Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | April 18, 2022 | Worcester Business Journal 5 and a five-story warehouse with 10,000 square feet of office space. e project is projected to create 1,000 new full-time jobs. It received a 10-year tax-increment-financing agreement from the state in December, saving Amazon roughly $11.6 million. e Town of Charlton is expecting $65 million in new tax revenue from the project over the next 20 years. Bluewater Group began site work on March 17, according to the Town of Charlton's website. Construction on the center is due to be complete by July 2023. Eric Batista named acting Worcester city manager for indefinite term e Worcester City Council voted unanimously April 12 to appoint Assistant City Manager Eric Batista as acting city manager until a permanent city manager is appointed. Batista will begin his term on June 1, the day aer current City Manager Edward Augustus is set to resign. Batista's term could be any length of time while the council follows the process of seeking a permanent city manager, but Mayor Joe Petty said it will likely be about six months. e vote followed a discussion among councilors about how long Batista should serve as acting city manager, a term which was changed in the proposal from interim city manager, as the "interim" role does not exist in the city charter. In the city charter, an acting city manager is to serve in the role until a permanent city manager is appointed. Almost every councilor spoke highly of Batista, but there was disagreement about the length of time he should serve. Councilor George Russell suggested a two-year contract for Batista, explaining the previous city manager search was long and messy. e last two city managers, Augustus and Michael O'Brien, served as interim city managers before taking on the role permanently. "at's the kind of stability we need," Russell said. Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson concurred: "e longer we wait to do these things, it makes our city and our residents extremely uncomfortable." Russell put forth a motion for a two-year contract for Batista, and asked that the word "interim" be removed completely. e contract was voted down in a 2-9 vote. On the other side, councilors Etel Haxhiaj, Khrystian King, u Nguyen, and Sarai Rivera urged the city leadership to take its time with the decision and ensure community input. "I feel really, really uncomfortable already making the determination of W BJ has partnered with the Worcester Historical Museum to run a year-long trivia contest in celebration of the 300th anniversary of Worcester's founding on June 14, 1722. Readers should email their answer to the question below by May 12 to bkane@wbjournal.com or visit the trivia page on WBJoural.com to compete for a special year-end prize package. Sponsored by Worcester 300 trivia contest -part 8 And the answer to last edition's question: e name of the Rockwood Sprinkler Co. factory today, which has most recently been used as an art gallery, is e Sprinkler Factory. e Blake Building e Blake Building was located at the corner of Foster and Mechanic Streets. It was occupied by the business of George Fordyce Blake, manufacturer of and dealers in iron, sheet, and other heavy metals. Born in 1859 in Medford, Worcester's G.F. Blake was the son of renowned mechanical inventor George Blake, Sr. and Martha Skinner. Aer graduating from MIT, he joined his father's business making steam pumps and engines. In 1884, Blake Jr. established his own business with partner Sumner Boutwell under the name of Blake, Boutwell, & Co. In 1891 Boutwell departed the firm, and it became George F. Blake Jr. & Co. In addition to the Blake Building, the company had an industrial supply department at the corner of Commercial and Exchange Streets, and a plant (and later, offices) on Quinsigamond Avenue. T H E T I C K E R 55.1 The Central Mass. Business Confidence Index score for March, a drop from 58.1 in February and below the statewide average for the first time in 2022. Sources: Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, Associated Industries of Massachusetts $16.5M Source: MassDevelopment February unemployment rates in the Greater Worcester and Leominster-Gardner metro areas, showing a one- month drop of 0.6 and 0.8 percentage points, respectively. 4.4% & 5.2% 2019 Source: Maugel DeStefano Architects Tax-exempt bond provided by MassDevelopment to nonprofit autism services nonprofit Amego Inc. to buy 16 facilities, including seven in Central Massachusetts. Year in which Maugel Architects, Inc. in Harvard acquired DeStefano Architects in Portsmouth, N.H. In April, the company rebranded to Maugel DeStefano Architects. Eric Batista n Trivia question: What is the name of the public facility currently at Foster and Mechanic streets, where the Blake Building once stood? Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics who our city manager will be without proper process," Haxhiaj said. "I strongly urge us, as a body, to follow the process, to have community input." e length of Batista's term is unknown, as it depends on how long the council takes to choose a permanent city manager. "It could be four months. It could be six months. It could be nine months, and that could be subject to negotiations, too," Petty said. Batista was appointed assistant city manager in October 2021 to serve alongside Assistant City Manager Nicole Valentine. He has worked for the City for 10 years, beginning as a project manager. He is also the director of urban innovation and the interim chief diversity officer. Boston developer buys 27 acres of commercial land in Sutton GFI Partners, a Boston-based real estate agency, bought a 27-acre commercial property in Sutton for $950,000 in a deal closed April 6. e commercial property is vacant and located off Route 146 at 48 Worcester Providence Turnpike. It is zoned B2, allowing for development Continued on next page

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