Town of Westford Annual Report

Town of Westford Annual Report For the Fiscal Year Ending June 30 2015 ABBOT MILL #1 12 North Main Street, Graniteville 1 On the cover; “… soon after [December, 1855] mill number one was erected – a two story building 185 x 52 feet, with a connecting L 40 x 32 feet… A partnership was formed in 1857 by the firm [Calvert & Sargent] with John W. P. Abbot, for the manufacture of worsted yarns…” “At first they manufactured fine worsted yarns for the making of braids and upholstery goods, employing about twenty hands.” “… they began the manufacture of carded yarns, used in making carpets. In 1878, Abbot & Company leased the part of the mill formerly occupied by Sargent & Sons, and also built a stone addition to the mill occupied by them- selves, sixty feet long and two stories high, and proceeded to fill it with ma- chinery… .” History of the Town of Westford Rev. Edwin R. Hodgman pp 244 – 245 published in 1883 by the Westford Town History Association Research by the Westford Historical Society. In 2015, the Historical Society focused on the history of Graniteville. 2 TOWN OF WESTFORD MASSACHUSETTS Annual Report For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015 Annual Town Meeting Saturday, April 2, 2016 Annual Town Election Tuesday, May 3, 2016 3 CITIZEN ACTIVITY APPLICATION FORM Town of Westford GOOD GOVERNMENT STARTS WITH YOU If you are interested in serving on a Town committee, please fill out this form and mail to the Town Manager, Town Hall, 55 Main Street, Westford, MA 01886. This form may also be downloaded from the website at www.westfordma.gov. All committee vacancies will be filled by citizens deemed most qualified to serve in a particular capacity. Date Name Address Home Telephone Email Amount of Time Available Interest in What Town Committee Present Occupation Education Background Town Offices Held Other Volunteer Positions Remarks 4 IN MEMORIAM Elwin Bagley April 14, 1926 - July 8, 2014 Elwin gave inordinate hours as volunteer caretaker and handyman at the Westford Museum. A charter member of the Westford Colonial Minuteman, Elwin organized the Minutemen’s involvement in the bicentennial celebration in 1975 and is responsible for the planting of the Liberty Tree beech at Town Hall that year. After his retirement from Raytheon, Elwin also volunteered at the Cameron Senior Center. John (Jack) Doucette August 1, 1947 - November 12, 2014 A life-long resident of Westford, Jack was Class President of the Westford Academy Class of 1965. His career in the Westford schools began in the fall of 1973, teaching fifth and sixth grade at the Abbot Middle School where he went on to be named Assistant Principal. Until Jack’s retirement in 2005, he was principal at the Blanchard Middle School. 5 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Town Officers and Committees Elected Officials ................................................................................................ 1 Appointed Officials ............................................................................................ 3 General Meeting Times for Boards and Committees ....................................... 14 Elections Annual Town Election: May 06, 2014 ............................................................. 15 Democratic Party State Primary: September 9, 2014 ....................................... 16 Republican Party State Primary: September 9, 2014 ....................................... 19 State Election: November 4, 2014 ................................................................... 21 Town Meetings Special Town Meeting: October 20, 2014........................................................ 24 Annual Town Meeting: March 28, 2015 .......................................................... 27 Boards, Committees and Departments Board of Selectmen .......................................................................................... 43 Town Manager ................................................................................................. 46 Affordable Housing Committee ....................................................................... 54 Affordable Housing Trust Fund ....................................................................... 57 Animal Control Department ............................................................................. 59 Arts and Technology Scholarship Fund Committee......................................... 60 Assessors, Board of .......................................................................................... 61 Bruce Freeman Rail Trail ................................................................................. 63 Building Department ........................................................................................ 67 Capital Planning Committee ............................................................................ 69 Cemetery Commission, Board of ..................................................................... 73 Communications Advisory Committee ............................................................ 75 Community Preservation Committee ............................................................... 77 Conservation Commission ............................................................................... 80 Constable ......................................................................................................... 83 Council on Aging ............................................................................................. 84 Cultural Council ............................................................................................... 87 Economic Development Committee ................................................................ 89 Emergency Management Agency .................................................................... 91 Energy Committee ........................................................................................... 92 Engineering Department .................................................................................. 94 Finance Committee .......................................................................................... 96 Fire Department ............................................................................................... 98 Health, Board of ............................................................................................. 103 Highway Department ..................................................................................... 109 Historical Commission ................................................................................... 111 Housing Authority ......................................................................................... 113 Human Resources .......................................................................................... 115 Library, J.V. Fletcher ..................................................................................... 117 Museum & Historical Society ........................................................................ 128 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS—CONTINUED Nashoba Valley Technical High School ......................................................... 130 Northern Middlesex Council of Governments ................................................ 133 Parkerville Schoolhouse Committee .............................................................. 135 Parks and Recreation ...................................................................................... 137 Permanent Town Building Committee ........................................................... 141 Planning Board .............................................................................................. 146 Police Department .......................................................................................... 149 Public Works Initiative Committee ................................................................ 154 Records and Archives Management Committee ............................................. 156 Recycling Commission ................................................................................... 158 Sealer of Weights and Measures .................................................................... 162 Selectmen, Board of ......................................................................................... 43 Schools Nashoba Valley Technical High School ................................................. 130 Westford Public Schools ........................................................................ 163 Tax Collector/Treasurer ................................................................................. 188 Tax Possession Sale Committee ..................................................................... 194 T.R.E.A.D. ..................................................................................................... 196 Technology ..................................................................................................... 197 Town Accountant ........................................................................................... 199 Town Clerk ..................................................................................................... 216 Town Manager ................................................................................................. 46 Tree Warden ................................................................................................... 220 12 North Main Street Task Force ..................................................................... 52 Veterans Services ........................................................................................... 221 Water Department .......................................................................................... 224 Zoning Board of Appeals ............................................................................... 228 Directory of Town Departments ............................................................................. 230 Index ...................................................................................................................... 232 Westford at a Glance ..............................................................................................

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