The Town Administrator appointed Aiden Adams as Sturbridge’s new Town Planner effective July 23, 2026, and the Select Board confirmed the appointment.

The planner role touches many resident-facing issues, including development, zoning, housing, conservation, business activity, and long-range planning.

The Select Board approved three call firefighter appointments for the Sturbridge Fire Department:

The appointments fill existing vacancies on the call force, bringing the call firefighter roster back to 10 members, up from 7.

This does not mean the town added three new full-time firefighter positions. According to the Fire Department, the vacancies came from two resignations and one call firefighter promotion to fill a full-time vacancy.

The department said it is now at its full budgeted and authorized line-personnel complement: 14 career firefighters and 10 call firefighters.

Tetreault brings experience from Holland Fire and private EMS and previously served with Sturbridge Fire. Massaro is a full-time career member of the Shrewsbury Fire Department who will serve Sturbridge part-time/on call. Wright is a Sturbridge native, recent Tantasqua graduate, and recruit from the TRHS Fire Academy.

Chief Graasso also gave the Select Board the department’s May and June reports.

In May, the department responded to 233 emergency incidents, including 148 EMS patient encounters. The average response time was 6 minutes, 12 seconds, with 74% of emergency responses arriving in under eight minutes.

In June, the department responded to 212 emergency incidents, bringing the year-to-date total to 1,273 emergency responses through the first six months of 2026. The average June response time was 5 minutes, 50 seconds, with 79% of emergency responses arriving in under eight minutes.

The Finance Committee approved three year-end reserve fund transfers.

The largest transfer was $32,000 for Fire Department wages.

Chief Graasso said the wage deficit was tied to several factors:

The committee also discussed how injured-on-duty insurance reimbursement works. Town officials said the exact reimbursement amount was not available at the meeting and that reimbursement revenue does not go directly back into the Fire Department salary account.

The transfer passed 6–1.

The committee approved $9,243.50 for a Town Hall air-conditioning repair after a valve failed.

That transfer passed 7–0.

The committee also approved $651 for Veterans Services costs after a shared-service arrangement changed.

That transfer passed 7–0.

After the three transfers, the reserve fund was expected to drop from about $121,827.63 to $79,933.13.

The Select Board approved an all-alcoholic-beverage license transfer connected to the Uno location at 120 Charlton Road.

The applicant described the change as a corporate reorganization. The restaurant will continue operating as Uno Pizzeria & Grill, and the on-site manager was described as unchanged.

The Board closed the public hearing and approved the transfer.

The Select Board approved an extension of the Plimpton master plan contract to September 30, 2026.

The delay was tied to invasive-species and Natural Heritage corridor issues.

The Board was told there was no change in funding. The action only extended the contract timeline.

The Select Board accepted a $500 donation from John McCabe for the Sturbridge Fire Department.

McCabe sent the donation after a 911 call at Publick House involving his wife, who was experiencing chest pains. In the letter read at the meeting, he credited the responding crew with quickly recognizing the seriousness of the situation and transporting her to UMass Lakeside.

The Select Board voted to accept the donation.

The Finance Committee discussed ways to make its Town Meeting report easier for residents to understand.

Ideas included clearer explanations of:

No final format was approved, but the committee appeared interested in making the report more useful for voters before Town Meeting.

The Finance Committee also briefly returned to the question of short-term rentals, including Airbnb-style rentals and whether Sturbridge could consider an additional local surcharge.

No proposal was approved.

Town Administrator Robin Grimm said the issue would likely require bylaw and planning work before moving forward. Questions included zoning, enforcement, neighborhood impacts, and how rentals would be identified.

For now, this remains an early-stage discussion, not a policy change.

A few items to keep watching:

The Town Minute is an independent publication and is not affiliated with the Town of Sturbridge or any municipal office. While we strive for accuracy, errors or omissions may occur. This content is intended as a public-friendly summary, not an official record. For official and complete records, please refer to the Town’s approved meeting minutes and official meeting recordings on the Town’s website.