Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | November 4, 2019 | Worcester Business Journal 23 Bruce Mathieu Senior Vice President Business Development Officer 978.353.1331 Intelligent BUSINESS Solutions Start here! Info: ICCreditUnion.org or businessbanking@iccreditunion.com Federally Insured by NCUA Like, Friend or Follow Us Flexibility…that's what our Business Line of Credit is all about. Whether you need to make purchases for the short term, or need some cash flow, IC's Business Line of Credit keeps your business moving forward. People. Places. Product. Photographic images for advertising, public relations, graphic and corporate communications groups . See the difference. 165 Holly Lane • Holliston, MA 01746 Phone: 774.248.4050 • www.ronbouleyphoto.com R O N B O U L E Y P H O T O G R A P H Y C E N T R A L M A S S . S O U T H R E G I O N S Tax rate per $1,000 Community in assessed value Central Mass. South property tax rates Dudley ...........................................13.50 Spencer .........................................13.86 Charlton .........................................14.77 Webster .........................................15.33 West Brookfield .............................15.67 East Brookfield ..............................16.47 North Brookfield ............................16.98 Oxford ...........................................17.03 Warren ...........................................18.15 Brookfield ......................................18.95 Sturbridge .....................................19.15 Southbridge ...................................20.38 Source: Mass. Department of Revenue Community Minutes Central Mass. South residents' avg. commutes Southbridge ...................................... 25.5 Dudley .............................................. 27.8 Oxford .............................................. 27.9 West Brookfield ................................ 28.2 Webster ............................................ 28.6 East Brookfield ................................. 31.3 Sturbridge ........................................ 31.6 Charlton ............................................ 32.0 Brookfield ......................................... 32.6 North Brookfield ............................... 33.2 Spencer ............................................ 33.3 Warren .............................................. 33.6 Sources: U.S. Census Bureau 2013-2017 American Community Survey Year Assessed value Central Mass. South combined total property value 2013 .................................$8,972,958,305 2014 .................................$8,918,672,432 2015 .................................$8,968,901,200 2016 .................................$9,096,105,537 2017 .................................$9,343,635,948 2018 .................................$9,863,635,052 2019 ...............................$10,697,350,132 Source: Mass. Department of Revenue local businesses while also allowing the village to provide additional visitor experiences." e financial impact of the village is felt far beyond the park as well, said Kevin Filchak, economic development and tourism coordinator for the Town of Sturbridge. Local hotels and restau- rants see a rise in customers during wedding season. Visitors to Stur- bridge may make plans to explore Old Sturbridge Village but can then take advantage of other local businesses and events – from apple picking to local taverns to harvest festivals and apple cider weekends. With the Sturbridge hotel sales tax, Filchak said the town saw an addition- al $183,000 in revenue last year to be re-invested into the community. "e spill-over effect from the vil- lage has been immense," Filchak said. "It's one of the anchor properties in the community that draws people to the region. Its impact is just immense." Living history But beyond the economic impact, the spirit and culture of Old Sturbridge Village permeates the entire region. "e town and people in Sturbridge pride themselves on this preservation of history," Filchak said. "e residents pride themselves on maintaining that New England way of life. It's a critical part of our identity." Two years ago the village and Do- nahue pushed forward with a charter school to eventually serve students from kindergarten through 8th grade. Currently, the school has 240 students in grades K through 5. Even though the school opened 10 years aer Donahue started, it was always his goal to make Old Sturbridge Village an educational center for the region. "I envisioned opening a charter school when interviewing for the job," he said. "I come from an educational background and looking at this site, you can see opportunities everywhere for teaching and learning – education is core to the museum's mission." Filchak and McVitt said visitors can't just come Sturbridge Village once. e ever-changing list of events whether it's the Sleepy Hollow experience, the cra beer and roots music festival, Christ- mas by Candlelight, or the famed red coats and rebels event, there's always a reason to come back. But for Donahue, the success and impact of Old Sturbridge Village comes down to living the mission of the museum. "at history is under siege in this country," Donahue said. "History is not being taught in schools like it has been in the past, and families don't have the leisure time anymore to make weekend trips to the village or Plimoth Plan- tation. We're in a guerilla battle, and museums like the village need to think creatively on how to expose people to history. We're focused on the living portion of the museum – trying to make the village a place where history comes to life." FB

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