City Council Gardner MA

The Gardner City Council advanced several ordinances aimed at increasing transparency in professional development spending and parking fee exemptions for veterans. Significant community support was evidenced by the acceptance of multiple donations for the police department, including a vehicle for the K9 unit. The session concluded with reflections on community health initiatives and the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

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Waterford Community Center Updates

The Waterford Community Center remains a primary focus of city development, involving multi-layered renovations and energy upgrades.

Solar Roof Project: The city has already purchased solar panels, which are currently stored at Select Energy’s headquarters in Hopkinton, MA.

• Current Status: Construction is awaiting final sign-off from National Grid.
• Timeline: Preliminary estimates suggest construction will begin before the end of 2026.
• Financials: A final document detailing cost-saving breakdowns and the lease signature is expected for the first City Council meeting in October.

Owner’s Project Manager (OPM) Selection: The city is utilizing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process to hire an OPM to oversee building renovations, specifically focusing on asbestos removal.

• The RFQ Process: Unlike a Request for Proposals (RFP) which prioritizes price, an RFQ evaluates technical qualifications, education, and experience first.
• Review Committee: The Mayor will appoint a three-member committee to review qualifications independently. To ensure an “honest and transparent” process, members will not collaborate during the evaluation phase.
• Budget: Funding for the OPM is allocated from unexpended bond proceeds. The cost is estimated at approximately 7.5% of the total project cost.
• Dates: The RFQ is scheduled to go live on September 2 and close on September 18.

Asbestos Abatement and Renovation: Tighe and Bond is developing specifications for the abatement project, including floor plans and material identification. This process will run concurrently with the OPM solicitation to allow work to begin approximately two weeks after a contract is awarded.

Facility Tenants and Usage

• GTV (Gardner TV): The station is fully operational in its new Waterford studio. The former studio space at Gardner High School has been renovated for the Gardner Academy.
• Growing Places: Building permits for refrigeration condensers and a backup generator have been approved. Construction of the concrete pad is underway, with expected completion by the end of September.
• Disability Commission: Remains a prospective tenant, though no further movement can occur until physical renovations progress.
• Community Use: The soccer fields were successfully used by a local church group, which has expressed interest in returning next year.

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Infrastructure and Downtown Development

Downtown Phase 5 (Willow Street): The city awarded the contract for the Willow Street project to Goodall Construction.

• Scope: Refurbishment of sidewalks and asphalt, and a reorganization of the Willow and Main Street intersection.
• Safety Improvements: Crosswalks will be reconfigured from an angle to a perpendicular orientation to shorten the crossing distance for pedestrians.
• Impact: Willow Street will be closed for 1.5 to 2.5 months. Rerouting will be managed by the Police Department.

Rear Main Project Delays: The Rear Main project is facing delays characterized as “frustrating” by city officials due to lack of coordination among National Grid, Comcast, and Verizon.

• Utility Coordination: Delays involve the removal of wires and the delivery of multiple transformers required for underground electrical service.
• City Action: The city paid National Grid $978,000 in March 2026 for this work. The Mayor reported personally hand-delivering easement papers to landowners and the Registry of Deeds to prevent any city-side delays.
• Timeline Status: Originally expected to finish by mid-September, the completion date has been pushed out indefinitely pending a six-week turnaround from National Grid once equipment is received.

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Key Quotes

“The roofs were declared surplus for the purpose of leasing to the solar company and that’s how we’re able to do the lease holder improvements for the roof before that lease makes it to the council.” — Mayor Michael Nicholson on the solar project mechanics.

“I want it being known that there are no delays in regards to this project that have been on the fault of the city… we have been knocking on National Grid’s door of where we’ve paid for this already months ago.” — Jason Stevens on the Rear Main project utility delays.

“I think it would just open a lot more transparency and it puts a face to a project and that’s really important.” — Committee Member on including the OPM in future project updates.

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In total, this undertaking produced 53 sets of minutes totalling more than 350 pages, alongside several operational and website record corrections. I want to give tremendous kudos to Clerk Pelavin—the sheer volume of work she tackled in just her first few weeks on the job, literally working nights and weekends to get Council records back on track, was nothing short of incredible.

