and Cooking Finery
Since 1971
Sudbury,
Massachusetts
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QuackQuackQuack.com News
June 14, 1999
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Progress as of June 4 -- foundation forms going up as ground is leveled for basement floor. |
Meaner than a Junkyard
dog?
Not really…
The recently formed Mill Village Watchdog Committee has come together very smoothly…and with three very clear objectives.
A few mentions have been made in the press recently about what has come to be called the Mill Village Watchdog Committee. The significance and importance of this committee certainly warrants illumination.
The Committee was initially the idea of Midge Day of Marjorie’s as a way of keeping all of the Mill Village tenants in touch with one another after the fire. It was seen as a way to channel communication between isolated tenants, and as a way to promote some healing after what we all went through. I am happy to report that the Mill Village Watchdog Committee (MVWC) has truly become a real force with a very focused agenda.
Let me say first that, after 27 years in business in Mill Village, I am very impressed at how well the MVWC is working. It is a real tribute to the quality and character of the tenants of Mill Village…that this many people have come together so well. As the point man (I must have been out of the room when nominations were held!) for the committee, it is a real joy to work with my fellow tenants on this level.
We have 3 main objectives on the committee, and meet on a weekly basis to discuss issues, progress, and general communication as to how everyone is doing.
Our first
objective is to stay abreast of the construction developments in the new
Village. I meet weekly with Randy Goldberg to discuss progress being made,
issues that have developed…and then we map everything to the master
timeline. I feel that this is of the utmost importance as most tenants
want and need to hit the holiday season at a full run. Without that holiday
season, many of the businesses are on thin ice, so to speak. Therefore,
we have a solid conduit into the construction process, and in our weekly
MVWC meetings, everyone is brought up to date on the prior week’s
happenings. It also gives us a chance to put in our two cents worth whenever
possible…and work closely to keep the schedule from backsliding.
This really serves to give every one of the tenants (I think!) a larger
sense of community and purpose for what we are doing.
The second objective of the committee is to oversee the disbursement of charitable donations that have come in. We are actively involved in identifying local charities that have raised funds for the fire victims. I feel that we are deeply accountable to those who have donated to the Mill Village fire victims, and strive to use the money as it was intended. Absolutely none of the funds are to be used for commercial purposes. This was not the donors’ intent…nor will it be ours.
The third objective is our "community objective": Rebuilding the historical hub of Sudbury. We want to be sure that the history of Sudbury and Mill Village comes back and is properly represented. The MVWC sees this as a beautiful thing to give back to town residents.
We have begun working closely with various historians and the Sudbury Valley Trustees to ensure that our efforts are on target. We have plans to clean up the Hop Brook area at the edge of the Village…make it accessible to tenants and customer as a place of beauty and relaxation. Used to be years ago that one could sit on the banks of the "Hop" and dangle one’s feet in the water during lunch or a break. We want to restore that, and restore the bird and wildlife aspect of it as well.
All of us on the Mill Village Watchdog Committee feel great about the progress being made. We are happy to answer any questions you may have as it pertains to our objectives…and welcome your input as well.
And yes, the foundation is aggressively going in. We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the steel, which should be here on June 21st. The new Mill Village moves forward one girder at a time.
Be
well,
Richard