Government & development in Worcester

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Last 14 days

• Zoning board OKs first use variance in decades. Worcester's Zoning Board cleared the city's first use variance under a new state law for a 20-unit Greenwood Street townhouse project, and pushed a decision on converting a digital billboard near Blackstone Gateway Park to October 19 after the chair demanded real energy-use numbers.Worcester News
• Historical Commission backs eagle monument, 4-1. Worcester's Historical Commission split over historic status for the Greendale Eagle Monument after members learned its sculptor had privately voiced admiration for Nazi Germany in the 1930s, with a local Swedish heritage group seeking the designation to unlock preservation funds for its crumbling base.Worcester News
• Hope Cemetery Commission presses gate redesign. Worcester's Hope Cemetery Commission kept pressing for a fix to the long-broken New York Street gate, bringing back the system's original designer after a fence company's repairs failed, while a commissioner reported nighttime ATV riders near the gate.Worcester News
• State report flags 39 out-of-service hydrants. A statewide review found 39 of Worcester's 6,084 fire hydrants out of service, with some failing only when firefighters test them, according to a report described by The Cool Down.The Cool Down
• City opens opioid settlement funding RFP for nonprofits. Worcester released a request for proposals Oct. 2 inviting nonprofits to apply for opioid settlement funding to support treatment, recovery and prevention programs for residents. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Nov. 4.City of Worcester
• City council aide Duhamel joins QCC foundation board. Joshua Duhamel, chief of staff to the Worcester City Council and a Quinsigamond Community College alum, has joined QCC's Foundation Board, strengthening ties between city government and the college, according to the Worcester Guardian.Worcester Guardian
• Council panel presses Spectrum, backs WCCA-TV funding help. Worcester's Public Service and Transportation Committee took up a funding lifeline for WCCA-TV after hearing the public-access station could run out of money within a year and a half, as a long-sought senior cable discount remains stuck in an unfinished Spectrum contract.Worcester News
• Parks Commission files updates on four park projects. Worcester's Parks Commission filed updates on four park projects nearing final design or construction, while a yearlong records request from a parkland watchdog group and a renaming push for Great Brook Valley Playground remain unresolved.Worcester News
• Panel backs push for first charter review in decades. Worcester's Municipal and Legislative Operations Committee took up a push to trigger the city's first charter review in nearly 40 years, as members debated how strongly to encourage the roughly 17,000 voter signatures needed and whether the city's manager-based structure lacks accountability.Worcester News
• Health chief: opioid deaths fell amid settlement windfall. Worcester's health commissioner told the Senior Center Committee that opioid overdose deaths have fallen as a pharmaceutical settlement pours tens of millions into harm-reduction work, even as the city faces rising homelessness among seniors and a push to open a winter shelter by late November.Worcester News
• City earns 3-star Certified Welcoming designation. The City of Worcester announced Thursday it earned a 3-star Certified Welcoming designation from Welcoming America, recognizing immigrant-inclusion policies citywide. City Manager Eric D. Batista credited community partners, saying refugees and immigrants are part of what makes Worcester strong and diverse.City of Worcester
• Union Station garage bid seeks $1.7 million in repairs. The city opened bidding Thursday for about $1.7 million in waterproofing and repairs at the Union Station parking garage, including a new sump pump, partial roof replacement and fire-alarm and electrical upgrades, with a pre-bid meeting set for October 13.City of Worcester
• State awards $900,000 for Worcester flood risk mapping. Massachusetts awarded Worcester $900,000 to complete a four-year flood resilience project, helping officials pinpoint vulnerable neighborhoods and prioritize drainage and infrastructure investments ahead of heavier storms, according to The Cool Down, via Worcester Patch.The Cool Down
• DPW seeks bids for $4.1 million sidewalk project. The Department of Public Works opened bidding Tuesday for sidewalk reconstruction at various locations citywide, estimated at $4,065,443.25, with bids due October 28.City of Worcester
• Councilors reject fines for people sleeping outside. Worcester city councilors rejected a proposal to fine people for sleeping or camping on public property, with the mayor calling for more shelter capacity and compassionate services instead of penalties, according to The Cool Down.The Cool Down
• DPW seeks bids for $4.8 million in road work. The Department of Public Works is soliciting bids for about $4.78 million in citywide drainage, paving, milling and ADA upgrades at multiple locations, with bids due October 28.City of Worcester DPW

Coming up

• Thu, Oct 15: City to host Chandler and May Street improvements meeting. The city of Worcester will hold a public meeting on October 15 to present 100 percent designs for Chandler Street and May Street roadway upgrades near Worcester State University, with construction eyed for summer 2027.City of Worcester
• Thu, Oct 15: Public meeting set on Chandler, May Street upgrades. The city holds a public meeting Oct. 15 on proposed roadway upgrades to Chandler Street and May Street near Worcester State University, a project addressing speeding and safety concerns first raised in 2017. Construction could begin as soon as summer 2027.City of Worcester

Updated daily from the Worcester morning brief.