Natick Report Since 2020: More than you really want to know about Natick © 2025 Natick ReportSite by Tech-Tamer · Login you will find there is a lot to do and see in Natick Center throughout the year Make yourself at home and experience the area’s amazing dining A vibrant and popular destination for shopping and special events Natick Center is the best spot in town to meet up with friends 7 South Bottle + Kitchen—Creating community in an elevated beer hall atmosphere.7 South Ave. Agostino’s Italian Restaurant—Authentic home-style Italian dining.23 Washington St. BAHA Mexican Restaurant—Great Mexican food The Bagel Table—Freshly baked bagels and custom roasted coffee.9 South Main St. Belkin Family Lookout Farm—Tasty eats delicious drinks at one of the oldest continuously operating farms in the U.S.89 Pleasant St. Bill’s Pizzeria—Our passion for homemade is evident.58 E Buttercup—A contemporary farm-to-table restaurant and craft bar.13 W Casey’s Diner—Where the elite meet to eat.36 South Ave. Cilicia Mediterranean Market—Experience the true essence of Mediterranean hospitality.7 Main St. Comella’s—Eat like our family.45 Main St. Corrado’s Subs—Bringing the best pizza and subs to the Natick area.7 Middlesex Ave. Dah-Mee—We serve the best Pan-Asian food in the Greater Boston area.25 Washington St. Eli’s Breakfast, Burgers, & Brews—A hidden gem in Natick with a unique and diverse menu.12 Washington St. George’s Pizza—Located in the heart of downtown Natick.41 South Main St. Lola’s Italian Kitchen & Market—Our family recipes trace their roots back to Southern Italy.9 Main St. Morse Tavern—Your local gathering spot Pizza By Rocco—Mouthwatering pies and friendly service Pizza Plus—Meals of excellent quality that taste great every single time.16 N Renee’s Kitchen—Homestyle cooking ready to heat and eat.148 E Shanghai Tokyo—Delicious Chinese and Japanese food at a family-owned restaurant.54 E Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea Natick Center—Sit Baylee Bee—Fun Debsan Decorating Store—Transforming spaces Dion’s—Wine Five Crows—Represents over 120 local and regional artists.41 Main St. H Brandt Jewelers Inc.—Crafted brilliance.31 Main St. Helen’s Handbags—Upcycling and repurposing clothing into unique handbags Natick Farmer’s Market—Every Saturday Natick Outdoor Store—Full-line sporting goods NeckArt—Each piece is unique as the stones and beads tell me how they wish to be expressed.43 Main St. Paper Fiesta—Creative cards Stucchi Jewelers—Four decades of masterful custom jewelry design.3 Main St. Ten Trees Books—Natick’s community book store.22 Main St. The Studios @ 3 Adams Tilly & Salvy’s Bacon Street Farm—Best quality produce Uni-T—Unique Citizens Bank ATM—Made for what’s possible Mutual One Bank—free parking behind our building 24-hour walk-up and drive-up ATMs49 Main St. Eastern Bank—Join us for good.2 South Ave. Middlesex Savings Bank—Helping you get there your own way.6 Main St. Needham Bank—What can we help you build?17 W Adam Pulzetti Photography—Wedding and portrait photography.5 Summer St. Allegro Music School—Private and group music lessons.Christ Lutheran Church Bach to Rock Wellesley—A music school for future rock stars.200 Linden St. Barber Real Estate Group—William Raveis—Find your ideal home.56 Eliot St. Boston Body West Newton & Natick/Boston Body Pilates Natick—Pilates Mat Chiropractic Solutions—Switch to a healthy lifestyle and discover a world of difference.20 Speen St. Coach & Carriage Auto Body, Inc.—High quality people-first collision repair.55 Middlesex Ave. Copper Dot Interiors—Every house tells a story Cosmos Chiropractic Care—Work done with pride.20 Main St. DanceFit Studio—Nurturing creativity through movement for children and adults.124 E Elder-Well Adult Day Program—Enrichment and activity center for seniors.12 Washington St. Empire Dance—Not just a team Fairbanks Fancy Goods—Elegant design Fitness Distributors, Inc.—We only sell the best available equipment in the marketplace.17 South St. Fitness Together—Crush your comfort zone.6 South Ave. Fortini & Wilcox Realty, Inc.—29A W GravOxy—Your fitness High End Homes LLC—We build high-end custom homes.508-975-4577 Holistic Healing Practitioners, Jay A. Goldstein, MD67 Union St. John Everett & Sons Funeral Home—Funeral home at Natick Common.4 Park St. KidStrong Natick—We help kids win at life.117 W Loulou’s Music Together—Make beautiful music together.508-369-1698 Lynch Marini & Associates—A leading provider of accounting Metro Pets Groomers—Fear-free certified.28 Washington St. Metroworks—Natick Center/MBTA—Delivers an upscale working and meeting environment.Located directly across from the Natick Center MBTA/Commuter Rail station Metroworks—Natick Common—Delivers an upscale working and meeting environment.Centrally located directly across from the Natick Common Minutemen Press Natick/HyggeMail—We design MyBodyWorks! Ellie Calhoun—Enjoy ease and balance in your life.12 W Music Go Round—We buy and sell quality used musical instruments and accessories.810 Worcester St. Natick Cultural District Welcome Center—There’s a lot to do and see in Natick Center.Court St. Natick Dental Partners—Everyone deserves a healthy Natick Family Dental—We are a general implant and sedation dentistry practice.14 W Natick Drama Workshop—A program for 5th-8th grade students.179 Boden Ln. Natick Pegasus—The public access corporation serving the town of Natick.2 Summer St. Natick Prenatal Massage—Ready to relax?12 Pond St. PK Health and Wellness—Chiropractic acupuncture and massage services.6 Union St. Power Construction Roofing & Siding Corp./New Stage  Repetto Kinetic Training—Strength and conditioning facility.31 S Rumble Boxing—Half boxing ZERO experience necessary.1245 Worcester Street SDSS Martial Arts of Natick—Martial arts training that fosters self-discipline Salon Cache Organics—Natural beauty Sarah Ering, LMT Massage Natick at My Healing Studio—Energetic therapies for mind School of Rock—Where students grow from beginner musicians to confident and inspiring rock stars.217 W Senior Helpers of Metrowest—Enhancing senior independence and quality of life.22 N Soap Dental—Experience dentistry with a personal touch.74 Middlesex Ave. Sound Mind & Body—Balance Spavia Natick—An unforgettable spa experience with luxury in every detail.1245 Worcerster St. Sundin Associates—A full-service marketing and advertising agency.19 N The Frame Shop and Gallery—If it’s something you care about The Littlest Spa—Massage Travel Twitch—Crafting journeys that don’t just fit your needs—they reflect who you are.40 Nouvelle Way Villari’s Martial Arts of Natick—Learn karate skills and more.148 E Wave Physical Therapy & Wellness, LLC—Let’s ride the wave.6 Huron Dr YogaSix—Our studio is your studio.200 Linden St The Center for Arts in Natick—The cultural heart of Boston’s vibrant MetroWest region.14 Summer St. Bacon Free Library—Best-sellers and modern technology in an historic neighborhood setting.58 Eliot St. Morse Institute Library—A library community where everyone can thrive and find joy in learning.14 E New England Sci-Tech, Inc.—A non-profit STEM education center and maker space.16 Tech Circle Walnut Hill School—An independent boarding and day high school for student artists.12 Highland St. Wellesley School of Music—Inspiring kids through the joy of music.508-827-5777 Zero Empty Spaces #23—Studios where artists can create and collaborate at an affordable price.Located in the Natick Mall Christ Lutheran Church—Together we can share God’s love and grace in service to the world.113 Union St. Common Street Spiritual Center—We value many spiritual paths and embrace people of all beliefs and cultures.13 Common St. Family Promise Metrowest—We transform the lives of families with children that are facing homelessness.6 Mulligan St. First Congregational Church—We express the love and welcome of Christ Meridian Masonic Lodge—Freemasonry is the world’s oldest and largest fraternity.24 Main St. Metrowest Chamber of Commerce—Driving the economic vitality of our communities.880 Worcester St. Milestone Church – Natick—For God’s glory Natick Service Council, Inc.—We support Natick neighbors who are experiencing hardship or economic uncertainty.2 Webster St. Natick Historical Society—Building community by inspiring connections to local history.58 Eliot St. Jonah’s Twisters—Balloon art for all events.781-249-6262 Natick Garden Club—Brings together gardeners of all ages and abilities to share their love of gardening Radiant Leaf—Year-round spring fever SPARK Kindness—We empower people to build a kinder more connected and welcoming community for all The Party Sisters—Make every moment pop May 5, 2025 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment Each year the Natick Cultural Council allocates thousands of dollars to fund a variety of projects that support the arts, humanities and interpretative sciences in town. Funding for Natick and for all 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts comes from the Mass Cultural Council Each city or town is represented by a volunteer-led Cultural Council (Some Councils may cover 2 or more smaller towns.) The Mass Cultural Council grants per town/city this year ranged from $6k on up to over $100k for Brockton In deciding which towns and cities gets how much the Mass Cultural Council looks at criteria such as the strength of a town or city’s cultural sector; an organized and effective local council; and projects that have in the past demonstrated community engagement the Natick Cultural Council was allocated $18k (that’s 3k more than last year) Many of the grantees and their supporters gathered last Wednesday at a Grant Recipient Awards Ceremony at the Morse Institute Library “The purpose of tonight’s ceremony is to honor the individuals and organizations who bring the arts We are here to celebrate this year’s grant recipients whose projects will bring music and so much more to our town in the upcoming year,” said outgoing Council Chair Shriya Joag In Natick, volunteers for the Council apply online for consideration by the Select Board. There are currently two openings on the Council, so if you’re interested, apply here. several grantees were on hand to enlighten and entertain the crowd of 50 assembled in the spacious Leibowitz Room Because no one ever accused her of being shy Eve Costarelli of Always be Dancing went first The professionally trained flamenco dancer and all-around fun person lives to dance and to bring the joy of dance to others With past grant funding she has taught dance to kids and adults with disabilities at Camp Arrowhead in Natick With the additional funding she received for this grant cycle Eve will for the first time also work with kids who attend Natick Rec’s Sunshine and Sargent programs which focus on social skills programming for younger children 15 fun-loving types rushed right up to learn a line dance A post shared by Natick Report (@natickreport) Next up was motivational speaker Scott Malory who somehow wove humor into his story about falling off the roof of his college dormitory over a decade ago he got the chance to learn how to do everything all over again—walking Scott has earned the luxury of sweating the small stuff like thinning hair and an expanding mid-section “Everyone is going to face adversity in their lives In my program I speak about methods for overcoming adversity and challenges and obstacles Multi-media artist and designer Daniel Callahan uses the practice of MassQing—a face-painting ritual that lets participants express their inner self on the outside The process incorporates a little bit of story and a dash of mysticism in an all-immersive experience The purpose of a MassQing is not to hide or conceal but to reveal the truth that is within Daniel says that MassQing derives from the ancient tradition of body decoration practiced by nearly every indigenous culture on earth “I like to start by saying I’m a human being I am a descendent of a very spiritual and resilient people And all these things have affected my art practice.” My pics of his slideshow don’t do Daniel’s art justice. Take a look at his website. Other presenters included Spark Kindness representatives; The A Cappella Singers led by Music Director Brett Abigaña; and Nicki Lefevbre, Executive Director of the Natick Historical Society Cultural events will be publicized as details become available See the full list of 2025 Natick Cultural Council Grant recipients here. “Life is Magical,” will be installed on Court Street in Natick Center later this year You can become a supporter of this project by sponsoring a recognition tile in the amount of $100 – $1,000 The amount of sponsorship will determine the size of the sponsor’s unique fused glass recognition tile which will become a permanent part of the new mosaic Mail your sponsorship amount by May 10 via Venmo to @Carol-Krentzman or email her at carol@carolkrentzman.com for other payment options Filed Under: Art, Community Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Please send news tips, photos, ideas to natickreport@gmail.com If you’d like to contribute $ to support our independent journalism venture, please do…. May 5, 2025 by Bob Brown 1 Comment In the wake of the override vote and discussion Natick Town Meeting members are looking more closely at every penny being spent Members dug into possible administrative spending by the Community Preservation Committee Here’s our recap of the latest session (view the Natick Pegasus recording of the May 1 session if you want to see the whole shebang) Property owners in Natick have been getting hit with a 1% surcharge on their ever rising property taxes since mid-2023 after Town Meeting and voters approved adoption of the Community Preservation Act in 2022 We’ve heard many questions in the time since from people who assumed the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) was putting those dollars to work already The first order of business on May 1 was Article 15 which had to do with appropriating 5% of the CPC fund for administrative expenses The money would go in part to fund a position in the Community & Economic Development office who would work on CPC affairs Town Meeting members raised a handful of questions about how the administrative funds would be used and whether this would affect other budgets within town The real action on CPC will probably take place at Fall Annual Town Meeting. The CPC hopes to have recommendations for projects by the time that meeting rolls around The CPC money can be used for investment in historic preservation Town Meeting then bounced back to Article 5 which mainly has to do with taking care of unpaid bills that might result from any number of reasons on the town or vendor side though the motion was amended after it was learned a $15K bill from the Blue Hills ski mountain (for ski team costs) had already been paid by the School Department and that a duplicate bill had been submitted to the department The School Department had the most unpaid bills listed under this motion 18 unpaid bills were listed under the initial motion and Town Meeting member Frank Foss said in debate that such a large number does call into question the town’s bookkeeping “I think the Select Board and School Committee or maybe the Finance Committee should really look into this and call for an audit of what’s going on with these things…,” he said Another speaker later