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Home razed to prepare for project at former fire station
Vol. 51 | No. 7 | February 14, 2025
Nelson Ball reflects on passion for Westborough, pickleball
Valentine’s Day page 10
By Laura Hayes Contributing Writer NORTHBOROUGH – Visitors in downtown Northborough have seen crews demolishing the former Ellsworth home at 9 Church St. The Historic District Commission determined that there was no alternative to demolition on Jan. 23. Millie Milton — who owns C’est La Vie Bistro and is involved with the town through the Planning Board and Historic District Commission — owns 9 Church St., the former fire station at 13 Church St., and 40 W. Main St. During a meeting on Jan. 15, Milton said the three properties could become
BBQ restaurant wants to open on Route 9 in Shrewsbury
SHREWSBURY | 6 Westborough Cub Scouts rev up for annual Pinewood Derby
Church Street | 5
Library parking issues eased by church agreement By Maureen Sullivan Assistant Editor WESTBOROUGH – For the first time in nearly two years, the parking lot at the First Congregational Church will be made available for the public. On Tuesday, Feb. 4, the town signed an agreement with the church. According to Roland Regnier, moderator for the church, “The terms of this agreement match, to a great extent, the same terms that were in place previously.” Patrons of the Westborough Public Library may use the parking lot as needed, except during regular church worship services and for special church events like funerals or weddings. Parking lot | 5
Westborough | 7 Nelson Ball’s devotion to Westborough has made him a community icon. (Photo/Evan Walsh)
By Evan Walsh Managing Editor WESTBOROUGH – Nelson Ball has been called the “father of pickleball” in Westborough. And it all started with one fateful “pop.” While playing tennis in Venice, Florida, Ball heard an unusual noise from across the gym. The sound was a mere distraction — or maybe it was fate — but he followed this unfamiliar “popping” sound across the building, where he discovered two gentlemen playing pickleball, a then up-and-coming sport that involves two (or more) paddles and a perforated ball. Ball was a longtime tennis player, but his athletic group “imploded” as people reached their 80s and were no longer quite agile enough to hustle around the court. Pickleball didn’t have the popularity it
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enjoys today when Ball stumbled upon it several years ago. But, in that moment, he realized just how big it could become — especially for seniors. “I thought, ‘Man, I’m going to have to learn that game,’” Ball told the Community Advocate. An early adopter of the sport, Ball and his pickleball posse started as roving athletes, tracking down areas across Central Mass. to break out the paddles. With a lack of dedicated pickleball courts, his group would bring painter’s tape to mark off the “kitchen” and weigh down tennis nets with 10-pound weights. Nothing would stop this group from a good pickleball session. As the sport grew, more courts were restriped or constructed, including four in Westborough. But Ball still felt like there was more capacity for pickleball in
McCafferty’s milestone: Westborough senior hits 1,000-point mark
Westborough | 23
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