Worcester Business Journal

B R I E FS Enrollment drops at CMass. public colleges Enrollment at public colleges in Central Massachusetts has dropped substantially, including by more than 10% at Framingham State University and Mount Wachusett Community College, a trend echoed statewide as higher education has been upended by the coronavirus pandemic. At Mount Wachusett in Gardner, enrollment this fall is down an estimated 14.5% from an average of the past four years, according to data presented to the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education. At Framingham State, the drop was 10.3%. At Worcester State University, it was 7.0%. Statewide, from community colleges to the University of Massachusetts, enrollment this fall dropped by 7.1%. Among all the Central Mass. public colleges, the enrollment drop ranged from 5% to 15%. 188-unit development slated for Marlborough A Marlborough City Council committee has begun reviewing a proposed 188-unit residential project on a long-undeveloped site on Route 20 east of downtown. e project, called Wolcott Heritage Farms, would be built on a stretch of Boston Post Road east that's largely commercial except for one stretch: McGee Farm. Waypoint Real Estate Investments, a Florida firm with regional offices in Connecticut, is proposing multifamily housing there while keeping more than 20 acres preserved as open space. Wolcott Heritage Farms has already received approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals and Conservation Commission, and now awaits a special permit from the City Council. 100K sq. ft. in Natick & Framingham office space vacated e office market in Framingham and Natick is poised to have more than 100,000 square feet of office space available for sublease as some notable tenants give up capacity during the coronavirus pandemic. At least five office tenants between the two communities are subleasing space, according to R.W. Holmes Realty Co. of Wayland, which described those actions as an unwelcome sign for the local office market. In Framingham, the video game technology company Beamable, which has filed for bankruptcy, is giving up nearly 32,000 square feet of space, the energy efficiency and green energy firm Ameresco, the wellness technology company Virgin Pulse and the engineering consultant EPM are each offering roughly 20,000 square feet. In Natick, the soware company Centage is subleasing 17,000 square feet. Framingham video game firm files for bankruptcy Framingham video game technology company Beamable, formerly known as Disruptor Beam, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Oct. 1 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. e company reported $3.4 million in liabilities and $637,987 in property assets. Beamable has made video games based on the TV shows Game of rones, Walking Dead and Star Trek, and until a few years ago was a fast- growing firm that looked to have a bright future. e company moved into larger offices in Framingham in 2017, and made the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the country in 2017 and 2018. Worcester's Skylite Roller Skating Center to close Skylite Roller Skating Center in Worcester will close aer four decades in business. e skating center at 648 Park Ave. in Webster Square did not say whether its closure was related to the coronavirus pandemic causing untold numbers of closures of businesses typically operating with people packed indoors closely together. "e decision to close Skylite was not an easy one," the rink said Monday on its website and Facebook page. "e generations of families and all of our customers have meant so much to us." Honeywell acquires Ballard's drone division Charlotte conglomerate Honeywell has acquired the Southborough-based unmanned aerial vehicle subsidiary of Vancouver, B.C.,-based Ballard Power Systems, Inc. e deal transfers Ballard Unmanned Systems, a subsidiary of Ballard, and all of its assets and employees to Honeywell. e financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. e agreement marks an upcoming collaboration on fuel cell technology, although the Ballard release indicates those agreements are still being worked on while the Honeywell release says the deal involves Ballard's team of fuel-cell experts joining the company. Commuter rail is for Boston day trips F L AS H P O L L What do you typically use the MBTA commuter rail for? Starting Nov. 2, as its readjusts its entire schedule, the MBTA will reintroduce its Heart to Hub service, providing an express train option to connect Worcester commuters to Boston in just over an hour, arriving in Boston at 7:37 a.m. and leaving Boston at 4:35 p.m. The express train schedule had previously been criticized for failing to meet the needs of commuters, who work during typical business hours. When polled online, the plurality of WBJ readers said the main reason they use commuter rail is for day trips to Greater Boston. T H E T I C K E R $2.3 million Amount in permit fees waived by the City of Worcester as part of its deal with Madison Properties for a development near Polar Park Source: City of Worcester 2 years Source: Milford Regional Medical Center Amount of time it took Milford Regional Medical Center to shift to a new $18-million electronic medical record system Number of Assumption University schools named after alumni, following the October designation of the Froelich School of Nursing, named for Christopher Froelich 3 Source: Assumption University Loan from the North Central Massachusetts Development Corp. to Moon Hill Brewing Co. in Gardner, to retain 95 full- and part-time jobs $50K Source: North Central Massachusetts Development Corp. To visit friends and family Day trips in and around boston 37% W Commuting for work 20% 7% wbjournal.com | October 12, 2020 | Worcester Business Journal 5 I don't use the commuter rail. 36%

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