finding is that small community air service generates a significant amount of economic activity in the U.S.,” Bill Swelbar, chief industry strategist for Delta Airport Consultants and the lead researcher for the Economic Impact of Small Community Airports study, told RAA’s Regional Horizons. “The numbers are pretty compelling. [Air service] is a really important driver of economic activity and jobs.” There are 570 small community airports in the U.S., and air service to these airports generates $134 billion of economic activity in the respective communities, according to the study. In addition, the 570 small community airports create 1 million jobs that generate $36 billion in wages and commensurate tax revenue to the states and communities that receive commercial air service. Here’s the complete article:

Research from North Carolina State University about the critical role general aviation airports play in driving economic growth, investment, jobs, and tourism. CLICK HERE:

From theMunicipal.com: The article documents the advantages of a municipal airport. CLICK HERE:

From Vox.com about how commercial air service facilitates economic growth: CLICK HERE:

A lesson on how airports help local communities prosper from ACKO.com CLICK HERE

From the New Hampshire Municipal Association about how local airports offer many benefits to New Hampshire residents: CLICK HERE.

From the FAA: FAA Support to Rural Communities including an explanation of the Airport Improvement Program, CLICK HERE.

And a lengthy report from over 30 years ago from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics estimating the regional economic significance of airports. We have it available here in pdf format, CLICK HERE.
POEDM Launches (2/9/2024)

Gardner Magazine Publisher Werner Poegel launches POEDM.net. Visit the website, CLICK HERE.

Gardner Magazine Publisher Launches POEDM.net, Online AUDIO Commentary and Cool Art

This is a website in which I’ll feature AUDIO commentary which cuts through partisanship, presents solutions with simple common sense, and preserves the dignity of all people. We also feature some cool art for each subject. POE DM is AUDIO that matters. The goal: Present an opinion which contains a common sense solution to an existing problem or issue and provide fun visuals to see along the way.

Right now, you’ll see some COOL ART in dozens of categories. AUDIO commentary will be added gradually as I write and record it.

Right now, Enjoy dozens of categories of cool 3D Hologram Art in the categories of all things Government, Human Behavior, People Issues, Economics, the Planet, Policy, Oversight, and much more. Visit the Website, CLICK HERE.
Safety 2-5-24 (2/6/2024)

Public Safety Committee Hears from Tom Zuppa Regarding Auto Dealers and Zoning Compliance

Building Commissioner Tom Zuppa was heard regarding the Class II Dealer License application of Gardner 5 Star Auto Sales. The Committee voted to recommend to the full City Council that the business be given 120 days to comply with certain requirements. Apparently, this was something not enforced in the past as other dealers in the City also need to be brought into compliance. Listen to the entire meeting on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Zuppa stated, “Generally, when parking plans, site plans are submitted, there are some criteria that we look for specific to zoning outside of the city code for dealer parking. That site plan should include specific dimensions for the actual vehicles for sale, which is no greater than 180 square feet, and that’s part of the city code. A couple of other things that we look at as far as zoning goes is access in and out of the parcel of land based on the business use, the number of employee and guest parking spaces, how those are delineated from the spaces for sale for vehicles. So we need those shown on the plans. We need to know where they are, the dimensions. Things like maneuvering aisles, interior driveways. We have a few different categories. They all require their own separate sets of dimensions.This particular application, as I stated, is lacking that level of detail. So that is something that we are going to look for moving forward, and it’s something that we’re going to hopefully try to bring the rest of the dealers within the city into compliance as well.”
MVP Barber (2/5/2024)

MVP Barber Studio 2 Has Ribbon Cutting to Large Group of People

MVP Barber Studio held is official grand opening and ribbon cutting on February 5, 2024 at 66 Main Street in Gardner. It is the second location for Vincent Santana who has a similar shop in Leominster.

Santana posted online, “Huge thanks to Mayor Michael J. Nicholson and the City of Gardner for supporting me! Come on down and give us a visit…Also a big thank you to my family and friends for believing in me! Here’s to a new journey.”

We had the honor of speaking with owner Vincent Santana. Meet him here. Listen on any device. CLICK PLAY.

MVP Barber Studio II
Operation – 2024 (1/31/2024)

COMPLETE Interview page with text of all questions and answers and added graphics, CLICK HERE.

Operation: Projects 2024 – an Interview with Mayor Nicholson

Gardner Magazine Publisher Werner Poegel asked Mayor Michael Nicholson about various projects contemplated for 2024. Listen to the interview on any device. CLICK PLAY.

Operation: Projects 2024 – Interview with Mayor Michael Nicholson January 30, 2024

We spoke to the Mayor about various City-owned properties. We spoke about the City response to weather. The Mayor informed us regarding staffing issues and budget issues. He is open to alternatives regarding the Sludge Landfill but notes that options are limited. The Mayor has hired an Executive Aide who will be starting in May after graduating college, just like the Mayor himself did. We spoke about ongoing projects in the City. And, we asked the Mayor about the Boards and commissions to which he belongs and some recent honors.

COMPLETE Interview page with text of all questions and answers and added graphics, CLICK HERE.
Gardner Octopus (1/29/2024)

Gardner MA Business Owner Goes Soft – Sells Product with 8 Tentacles

Patty Bergstrom, owner of the Velvet Goose in Gardner is pictured with an Octopus Plush named Maya. It is available in 3 sizes from 9 inches up to a giant 30 inches in size

The Velvet Goose posted, “LOVE…LOVE…LOVE What has 3 hearts and 8 arms? Yes, the Octopus. Meet Maya. I think she’s my new favorite – especially for Valentine’s Day…”

For more information, visit their Facebook page, CLICK HERE.