sought—and got—reassurance from the town that it has a system in place to ensure it doesn’t pay double bills also a Select Board member and chair of the Board’s audit advisory committee rose to say that “the fact we’re seeing all these unpaid bills is actually a really good thing.” He went on to explain that a number of changes on the finance front have happened in town over the past few years including the hiring of a new schools finance director and new auditors “The administration has made significant progress on correcting some of the issues found in the annual audit management report and in the issues identified in the [Division of Local Services] report that the administration commissioned All these things have led to cleaning up our books considerably…” We got a hint during opening night of Town Meeting that stabilization funds might be the subject of some discussion later on and indeed that was the case on night #2 when it was time to mull Article 7 The motion under this article was to seek approval for almost $3.2M to bolster the capital and other post-employment benefits stabilization funds One member confirmed that capitalization funds can only be used for capital projects (like buying fire engines etc.) and not to address a catastrophic event Though another member confirmed that while there are a couple of truly restricted stabilization funds other funds are eligible for other uses with Town Meeting approval Town Meeting approved the motion under Article 7 by a 114-2 vote Stabilization funds will be back up for discussion when Article 25 Deputy Town Administrator John Marshall stated upfront in speaking about Article 11 (capital equipment and improvement) that this was a leaner than usual capital request for spring largely in light of the recent override discussions The town didn’t want to plan for a bunch of capital projects only to have them possibly scrapped if the override vote failed the town did request under Motion A some $550K for a new ambulance and as with much of the public safety equipment these days you need to put your orders in well before you actually need the gear Another $544K was requested for other vehicle replacements Some mind-numbing though valid discussion took place to clarify Motion B under Article 11 Marshall also said the town pushed $12.2M in capital requests to the fall and that those requests would cover a handful of things More capital equipment talk will kick off night #3 on May 6 One Town Meeting member asked a couple of times about the town’s plans to complete the rail trail in Natick which currently includes a gap between the Navy Yard section and Natick Center train station He had picked up on a mention of spending of up to $75K on rail trail maintenance and enhancement in Article 6 Town officials said there were no appropriation requests in motions at this Town Meeting on that subject nor any plans for such a capital request at Fall Annual Town Meeting The moderator found the member’s questions on the subject to be out of order on a couple of occasions who has been instrumental in the rail trail’s creation and now works for the MBTA took the floor out of compassion during discussion of Article 11 on capital investments and shared an update on rail trail completion plans “I want to not have my fellow Town Meeting member have to wait until the fall to find out that the town will not be asked to fund an extension of the rail trail to Natick Center because it’s going to be completed as part of the MBTA station project,” he said Ostroff drew laughter when he squeezed the comment into the scope of Article 11 by noting that the rail trail bridges are designed to support ambulances such as the one for which an appropriation was sought under one of the article’s motions Depending on your level of faith in the MBTA to get the Natick Center station project done relatively soon we could be looking at completion of the trail sooner than later The moderator’s test question at the start of the session to make sure the electronic voting devices were working was: Will the Town Moderator’s hair color remain unchanged (meaning not turn completely grey) at the end of his first term Natick Spring Annual Town Meeting opening night recap: Un-stabilization; Fuss over Foss; Override-infused budget Filed Under: Government, Town Meeting May 5, 2025 at 5:47 pm May 4, 2025 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) has certified the first group of Climate Leader Communities These 19 municipalities are eligible to apply for grants of up to $1.15M each for emissions reduction projects Climate Leader Communities is the follow-up to the Green Communities program enacted in 2010 and of which Natick was a founding member The town has benefitted greatly from being a Green Communities participant More: Natick on track for designation as Climate Leader—and that could mean more grants (December SPEAKING OF GRANTS: As a member of the non-profit Tiny News Collective, Natick Report is now eligible for grants via your tax-deductible donations Filed Under: Environment, Government May 5, 2025 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment The Town of Natick this May is offering a slew of free activities and resources in recognition of National Mental Health Awareness Month (see calendar of events) Joining forces on this effort are the Natick Health Department The Natick Health Department received grant funding from the MetroWest Health Foundation earlier this year to support its work addressing mental health across the community over the next three years Associate Project Coordinator with the Natick Health Department the team is taking a multi-pronged approach The Health Department “this summer plans to spend a lot of time this summer collecting and analyzing data that will help us better understand the current status of mental health in Natick as well as what gaps in mental health support the community would like to be addressed,” she says Natick will only be using anonymous and aggregated data from sources such as resident surveys Stop Avoiding Stuff: Practical Tips to Face Your Fears and Engage with Life Lisa Coyne PhD will explore practical skills for navigating life’s challenges: managing the uncontrollable, seeking compassion while standing firm on important issues, and overcoming obstacles. Registration required.  Join the Natick community in going GREEN for mental health awareness Dive back into the mind! Watch Inside Out 2 on the big screen. Registration required. Morse Institute Library lower-level Community Room This training teaches participants about the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to respond. Registration required. Connect with local mental health resources and free giveaways to learn about ways to support your wellbeing Filed Under: Government, Health NATICK — A group of about 20 Natick High School students walked out of school on Wednesday, April 30, in protest of the ongoing Israel-Hamas War the students walked outside the high school on West Street and across the street the release of all hostages taken by Hamas and the establishment of a two-state solution Students also made clear that they opposed any form of antisemitism "We're protesting the genocide happening in Gaza," Hatcher Cheeseman-Meyer told the Daily News during the walkout He said the walkout's goal was to raise awareness of Palestinians killed over the course of the conflict said he was "standing in solidarity against the genocide." Wiest wearing a "Make Israel Palestine Again" hat said that while he doesn't think the walkout will accomplish much Pleads not guilty: Framingham man charged in shooting at pro-Israel rally in Newton On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and taking more than 200 people hostage. In response, Israel declared a war aimed at eradicating the group. Over the course of the fighting, USA TODAY reported that more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed citing the Hamas-controlled health ministry School says walkout was not organized by staffThis isn't the first time Natick students have walked out over controversial issues. In June 2022, students walked out in support of gun law reform about a week after a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde Corrie Kerr, director of communications for Natick Public Schools shared a statement that the district emailed to parents and guardians administrators said that as they balance students' free expression they recognized concerns some may have about how it could affect their school day Earlier: Students in Natick, Framingham stage walkouts against gun violence in the wake of Uvalde "In order to facilitate a non-disruptive school environment, we have told the students that if they choose to gather, they need to do so off campus under appropriate supervision," the email reads. "Further, in accordance with our past practice, any time we are aware of student gatherings off campus, we notify our partners at the Natick Police Department who are working with us to support our young people." The message went on to state that in accordance with the student handbook the school does not condone students missing school without appropriate documentation "We have been in contact with the student organizers and made them aware that missing class will have the typical attendance-related consequences," the email continues "We have also communicated with our staff to proceed with our regular school day as scheduled." bullying or retaliation should be reported immediately the email concludes: "Our goal is to support all students respected and heard in our school community." '#' : location.hash;window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery = location.search === '' && location.href.slice(0 location.href.length - window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash.length).indexOf('?') !== -1 '?' : location.search;if (window.history && window.history.replaceState) {var ogU = location.pathname + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash;history.replaceState(null "\/what-i-witnessed-wasnt-protest-it-was-hate\/?__cf_chl_rt_tk=MJ15N8yvenfewh7aGbsiZnF_l2SqR6oTwK48R9g_HAE-1746542556-1.0.1.1-M10TIFGpVR7SQu21.uBUnZ6dbBImwG9apvoMg3YN.RQ" + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash);cpo.onload = function() {history.replaceState(null ogU);}}document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(cpo);}()); NATICK — The Natick Mall welcomed more than 191,000 square feet of new retail and entertainment last year Raymour and Flanigan a family-owned furniture and mattress retailer is opening a store inside the former Lord & Taylor location by late fall New food and beverage options are also coming to the mall this fall, including Bourbon Street Grille, The Sugar Tang and HeyTea “We have a handful of other new retailers we are working with and will announce later this year,” Senior General Manager Jennifer Kearney wrote in an email 'All about interesting tenants': The Natick Mall's future isn't just stores — it's a destination Here's a current list of stores and restaurants that have committed to opening at the Natick Mall NATICK — Voters approved a $7 million tax override during Tuesday's annual town election that officials have said will allow Natick to generate sufficient revenues to fund recurring costs — and save municipal jobs, according to unofficial results from the town clerk two incumbent Select Board members and two School Committee members retained their seats with the latter board also welcoming a new member Nearly 30% of the town's 25,878 registered voters cast ballots either in advance or during Tuesday's polling hours The $7 million override passed comfortably, with 4,645 votes in favor (60.5%) and 3,034 opposed. Town officials have said the override was proposed because Natick's revenues are being outpaced by extenuating factors such as inflation student needs that were exacerbated by COVID-19 and expiring one-time COVID relief funds The Select Board unanimously approved putting the question on the ballot 'Times are not the best.' Natick voters must decide on $7 million override at town election According to the town's override web page property tax bills would have an average increase of $453 a year That's based on Natick's median single-family home value It was the town’s first override request since voters approved one for $3.9 million in 2008 The two main competitive races in this year's annual town election were races for Select Board and School Committee Select Board members Kathryn Coughlin and Bruce Evans who were each elected for the first time in 2022 Coughlin (4,938 votes) and Evans (4,806 votes) will keep their seats Similarly, two School Committee incumbents are returning for new three-year terms. Cathi Collins and Elise Gorseth received 4,554 and 4,497 votes, respectively. The third School Committee seat went to Jaymin Patel, who unsuccessfully attempted to unseat state Rep. David Linksy last fall Former member Donna McKenzie came up short Some Town Meeting representative races were also competitive Natick uses a representative Town Meeting format meaning voters in 10 distinct precincts decide who represents them at Town Meeting six Town Meeting member seats were up for grabs Winners included Kathryn Coughlin (357 votes) David Coffey (310 votes) and Kara O'Sullivan (226 votes) Precinct 4 had nine candidates running for six seats David Soares (228 votes) and Brian Lucenta (198 votes) Candidates failing to earn seats included Honglue Shen (184 votes) James Fitzgerald (178 votes) and Daniel Charles Sohl (133 votes) Precinct 7 had nine people running for seven seats Henry Haugland (471 votes) and Joanna Carey (366 votes) Coming up short were Amy Taylor Hille (336 votes) and Cody Saint Souver Bilgrien (223 votes) Precinct 10 had seven candidates running for six spots. Martin Kessel (551 votes), David Aaron Krentzman (546 votes), Beverly Rich (531 votes), Mary Stuart (530 votes) and Saul Beaumont (488 votes) won five of the seats. For the final spot, Frank Foss and Alan Seru each received 342 votes, resulting in a tie. The town posted on Facebook that it will determine its next move Wednesday Foss stepped down as moderator after serving Natick in that capacity for 18 years Results from the Town Clerk's Office stated that 7,775 ballots were cast or about 30% of Natick's 25,878 registered voters Results are unofficial until confirmed by the Secretary of the Commonwealth's Office May 3, 2025 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment Earth Day All Around Natick got off to an action-packed start on Saturday, with drawing at the dam, the Earth Friendly Fair on the Common, and the FCC yard sale. There are lots more activities throughout the weekend making a nip bottle hat and plastic straw necklace will become harder in the future Did you get any money shots from Earth Day All Around Natick? Feel free to share (and let us know what the pictures are of and if you want photo credit):  natickreport@gmail.com Filed Under: Environment May 1, 2025 by Jennifer Lambert 6 Comments It’s been five years since construction began on major accessibility updates at Natick Center Station and commuters are still waiting for it to be done The MBTA is spending $40 million rebuilding the station with two new elevators The project was supposed to be completed in three years The MBTA now says it should be