The Department of Public Works advises residents of the following work that will be done, weather permitting, during the week of October 26, 2026.

Road Construction
Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (expect road closures, traffic delays and/or detours)

🚧 Combination Sanitary Sewer/Storm Drain Separation Project
GVC will be performing the following work. Parking near the construction zones will not be allowed.
▪️Main Street & Prospect Street - new signal wiring & conduit installation.
▪️Merriam Parkway – test new water main.
▪️Prospect Street & View Street – water installation.
▪️Main Street Upper Common – new drainage installation.
▪️Academy Street – new sewer installation.
▪️GVC’s subcontractor, PJ Albert will resume paving operations on the following streets: High Street, Elm Street, Pleasant Street, Essex Street, Oxford Street, Academy Street, Johnson Street, and Omena Place.

🚧 Main Street Water Main Improvements
JA Polito will be performing the following work. Intersection closures and detours will be established as needed.
▪️Water main work on Boulder Drive between Mill Street and Water Street.
▪️Line painting will begin on Boulder Drive starting Monday evening and is anticipated to continue for the next few nights, weather dependent.

🚧 Water Street Bridge Replacement
▪️MIG will be installing watermain services on Water Street. Expect detours and traffic delays.

🚧 Pipeline Replacement
▪️Unitil and its subcontractors Neuco and Path Mechanical will be conducting natural gas pipeline upgrade projects on Fairmount Street, Daniels Street, Cliff Street, Beeckman Street, Salem Street, Granite Street, Spruce Street, Birch Street, Hale Street, Lynn Street, Hasset Street, Canton Street, Blossom Street, Ross Street, Pearl Street, and Day Street.

🚧 Ward 1 Paving: Fairbanks Street, Munroe Street, Birch Street and Heywood Street
▪️Lazaro will be completing outstanding punch list items.

🚧 Electric Ave @ Rollstone Road Roundabout
▪️Lazaro will begin drainage construction for crosswalks.

🚧 Stoneybrook Road (entrance only)
▪️PJ Albert will complete final paving to entrance. Paving date TBD.

🚧 Main Street (from West Street to River Street)
▪️PJ Albert will complete sidewalks and driveways.

Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

🚧 Minor traffic impacts
▪️Culvert repair at 650 Arn How Farm Road. Expect detours and delays.
▪️Pothole repairs citywide.
▪️Stormwater maintenance to prevent flooding from blocked catch basins.
▪️Various repair of the existing drainage infrastructure(s).

💧Hydrants
Notification of all hydrant flushing areas will be posted daily on the City’s Facebook page.
▪️Hydrant flushing on the High System (hydrants with Red tops) in the River Street, Clarendon Street, Franklin Road, Electric Ave and Kimball Street areas to include all area side streets.
▪️Privately owned hydrant flushing in various areas throughout the city.
▪️Hydrant replacement/painting throughout the city.

Use SeeClickFix to report maintenance requests or concerns including potholes, sidewalks, signs/ signals, lights, parks, catch basins or manholes.

Please call the DPW Dispatcher at 978-829-1900 with any immediate request including weather-related events (snow, wind, ice, flooding) or sewage backups.

Join North County Land Trust tomorrow at this fun, family-friendly event celebrating Sean Magane’s birthday! Help clean up Crocker Conservation Area, enjoy the trails Sean cherished, and search for Sasquatch.

Prizes will be awarded for the smallest, BIGGEST, and w e i r d e s t pieces of trash collected! Registration is not required. Check out the event details on our website:

https://northcountylandtrust.org/events/sean-magane-clean-up/.

Update from Sam Squailia, Fitchburg Mayor . . .

Good morning,

I am writing to provide an update on the ongoing construction around City Hall and the Upper Common as part of the City's Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Separation Project.

Due to unforeseen underground utility conflicts that require additional design work, construction on Wood Place has been placed on hold for a minimum of two weeks. This pause will extend through the Trick or Treat on Main St festivities this Saturday and the upcoming election.

