Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | November 14, 2022 | Worcester Business Journal 7 No more mask requirements F L AS H P O L L Does your business require staff or customers to wear face masks? In anticipation of a surge of COVID cases this winter, along with flu season and new concerns about RSV, the City of Worcester is recommending wearing masks indoors. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention strongly urged wearing masks during most of the first phase of the COVID pandemic, although wearing masks then became politicized. Mask requirements have largely fallen by the wayside, although they are still required in some settings, such as medical offices. When polled online, more than half of WBJ readers said their businesses will not require masks moving forward. COMMENTS No, we never required masks. 12% "Our requirement is for our clinical sites and for anyone at our administration building without full vaccination." T H E T I C K E R $125 million Sale price of the property hosting the National Resilience biotechnology manufacturing facility in Marlborough. The property was purchased by Canadian real estate giant Oxford Properties Group. Source: Middlesex South Registry of Deeds 1.2 million Source: Massachusetts Land Court Square footage of a proposed warehouse at a former Intel facility in Hudson, which neighbors have sued to stop development. Penalties the Westford Group agreed to pay over alleged violations of child labor law at 21 Dunkin locations across Central Massachusetts $145K Source: Massachusetts Attorney General's Office Acres the Sudbury Valley Trustees bought for $1.25 million in Boxborough, which it plans to transfer to the town, for a conservation area off Sargent Road 23 Source: Middlesex South Registry of Deeds B R I E FS "e hospital made a series of unforced errors of the past year that has led us to where we are now," Bolduc said, "We approached the board about a change in leadership." e group presented their concerns about Brady to the FHCW board in two meetings. e board decided to stick with the current leadership because of what the board members see as positive changes at the hospital in the previous weeks, said Bolduc. e request for leadership change and board's decision to stick with Brady were confirmed by Nicolas DiBella, FHCW marketing and communications manager. "Lou inherited an organization that already had significant structural problems and there have been external challenges that made things very difficult for us and other community health centers," said Bolduc. Worcester moves to make Eric Batista permanent city manager e Worcester City Council on Oct. 25 voted 6-5 to kill a proposed nationwide search for the city government's next city manager, paving the way for Acting City Manager Eric Batista to take over the powerful role on a permanent basis. "It has been nothing short of a privilege to serve the public as acting city manager since my appointment in June. I found my purpose in municipal government 10 years ago working on youth violence prevention and urban innovation in the second largest city in New England and a home in the City Manager's Office. When the time comes and at the will of the City Council, I look forward to leading the City's administration prioritizing the needs and interests of our residents, property owners and businesses with a focus on equity and inclusion while balancing a fiscally responsible budget," said Batista. e City Council voted 10-1 in May to approve the request for proposals from firms to conduct a search for city manager candidates. Only one firm, GovHR USA of Illinois, responded to that RFP by the time the bid closed. e Oct. 25 vote ended the search. Batista was appointed to be acting city manager in April aer former City Manager Edward Augustus announced in March he would step down from his position at the end of May. e City of Worcester uses a council-manager, or Plan E, form of government, where the city manager is in charge of the operations of the city and answers to the city council, which is elected. e mayor is a part- time position and part of the city council. Batista, who would be the city's first nonwhite permanent city manager, is also serving as the interim chief diversity officer following the March resignation of Stephanie Williams. Fitchburg dog treat manufacturer expands with $3M property deal Specialty Products Resources Inc., a Fitchburg-based manufacturer and distributor of rawhide treats and novelty items for dogs, has purchased a 38,400-square-foot industrial building at 149 Industrial Road in Fitchburg to expand its operations. e $3-million deal was completed on Nov. 7, said Paul Matt of Worcester's Kelleher and Sadowsky Associates, who with William Kelleher represented the seller, Denardo Wire & Cable. Specialty Products Resources was represented by Alan Ringuette of e Stubblebine Company in Lexington. e company will maintain its location at 225 Industrial Road in Fitchburg. Specialty Products Resources Inc. is a family-owned company in operation for the last 15 years. Former Saint-Gobain site granted $2M for redevelopment Massachusetts, as part of its Community One Stop for Growth program, awarded the City of Worcester and Worcester Business Development Corp. a combined $1.75 million toward the redevelopment of former factory buildings which are part of Saint-Gobain's Worcester site. e $1.5 million grant awarded to the City of Worcester from the MassWorks Infrastructure Program will be used to demolish 10 vacant industrial buildings for redevelopment, as part of the City and WBDC's Greendale Revitalization Initiative. e project will create multiple pad- ready sites for redevelopment with the potential to accommodate 1 million square feet of manufacturing space and create an estimated 1,000 jobs. Continued from page 5 Eric Batista, acting Worcester city manager Yes, we just instituted a new mask requirement. 1% Yes, we have required them since early in the pandemic. 11% No, we're done with mask requirements. 45% We hope not, but would require them if there is a significant uptick in cases. 30% W

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