done this year a longtime resident of Natick who has commuted daily on the train to Kendall Square for almost a decade Richards said he noticed during his daily commute that South Station’s renovations they built a skyscraper above South Station,” Richards said Once a loyal rider of the Natick Center stop Richards now drives to West Natick because of the ongoing construction and limited train schedules “It was a 12-minute walk [to Natick Center] a Natick resident who takes the train into Boston about five nights a week said that during construction it’s sometimes difficult to find what platform the train is coming in on “I’ve actually missed the train because of the wrong tracks,” he said “You just constantly have to look at the MBTA app You have to constantly keep an eye on it because it’s changing just nonstop Now everybody stands on the bridge in Natick because they don’t know what side it’s coming on After the Natick Report inquired about the lack of updates the project’s webpage was updated Wednesday with a clearer timeline and more detailed information Here’s what you need to know about the delays in construction at Natick Center Station and what’s coming next: The MBTA says the station will be completed this year Construction began in February 2020 and was estimated to conclude in 2023 the MBTA has updated its timeline to indicate that the train tracks will be shifted to their final location in early summer 2025 the new accessible platforms will come into service in late summer and the project will be completed in early fall “The MBTA is proud to be upgrading stations across the system especially in an effort to improve accessibility We are anticipating Natick Center Station to be open by the end of the year and we appreciate the community’s patience as we work to get to that point,” the agency wrote in a statement via email who works as a builder at JMAC Development Corp. said he believes the project could be done by the end of 2025 “I don’t just have the commuter perspective,” he said These guys have stepped it up in the last three months they’ve been non-stop … The way they’re going now I could see it being done [by the end of the year].” Delays were caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and construction restrictions the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted labor availability and supply chains resulting in setbacks that persisted long after the initial shutdown The MBTA also designed the work to minimize interruptions to service on the Worcester Line requiring crews to work around active train operations which helped cut busing costs but extended the construction schedule Keeping the station open to riders throughout the project also limited productivity Progress was also slowed by more specific issues including a 2021 storm in Texas that knocked out the factory producing fiber-reinforced polymer–a modern material replacing concrete and rebar–for the station’s platforms Riders say the delays have upended their commutes For Jeff Richards and others who have expressed frustration on social media the biggest frustration is a lack of communication from the MBTA He said the “bare minimum” would be transparency “It’s keeping their page up to date and being transparent about why they can’t maintain the schedule,” Richards said “And I think with any references to COVID and supply chains weakens trust in a system he wants to believe in “I want the system to be awesome because I would rather be dragged by someone’s car on a hot day on the [Mass.] Pike than drive,” Richards said noted that accessibility planning for Natick Center Station began more than a decade ago the Natick Select Board approved $80,000 for a feasibility study and conceptual design at the station That led to approval in 2016 and eventual construction approval Natick Center was the busiest commuter rail station in the system that was still fully inaccessible The project will include major accessibility upgrades the station will include high-level platforms It will also include a rebuilt pedestrian bridge Richards says he does not believe the project will be completed when the MBTA says it’s going to be and I just don’t see it being done by the end of this year,” he said “I think it’s going to be more 2026 before that station’s open.” This story is part of a partnership between the Natick Report and the Boston University Department of Journalism Filed Under: Transportation May 2, 2025 at 3:18 pm this is par for the course for MBTA projects I worked near South Station for nearly ten years and a project there to upgrade the Red Line station extended during nearly the entire length of that time It’s difficult not to suspect that the enormous amount of time spent on these projects isn’t somehow exploited to justify the jaw-dropping price tags I’m underwhelmed with what taxpayers have received in downtown Natick for $40 million May 2, 2025 at 3:38 pm May 3, 2025 at 3:46 pm The work at the station is extremely sporadic; you can often go many days without seeing any progress at all there or even anyone working there Has anyone else noticed that the platform on the North side is nowhere close to the tracks When the train stops you will be required to do an Olympic long jumper-like leap from the platform onto the train May 5, 2025 at 4:11 pm both sets of tracks will be shifted to be closer to the high level platforms That is part of the upcoming scheduled work The design of the station includes space for a center express track I am not writing on behalf of the T and inquiries should be sent to the MBTA May 3, 2025 at 10:10 pm Great job getting this update and other information from the T I think its important to let them know we want the station completed and that we expect better communication May 5, 2025 at 1:52 pm Moving the tracks to accommodate the outbound portion of the station will likely push the completion date until 2026 May 2, 2025 by Admin Leave a Comment Join the Town of Natick and Charles River Watershed Association on Saturday for a guided walk exploring how stormwater moves through Natick and affects the community They’ll walk through the watershed that drains into Dug Pond highlighting the different levels of development within the watershed showcasing aspects of Natick’s drainage system and reviewing the project site for the upcoming Stormwater Treatment as part of the Dug Pond grant project April 16, 2025 by Bob Brown Sora Sushi & Seafood Buffet, which replaces a similar restaurant concept called Minado in Sherwood Plaza Speaking of seafood, reader CC writes that signage for Atlantic Poké has popped up next to Best Buy at Shoppers World in Framingham Prestige Car Wash, which aims to have 34 locations open by the end of this year, says it will possibly be expanding to 625 Worcester St., the former location of Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, which closed in 2023 which is about a mile east of Prestige’s target location The Natick Farmers Market will take place on Saturday indoors on two floors of the Common Street Spiritual Center Farm and meat vendors will be outside as usual Also coming to market—Eric the Knife Sharpener; Frieitas Farm (SNAP/HIP); WeGrow Microgreens (SNAP/HIP); Mahalab Bakery A sign on the front door of the former AFC Urgent Care center on Rte 9 west in Natick says the location has closed Filed Under: Business, Health April 16, 2025 at 5:37 pm April 16, 2025 at 5:41 pm April 16, 2025 at 6:20 pm May 1, 2025 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment New Natick Town Moderator Jeff Alderson kicked off Spring Annual Town Meeting on April 29 by heading into the Wayback Machine, citing the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution as a way of providing historical perspective on the legislative tradition “In our current practice of local participatory democracy we maintain and renew a practice of self-governance,” he began crediting the Natick Historical Society and Massachusetts Moderators Association for their help on the statement The statement also provided a smooth segue to swearing in newly elected Town Meeting members we honor and embrace the town meetings of 250 years ago…” Speaking of the Revolutionary War… the first shot fired at this Town Meeting came from member Bruce Evans Evans rose to oppose a motion by member Paul Griesmer to move a citizen petition on stabilization funds (Article 25) in front of Article 7 Griesmer said it would make sense to discuss the related items together “The reason I don’t think the procedure is necessary at this time is this is an end run to try to circumvent a budget This take was foreshadowed at a Select Board meeting earlier this month during which the Board voted for indefinite postponement of Article 25 rose to say there might be no point to moving 25 ahead of 7 because even if Town Meeting approved the motion under Article 25 it wouldn’t become effective until seven days later Former moderator and current Town Meeting member Frank Foss raised a point of order on this arguing that Coughlin was making a substantive point explaining there was no procedural issue with moving 25 ahead of 7 Griesmer then returned to the mic and said Article 25 is a “long-run financial planning or policy issue around what stabilization funds are for it has nothing to do with the omnibus budget and it is not an end run around anything…” The introduction of Alderson as moderator marked the end of Frank Foss’s tenure in the post Foss was recognized near the start of the night for his 18 years as moderator Alderson had hoped to do so before Foss introduced himself through that earlier point of order “kind of setting the tone for the rest of my tenure as moderator,” Alderson quipped to laughter Foss recalled how people he spoke to before running for public office gave him similar advice that boiled down to: “If you’re going to run for office there’s absolutely nothing in your town that you’re going to do yourself You’re going to be doing it with a lot of other people with a lot of help…” Plus: Listen to all the voices before making decisions After whizzing through a couple of perfunctory articles it was on to Article 3: The Omnibus Budget This is the roughly $202 million in spending requested to run the town over the next fiscal year Discussion of three motions under Article 3 took up the last hour-and-a-half of the first night’s session Town Meeting voted at the start of discussion on this article for an amendment having to do with using free cash to cover a revenue shortfall Then a series of speakers addressed portions of the budget related to their organizations or departments This included the superintendents of Natick Public Schools and Keefe Regional Technical School (more than 60 Natick students attend Keefe Tech) as well as the town’s administration and finance team As Town Administrator Jamie Errickson stated at the start of presentations and discussion on the budget, the recent debate and ultimate vote for the $7M override shaped the omnibus budget put forth to Town Meeting “is a step toward addressing the town’s structural deficit” (i.e. expenses outpacing revenues) and preserves the town’s stabilization funds “to ensure the long-term health of the town,” especially in light of broader economic flux the budget supports the town and school’s ability to provide services “at exceptional value,” he said Errickson then handed the baton to Deputy Town Administrator & Director of Finance John Townsend, who gave a high-level overview of the budget the bulk of revenue raised by the town comes from property taxes with state aid and local receipts (motor vehicle and restaurant excise taxes This marks the first year since the pandemic in which the town does not have COVID relief funds from the feds to bolster its budget schools account for the biggest chunk of expenses schools account for more than half of the roughly $59M in shared services (healthcare expenses Natick had prepped budgets ahead of the recent town election based on the override being approved or not The “no override” budget would have included $6.5M in free cash to cover expenses—that would be a way higher amount of free cash used for operating costs than is typical or recommended (free cash is that money left over at the end of a fiscal year after actual expenses) the $3.4M in free cash Natick budgeted for is a bit higher than preferred you’ll see Omnibus Budget revenue and expenses at nearly $209 million apiece These larger Omnibus Budget figures take into consideration $6.7M plus in “below the line items” that include some capital expenses and Other Post-Employment Benefits Trust Fund contributions.) Melissa Spash went over the $95M-plus school budget request If any of what Spash said sounded familiar that might be because the school team has held 19 public meetings related to the budget this year were renegotiated contracts with staff (accounting for about half of the budget increase) plus rising mandatory special education tuition costs and transportation costs It also includes the replacement of one-time funds used in FY25 Spash reminded Town Meeting about $2M in cost reductions made by the schools over the past two years including cuts of ten full-time equivalent positions for the coming fiscal year “We balance unavoidable increases with strategic cuts and we honor commitments to both our staff and community.” Following Spash’s presentation the moderator opened the floor to questions and comments where a member proposed splitting out the school budget…that motion failed.) Town Meeting member Griesmer sought clarification on the town’s efforts to collect back taxes which he said could net Natick around $15 million “It’s good that we’re getting after it,” he said Spash was asked about how the Natick Public Schools system uses comparative data for other districts in coming up with its compensation offerings Town Meeting member Dan Sullivan urged NPS and the School Committee to focus on comparing itself not to districts across the state but rather those bordering Natick and those bordering those communities He said the regional data he’s looked at shows Natick toward the bottom of compensation rankings in recent years “We put a lot of pride in our school system and we want to have the very best educators When someone is looking for a region to come to it would be my hope that Natick would be a desirable community from a compensation perspective,” he said Splash also answered a question about how the budget matches up with the number of students but that the number of students with disabilities and the number of English language learners are going up (as is true across the state) Those students require different approaches to teaching The discussion and debate was relatively brief and Town Meeting approved Motion A for the budget appropriation by a count of 116-7 Motion B under Article 3 covered a $22M-plus budget for town enterprise funds for water/sewer and the Sassamon Trace Golf Course Motion C also had to do with a Golf Course appropriation Article 15 involves appropriation of Community Preservation Act (CPA) administrative funds Town Meeting will return to the subject of stabilization funds that briefly earned the floor’s attention on opening night Please send news tips, photos, ideas to natickreport@gmail.com April 10, 2025 by Bob Brown Because of the way Natick is lumped in with other communities geographically