News from our members
Gardner Breaks Ground on Rear Main Street Revitalization Project
Mayor Nicholson Speaks at Ground Breaking.
On Thursday, October 17, 2024, Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson, State Representative Jon Zlotnik, City Council President Elizabeth Kazinskas, the Gardner Redevelopment Authority, and officials from the City officially broke ground on the Rear Main Street Revitalization Project in Downtown Gardner.
“This project will be huge for downtown Gardner,” said Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson. “This almost doubles our parking capacity in the area and creates new amenities for our residents and visitors to the Downtown. With the anticipated housing production we anticipate in the area, and the large number of new businesses opening up in Gardner, this furthers the goals we have of creating a strong and vibrant community.”
The funding for this project comes from the Commonwealth’s MassWorks Grant program that was awarded in 2021 and will be used to construct a new event plaza, food truck parking area, 100 + space unmetered parking lot, and improvements and lighting to the alleyways in the area. This will also allow for rear access to several of the buildings on Main Street and add new
entry ways connecting Main Street to the Rear Main Street – Derby Drive area.
“This project has been many years in the making and still requires more work to bring over the finish line, but today represents another major step in what is a long-term plan to improve downtown Gardner,” said State Representative Jon Zlotnik, who played an integral role in obtaining this funding for the City. “This is a milestone that could not have been reached without City-State cooperation, obviously substantial funding from the State along with interest from private developers. We’re very excited, with this groundbreaking today, to be able to see the fruition of so much work by so many people to redevelop this section of downtown.”
Over the last five years, the City has invested millions of dollars into revitalizing the downtown to breathe new life into the area. From improvements to roadways, sidewalk and lighting replacements, recreational facilities, building renovations, and other projects.
“Phase 2 of the Rear Main St. project opens our community to more vibrance and connection through infrastructure,” said City Council President Elizabeth Kazinskas. “ I am proud that Gardner has grown immensely in the last few years in this exact way. City Councillors are charged with considering a significant investment for a project like this, typically through matching city funds that are related to state and other grants. Representative Zlotnik, Mayor Nicholson, and Director Beauregard have helped meet our taxpayers’ investment through their work on this, and multiple projects like it that benefit our citizens. I am excited for the completion of Phase 2 and couldn’t be happier that it has begun.”
“As the City Councilor for Ward 4 for 7 terms, I am thrilled to be able to witness the revitalization of Rear Main Street come to light,” said City Councilor Karen Harden. “This initiative shows significant growth and new opportunities for the City of Gardner, and I am really looking forward to the positive impact that it will have on our community.”
This project comes as the second phase of the Rear Main Street Revitalization Project. Beginning in 2015, the City of Gardner worked to obtain the properties along Rear Main Street, leading to the construction of the new street on Derby Drive in 2018. Phase 3 of the project is expected into include additional infrastructure upgrades and an apartment complex housing development.
Commenting on the project reaching this milestone, Trevor Beauregard, Director of Community Development and Planning and Executive Director of the Gardner Redevelopment Authority stated, “This project represents the continued partnership between the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, City of Gardner, and the Gardner Redevelopment Authority, with the creation of much needed parking and outdoor amenities in the downtown area to support the public and private investment taking place in our City.” Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, Director Beauregard also credited his predecessor, the late Mr. Robert Hubbard, and the late City Councilor Ronald Cormier, who served as Chair of the Gardner Redevelopment Authority for their visions for this project since the concept began in 2006.
“This is a real turning point for Downtown Gardner and the benefits this project will bring to the community are tremendous,” said City Councilor Paul Tassone, who also serves as the Chair of the Gardner Redevelopment Authority. “The Rear Main Street Revitalization Project has been a long time coming and is one of the largest investments the City has made in the downtown area. I would like to thank all of our community partners who made this project possible. Together we’re working to build a stronger community for everyone who lives here”
Construction on Phase 2 of the project is anticipated to last until summer of 2025.