Reviewing how things got this far off course made two things clear: we tolerated longer and longer gaps between when meetings occurred and when minutes appeared, and we frequently accepted them out of chronological order. That makes tracking loose ends nearly impossible, and the more time passes, the easier it is to miss critical details.

Moving forward, we are establishing a standard: taking up minutes in proper chronological order at the very next sitting, with all minutes approved and posted within 30 days of the meeting. We owe our residents a transparent, prompt, and accurate public record, and that is what we will hold to going forward.

Progress on Keeping Tabs on Travel and Training

We took the next step on Item 11862, an ordinance proposed by Councillor Heglin to ensure clear rules and transparency around city travel and training funds.

Following the consolidation of travel and training into a single central account during the FY27 budget process, this ordinance establishes a clear baseline: employees requesting funds must outline the total cost, necessity, and direct benefit to Gardner in writing, with quarterly reporting provided to the Council.

While questions were discussed regarding the mechanics of paying from a central line versus individual departmental transfers, the measure was successfully advanced to its first printing, allowing us to refine the administrative details before a final vote.

More Time on Ensuring No More Budget Surprises

On Item 11870— Councillor Heglin’s ordinance for comprehensive financial transparency and budget governance proposal—the Council voted to take more time for review and collaboration.

This proposal aims to mandate earlier revenue forecasts in February, regular quarterly reporting, and an annual 5-year financial forecast. Taking extra time allows the Council and the City Auditor to test and streamline reports directly from the city’s financial software (Munis), ensuring our reporting requirements are practical, automated, and provide meaningful fiscal insight throughout the entire year rather than rushing at budget season.

August Wrapped Up

The Council took action on several key appointments, community items, and administrative business:

Plumbing and Gas Inspector: Confirmed the appointment of Dennis Ash as the full-time Plumbing and Gas Inspector for a three-year term, bringing 38 years of trade and inspection experience to City Hall.

Blue Star Memorial Parking Exemption: Advanced an ordinance to its first printing to waive municipal parking meter fees for vehicles bearing Massachusetts Blue Star plates (honoring families of fallen law enforcement officers), making Gardner the first municipality in the Commonwealth to adopt this measure.

Community Donations Accepted: Formally accepted generous community donations, including support for the Gardner Animal Shelter, a $1,000 contribution for the Gardner Food Truck Festival, and over $2,000 raised for the Police Department’s Domestic Violence Division.

Staffing & Recruitment Rubric: I stepped down from the chair to explain the compensation placement for our newly hired Assistant City Clerk under the city’s updated salary rubric, ensuring we attract experienced talent while maintaining equitable salary structures.

When the Council took up the task last year to reform our salary system, we had two primary goals. First, we wanted to create a system that recognized experience and longevity. The step system we instituted accomplished that. The other important goal was to create a system where we could attract experienced talent. We did that by creating a system where the Council can place a new hire into a higher step if their background and experience merit. This is both important and challenging. This system covers nearly 100 positions varying from groundskeepers to the Chief of Police. The system created a public process where the Mayor and Council review the facts on a case by case basis and set a step based on the rules of the ordinance. This allows us to have a system that can offer higher salary to those qualified, and maintain the flexibility of having an entry level salary.

State Primary Preparations: Approved the primary order, election officer appointments, and police detail assignments ahead of the September 1st State Primary Election.

See you all next month! – George Tyros

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The Tyros Protocol: To improve the efficiency of City Council proceedings, a new management protocol was established between the Council President and the City Clerk. The transition aims to clarify roles and ensure adherence to parliamentary rules:

• Role of the Clerk: The City Clerk is now responsible for reading agenda items, a change intended to facilitate better organization and more accurate record-keeping.
• Role of the President: The Council President focuses exclusively on managing the debate and ensuring following of the rules of order.
• Implementation: These changes were successfully piloted during the July session, marking a shift toward more disciplined legislative management.

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This meeting highlights the city’s efforts to balance housing expansion with local zoning regulations and community concerns. One of the infographics below explains the various Zoning concepts with an infographic entitled “Understanding Zoning Relief”. We also have “The High-Stakes Game of Inches” and lastly, a Gardner Magazine Reader Summary of the August 18, 2026 meeting. CLICK any Image for a larger view.

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