by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, the town is now being required to enforce a mandatory non-essential outdoor water use ban until further notice we’ve had our share of rain of late (and more’s predicted for the weekend) But MassDEP declared a Level 2—Significant Drought Status for the Northeast Region triggering the ban in Natick and beyond effectively immediately but watering your garden with a hose is OK Natick Executive Director of the DPW & Facilities Bill Spratt explained the rather weird situation to the Select Board on April 9 (about 13 minutes in to the meeting) this is a bit of a challenging subject because it’s in the northeast region of DEP,” Spratt said “Right now the Charles River is at full capacity But we are in the northeast region of DEP and they have issued a stage two drought restriction specifically for the Essex River we have to comply.” The Essex river is dozens of miles north of Natick If Natick doesn’t comply with the ban it could run into non-compliance for its wells and that could lead to fines and liability Some background here is that Natick and another twenty-plus communities are in a court case about this restriction and this could cost Natick $300k-$400k in revenue “We’ll talk about that a little more next week when we talk about water rates,” he said it’s possible you could be hit with a $50 fine Violators would be identified by observation It’s unclear whether anyone will really be on the prowl looking for scofflaws Board member Linda Wollschlager made a public service announcement about it perhaps being a good time to invest in a rain barrel through the town (we have one, and it works) Filed Under: Government, Weather April 10, 2025 at 6:36 pm When does this ban begin and how much are the rain barrels April 10, 2025 at 9:53 pm April 30, 2025 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment Don’t be put off by the less-than-inviting Natick School Committee agenda item titled “MSBA EPQ” from its April 28 meeting This is actually worth paying attention to as the latest step in the process for potentially getting major funding to build a new or revamped Memorial Elementary School MSBA is the Massachusetts School Building Authority and EPQ stands for Educational Profile Questionnaire (yes we’re doing our part to help Natick Public Schools on the literacy front…) The former is the quasi-independent government authority created to reform the process of funding capital improvement projects in public schools; the latter helps to inform the MSBA’s understanding of a district’s needs as it decides which districts to include in its feasibility study phase Natick is one of a couple of dozen communities or districts to be invited into the process for possibly getting MSBA funding, and the district has recently formed a building committee, as required as part of the process That committee would pick an option for a school building plan that will eventually need to be approved by town voters Getting MSBA support for a school building project is huge, as the MSBA will cover 40 to 45 cents on the dollar, according to Matt Gillis, assistant superintendent for finance at Natick Public Schools (Natick scored MSBA support for the Kennedy Middle School) Though he warned that the MSBA “is really good at giving itself an out,” so communities can’t count on securing funding until it happens During the April 28 meeting (see recording, about 34 minutes in) Assistant Superintendent Sue Balboni explained that the EPQ takes a look at the school system’s current facilities “We’re using spaces for multiple purposes right now Our learning centers are previous storage spaces… We don’t have the space for any sub-separate special education We currently don’t service multilingual learners in that building We currently are at full capacity for classrooms…,” she said So you get the picture regarding Memorial, and Natick administrators hope the MSBA will, too. In the EPQ Melissa Spash clarified that the pre-school space would replace current space at Ben-Hem and the former East School being used for pre-school and would not represent an expansion of the program) Administrators shared an overview of the EPQ with the School Committee for their feedback Gillis said the process is something of a game when it comes to building size and enrollment projections The MSBA approves projects for a certain number of students and then it’s up to districts to figure out whether to build the school based on that or pay more for what the district might really need “MSBA is looking at how are we going to get the most bang for their buck as well as ours,” he said The EPQ and enrollment methodology are due to the MSBA in May before a big MSBA vote at the end of October on who gets in The school administrators then segued into the subject of enrollment both regarding their method for projecting it and a possible new study that might help convince the MSBA about school needs is “the main driver in the scope of the project and how many square feet they’re going to approve to reimburse.” The ultimate goal is to build the right size structure to last for the next 50 years though he illustrated the challenge of matching up MSBA projections with NPS ones that are higher One tricky thing in projecting student numbers for a school is that the arrival of a new building can attract more families to the area NPS leadership proposed to the School Committee that it could make sense to commission an independent study to get more solid enrollment data before an August meeting with the MSBA and that Gillis could find $125K or so in the current budget to fund this An enrollment and facilities study has been in the plans Spash said that a study done more immediately could just focus on enrollment Such a study could benefit broader strategic planning for schools as well down the road The School Committee voted unanimously in favor of funding the study Filed Under: Schools March 26, 2025 by Bob Brown The cordoning off of food and other shelves at the CVS store at 137 West Central St in Natick has inspired numerous readers to share photos of the not-exactly-a-crime scene CVS has employed something of an artistic look with its caution tape Some shelves are restricted with severe straight lines others are blocked with a more abstract design and others are encased in a sort of yellow spider web We reached out to CVS about the situation and received this statement on March 27: “We’re committed to ensuring our stores are a safe and healthy environment for our customers and colleagues we’ve temporarily stopped the sale of consumables at our West Central St store while we resolve a pest control issue We’re working closely with pest control and the Natick Board of Health on this matter.” (This post was updated on 3/27/25 to include the CVS statement.) We reached out to Natick’s Board of Health as well Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support Natick Report’s work We’d seen something like this first in Wellesley at the start of the month after CVS in Linden Square found itself dealing with a mice problem. The Board of Health stepped in and food sales were not allowed during the clean-up When we visited the Natick store on Wednesday morning we practically had the store and parking lot to ourselves Not surprising in that it looked like less than half the items in the store were available for purchase While there were signs posted about a stoppage of food sales the caution tape went well beyond food aisles NATICK — Sora Sushi & Seafood Buffet, which is taking the place of the former Minado Japanese Buffet in the Sherwood Plaza, announced on its Instagram page that it will open for business on April 21 "Join us for an unforgettable all-you-can-eat experience with fresh sushi premium seafood and more," Sora Sushi's post reads Sora Sushi's window decals were spotted on the storefront earlier this year; it has also installed signs on the Route 9 building Minado Japanese Buffet closed last September Sora Sushi followed up its Instagram post by stating in the comments section that its lunch buffet will cost $24.99 and a dinner buffet will cost $38.99 Earlier: One sushi restaurant will replace another at Natick's Sherwood Plaza Sora Sushi's management is the same as that of the Hungry Pot a Korean barbecue restaurant that has six locations in Connecticut and Massachusetts Hungry Pot is known for its "hot pot," a communal dining experience at which diners hold meat under boiling broth while at the table Minado Japanese Buffet had been in business for 21 years it had four locations — the others were in New York Its Natick restaurant was the last to close (Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct an inaccuracy.) NATICK — The Clark’s Block commercial building at the corner of Main and Summer streets is among the largest and most prominent buildings in town housing businesses ranging from salons to markets to jewelry shops Unknown to many people, the 1874 building's third floor contains a 6,000-square-foot Victorian-era concert hall empty other than a hallway built through its center But a local group, Friends of Concert Hall hopes to bring the hall back to something resembling its former glory “One of the common reactions people say is ‘I’ve walked by it a number of times and never knew about it,’” said Vincent Vittoria “It’s in rough shape — (but) I would consider it still salvageable It’s a shell of itself — it’s missing its three beautiful chandeliers but the beautiful ceiling is in good condition and it has potential.” Friends of Concert Hall is hosting a one-time open house from 11 a.m is to inspire people to donate funds for a feasibility study of the concert hall potentially leading to a redesign that makes it a usable space again The estimated cost of the study is $29,200 Concert hall hosted 1875 funeral for Vice President Henry WilsonThe original Clark’s Block was built in 1872 by businessman Nathanial Clark The first major event held at the hall was the wake for then-Vice President Henry Wilson Vittoria said the venue would go on to become a destination for many more events 'Not a viable option': Plan to convert historic Natick concert hall to office space is dead “People of Natick used it to have big events and to come together,” he said “It was used for everything from Town Meeting to graduations The hall fell out of favor in the 1930s, with many key events moving to the Natick Armory Town Meeting continued to be held in the concert hall until 1950 But afterward the facility was blocked off left to pigeons and transients who often found a way into the space to make a temporary home Plans fell through for plan to convert hall to office spaceOther than a brief time in the 1970s — when a past owner decided to convert the hall into an indoor tennis court — the space has been largely empty. A hallway was eventually constructed down the middle of the space to allow people to access other portions of the third floor, including Natick Pegasus, the local cable television studio A previous owner wanted to convert the hall to office space and those plans fell through the 43,000-square-foot Clark’s Block was sold for $6 million The new owners have expressed interest in Friends of Concert Hall's proposal to remodel and renovate the space He said that if the feasibility study shows that it can be done the group would form a nonprofit to raise the far greater amount of money needed to rebuild and to manage the concert hall Natick Center Associates — a nonprofit that's dedicated to making Natick a vital and exciting space — is acting as a financial agent for Friends of Concert Hall It will collect donations made during the March 22 open house on behalf of the Friends Clark's Block sold: Prominent 19th century building in downtown Natick changes hands for $6 million Vittoria thinks bringing back the concert hall would be a boon for the area “There’s a lot of potential to turn this into something special,” he said There’s nothing really like this in the area This has been a 10-year labor of love for me and things are looking promising.” Anyone with questions about the March 22 event or donations can contact the group at friendsofconcerthall@gmail.com Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com follow him on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime NATICK – The Sawin House is no more “What happened yesterday was tragic,” Henry Haugland, head of Natick Heritage Inc. a non-profit created to save and preserve the home Audubon said they’re not in the business of preserving history They’re all not in the business of being a concerned The history of the Sawin House dates back to the 17th century.  The Sawin House was built in 1696 by Thomas Sawin after reaching an agreement with Sarah Awassamug, head of the Natick Praying Indians Sawin was allowed to build the house and mills in exchange for providing milled products to the Praying Indians The home was located at the Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary was important more than just because it was the first and oldest home in Natick but for what it represents – the cooperation that was unheard of at the time It was the beginning of the industry in MetroWest How people fought to keep the Sawin House from being torn downNatick Heritage Inc Audubon give them a small parcel of land where the Sawin House was located The plan was to restore the outside of the home to make it a living memorial had asked the Select Board about taking the home by eminent domain asking them to delay the demolition for six months to give Natick Heritage Inc time to come up with a plan to save the home who had previously delayed taking out a demolition permit on the home They could have demolished the home as of Feb In an Op-Ed in the Daily News earlier this month Audubon CEO David O’Neill wrote they had been working with various town boards and organizations since 2014 to come up with a plan to save the home He said they previously offered to allow the home to the town for free if they could find a place to put it no substantive progress was made,” wrote O’Neill the house fell into further disrepair and became an eyesore and a hazard with multiple instances of break-ins and vandalism occurring.” O’Neill said that was built on a different part of the property and later moved to the current location He said very little of the original home is left has reached the point of structural instability and is now a beacon for vandals and a safety/liability issue,” he wrote said the plan to move the entire house would have been too expensive He also said it would diminish the meaning of the house “Moving the house off-site would have diminished the ability to understand the importance of what happened here in Natick in the 17th century,” he said “They felt the house wasn’t even fully original to the 1600s houses over the centuries change and are added on to Audubon gave them some significant items that were part of the original home referred to as the “mill cottage,” which was originally built by Sawin and then moved and added onto The items included a part of a handmade staircase from the basement to the first floor two stones from the foundations that are dated and have Sawin’s initials Haugland said the goal is to incorporate the salvaged pieces into a replica of the original mill cottage and put it at the South Natick Park He estimates it will cost about $200,000 to complete and hopes to either fundraise the money or use Community Preservation Act funds “This will represent and show people what Sawin and Awassamug really did,” he said “It will show the importance of it and it will help make residents of Natick really aware of what happened in Natick hundreds of years ago More: Natick resident criticizes planned demolition of historic Sawin House Vittorio called it a “sad day for Natick,” but hopes the plan works out to at least share an important piece of history for those in Natick and beyond “It’s nowhere near as optimal as having the original structure that you could see visit and feel and that you know it dated back centuries,” he said who has been involved in efforts to save the home since 2016 said Tuesday was a tough day for him but is looking to the future “I’m sad about spending 10 years of my life on the house and watching the video (of it being demolished) yesterday but I’m delighted we came up with a strategy where we can still tell the story,” he said follow Norman Miller on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime (This article was updated to correct an inaccuracy and includes new information.) NATICK — Residents will vote on a $7 million override at next month's town election The Natick Select Board approved a ballot question that would ask voters to approve a $7 million override to plug the budget The Select Board unanimously approved the $7 million option over $8 million and $6 million proposals Select Board Vice Chair Bruce Evans said voting on the override was difficult “The last override that we had was in 2008 for FY2009,” he said adding that the previous override was designed to last up to five years “I think we’ve been running the town rather efficiently.”   