“I’m very proud of the work that we have been able to accomplish in Gardner to revitalize our downtown, invest in our infrastructure, and grow our business community across the City,” concluded Mayor Mike Nicholson. “I’d like to thank our state officials for their continued partnership with Gardner and I look forward to seeing how this project improves the City for years to come.”
Calling All Artists! Main Street Seating
As part of ongoing efforts to revitalize Fitchburg and its Main Street, the City desires to create vibrant public spaces that encourage people to congregate and linger in downtown. The City of Fitchburg recognizes downtown lacks public seating and seeks to commission an art installation that would imbed art in the form of permanent seating. The selected artist must have the ability to design, fabricate and install seating that will be located along Main Street. The ideal proposal will include at least two but as many as four seating pieces that encourage people to gather in groups.
Background and Recent efforts:
Fitchburg’s downtown has a long history of supporting public art, with numerous monuments and sculptures in public spaces including the Upper Common and Monument Park. Not only can public art spur economic development as a magnet for growth, it has also been demonstrated to provide important benefits to residents including improved public safety and wellbeing and giving and opportunity for self-expression to historically excluded residents. In recent years, the City has further embraced a wider range of public art as a type of place making, and has strategically set aside funding through its Community Development Block Grant program and other sources, to create public art in downtown, recently through a number of murals. Fitchburg’s downtown will also be the focus of a cultural district currently in the planning phase; and to that end, the City is encouraging arts and culture based businesses to cluster in downtown.
In recent years, several arts and culture initiatives have taken root in the downtown. The Community applied for and received a Creative Cities grant through MassDevelopment and the Barr foundation, this initiative is about to enter its 3rd year and works to foster leadership and partnership in creative for-profit and non-profit activities. Fitchburg Arts Community in currently under construction at the former BF Brown school, bringing 68 units of artist preference housing to the area, and numerous arts organizations are located, or are soon to locate in the downtown including the Fitchburg Art Museum, the Fitchburg Cultural Alliance, the Boulder Art Gallery, Stratton Players, New Players Theater Guild, the Gallery Marque, and Coffee Corp. Numerous festivals are also hosting in the downtown area throughout the year, including Civic Days, the Lights festival, River City Rhythm & Rock Festival, the Forge In, the Brewers Festival, Juneteenth, and the Latino Cultural Festival.
The City seeks to further diversify its public art by creating three dimensional art that the public can directly interact with as seating. Based on feedback from the community and in an effort to plan for a future cultural district designation a request for artistic downtown public seating has been created. This artistic public seating should be highly visible, attractive and engaging, and create a space comfortable for residents and visitors to sit and engage with each other, take pictures, eat outside, and leave a positive impression. This is a collaboration between the city of Fitchburg, the Creative Cities partnership and Intown Fitchburg.
Please see the full call here for more information about the call and how to submit a response.
Fitchburg Public Library celebrates beginning of historical renovation, construction project
The Fitchburg Public Library building project, a transformative effort that will create a community resource and destination for the next several decades, commemorated the beginning of the renovation and construction of the library building, located at 610 Main Street, Fitchburg, with a celebratory groundbreaking earlier today.
The ceremony featured remarks from several elected officials and guests, including U.S. Congresswoman Lori Trahan, Massachusetts State Senator John Cronin, Massachusetts State Representative Michael Kushmerek, Fitchburg Mayor Samantha Squailia, and Fitchburg City Council President Anthony Zarella, as well as Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioner George Comeau, Fitchburg Public Library Director Deb Hinkle, and Honorary Co-Chair of the Offering a World of Learning (OWL) Capital Campaign Bob Antonucci. Matt Bruun, chair, Library Trustees, served as master of ceremonies.
“Today is a wonderful day for the City of Fitchburg,” said Hinkle. “As we formally recognize the groundbreaking of this historic project, the future is bright for our library and our community. The new, state-of-the-art library will dramatically improve the space for our children to learn, and our community to engage, create and study. It will truly offer a world of learning for all!”
