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Concerns voiced about 66-unit senior living facility By Laura Hayes Managing Editor
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Vol. 51 | No. 2 | January 10, 2025
Miles through Mass.
Public artist works on Westborough utility boxes
Shrewsbury couple walks through all 351 Massachusetts communities
Westborough | 12
NORTHBOROUGH – Concerns about a senior living facility were voiced by members of the Zoning Board of Appeals during their Jan. 6 meeting. What is proposed Located at 39-43 King Street on about two acres, conversations about the project go back several years. In 2018, the site plans were approved to construct an assisted living facility that included 66 units. The applicant, Rashid Shaikh of ZHS Trust, sought an amendment to the special permit in 2021 to increase the number of units to 88. In a letter to the ZBA, Shaikh wrote that they sought to improve management efficiency with connection to public sewer. These plans were approved by the board. Now, ZHS Trust has returned before the ZBA, seeking a modification to the site plan and a use variance to allow for a senior living facility as well as a special permit to operate an adult daycare. The plans call for reducing the number of units back to 66 and using on-site sewage disposal instead of public sewer; Senior living | 4
Police to use ARPA funds to clean up firing range By Maureen Sullivan Assistant Editor WESTBOROUGH – A long-standing issue with the Westborough Police Department’s firing range may soon be resolved, thanks to funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Just under $52,000 has been approved to remove lead and shell casings from the range, which is located behind the Department of Public Works on Oak Street. Police Chief Todd Minardi initially submitted a proposal for $150,000 to fund the cleanup and install a new target system. However, after some feedback from Police | 11
Letter carrier helps save house from burning
Shrewsbury | 16
Changes to VIA could expand evening, weekend service
Region | 21 Saint John’s hockey fights back to top Shrewsbury
They’ve walked through all 351 communities in Massachusetts, but in this picture, Scott and Laura Spangenberg are in their hometown of Shrewsbury. (Photo/Evan Walsh)
By Evan Walsh Reporter SHREWSBURY – The beaches of Barnstable. The covered bridges in Colrain. The cliffs of Aquinnah. The waterfalls in Mount Washington. Shrewsbury residents Laura and Scott Spangenberg have seen them all. The couple has spent the last four years traveling throughout the Bay State and walking one mile (or more) in each of the commonwealth’s 351 cities and towns. They’ve taken pictures along the way and blogged their experience at www.walkmasstowns. com. “It’s a really cool state. You go from the ocean to the mountains. You’ve got something for everyone. I feel blessed to live here, really,” said Laura Spangenberg, who teaches at Maj. Howard W. Beal Elementary School. “There’s so many cool places. That’s been such a neat thing – just seeing the diversity of the state. There’s so many unexpected finds.” The Spangenbergs love to travel. During the peak of the pandemic, they felt cooped up in their house and decided to walk every street in Shrewsbury. The couple divided the town into quadrants and explored each of Shrewsbury’s 711 roads. With the challenge completed and
the pandemic still lingering, the Spangenbergs looked for their next adventure. “We finished that in August of 2020, and then we were like, ‘Now what?’ We were still in the pandemic, and you literally weren’t allowed to leave Massachusetts at that point. You weren’t supposed to go to other states,” Laura Spangenberg said. “[Scott] went on Wikipedia and I saw there were 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. [He] just said, ‘What if we walked one mile in every spot?’” And the tour of the commonwealth began soon after. The duo started fast, visiting towns along Cape Cod like Wellfleet, Eastham, and Orleans. Once the pandemic-era restrictions were relaxed and the state opened up again, trips became much more intentional. The Spangenbergs printed a map of Massachusetts and filled in the towns they visited with a blue highlighter. They’ve made calendars with the pictures they’ve taken along the way. The Spangenbergs got creative, knocking out several “must-do” items while in the communities. The Brimfield stop included a visit to the Brimfield Antiques Show, they were in Topsfield for the Topsfield Fair, and they attended the Christmas Stroll while on Nantucket. Norwood is Walks | 5
Shrewsbury | 22
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