so people are understandably nervous,” Evans added 'Structural challenges': Natick residents could vote on $8 million override next spring Evans said town revenues are being outpaced by extenuating factors such as inflation The $7 million ask is down from a previously proposed $8 million If approved, the override would increase property tax bills beginning July 1, the start of fiscal 2026. According to the town's override webpage town departments would experience more permanent reductions including reductions already slated for the next the fiscal year Evans later clarified that up 48 positions would be cut across town departments Up to 41 would be in the schools and seven would be in municipal departments Select Board Chair Kathryn Coughlin told the Daily News that town departments must present assurances to voters so that the town does not have another override by 2030 State law limits the total amount in property taxes that a city or town can assess each year This limit cannot increase by more than 2.5% annually residents can agree to "override" this limit by majority vote The override enables a community to permanently increase its levy limit 'Going to be decimated': Franklin voters reject $6.8 million override in special election Hudson also appears ready to vote on an override to address a growing structural deficit projected in both the school and municipal operating budgets in fiscal 2026 Natick voters previously approved an override in 2008 the extra tax revenue was necessary for the town to keep up with services and increasing costs said the town previously avoided overrides in the past by relying on influxes of taxes from large developments Natick annual town election scheduled for March 25Natick's annual town election is scheduled for March 25 The last day to register to vote in-person for the town election is Saturday Natick resdents can register online at www.sec.state.ma.us/ovr The deadline to register online is March 15 Residents can also apply to vote by mail by downloading an application online The completed application can be sent to vote@natickma.org The deadline for a vote by mail ballot is 5 p.m The contractors expect to wrap up work on Massachusett’s first diverging diamond interchange by mid-2030 Preliminary utility work has started in the Boston suburb of Natick ahead of a major infrastructure reconstruction on the state’s first diverging diamond interchange Jacobs, along with Boston-based McCourt Construction, landed a contract with the Massachusetts DOT to design the new interchange at Routes 27 and 9 west of Boston Valued at $99.2 million, according to the Massachusetts DOT, the project will replace the structurally deficient Route 27 bridge over Route 9 with two single-span bridges and a dedicated shared-use path bridge for pedestrians and cyclists The redesigned interchange will improve traffic flow and reduce collisions along with design-build partner McCourt Construction will also add new accessible bike and pedestrian facilities throughout the interchange The project area stretches north along Route 27 to Rutledge Road and south to Bacon Street About 3,600 feet of Route 9 will undergo drainage upgrades and median barrier replacement The project team plans to use Jacobs’ StreetLight mobility analytics platform to monitor traffic patterns and minimize disruptions during construction The cloud-based platform uses data from connected devices to analyze movements in real time That provides builders with on-demand insights on traffic and overall safety needs Data from StreetLight will also help guide the placement of shared-use paths that connect to nearby schools Diverging diamond interchanges improve safety by eliminating left turns across oncoming traffic reducing vehicle-to-vehicle accidents by up to 50% The design will also help ease congestion through the intersection a first-of-its-kind interchange in Massachusetts exemplifies how infrastructure and data solutions together deliver lasting societal benefits,” said Katus Watson “Using insights from our StreetLight platform we’ll keep traffic moving while delivering an innovative interchange design that improves safety and strengthens community connectivity.” Jacobs expects work to wrap up by mid-2030 Get the free daily newsletter read by industry experts Civil outlays in February fueled a record month for expenditures but interest rates and tariff concerns continue to slow private growth urgently needs to increase funding to shore up facilities as climate change and emerging contaminants like PFAS pose growing threats Subscribe to Construction Dive for top news The free newsletter covering the top industry headlines March 29, 2025 by Bob Brown perhaps a 100 when we stopped by on Saturday afternoon waved signs and chanted outside Natick Mall to make their feelings known about Elon Musk’s Tesla company which has a showroom inside the shopping center A post shared by Natick Report (@natickreport) Organizers from Indivisible Mass Coalition invited protesters to bring signs about Musk’s role in the federal government and encouraged passersby to sell their Teslas and company stock They got a reaction out of many passing by with drivers honking their horns and passengers waving Natick Police officers patrolled the protest by foot and car the Tesla showroom was open for business and shoppers were poking around Filed Under: Business, Government March 31, 2025 at 6:17 pm My Tesla-owning friends are putting stickers on their cars “I bought this before Elon went nuts” Musk will be gone soon but the damage to our government and to Tesla will remain March 31, 2025 at 7:56 pm April 1, 2025 at 12:41 am The Democrats all loved Tesla and wanted everyone to drive one NATICK — A taqueria chain is making another move into Boston's suburbs — this time in Natick Streetlight Ventures founder and CEO Anthony Ackil confirmed to the Daily News that the Natick B.Good spot will be converted into an Anna's Taqueria He said the restaurant is about three months away from being fully converted Anna's first location opened in 1995 in Brookline. According to its website, Anna's was first conceived with the goal of bringing home-style flavors of Mexican street food from San Francisco's Mission District to Greater Boston Picco Pizza & Ice Cream: Renowned South End pizzeria will soon open in Marlborough quesadillas and bowls with customizable ingredients Anna's also contributes to local charities with in-kind food donations gift cards and Charity Burrito Rolling events Multiple B.Good locations have been converted to Anna's TaqueriaSeveral B.Good locations have been converted to Anna's Taqueria in recent months A B.Good spot on Northeastern University's campus is currently undergoing that process B.Good, which sells smoothies, salads, burgers and fries, still has locations in Boston, Cambridge and in Boston Logan International Airport B.Good also operates in New Hampshire and Maine Anna's Taqueria has three locations in Boston NATICK — A rollover crash Tuesday afternoon on Route 9 sent one person to the hospital and snarled eastbound traffic The crash occurred at 3:57 p.m. on Route 9 East near Bernardi Volvo, 910 Worcester St., according to Deputy Police Chief Brian Lauzon The motorist suffered a leg injury that is not believed to be life-threatening 'Becoming problematic': After more than two years, Natick police will finally leave Civil Service Deputy Fire Chief Dan Mathews said the motorist was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston by medical rescue helicopter The cause of the crash remains under investigation and the motorist has not been charged or cited NATICK — "This building will save soldiers' lives," said Major General John Cushing, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Soldier Center in Natick, about its news Soldier and Squad Performance Institute The Soldier and Squad Performance Research Institute, also knows as "S2PRINT," is named after Sgt. First Class Jared C. Monti, Raynham native with roots also in Abington a heavily decorated war hero who died under fire in Afghanistan in 2006 He received the Medal of Honor posthumously in 2009 Cushing said this facility represents "a new era" for "war readiness He added the Armed Forces will do "anything to improve soldier and squad longevity We work tirelessly to make sure they are better protected and to maintain our position as the most effective fighting unit in the world." 'So blessed' Lee Brice comforts family of Raynham soldier at Army building dedication The three-story Sergeant First Class Jared C Monti Soldier and Squad Performance Research Institute is an 80,600-square-foot state-of-the-art laboratory that houses 19 research laboratories including an 18,000-square-foot "combat maneuver lab" designed to run live simulations and applied research scenarios meant to improve all aspects of combat readiness according to information provided by the Army Performance is transformed" was the tagline for the demonstration video that was presented during the unveiling and official ribbon cutting for the research institute on April 7 Construction on the new research facility began in July 2020 All operational features were completed in February 2025 The goal of the institute is to provide a controlled immersive environment for scientists and engineers to conduct applied studies to determine how soldiers and units will perform — with an eye toward developing new training tools and methods and new techniques for improving resilience among soldiers and units in the field The S2PRINT came about as a result of a collaboration between The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center (DEVCOM SC) in Natick and the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM) The event, called "Pickleball for a Purpose," takes place from 5-8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 28, at Bosse. It's a collaboration between Gronkowski's Gronk Nation Youth Foundation and Dana-Farber's Jimmy Fund Participants can sign up to compete as teams of two or individually with the four highest fundraising teams and one wild card team earning a chance to play pickleball against Gronkowski and friends Fundraising efforts will unlock various prizes including the opportunity to play with Gronk or receive signed merchandise Those interested in attending as spectators can donate online for a ticket. Visit charity.pledgeit.org/pickleball, click "Donate" and email ChloeC_Rogan@dfci.harvard.edu to receive your ticket (tickets are limited) 'This is the future': Bosse opens 21-court pickleball facility at the Natick Mall The Jimmy Fund supports Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's mission to provide patient care and cancer research. It has been an official charity of the Boston Red Sox and has benefited from the generosity of millions since 1948 The Gronk Nation Youth Foundation aims to inspire youth through sports and education helping them stay engaged in school and community activities For more information or to sign up, visit www.jimmyfund.org/gronk 2025 at 8:34 am ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}In Natick race and town officials have released their annual list of what to know for residents ranging from those hoping to catch the race to those hoping to avoid closed roads MA — The 2025 running of the Boston Marathon is fast approaching as the third Monday of April draws closer Natick will be the backdrop for runners as they make their way through from about mile seven to mile twelve The first racers to move through Natick will be in the wheelchair men's division followed by the wheelchair women's division at an estimated 9:40 a.m The pro men will arrive next at about 10:24 a.m with the pro women to follow around 10:42 a.m Road closures go into effect well before that, starting at 7:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. A map of the detour routes to Natick Mall can be found here. Crowds typically gather on both sides of the road near Fisk Pond to cheer on participants before they reach Natick Center or in the areas along the pond and Lake Cochituate Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. NATICK — Voters will decide on a $7 million override ballot question as well as several town offices during this year's town election on Tuesday If approved, the override would increase property tax bills beginning July 1, the start of fiscal 2026. According to the town's override web page Should the override fail, town departments would experience permanent reductions, including those already slated for the next the fiscal year. Town officials have said that 48 positions would be cut across town departments, including in Natick Public Schools 'Times are not the best': Natick voters will decide on $7 million override at town election The Select Board and the School Committee each have competitive races Coughlin and Evans were each elected in 2022 and are seeking second three year-terms Kelly was born in Natick before moving to California in high school and returning to the town in 2020 Kelly says she has worked for 30 years with leading tech companies Four people are vying for three available spots on the town's School Committee. Incumbents Cathi Collins and Elise Gorseth are being challenged by former School Committee member Donna McKenzie and former state representative hopeful Jaymin Patel 40% turnout: State Rep. Linsky holds off challenger in Democratic primary race some precincts have competitive races for Town Meeting representatives Natick uses a representative town meeting format meaning voters in 10 separate precincts decide who represents them at Town Meeting Precinct 2 has seven candidates running for six seats Precinct 7 has nine candidates running for seven seats and Precinct 10 has seven candidates running for six seats Foss is stepping down as moderator after serving Natick in that capacity for 18 years There are no candidates for a one-year term on the Recreation and Parks Commission; a five-year term on the Natick Housing Authority; and two constable seats Frank Foss steps down: Outgoing Natick moderator expresses thanks to dedicated volunteers Voting locations for each precinct are as follows: 3: Kennedy Middle School (165 Mill St.)Precinct 4: Morse Institute Library (13 East Central St.)Precincts 5 and 6: Wilson Middle School (22 Rutledge Road)Precinct 7 10: Community Senior Center (117 East Central St.)Polls will be open at 7 a.m BOSTON — The wife of a Natick man accused of conspiring to send sensitive technology to Iran that was later used in a fatal drone attack in Jordan has sent a letter to a federal judge Narjes Mohavdi Tabrizi, wife of Mahdi Sadeghi, sent the letter to U.S. District Court Judge Donald Cabell in support of a motion by Sadeghi's lawyer from when they first met to their marriage 15 years ago to now we embarked on a beautiful journey from the beginning sharing not only love but an unbreakable bond that transcended friendship,” Tabrizi wrote “We weren’t just spouses — we were best friends and partners in every sense of the word always working together toward are shared goals.” Sadeghi is charged with four counts of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and Iranian transactions and sanctions regulations 'Material support of terrorists': FBI accuses Natick man of exporting technology to Iran Tabrizi wrote that Sadeghi was always there for her The bond between him and our children is something rare and beautiful.” 