Business Newsletter - October 2018
Important Reminders | Taxes and License Renewals
These are two important reminders to all businesses:
- Tax bills have gone out and are due by end of business on 1 November. Please ensure that you have paid all of your bills by that date. If you have questions please contact the Town's Finance Department at 508-347-2509.
- At the beginning of September, license renewal packets were submitted to all of the relevant businesses. Please ensure that you get those packets returned to the Town on time and with all of the pertinent documentation and payments. Failure to return all of the required information could prevent you from receiving your licenses on time/at all. If you have questions, please contact the department in question using the information listed below:
- Board of Health | 508-347-2504
- Board of Selectmen | 508-347-2500 ext. 2
- Building Department | 508-347-2505
- Fire Inspector | 508-347-2525
If you have questions, comments or concerns about your taxes or license renewals, call the Town immediately to resolve your questions. Do not wait.
Special Town Meeting | 29 October at 7:00pm
On Monday, 29 October at 7:00pm there will be a Special Town Meeting held at Tantasqua Regional High School. The meeting will address several subjects requiring a vote of the Town. The Warrant is being finalized by the Board of Selectmen at their bi-weekly meeting on 1 October. The Warrant for the Special Town Meeting will be available on the Town's website and at the Town Clerks office after the Board of Selectmen meeting.
Sturbridge Business Breakfast | 25 September
On 25 September the Town hosted its quarterly business breakfast this time held at the Sturbridge Town Hall. At this breakfast, the Economic Development and Tourism Coordinator gave an update on Town projects, reviewed the Town's license renewal process, and discussed the newly adopted regional Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy. In addition the chair of the Sturbridge Business Advocacy Group, Cedric Daniels, and Maxine Carter-Lome went over the proposed extension of the Sturbridge Express shuttle service (see below).
For those who were unable to join us for this breakfast, you can view the presentation and the materials from the breakfast by clicking here.
Our next quarterly business breakfast will take place in early December. Please check back here for information on that event.
Extension of the Sturbridge Express Shuttle Service
The Sturbridge Business Advocacy Group or B.A.G. recently decided to extend its shuttle pilot program for another six weeks until 3 November. The B.A.G. met with business owners on 19 September at Rapscallion Brewery to talk about how the service was going and if there was anything that could be done to improve it. After much discussion the group decided that they would make the shuttle more on-demand to allow riders who might not be on the route to participate. Furthermore, they also decided to reduce the number of stops to allow for shorter wait times for patrons.
If you have questions, comments, concerns or ideas about the Sturbridge Express shuttle service you can reach the B.A.G. by clicking here. You can also review the route and the view the brochure for the service by clicking here.
The Sturbridge Express is sponsored by a $14,000 grant from the Sturbridge Tourist Association.
Sturbridge Community Bonfire
On 20 September the Special Events Committee and the Sturbridge Host Hotel co-hosted the first ever "Sturbridge Community Bonfire." This event was developed by the Special Events Committee in an effort to bring more community events to Town. The event had four hours of live music, entertainment, and some amazing local food vendors. However the culmination of the event was of course a massive bonfire on the beach. You can see a picture of the bonfire above. The event was well attended and there was a lot of positive reception from it. The Town will look to host more events like this in the future.
Rick Hoyt Sturbridge Half Marathon
On 9 September, the Rick Hoyt Sturbridge Half Marathon was held in Sturbridge. The race had approximately 190 runners participating and ultimately raised $8,000 that was donated to Venture Community Services in Town. The goal of the race was to honor our local hero Rick Hoyt, and at the start of the race Rick was given a proclamation by the Board of Selectmen honoring the work that he has done and continues to do.
Town Board/Committee Meetings
To see all of the public meeting in Sturbridge, please click on this link to view all of the posted meetings in Town. Please note meetings are subject to change.