Downtown Gardner MA has a variety of interesting products available from local merchants who consistently give back to the community.

Gardner Magazine enjoys showcasing local business whenever we can. If you have a story about your business email News@GardnerMagazine.com
Pub Reopening (1/29/2024)

The Otter River Pub Will Reopen on February 5, 2024

After suffering a devastating fire in September 2023, the Otter River Pub is officially reopening February 5, 2024 at 3pm. It has been undergoing a soft opening to some regulars and pool teams.

Owner Matt Piaseczny had bought the place in December of 2022 and had done some updating just before the devastating fire last Fall which severely damaged the structure. The transformation from a fire-damaged structure to a beautiful pub once again is truly amazing.
Food 2024 (1/28/2024)

Poll Regarding Gardner Food Truck Festival – Here are the Results:

Gardner Magazine conducted a poll on Social Media over the weekend regarding the Gardner Food Truck Festival. “Simple Poll – The 7^th Annual Gardner Food Truck Festival may take place in July 2024. What did you like or not like about previous food festivals and what would you like to see this year? Add your own options. I had to start with one, so I put “Tables and chairs”

On the Gardner, Ma – #1 What’s going on Page! 8.4k members, we got 1.8% participation with 152 votes. Number One result: Tables and Chairs. 50%. Other results: Bigger Variety of Food Trucks 25%, Gluten Free Options 13%, (Didn’t like) Waiting an hour or more 6%, Allow Dogs 4%, and Smaller portions 2%.

For the page on last year’s Gardner MA Food Truck Festival, CLICK HERE. It is expected the 7th Annual Gardner Food Truck Festival will take place in July. We will advise when we have the date.

On the Gardner MA: Uncensored 5.7k members, we got .7% participation with 39 votes. Tables and Chairs 38%, Live Music 38%, lots of trucks so lines are shorter 12%, have it in more open space 6%, and allow dogs 6%.

On the Gardner, MA: #1 Unbiased, Uncensored Local News Group 2.1k members we got .9% participation with 19 votes. Change of location, somewhere with shade 57%, Tables and chairs 27%, giant banquet tent with tables and chairs 16%.

Publisher’s Conclusion: It’s very obvious that people coming to the Gardner Food Truck Festival would like a place to sit and eat their food in the form of tables and chairs, and would like more trucks. On one group live music showed up as a big desire and on another, the desire for shade. So tables and chairs with umbrellas for shade or a large tent with tables and chairs inside would seem an easy solution. Live Music is usually included. In any case, if the operators of the 2024 Gardner Food Truck Festival want more people to come, they’ll provide a comfortable place for customers to sit down and eat their food. More people will come, they will stay longer, and they will spend more money. And make sure the music is an asset to the event, not a liability by being too loud and annoying customers.
Zoning 1-23-24 (1/25/2024)

View the complete meeting agenda, CLICK HERE.

This project has been in the planning stages for some time. Our first article on Slocum Inc. was in December of 2021, CLICK HERE.

Gardner MA Zoning Board of Appeals Has Lengthy Meeting with Detailed Presentation for Matthews Road Project

While not the only item on the agenda, it was the most dynamic. Timothy Slocum has a location at 400 Matthews Road in Gardner and has been in front of the Gardner Zoning Board of Appeals on several occasions, most recently on January 23, 2024. He was represented by an attorney familiar with zoning matters who gave a complete presentation of the amended Project Design. Listen to the entire meeting on any device, CLICK PLAY.

Keep in mind that Zoning decisions must be unanimous on the part of the Board. Timothy Slocum had 1 denial and 1 approval in an appearance before the Zoning Board of Appeals related to the property at 400 Matthews Road. The Warehouse and storage facilities item was not approved on a vote of 1-2 as unanimous consent of the entire board is required. The 2^nd item: converting, fabricating, altering, finishing, and assembling was approved. It was unclear how the 2 different decisions affect the project.

Gardner Magazine spoke with Timothy Slocum and it was apparent he still has the energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to see the project through in a positive fashion. We are hoping to do a complete interview sometime soon. At the meeting, both of Timothy’s parents spoke positively on his behalf, sharing their pride in their son’s work ethic and accomplishments.
Service 1-23-24 (1/23/2024)

Public Service Committee Meets and Discusses Plans, Concerns, Projects, and Gets Answers.

The 1 hour+ meeting is filled with detailed questions and answers about many topics Gardner residents have asked about. Listen on any device, CLICK PLAY.

DPW Director Dane Arnold discussed the pay situation, stating the Gardner pays a typical DPW worker $2 less with truck drivers getting $6 less than other communities. Current union contract runs through June 30, 2024 and he would like to negotiate new contract with higher pay rates for DPW workers. The salt shed is on the capital improvement list – If Mayor finds the money, DPW will do the actual site work to save City money. Director Arnold spoke about the contractors which have recently come on board and mentioned that he hired his first staff member with a CDL license in about 5 years.

Engineer Rob Oliva discussed various projects including the Uptown Rotary, dam, the rail trail and pedestrian bridge, storm drainage, and the Sludge Landfill expansion. Oliva and Arnold answered some detailed questions from the City Councilors. Oliva stated that the Sludge -Landfill expansion, in the middle of permitting and design – MEPA has asked for public outreach sessions, coming up in near future. Then final impact report gets submitted. The City of Gardner is still in favor of an expansion, but is open to alternatives as technology changes and/or becomes available.

Conservation Agent Douglas Dillon reported on the irrigation upgrades at the Municipal Golf Course. Crystal Lake water will be protected. 1010 Green Street is expanding a substation fence. North County Land Trust will be doing some habitat restoration work in the Keyes Street area. The 170 Mill Street site project is impacted by problem with a dam which would cost an estimated $1.2 million to address.