'it's been a struggle'Tabrizi said since her husband’s arrest on Dec their children have had difficulty adjusting to the change in their lives She said their older son is working with counselors at school while their younger son often cries during the morning and at night “There’s a deep ache when I think about the separation and though I know we are working toward healing I can’t help but mourn the distance between them,” Tabrizi wrote “It’s been a struggle — a heartbreaking one — but we’re trying to navigate through it and our sons will feel safe and happy again.” Earlier: Natick man pleads not guilty to charges linked to fatal drone attack in Jordan Federal authorities allege that Sadeghi had conspired with another man including materials used in unmanned drones owns a company in Iran that has ties to terrorism Investigators were able to track parts from a destroyed drone to Abedini's company in Iran Tabrizi’s letter was among dozens in support of Sadeghi from people from throughout the United States submitted to the court by Thrall arguing in a motion filed in court that he is not a flight risk and his wife and children are here and he would not leave them But prosecutors argued Sadeghi and his family have dual citizenship with Iran a country known to go to “great lengths” to help its citizens who face criminal charges in the United States They also argued Sadeghi has text messages dating back to 2016 that acknowledge he knew he was breaking the law The motion argued that Sadeghi is facing 20 years in prison for each count and that is a strong incentive to flee the country Sadeghi will remain held without bail until the judge rules on the motion April 11, 2025 by Jennifer Lambert Kim Rickard walked downstairs one August morning two years ago uncertain about her job in executive recruiting at a small accounting firm “I think I might want to open a bookstore,” she said Now, nine months after Ten Trees Books opened its doors in Natick Center, the shop has become what Kim calls “a third space, where it’s not work and it’s not home.” Inside The Hive building which was once home to several women-owned businesses and I’ve always wanted to be around books,” Kim said After working at Barnes & Noble in college and briefly wanting to become a librarian Kim started looking into what it would take to open a bookstore something she said the Natick community needed She tapped into the American Booksellers Association which advocates for the success of independent bookstores “[Natick] just met all of the check marks of a town that would make a successful business in terms of the size [and] the education of the people,” she said which no one else [downtown] is … and we’re just going to be the store that Natick needs.” The Natick community’s response to the shop “has been incredible,” Kim said The family-run business has all five-star reviews on Google a Natick resident and member of the romance book club at Ten Trees appreciates that the store is a “third space.” “One of the nice things about the store is that it’s not just a store–it’s also a place to gather,” Vasquez said “Kim has been doing a lot more book clubs and events and I think it’s a really nice thing to have in our community as well.” working the register on Saturday afternoons keeping the guests company during story times ‘You are the most awesome mom in the whole world and you’re doing so good on your bookstore,’” Kim said “Because she watched me do this when there were no shelves.” who works full-time in finance for a quantitative hedge fund spends weekends supporting the store however he can giving early-stage businesses a chance to launch and grow Kim said Ten Trees’ lease runs until February 2026 which she and Rob will start looking into over the summer you think you have a concept that might work in Natick “It’s low capital investment in the beginning to get us in.” The world of independent bookstores has been expanding in recent years, according to the Associated Press “There’s a need for independent bookstores now more than ever because of what’s happening in the administration what’s happening in schools: banning books or putting them under critique,”  Kim said “And I think there should be independent bookstores where you can go buy anything you want.” Ten Trees has quickly become a downtown gathering place Kim said she wanted to foster that community after reading posts in a Natick Moms Facebook group “There were women who were bold enough to say ‘I need friends,’ and I felt that way for a long time because you reach a point in your life where it’s hard to meet friends,” Kim said I planned to have activities for people to get out of the house The store’s name is connected to Natick’s town common Natick removed 10 trees from the town common The town later replanted 10 diverse species—an act Kim saw as symbolic “That speaks to a message that I’m interested in.” Rob said the most rewarding part of the store’s nine months in business has been the sense of community We love that you’re here.’ And you’re like The couple hopes that Ten Trees becomes a lasting part of the town even if we don’t own it for a very long time in this town,” Kim said “And because I think the town wants it and needs it So I do look at it a little bit like my legacy.” More: Popovers and partnership—How a Natick couple built a Wellesley bakery from scratch Filed Under: Books, Business NATICK — Residents could be asked next spring to vote on what could be the town's largest operational override according to a recent memo from the town administrator In an Oct. 22 memo to Town Meeting members Errickson said a structural deficit exists in the town's budget that had previously been filled through the use of one-time funds such as free cash or American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds He noted the current fiscal 2025 budget uses $4.5 million in free cash and $2.7 million in ARPA funds 'We have a strong team': Jamie Errickson tapped to be Natick's interim acting town administrator it has been increasingly apparent that these structural challenges will reach an inflection point for the upcoming fiscal year," he wrote saying the town's budget will eventually be unable to fill the deficit with one-time funds He continued: "While details are still being worked on town and school administrations continue to analyze our finances in order to present the scale of a probable override which is projected to be in the $7-$8 million range based on current estimates of revenues and expenses." He said the numbers are not final and come with impacts Errickson did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Public Information Officer Jay Poropatich said the town is not yet commenting on the override issue 16 meeting in which the Select Board and School Committee will discuss finances In an email sent by Errickson to Select Board members as part of their Dec $8 million could shift downward when the fiscal 2026 budget The email also said that once the Select Board approves an override question and amount the measure would likely go on the March 25 annual election ballot What is an override?State law limits the total amount in property taxes that a city or town can assess each year Franklin says no: Voters reject $6.8 million override in special election NATICK — The Sawin House will be demolished The Massachusetts Audubon Society has informed the Natick Select Board and advocates of preserving the 1696 property that it will not delay its plans to demolish the structure “Mass Audubon has never, never been interested in doing anything different with the house,” said Henry Haugland of Natick Heritage Inc. a nonprofit created to try to save and renovate the house there was always some sort of new objection that cropped up The Sawin House is on Mass Audubon’s Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary in South Natick The nonprofit may tear down the home as early as Feb 19 after rejecting the Select Board’s request to delay demolition for six months and give Natick Heritage a chance to come up with a plan to save it Mass Audubon said it wants to help honor the history of the home and what it represents we met once again to talk about options for the Sawin House," Mass Audubon said "While we are moving forward with our demolition plan Mass Audubon has offered to preserve some of the original components of the house and is talking with Natick Heritage about salvaging those items The organization also said it "remains committed to creating a meaningful historic interpretation experience at the site in partnership with Natick Historical Society and indigenous partners." with many alternatives discussed and Mass Audubon even offering to transfer ownership to the Town at one point but unfortunately a final agreement was never reached," Mass Audubon officials stated "With the condition of the building continuing to degrade and posing a significant safety risk we feel this is the best course of action.” Earlier: Natick Select Board ask Mass Audubon to delay Sawin House demolition for six months The Sawin House was built in 1696 by Thomas Sawin after reaching an agreement with Sarah Awassamug, head of the Natick Praying Indians Sawin was allowed to build the home and mills in exchange for providing milled products to the Praying Indians Deal to build Sawin house is 'part of our heritage'Haugland said the home itself is important He said Sawin and Awassamug put aside mutual distrust after King Philip’s War (1675-76) to develop a mutually beneficial partnership that triggered economic and industrial development in MetroWest “The fact that they could work together after what had happened just 10 During Wednesday’s Select Board meeting, Chairwoman Kathryn Coughlin said Mass Audubon would be willing to set aside some historical pieces so they can be preserved and used in a future memorial “What they did offer during the demolition process is to salvage the staircase and there’s a stone in the basement where Sawin’s name is carved and a date,” she said 'Symbol of Natick's birth': Natick's Sawin House, built in 1696, is up for demolition. Some hope to prevent it She said the items would fit in a storage Pod which could be kept on town property until Natick Heritage comes up with a memorial plan to put the items in one of the town’s parks In addition, Coughlin said Mass Audubon plans to work with the Natick Historical Society and “indigenous partners" to come up with a way to honor the history the house represented at the sanctuary Board member Bruce Evans said Mass Audubon expressed concern over Natick Heritage's ability to raise the necessary funds and be long-term partners “The bottom line is historic preservation is feasible “Mass Audubon wants to help preserve history but it cannot conflict with its core mission.” Select Board member Linda Wollschlager expressed sadness that the house would not be saved “I understand they have a different mission and I was hoping there could be different resolution to this,” she said Coughlin said one benefit is that the items salvaged can be displayed in a more accessible location “This might be — it’s not the best solution by far — but it may be a solution that gives better access to this history,” she said Coughlin said she and Evans would meet with Natick Heritage to discuss the potential salvage of items and if the group is interested in raising money to set up a permanent memorial was to renovate the home and have it stand as a memorial for the importance of the partnership between Sawin and the Natick Praying Indians He said he's worried that any other memorial could fall flat and be more difficult to raise money for “The first thing is the memorial has to match the significance of what you're creating it for,” he said George Sawin, a seventh-generation grandson of Thomas Sawin and his wife Deborah expressed disappointment in Mass Audubon’s decision He said Natick Heritage had a plan and people in place who could raise the money “For them to respond out of hand like they did it feels like an oblivious and obtuse response,” said Sawin “They have opportunities to be real heroes to the community in a way that wouldn’t cost them a dime and wouldn’t cause any disruption but they’re sitting back saying no with no real reason.” March 25, 2025 by Bob Brown About 60% of Natick voters who went to the polls on Tuesday approved a $7M operating budget override a result that will save town and school jobs and allow investment in more in capital projects than would have been the case if the ballot question failed Nearly 30% of those registered to vote cast ballots either in advance or on Tuesday The town released unofficial results Tuesday night The unofficial numbers do not include provisional ballots The town went to great lengths, with numerous public forums and creative online resources, to share the numbers behind the town’s first override request since Natick approved a $3.9M one in 2008. The town had been largely talking about a potential $8M override, but shaved it to $7M before the Select Board voted in February to put a question to voters on the ballot Natick had been heading toward an override request before the COVID-19 pandemic struck; one-time funds made available during the pandemic then delayed what became inevitable as town leaders continued to point to a “structural deficit” between revenue and rising expenses A “Yes for 1” campaign organized early to encourage voters to buy in to the override Convincing voters to approve the override was no easy task in the face of inflation