The project encompasses two major changes, including the renovation of the existing Wallace Library, which was first built in 1967, and the creation of an entirely new children’s space and community learning center. The library will offer a new community room, a variety of meeting and conference spaces, a learning computer lab, a Makerspace, improved access to the library collection, and various seating areas throughout the building to study and engage.
“Our library stands as a cornerstone of education, supporting skill development and sparking a lifelong interest of reading and learning for our children. It serves as a true community hub where everyone is welcome, and we are committed to investing in this essential resource for future generations,” said Mayor Squailia. “While today marks the start of construction, this project is the result of years of collaboration between the city of Fitchburg, the MBLC, our dedicated library staff, and the many supporters of our public library over the years. Together, we have added a new exciting chapter for our community, and I can’t wait to see how this story unfolds.”
Foundational support from the project is provided through a variety of funds, including a $12.5 million total grant award from the MBLC through the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program. Additional funding is from a combination of the City of Fitchburg’s American Rescue Plan Act funding, which will provide $12 million, and the City of Fitchburg will provide $12 million as part of the city’s capital budget of which the library is included. These commitments cover more than 90 percent of the total project cost, while the remaining $3.5 million will come from private sources through the OWL Capital Campaign.
In addition to the formal speaking event, a traditional groundbreaking ceremony with elected officials, and business and community leaders, as well as members of the Library Trustees and the OWL Capital Campaign Committee, was held.
To learn more about the building project, please visit; https://www.fitchburgma.gov/1028/Building-Project.
Fitchburg to hold Community Health Resource Fair
The City of Fitchburg Health Department invites the public to attend the annual Community Health Resource to be held on Thursday, October 17, 2024 from 4pm – 7pm in O’Neil Hall at the Fitchburg Armory located at 14 Wallace Ave, Fitchburg.
According to Sue Christensen, Outreach & Prevention Coordinator, “Addressing the social determinates of health, the annual Community Resource Fair is an opportunity for residents to visit over 70 different information tables representing a wide variety of local services.”
Participants include housing, shelter, elder services, medical care, youth services, mental health, substance use disorder, veteran services as well as many cultural offerings. Many city departments will be participating including Health, Fire, Police, Library, Schools, Community Development, Emergency Management and others. Representatives from the offices of State Senator John Cronin, State Representative Michael Kushmerek and District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. will also be on hand to meet with residents.
Director of Public Health Stephen D. Curry is looking forward to the event, stating that the annual Community Resource Fair “provides an opportunity for members of the community to learn about the many agencies available to help residents – all in one place.”
A free raffle will be held at the event, with many participating organizations donating items. Friends of the Fitchburg Senior Center will be selling pizza & snacks.
A Walk-in Flu Clinic and COVID Vaccine Clinic will be held by the Fitchburg Health Department and the Montachusett Public Health Network. Residents are asked to bring an insurance card if they have one. As an affiliate of the Commonwealth Naloxone Purchasing Program, the Health Department will provide Narcan training and distribution.
Rollstone Bank & Trust to Join River Run Bancorp, MHC
Rollstone Bank & Trust becomes the third River Run Bank, joining Newburyport Bank and Pentucket Bank under a single mutual holding company.
River Run Bancorp, MHC (“River Run”) proudly announces that Rollstone Bank & Trust will be joining its network of mutual community banks through the merger of Rollstone Bancorp, MHC, the mutual holding company parent of Rollstone Bank & Trust, with and into River Run. Rollstone Bank & Trust (“RBT”) will become the third bank of River Run, alongside Newburyport Bank and Pentucket Bank.
This strategic partnership represents a significant step in bolstering and sustaining the mutual community banking model amid the evolving financial services landscape. The combined assets of Newburyport Bank, Pentucket Bank, and RBT will exceed $3.5 billion, enhancing their collective ability to serve the Northeastern and Central Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire markets.
