Twenty residents attended the final broadband update meeting in town hall Nov. 10 before the Broadband Municipal Light Plant asks a special town meeting Nov. 19 to approve borrowing $800,000 to pay for building the planned local internet system.

Chair Chip Bull said if the measure is approved, the project can proceed and all homes in town will be connected by the end of  2019. If the measure, which needs a two-thirds vote, fails, the project will come to an end. An agreement with state agencies regarding reimbursement must be finalized in the next 10 days or the meeting will be cancelled. Petersham is the only town presently in a "funding in arrears" category for a broadband project. Bull said Petersham will spend much less than other rural communities even if the state's promised reiimbursement does not materialize.

Bull said the cost of making utility poles ready to carry new cabling is higher than originally expected in part because Petersham has some 1,985 utility poles but it was originally thought there were only 1,375 poles to contend with.

Committee vice chairman John Blum said, "If we don't get this funding, Petersham doesn't get broadband."  Bull urged those at the meeting to get their neighbors to come to the special town meeting and vote in favor of the borrowing. 

Thirty seven residents attended a second informal meeting in town hall Nov. 7 to discuss possible futures for the vacant Nichewaug buildings on the common. Ann Townsend contributed a seven page list of historic moments in the history of the complex including previous owners and attempts by several private groups to redevelop the buildings.

The town took ownership of the 6.6-acre property in 2007,  has had consultants study the options and has issued two requests for development proposals. Moderator Bart Wendell led  the group to create a list of Nichewaug "facts." He said the informal meetings are intended to determine whether there is a consensus about the fate of the vacant complex.

Several residents said the historic inn at the front of the property is an important part of the appeal of the town common. Some said preservation efforts have returned properties like Wentworth by the Sea in New Castle NH and Highfield Hall and Gardens in Falmouth to appropriate and productive uses. Others are concerned that an increase in activity related to development would diminish the appeal of the town center. Ann Lewis, who chaired the first town study group, said modern technology is available to provide ways to meet today's septic system requirements.

Wendell said a third informal meeting will be held in town hall at 6:30 p.m. November 28. He invited residents to submit one-page plans for the property by Nov. 24.

OPINION: Send Us Your Opinions About the Nichewaug MORE

Mass Department of Revenue has certified the town's fiscal year 2019 Tax Rate at $16.93 per thousand. The 2018 rate was $16.37 per thousand of assessed value. The increase is .56 cents per thousand of value.

Selectmen, FinComm and broadband committee members agreed Oct. 30 they will be asking voters to approve borrowing another $800,000 to pay a promised state share of building a town-wide high-speed internet system. Broadband committee Chair Chip Bull said a written agreement from the state to repay the town after the system is completely built and operating is in the works. So far, Petersham is the only underserved community to be put into a "Funding in Arrears" category by the state. Bull said, "We are unique because we have decided to have the network built and operated by a third party."

The loan request will require a two-thirds vote at a special Nov. 19 town meeting as well as a ballot measure to designate the money as excluded from the tax rate. The Broadband group will hold another information session to update voters on the plan at 4 p.m. Saturday Nov. 10 in town hall. He said two state agencies have voted to favor the promised reimbursement and final details are being worked out. When the reimbursement is paid, the borrowing will be paid off.

The town's contractor Matrix Design of New Jersey, is expected to shoulder  $1.75 million of the total project cost. The town has already spent $560,000 for anticipated "make ready" work and is expected to commit the remaining $800,000 to pay for installing the system. Selectboard chair Nancy Allen said National Grid has raised its projected cost of upgrading utility poles so an anticipated $160,000 budget surplus will not materialize.

Bull said the town must shoulder the cost of moving cables previously installed by the Massachusetts Broadband Institute because MBI has refused to move those cables to proper positions.

Quabbin Retreat, the first program of a three-unit drug and alcohol treatment project run by Heywood Healthcare, will close and move to Gardner temporarily. Heywood president Win Brown told the program's community advisory board Oct. 29 that the move is necessary because the day counseling program is not supported by insurance payments at its current location.

A 40-bed second treatment unit, also at the 211 North Main Street site but managed by MacLean Hospital, is not affected by the move, Brown said. The insurance payments problem could be resolved by spring and the program will return to Petersham, Brown said.

Members of a "Petersham Committee" held an informational meeting to explain their plans to create a way to help residents age in place in town. Forty community members attended the  meeting at the center School cafeteria September 26. Petersham presently  has limited services for elders.

Jim Reagan told the group the plan is to follow a "Village to Village" model to recruit subscribers and volunteers who might provide services like home making, yard work, trips to the grocery store and more. He said the nearest similar working model of such a group is Monadnock at Home in Southern New Hampshire. Such groups began with Beacon Hill Village in Boston and have spread across the country. With volunteers and paid staff, they collect information about available services and service providers and volunteers to hep senior members of their communities.

The group plans a follow-up organizational meeting after the Age Council luncheon on October 22 and will discuss forming an advisory council.