and already soaring property taxes The override amounts to a permanent tax increase—it will translate into a $453 hit for those with single-family homes assessed at about $780K (Natick’s median home value) Those against the override argued that the town needed to tighten its belt just as households do during tight economic times The Select Board has spent its past couple of meetings discussing commitments it can make to address residents’ challenges paying taxes to boost revenue other than from property taxes and to review the town’s overall financial practices Candidates and supporters we spoke with at polling places during the day indicated that they thought the override would be approved School Committee Candidate Donna McKenzie told us “I think it will pass narrowly,” while fellow School Committee Candidate Jaymin Patel said: “I’m cautiously optimistic that it passes.” School Committee Candidate Cathi Collins said “I am very hopeful watching the steady stream of vehicles heading toward the polls after 6pm at the Community-Senior Center blurted out: “Natick’s turning out!” Drivers beeped and waved as they headed in and out of the parking lot On Wednesday morning, Natick Public Schools issued a post-election statement that read in part: “Natick Public Schools is grateful that Question 1 passed–approving an override This will allow us to continue delivering high-quality educational programming and support for all students We also recognize that it is not easy for residents to vote to voluntarily increase their taxes and would like to acknowledge the challenge of balancing the needs of our schools alongside the realities of one’s own household…” incumbents Collins and Gorseth each earned about 29% of the vote to retain their seats Patel won the third open seat with about 25% of the vote while McKenzie—a past School Committee member—placed fourth with more than 16% The only other contested race was for Select Board where three candidates vied for two three-year seats Incumbents Kathryn Coughlin (the current chair) and Bruce Evans scored 41% and about 40% of the votes to retain their seats; challenger Kathryn Kelly tallied more than 18% in finishing third Both Coughlin and Evans have been involved in tough decisions during their past terms including over the dam removal and immigration documentation policy; their votes in favor of the town selling property at 5 Auburn St for $100 to a developer of low-income housing were revisited during the Select Board and override campaigns by those questioning the town’s track record on financial decisions Not to be overlooked on Election Day where those running for Town Meeting The race attracted plenty of newcomers to elected politics a lifelong Natick resident who was holding a sign for his campaign outside of Morse Institute Library when we met Based on the unofficial results shared Tuesday night Lucenta won one of the 6 available seats in Precinct 4 He’d gotten out of work shortly before coming over to hold the sign and said Speaking of Town Meeting, there will be a new moderator this time around. Frank Foss opted out of running again, though is in as a Constable. Spring Annual Town Meeting is set to begin on March 22 Thanks to all who ran and to all who voted and to the Town Clerk’s office for overseeing the election process including Morse Institute Library and the Community-Senior Center: Filed Under: Election, Government March 25, 2025 at 10:29 pm I can’t believe people voted yes for the override This town miss spends money so much it’s totally disgusting I bet if the town was audited it would come across millions of misused money March 25, 2025 at 10:48 pm March 26, 2025 at 7:01 pm Show us the numbers and name the “independent auditor” March 25, 2025 at 10:52 pm Maybe we voted this way so our kids don’t write things like “Miss spends money “ March 25, 2025 at 11:11 pm https://www.natickma.gov/171/Financial-Statements-Audit-Related-Docum independent auditors are working on FY2024 right now March 30, 2025 at 9:16 am The purpose of the audits is not to scrutinize the wisdom of the spending Auditors check for things like correct application of the relevant accounting standards and whether the town is at risk of going bankrupt From the auditor’s perspective the town can spend on whatever it wants March 26, 2025 at 10:00 am Less than 30% of registered voters cast ballots NATICK — Natick Public Schools recently announced that Johanna Even has been named principal of the Brown Elementary School She replaces Erica Cole Harms, who is serving as interim principal through June 30, according to an announcement. At that point, she will return to her duties as vice principal of teaching and learning at Natick High School The last permanent principal at Brown was Aidan McAnn, who left last summer to become principal at Armstrong Elementary School in Westborough “I look forward to beginning the work of supporting Brown Elementary students in collaboration with staff and families,” Even said in a prepared statement “I greatly enjoyed my time at the school getting to know more about what makes the school such a special place to so many of you I plan to work hand in hand with the dedicated staff and to engage students and families in our continuous improvement that will be ongoing at Brown.” Even holds doctorate and master's degrees in education administration, planning and social policy from Harvard Graduate School of Education She also holds an undergraduate degree in in history and literature New principal leads literacy program at social services agencyEven has served as an elementary educator, literacy coach, principal, district office executive director and leadership coach. She has co-authored a book, "Empowering English Learners for Classroom Success," and currently serves as education director at Hopewell, a nonprofit social services agency where she leads a literacy program for youth experiencing foster care Key MSBA vote : Natick earns chance to get new or renovated elementary school The selection process for the new principal involved input from the Brown Elementary School Parent Teachers Organization Natick Public Schools serves more than 5,300 students across its preschool April 7, 2025 by Deborah Brown About 500 protesters showed up in Natick Center on Saturday afternoon as part of a nationwide “Hands Off” demonstration to express resistance against President Donald Trump’s second-term administration’s policies Handmade signs voiced support for  immigrants and trans people including the layoffs of thousands of government employees Protesters also chanted and rallied against billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s influence in the White House as a senior advisor to Trump and Musk’s extensive involvement in the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) The Hands Off demonstration was a grass-roots nationwide event Organizers estimate that over 1,200 protests took place in cities and towns across the United States In Boston between 25,000 and 30,000 attended the rally the largest crowds lined up along the Common facing routes 27 and 135 Smaller groups staked out space on the other three corners of the busy intersection When crosswalk signs blinked “walk,” many changed their corner to visit with other protesters or just to keep the energy and movement going “We’re protesting against the insanity of the American government and the illegality of the American government and all of the Republicans who are cowards and abdicate their responsibilities to the country,” Natick resident John Swan said “I’m just here to save our country,” Patricia Swan added On the corner where “The Block” building has gone up a lone Trump supporter brought a MAGA flag “I’m here to show that there are some sane people in Massachusetts,” Mike Linehan Generally conservatives aren’t demonstrative in the November 2024 presidential election the town had an 86% turnout 161) cast for the Kamala Harris/Tim Walz ticket while Donald Trump/JD Vance earned more than 24% (5,119) Filed Under: Community, Government April 8, 2025 at 4:01 am I don’t see how anyone can call today’s Trump supporters “conservative.” Free trade and free speech are conservative values Only Congress has the power to impose tariffs Linehan is wrong about Trump supporters not being “demonstrative.” History will remember the violent Washington D.C Trump insurrection of January 6th long after we are all gone March 18, 2025 by Admin The Town of Natick depends on the active participation of its citizens in governance of the Town will cast their ballots for candidates including those running for School Committee The Natick School Committee is an elected town-wide board and establishes educational goals and policies for Natick’s schools as a whole There are four candidates running for three 3-year seats on the School Committee: Natick Report invited candidates to inform voters about their priorities for the Town of Natick (we received responses from three of the candidates). Candidate interviews appear in this post in the order in which their names appear on the ballot Natick Report: Please introduce yourself to Natick Report’s readers Cathi Collins: I have served six years on the Natick School Committee (SC) and twelve years on the Finance Committee (FinCom) and I remain deeply committed to the Natick Public Schools and the town of Natick what do you most look forward to working on as a Committee member Natick Report: How should voters reach you if they want more information Cathi Collins: cathicollinsfornatick@gmail.com Elise Gorseth is a candidate for the Natick School Committee Natick Report: Please introduce yourself to Natick Report‘s readers Donna McKenzie: I am running for a third term on the school committee because the needs are urgent: a disappearing Department of Education (DOE) groups of students erased by executive orders limited financial resources that demand judicious and creative budget approaches and children who deserve every ounce of our confidence and belief in their abilities to succeed There is no time to equivocate about any of this I think of every.child in NPS as if they were my own and as a lifelong educator and community servant I can help our schools grow them into thoughtful I have the experience and skills necessary to make our schools better The success of our schools continues to be the degree to which we help the most vulnerable to achieve MA is failing students that need extra support We rank first in the country for most students but alongside Texas for students who need additional help Events can’t always be predicted but values undergird smart decision making and any other form of hate that may emerge Our students learn best when they feel safe and feel they belong I have been a Town Meeting Member for over a decade a member of the Charter and Bylaw Review Committee a member of the advisory committee for the Natick Service Council  I have taught at Cornell and Fordham and served as a college chaplain  I think of myself as a lifelong learner and am determined to leave the world and the Natick schools better than I found them I am a person for whom serving others and changing the world in whatever ways I can matters what do you most look forward to working on as a School Committee member Donna McKenzie: I look forward to championing inclusive policies to help students feel safe and that they belong so they can achieve I want to ensure that Natick’s schools actively support ALL students or sexual orientation by strengthening all our policies and practices I will work to  create comprehensive policies and training to combat hate while promoting culturally responsive education that supports mental health and wellness especially for historically marginalized groups who may face additional challenges I will accomplish all of this through brave collaboration with the community—parents and Natick residents.I believe that when we stand up for all students more inclusive future that includes kind and thoughtful citizens Vote for me to ensure that Natick’s schools remain a place where every child has the opportunity to succeed Natick Report: How should voters reach you if they want more information: Dr. Donna McKenzie: You can reach me at: dr.donnammckenzie@gmail.com and I’ve proudly called Natick my home for over 20 years My family and I immigrated from India to the United States in February 2001 seeking better opportunities and education and I began my freshman year at Natick High School in 2004 The education I received here enabled me to earn a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from UMass Amherst eventually leading to a Master’s in Bioethics from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and parent of a 3-year-old who just started preschool in Natick This community has been instrumental in shaping who I am and my achievements are a testament to the exceptional education I received I am deeply committed to the future of our schools because I understand how crucial education is in shaping the opportunities available to our children I am running for the Natick School Committee because I believe every child deserves a learning environment free from politics where they can truly reach their potential and enjoy the learning process and I have chosen to raise our daughter here because we want the same for her I am confident that my unique background and experience will bring a fresh perspective to the School Committee My academic background in Philosophy and ethics has equipped me with critical thinking skills the ability to analyze complex issues from multiple perspectives and a deep understanding of ethical principles These skills are essential for making informed and balanced decisions that prioritize the well-being of our students and community my training in adaptive negotiation and conflict resolution has honed my ability to navigate challenging situations This is particularly valuable in a school committee role where collaboration and consensus-building are key to addressing diverse viewpoints and ensuring that the needs of all stakeholders are met I aim to bring a thoughtful and collaborative approach to problem-solving and decision-making I plan to engage the community and make informed decisions that support our students and maximize their potential I want to ensure that our schools are places of growth and opportunity for every student while being mindful of our resources and the needs of the broader community I am most excited about the opportunity to work on updating Memorial and our other aging elementary schools in years to come I am eager to be part of the process of building a new elementary school that meets the needs of our growing community while being environmentally responsible and budget conscious This is our opportunity to think about the future and address the needs of our students and our community for decades to come we can create a learning environment that fosters growth I also hope to prioritize our pre-K and after-school programs The lack of space for every family that wants to participate in pre-K creates genuine struggles for many in our community We should explore all opportunities to make these programs available to all Natick residents and strive to keep this at the forefront of the school committee’s and administration’s attention I recognize the wealth of knowledge and experience that our current