Business Newsletter | February 2019
Below is a brief summary of some of the important items happening in Sturbridge this month. If you have questions, comments or concerns please feel free to contact the Economic Development and Tourism Coordinator by clicking here.
Discover Central Massachusetts and the AAA Travel Show
The Sturbridge Tourist Association (STA) has partnered with Discover Central Massachusetts (DCM) to share booth space at the upcoming AAA Travel Show from March 1 - 3 at Gillette Stadium. The STA will be promoting Sturbridge to thousands of potential visitors and sharing information about our great community. To do that we need your help.
If you have rack cards or give away items that we could hand out to those patrons at the show and help promote Sturbridge, we would love to do so. Please contact Kevin Filchak (508.347.2500 ext. 1411) as soon as possible so that we can arrange a pick up of any materials you may have before the show.
Business Advocacy Group
On February 19th at 5pm the Sturbridge Business Advocacy Group (B.A.G.) is meeting at the Sturbridge Town Hall to discuss its projects for 2019, primarily talking about the revival and expansion of the Sturbridge Express shuttle service that was started last fall. The B.A.G. encourages all businesses to come and join in the discussion.
If you have questions about this B.A.G. meeting, you can contact the Chair of the B.A.G., Cedric Daniels, by clicking here.
Sign Inventory
Beginning in March, the town of Sturbridge will be conducting a complete inventory of all business signs in Sturbridge. This inventory will be conducted for any sign that was reviewed / approved by the Design Review Committee. The original announcement for this project was posted in early January (click here to view). The town will make another announcement closer to March via direct mailing.
If you have questions, comments or concerns please contact the Economic Development and Tourism Coordinator via email (click here) or by phone at 508.347.2500 ext. 1411.
Route 15 - Zoning Update
At a joint meeting of the Board of Selectmen and the Planning Board on 22 January (click here to watch the video; discussion starts at 38 minute mark), members discussed the results of the Route 15 Market Study conducted by CMRPC and published in June of 2018 (click here to read that report). The discussion revolved around identifying a future focus for the Route 15 corridor. The market study suggested that the town update the zoning in the corridor to support either (A) indoor/outdoor recreation, (B) warehousing and/or (C) medical office space. After careful consideration the two Boards agreed that a focus on drafting new zoning that supports indoor/outdoor recreation would be most beneficial to Sturbridge.
At this time the Town Planner and Economic Development & Tourism Coordinator are now working on those updates. As the process evolves the town will keep businesses and stakeholders informed. If you have questions, comments or concerns about this update you can contact the town at 508.347.2500 ext. 1411.
ServSafe Exam
On February 6th the Town is proctoring a ServSafe Exam at the Town Hall starting at 4:30pm. If you have staff who require this certification, please click here to learn more about this exam and to register for it.
If you have questions, please contact the Board of Health department at 508.347.2504.
February Meetings
Click here to view the Board and Committee meetings that will take place in February. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please contact the Town Clerk at 508.347.2500 ext. 1. Please note that all meetings are subject to change as per Massachusetts General Law and may also be affected by inclement weather.