Business Newsletter - October 2019

Below is the monthly Business Newsletter for October 2019. The stories below detail important business news that the town wants to share with business leaders this month. If there is a topic you'd like to learn more about, or if there is a story that you'd like us to cover in a future edition, please contact us by clicking here. 

Tax Bills - Mailed on 10/01

The Town shall be mailing out to residents and businesses by October 1^st the tax bills for the first half of the current fiscal year. The tax rate for fiscal year 2020 is $19.02. Please keep an eye out for those bills and pay them prior to their due date of November 1^st. If you have any questions, comments or concerns about your tax bill in any way, please contact our Finance Department before the due date. They can be reached at (508) 347-2509.

Sturbridge Branding and Marketing Strategy Development - Open the Door, Inc. 

The Sturbridge Tourist Association recently held a national search to solicit proposals for the development of a town brand and a three year marketing strategy. The STA received twenty proposals and after a thorough review of each, the STA selected Boston based Open the Door, Inc. for this project. The STA and Open the Door are excited to begin work on the project this month. The Town and Open the Door will be outreaching to you, the business leaders of Sturbridge, to hear your thoughts on the brand of Sturbridge and how we can best reach new residents, visitors, businesses and conferences for Sturbridge. 

Please check these newsletters over the next few months for updates on the process. If you have questions, comments or ideas for the branding and marketing strategy development, please contact the Economic Development and Tourism Coordinator by clicking here or calling (508) 347-2500 ext. 1411. 

Annual License Renewal Process 

At this time all businesses who are required to renew their license annually should have been contacted with their renewal information. All information requested is due back to the town by October 1^st so that staff can review the information before the expiration of the current business licenses on December 31^st. If you have misplaced your information or you want to review the process, please click here to view the town's webpage dedicated to the process. 

Please direct any questions, comments or concerns about the process to the Economic Development and Tourism Coordinator at (508) 347-2500 ext. 1411 or by email at kfilchak@town.sturbridge.ma.us. 

Governor Baker's Public Health Declaration - Vaping Products

On September 24^th Governor Baker "[...] declared a public health emergency in response to confirmed and suspected cases of severe lung disease associated with the use of e-cigarettes and marijuana vaping products in the Commonwealth. The Governor called for a temporary four-month statewide ban on teh sale of flavored and non-flavored vaping products in both retail stores and online. The sales ban applies to all vaping products and devices, including tobacco and marijuana. The ban takes effect immediately and lasts through January 25, 2020." (click here for full press release). 

The Sturbridge Board of Health has contacted all sellers of vaping products in town. If there are questions regarding the ban, please direct them to the Board of Health at (508) 347-2504. 

Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) 

Over the past month there have been multiple reports regarding Eastern Equine Encephalitis or EEE in the news. The Town of Sturbridge is currently under a high risk of EEE. The Sturbridge Board of Health and state public health officials are monitoring the situation and are encouraging the public to take active steps to mitigate the risk of EEE contraction. For more information on EEE, please click here to view the Town's recent press release about EEE. The release contains information about EEE itself, steps to mitigate risk of contraction as well as information on aerial spraying. If you have further questions, please contact the Board of Health at (508) 347-2504. 

Sturbridge Business Breakfast - Overview 

On Tuesday, September 10^th the Town held its regular business breakfast at the Town Hall. The focus of that breakfast was to discuss the annual license renewl process (see above). For those who were not able to attend, you can view the presentation by clicking here. 

The next business breakfast will be held in the coming months. 

Honor the Brave 5k - 11/16

The Town is excited to announce that on November 16^th it will host, in partnership with the Friends of the Senior Center, a 5k road race in honor of Sturbridge military veterans and their families. The goal is to raise money for local veteran charities over the coming months. The Town will be announcing many more aspects of this event in the near term. 

Sturbridge Community Bonfire - 10/24

The Town will be hosting another community bonfire on October 24^th on the Town Common. Please click here for a flyer for the event. 

Town Meetings 

Please click here to view the upcoming town meetings for the month of October. Please note that meetings are subject to change as per Massachusetts General Law.