River Run was established in 2023 by Newburyport Bank and Pentucket Bank to create a multi-bank mutual holding company, which allows the banks to consolidate back-office operations, offer additional products and services, and achieve scale and efficiencies, all while continuing to prioritize customer and community engagement.
The addition of RBT further strengthens River Run as a prominent mutual community banking organization. Each bank will continue to operate under its established name and brand, retaining its local headquarters, management, retail and lending organizations, and charitable foundations. Each bank also will maintain its own Board of Directors. The River Run charter has provisions designed to ensure Newburyport Bank, Pentucket Bank, and Rollstone Bank & Trust will remain part of a mutual banking organization.
“We formed River Run to secure the independent community banking model for the future,” said Lloyd Hamm, President & CEO of River Run. “As community banks face challenges that could impact their long-term sustainability, River Run provides the structure for them to not only survive but thrive. We are thrilled to welcome Rollstone to the River Run family and are confident that, together with Newburyport Bank and Pentucket Bank, we will continue to support the evolution of community banking.”
Community mutual banks offer many benefits to consumers and businesses that differentiate them from other financial institution models. They offer competitive rates and fees and personalized service, and are committed to bettering the regions they serve.
In tandem with this announcement, RBT announces the upcoming retirement of its current President & CEO, Martin F. Connors, Jr., effective mid-2025, after which he will serve as the Executive Chairman of the Board for RBT for a two-year term. Connors will serve a Vice Chair and fill one of the four seats created on the River Run Board for RBT Directors.
“Since our founding as Fitchburg Savings Bank in 1846, the banking industry has evolved greatly and is currently undergoing tremendous consolidation. Through it all, we have served our customers and community with pride. Our dedication has never wavered, nor has our commitment to maintaining our mutuality,” said Connors. “Joining forces with Newburyport Bank and Pentucket Bank, and becoming part of the River Run family, will afford us the opportunity to enhance our service offerings and build an even stronger Bank for the future.”
RBT and River Run are excited to announce that upon Connors’ retirement, Mary Beth Jokela will be named President of Rollstone Bank & Trust, the first female President in RBT’s history. Mary Beth’s experience and leadership in her current role as Chief Operating Officer, and her relationships with the team and the community, have prepared her to pioneer RBT into this next chapter in the evolution of Rollstone.
Connors continued, “As I look forward to retirement in 2025, I can rest easy knowing RBT is in the capable hands of Mary Beth Jokela. As my successor, she will leverage the benefits of being part of the River Run family, lead the Bank in a positive direction, and ensure we maintain our mission to help families, businesses, and communities flourish.”
“I’m grateful to the Rollstone Board of Directors for giving me the opportunity to take on the role of President at Rollstone Bank & Trust. I would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Marty for his 20 years of leadership,” said Jokela. “The River Run partnership will benefit our customers and community, and I’m excited to lead the RBTeam through the transition.”
RBT also brings an established Wealth Management and Trust Services division to River Run. The division offers an array of Trust, Investment Management, and Estate Planning services to assist clients in planning their financial futures. Currently, RBT is the only locally-based bank in North Central Massachusetts to provide this comprehensive suite of services. The opportunity to expand this unique service offering to customers of all River Run banks further strengthens the River Run model for community banking.
RBT, chartered in 1846 and headquartered in Fitchburg, MA, brings over $900 million in assets to River Run. As a customer and community-focused institution, Rollstone Bank & Trust joins Newburyport Bank and Pentucket Bank in serving the region with dedication and excellence.
The merger has been unanimously approved by the boards of River Run, Rollstone Bancorp, MHC, and Rollstone Bank & Trust. The transaction is anticipated to close in the first half of 2025, subject to the receipt of all required regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.
K&L Gates LLP served as legal counsel to River Run while Loomis & Co. provided financial advice for the transaction. Luse Gorman, PC served as legal counsel to RBT.