school committee members possess I sincerely look forward to learning from them By collaborating with these dedicated individuals I aim to build on their successes and ensure that our schools continue to provide exceptional opportunities for every student Jaymin Patel: For more information about me or my campaign, please visit my website, www.SelectPatel.com You may also email me directly at Patel4SchoolCommittee@gmail.com If you prefer to meet in person I will be holding out yard signs the next couple Saturday mornings down by the common please feel free to come introduce yourself and I ask for your vote for Natick School Committee on March 25 Filed Under: Election, Town election 2025 January 2, 2025 by Admin the author of the Poppin Beans children’s book I recently moved into a Cedar Gardens apartment in Natick where a wild turkey frequents my garden and front door But the turkey is interfering with my everyday life I think he needs to find another home where he will be happier and even peeks in my back window while I’m trying to take an afternoon nap Sometimes I can’t get out my front door because he’s sitting outside in my garden or walking back and forth in front of my car Residents have been warned not to feed the turkey but some do anyway Please help us come up with a permanent solution for this turkey The turkey often walks behind the cars that come in and out of the driveway Thanks for your help and letting me tell you about this issue Filed Under: Animals January 2, 2025 at 5:25 pm Thanks for sharing my story with the community of Natick.Deborah January 4, 2025 at 6:17 pm January 2, 2025 at 6:30 pm January 3, 2025 at 6:05 pm January 2, 2025 at 8:42 pm January 3, 2025 at 6:53 pm She has been living in Natick for the last eleven years She grew up on a residential tree lined street with backyards I am her sister who lives in Mashpee home of the Wampanog animals and the right to a quality of life and safety She is the author of 4 books I have flocks of turkeys who pass through my yard at times as well as crossing the road January 4, 2025 at 2:51 pm Your sisters post made it sound as if she had no experience living in Suburban Areas I had family members that lived in the Cedar Gardens Complex One of the Wampanog Shaman would have a spiritual and practical solution She might have better results contacting Dr David Lowry,the MIT grad and tribal Shaman of the Wampanog’s that I heard speak about the native animal populations around the Plymouth Nuke Plant Dr lowry spoke of the Wampanog way of livigng with the “Spirit Brother the Turkey January 5, 2025 at 12:29 pm January 2, 2025 at 9:28 pm We have a resident turkey on my street here in bellingham He knocks indoors and visits each house we need to.live with our fellow creatures It appears there are no other turkeys for him to hang with Hopefully he will find a friend of his own January 2, 2025 at 9:28 pm Perhaps permanently changing your attitude about the turkey would provide the permanent solution you seek for this turkey January 3, 2025 at 6:14 pm I just moved to Cedar and never seen a wild turkey at my front door before Perhaps I need time to adjust to my new reality I wish I knew about the neighborhood turkey before I moved it I may have decided to stay where I was instead trying to deal with the “hood” turkey January 4, 2025 at 4:03 pm I wonder how a children’s book about Jim the hood turkey would end if you wrote it. January 12, 2025 at 4:57 pm January 3, 2025 at 8:23 pm Not sure what you mean however creating dialog and seeking solution to her concerns should not be met with disregard January 2, 2025 at 10:20 pm The next time you go out and think you will encounter the turkey have an umbrella with you point it at the Turkey and then open it quickly It will look to the turkey as if he is about to be swallowed by a black hole I don’t know if this would work in all cases but it is worth a try It has been known to be very effective with dogs A bonus is that if the turkey should attack you January 5, 2025 at 12:31 pm I am looking for a better solution for this turkey who has no real home and is all alone January 5, 2025 at 12:34 pm January 3, 2025 at 6:24 am January 3, 2025 at 9:53 am I live at Sherwood Village and we have a herd of turkeys Not sure if that’s the proper wording but sometimes there’s 20 of them in a pack or heard one day it came home They were all congregated at the door so there’s no way we could get up and into our building with all of them there so we turned around and we had to go to the side parking lot and sure enough there were more there there’s not a lot they can do but for seniors it’s pretty scary January 3, 2025 at 10:34 am January 3, 2025 at 11:55 am January 3, 2025 at 12:38 pm This turkey has been touring this neighborhood for a couple of years and visiting many neighbors and they named him Jim I think he sleeps in the trees up on the hill near 170 cedar terrace I hear him in t h e early mornings when he starts his days he fight with a dog in the morning and sundown I can hear them both the dog barking and the turkey gobbling my son when is around does feed him so he comes to our windows to we call him the peeping tom January 3, 2025 at 12:50 pm as humans we would hate it if someone came along and was like I don’t like that your here I’m going to remove you forcefully he’s always blocking traffic too but don’t do that to him there has to be another way to deter him away from your home if it’s that big of a deal January 3, 2025 at 1:18 pm The turkey has been in this residence for a few years I don’t know where he came from but his name is Jim he sleeps in the woods next to 170 cedar terrace I can here him start his morning,he gobbles at a dog that barks at him my family when there here at night will.feed him before he Flys up to the trees at dark i think he is fine he should be left alone seeing that he sees our area as his home Thank you January 3, 2025 at 4:41 pm Hopefully you and the turkey can peacefully coexist January 4, 2025 at 5:02 pm His name is Tom and he’s been here at Cedar Gardens for a year and a half I became concerned and called Fish and Wildlife in Westboro They said he’s possibly lost his significant other or may have been bullied by bigger birds in the flock and chased out They said to leave him alone and unless he’s sick or injured He’s a bit of a celebrity and our mascot and no wonder why because he’s a very handsome and personable guy he can be a pain wandering in the parking lot and he’s big and occasionally loud I look for him every day and he always makes me smile I hope he continues to make Cedar Gardens his home January 5, 2025 at 2:31 am Thanks for all the concern and wise advice on how to handle this turkey who annoys and startles me from time to time Maybe that was his way of welcoming me to the Gardens January 5, 2025 at 1:28 pm Sorry to hear how much the turkey is invading your space They can be easily scared away with umbrellas or making loud noises turkeys and their poults usually run away rather than fly away from potential predators though they may also fly short distances if pressed January 7, 2025 at 4:08 pm 2025 at 10:01 am ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}The annual election is set for March 25 with polls open at 7 a.m MA — Early voting is underway for the 2025 Spring Elections in Natick which feature multiple races for boards and committees early voting will be held on the first floor of Natick Town Hall Three seats are also available on the Recreation & Parks Commission One seat each is up for election on the Board of Assessors A sample ballot can be found here. Natick will also include a budget question about a Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Override totaling $7 million "due to expenses exceeding revenues in recent years." "A number of factors have led to a structural deficit in the Town's operating budget The Town is proposing a $7,000,000 operational override for the FY 2026 operating budget the override will require a majority "yes" vote at the upcoming Annual Town Election on March 25th The annual election is set for March 25 with polls open at 7 a.m March 17, 2025 by Bob Brown Plans for this “new dynamic use” of the site include both internal and external improvements to the space This will include windows to bring natural light into the store—the current building lacks windows and improved pedestrian access outside through sidewalk and landscaping work and clearance center locations across 7 states The Natick location would be the closest to Boston other than one recently opened in Somerville Raymour’s Adam Goldberg said the store should bring 35 to 60-plus well-paying full-time positions to what will be strictly a showroom (you order and furniture is then delivered to your home) He described this as a “flagship” store based on the level of investment to buy the property and the fact that it contains 110,000 sq which is double the average size of Raymour & Flanigan’s stores The Planning Board asked questions about signs the Board was satisfied with the thoroughness of the applicant’s materials though will continue the hearing until March 26 to address lingering issues Sora Sushi & Seafood Buffet has installed its sign at the front of its Sherwood Plaza location. Things are looking far along inside as well, per a social media post by Sora. The restaurant, which fills the space vacated last year by Minado Japanese Seafood Buffet is aiming to open in late March or early April Filed Under: Business, Restaurants NATICK — At the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center in Natick, there's a memorial exhibit for Massachusetts native and war hero Sergeant First Class Jared C. Monti This exhibit features of collage of newspaper clippings that have come out in the years since his death in 2006, his Army uniform, his army duffle bag, photos of him with his army unit, friends, and fellow soldier. Even his actual of Medal of Honor, which he received posthumously in 2009 We didn't want his stuff hidden away in a room His highest honors are here," said Nicole Monti-Alicea made to donate his Medal of Honor and other accolades and physical possessions and mementos to the center in Natick Monti-Alicea said this during the formal ribbon cutting and public unveiling of the Development Command Soldier Center (DEVCOM)'s new Jared C 'Will save soldiers' lives' What is cutting-edge Natick Army lab named for Raynham hero? Around 200 military and state officials attended the ribbon cutting — not just to see a cutting edge technological innovation and programming inside the building but to commemorate the name and legacy of the person it is named after "This soldier lived a life of true character and commitment," said Major General John Cushing who added Monti "set new standards" for soldiers in the U.S Cushing said the Natick Soldier System Center has a "time-honored tradition" of naming the buildings after Medal of Honor recipients with ties to Massachusetts "He exemplified the hardship we are willing to except in order to serve our country," said Lt Medal of Honor Recipient who was the keynote speaker for the event Swenson added that Monti "went above and beyond the call of duty" because "he was not willing to leave anyone behind," and "his is a story we all aspire to." was an Army sergeant for the 10th Mountain Division in his 12th year of service and on his second tour of Afghanistan in June 2006 working as a scouting unit surveying the area came under heavy attack by a reported 60 Taliban fighters and was pinned down by enemy fire on a mountain ridge One of his fellow soldiers was hit and injured lying in the open as Taliban fighters advanced Monti attempted three times, at the risk of his own life, to rescue the injured soldier. On the third attempt, Monti was fatally injured by a rocket-propelled grenade. Sgt. First Class Jared C. Monti was only 30 when he was killed in combat “He was killed for you, for America, for everyone here.  He loved his country and he loved his fellow soldiers,” said Paul Monti, his father, in August 2020 while attending the War on Terrorism Fallen Heroes Memorial when it visited Mansfield country music artist Lee Brice released the song The song title has to do with father Paul Monti who said he kept and drove his son’s truck as a way to remember and honor him Lee Brice was in attendance for Monday's research facility unveiling and sang his hit song to the audience with Monti's 2001 Dodge Ram truck brought in specially for the performance "The song was amazing and I was so blessed" to have had the opportunity to record it it keeps coming back" because of how special the song is Nicole Monti-Alicea spoke about how she and her family dealt with the news of her brother's death in 2006 The news came to her the night before her birthday She said she hated her birthday for years after but there's always a scar," she said to the crowd having a stutter as a kid and how he worked hard and "outgrew it" to become the "tough Army man" we all celebrate today She concluded by saying events and accolades such as this new building aren't just for the dead to rest in peace he will always be that little boy with the stutter." Monti’s posthumous Medal of Honor was awarded in September 2009, the first Massachusetts resident since the Vietnam War to receive the accolade which was presented to his parents by President Barack Obama in a ceremony at the White House NATICK — Bosse, the new and nearly 100,000-square-foot pickleball facility in the former Neiman Marcus store at the Natick Mall is offering a "glow-in-the-dark" pickleball event on April 11 The event will take place from 6:30-8:30 p.m. with activities including neon photo opportunities and $1 wings in the Bosse Sports Lounge 'This is the future': Bosse opens 21-court pickleball facility in former Neiman Marcus space Bosse offers 21 pickleball courts suitable for all skill levels and four dining options, including a modern Italian restaurant and a sports bar For those interested in attending, registration can be completed online. For more details, visit www.bosse.net or call 617-609-1800 The Natick Academy of Performing Arts is set to present "Between the Lines," a new musical, on May 3-4 at MassBay Community College in Wellesley a teenage bookworm who escapes the challenges of high school by diving into her favorite fairy tale only to discover the prince in the story can actually speak to her bringing a relatively new musical to audiences is not only fun but also sends a message “It’s so important for kids to be exposed to new shows and to have the amazing opportunity to create their own characters on stage — characters that audiences haven’t seen before,” she said 'Ideal platform.': Natick child performers will present Disney classic on April 11-12 Chin said "Between the Lines" won’t be totally unfamiliar to audiences “This musical is a mixture of ‘Enchanted,’ ‘Mean Girls’ and ‘Dear Evan Hansen,’” she said “It’s a tale of teenage angst and fairy tale escape The cast features 13 students from NAPA’s Elite teen program Sadie Klau and Talia Kramer from Natick; and Emillie Stein of Wayland at MassBay Community College's main campus Tickets range from $16 for seniors and children under 12 "Between the Lines" runs for about two hours and is recommended for ages 9 and up due to some mild language. For tickets and information, visit napastage.org