Shrewsbury seeks new DPW director
Candidates make their argument for election Westborough | 15
Shrewsbury| 6
Grafton’s Alena Duval always on the run Grafton | 22
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Your community. Your news. Your paper. Shrewsbury · Westborough · Northborough · Southborough · Marlborough · Hudson · Grafton
Vol. 50 | No. 9 | March 1, 2024
Lower state aid could hike Westborough’s property taxes
50 years after her murder, Eileen Ferro remembered in Shrewsbury By Evan Walsh Reporter
By Maureen Sullivan Assistant Editor WESTBOROUGH – A less-than-anticipated increase in state aid could be a factor in propelling an increase to the town’s average single-family property tax bill past $1,000. According to the “cherry sheets” provided by the Office of the State Comptroller, Westborough’s total amount of aid, including Chapter 70, currently stands at $13,807,453 for the 2025 fiscal year — about $200,000 more than for the 2024 fiscal year. However, according to the budget documents for the 2025 fiscal year, the town was anticipating a projected increase in state aid of $340,454 over 2024. The “cherry sheet” amounts include Chapter 70 aid, hotels and meals taxes, reimbursement of school aid to cities and charter school reimbursements to cities. In fiscal 2023, the most recent “full year,” the town received just over $18 million in state aid. This includes “cherry sheet” items, along with “non-cherry sheet” items such as payments for early voting, American Recovery Plan Act and the Winter Recovery Assistance Program. Although it’s still early — the House of Representative won’t be debating the budget until April – town officials are already in contact with legislators to advocate for more state aid. “Rep. [Kate] Donaghue and I work closely with Town Manager Kristi Williams to advocate for increases in local aid and education funding,” said state Rep. Hannah Kane (R-ShrewsTaxes | 13
SHREWSBURY – At 6:14 p.m. last Thursday, Diana Ross’s 1973 hit “Touch Me in the Morning” echoed throughout Shrewsbury Common. But Eileen Ferro wasn’t there to hear it. The record — her favorite song — was on the turntable, ready to be played, when she was stabbed to death in her Ladyslipper Drive home on Feb. 22, 1974. Ferro was only 21 at the time of her death. Ferro’s life was taken, but her memory has never been forgotten. On Thursday — 50 years to the hour of Ferro’s death — community members gathered to honor her legacy, reciting poems, performing music and remembering her friendly personality. The event was organized by Worcester-area lawyer Edward P. Reardon Jr., who received the family’s permission to hold the ceremony. “I think this was a terrible scar and terrible Eileen Ferro | 4
Eileen Ferro was remembered exactly 50 years after her death. (Photo/Evan Walsh)
Renovations at Motel 6 move forward By Laura Hayes, Managing Editor NORTHBOROUGH – Efforts to renovate Motel 6 are moving forward. Back in 2021, a fire closed the doors of the motel, which is located at 27 Belmont St. In late 2022, Motel 6 officials applied for a renovation/ rebuild permit, and the applicant Jay Patel went before the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) in August to seek a variance regarding septic.
During their Jan. 23 meeting, the ZBA approved withdrawing the application for the variance without prejudice. Motel 6 specifically sought the ability to use their existing septic system while working on a sewer expansion that would serve the Lawrence Street area. For a construction permit to alter a building, the town’s zoning code requires an approved plan from the Health Department or Motel 6 | 4