About River Run Bancorp, MHC
River Run was established in 2023 to unite leading mutual community banks under a single holding company. River Run’s mission is to foster a sustainable and independent community banking model for the benefit of its customers, employees, and communities. The River Run portfolio includes Newburyport Bank, Pentucket Bank, and will include Rollstone Bank & Trust, collectively serving the Northeastern and Central Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire regions. Since its formation, River Run has served as a model for other mutual banks across New England and beyond. For more information, please visit www.riverrunmhc.com.
About Newburyport Bank
Newburyport Bank is a Massachusetts-chartered savings bank headquartered in Newburyport, MA. Founded in 1854, the Bank operates 11 locations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire and holds over $1.6 billion in assets. Deposits at Newburyport Bank are federally insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), with excess insurance provided by the Depositors Insurance Fund (DIF). Newburyport Bank, along with Pentucket Bank, is supported by the shared services organization of River Run. For more information, please visit www.newburyportbank.com.
About Pentucket Bank
Pentucket Bank is a Massachusetts-chartered savings bank headquartered in Haverhill, MA, that was founded in 1891 and has assets of over $1 billion. The Bank operates six community banking locations in Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire. Along with Newburyport Bank, Pentucket Bank is supported by the shared services organization of River Run. For more information, please visit www.pentucketbank.com.
About Rollstone Bank & Trust
Rollstone Bank & Trust, headquartered in Fitchburg, MA, was established in 1846 and is a Federal Savings Bank with assets over $900 million. The Bank offers a wide range of banking services through branches in Fitchburg, Leominster, Harvard, Townsend, and Groton. For more information, please visit www.rollstonebank.com.
A Toast to Hope
Enjoy food and drinks from 25 local vendors as well as networking, a silent auction and wine pull.
Your admission fee will help us build homes and complete critical home repair projects in our local communities.
Location: Devens Common Center, 31 Andrews Pkwy, Devens, MA 01434
Date and time: Thu, Oct 17, 2024 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Organizer: Diana Sinkus, (978) 348-2749,
Celebrating our New Name
Join Leominster Credit Union on October 9, 2024 as we celebrate our new name (our new name will be unveiled on October 7) with special visit from Joe Andruzzi!
Community Foundation grants $60,000 to prevent homelessness in North Central Massachusetts
The Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts is proud to announce grants totaling $60,000 to six area nonprofits aimed at keeping families in their homes. While COVID-era support has ended, the region is seeing a growing number of families facing the threat of eviction or mortgage default.
Pictured: Stephen Adams, President of the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts.
“Stable housing is the foundation of a healthy, thriving community,” said Stephen Adams, President of the Community Foundation. “These financial stability grants serve as a lifeline for residents experiencing economic hardship, helping them avoid the devastating cycle of homelessness. By providing these grants, we are not only keeping families and individuals out of emergency shelters but also investing in the long-term stability and strength of our region,” Adams said.
Many North Central families run into temporary financial difficulties that can put them at risk. Small, timely financial assistance can be the difference between maintaining housing stability and falling into homelessness. To address this gap, the Community Foundation selected six organizations with a proven track record of effectively reaching individuals and families in financial distress. They are Athol Area Young Men’s Christian Association, Catholic Charities of Worcester County, Making Opportunity Count, The Spanish American Center, the Fitchburg Salvation Army, and Winchendon Community Action Committee.
“The goal of this funding is simple but urgent: to ensure that more of our neighbors can remain in their homes, rather than being forced into the already overburdened emergency housing system”, Adams said.
Studies show that North Central Massachusetts communities are facing some of the highest eviction rates in the state. This targeted support comes at a critical time, ensuring that our community’s most vulnerable have the opportunity to recover and thrive.
AI Symposium
Do you want to learn more about AI and how it can help your business today? Join Wachusett Business Incubator for our FREE AI Symposium on October 3rd from 9-12 PM at the MWCC South Cafeteria! We will cover topics from AI applications for business operations and AI prompt engineering to ethical considerations in AI adoption.
Please register for the event here: https://tinyurl.com/4ykzh75s