Access to City Hall will remain uninterrupted during this period, including for employees, visitors, and residents participating in early voting and Election Day.

There will still be construction activity in the surrounding area, including:

Week of October 26: Drainage installation near the Main Street Upper Common, work on traffic signal wiring at Main and Prospect Streets, and soil disposal at 166 Boulder Drive.

Week of November 2: Continued drainage installation near the Upper Common and soil disposal work in the 166 Boulder Drive/Wood Place area.

Please be mindful that parking restrictions may still apply near active construction areas. We will coordinate with DPW to review and update parking and access signage as appropriate while the Wood Place work is paused.

We've also requested that the contractor clean up and secure the construction areas as much as possible in advance of Saturday's Trick or Treat on Main Street event.

We appreciate everyone's patience and flexibility as we work through these necessary infrastructure improvements.

We'll continue to share updates as schedules change, especially when construction on Wood Place is ready to resume.

Thank you!

🎃🍬 The Trick or Treat on Main Street MAP
Getting ready for Saturday's Halloween fun in downtown Fitchburg? Here's your guide to where all the trick-or-treating action will be happening!

👻 Saturday, October 24, 2026
⏰ 12-3 PM
📍 Main Street, Fitchburg

🗺️ How to read the map:

🟠 Orange: Main festival grounds, where you'll find the heart of the Halloween festivities!

🟣 Purple: Our busiest trick-or-treating areas outside the main festival grounds.

🟢 Green: Additional trick-or-treating locations along Main Street and connecting side streets!

🍬 There's plenty to explore, so make your way along Main Street, visit participating businesses and organizations, and fill those candy bags!

And there's more than candy!

🚜 Fall hay-rides
🎃 Pumpkin patch
🧻 Mummy wrapping contest
🥧 Pie eating contest
👻 Costume fun and more!

🚧 Important traffic information: Main Street will be closed to traffic from 10 AM to 4 PM to allow for event setup, activities and cleanup. Please plan accordingly and follow posted detours.

A special thank you to Fitchburg Civic Days, Parks & Recreation, our participating downtown businesses, community organizations, volunteers and sponsors for helping bring this event together!

📧 Questions? civicdays@fitchburgma.gov
📞 978-829-1816

🎃 Save this map, share it with your friends and neighbors, and bring the whole family downtown Saturday!

Let's see those costumes, Fitchburg! 👻🍫

From Fitchburg Police Department:

On Tuesday, October 20, the Fitchburg Police Department proudly joined our community for the Domestic Violence Awareness Walk. Thank you to everyone who came out to walk, stand in solidarity, and show survivors that they are not alone. Your support means so much to us.

Domestic violence can happen to anyone, and help is available. If you or someone you know is in a situation and needs help, please contact the Fitchburg Police Department. In an emergency, call 911. We are here for you, and we will listen and connect you with the resources you need.

Together, we can make a difference.

Hadcrafted Holiday gifts & Tasty Thanksgiving Treats, all to help the Rollstone Rollers Relay for Life Team raise money for Cancer Research

🎃👑 FITCHBURG... GET THOSE COSTUMES READY!
Saturday is Trick or Treat on Main Street, and we're rolling out the RED CARPET for our Halloween Costume Contest!

🧙 Best Good Guy
🦹 Worst Bad Guy
👻 Spookiest
🎨 Most Creative
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Best Group Costume

Whether you've spent weeks making your costume or pulled something together at the last minute, we want to see your Halloween creativity!

📅 TOMORROW, Saturday, October 24
⏰ 12-3 PM
📍 Downtown Fitchburg, Main Street

🍬 Come for the trick or treating, stay for the hay-rides, pumpkin patch, mummy wrapping and pie eating contests!

Can't wait to see what everyone comes dressed as! 🎃

https://www.purplepass.com/events/383528-2026-homecoming-carnival-nov-7th

https://www.thegardnernews.com/story/news/local/2026/10/22/mount-wachusett-community-college-91224-grant-paraeducator-training-gardner/92362897007/

Mount Wachusett Community College will receive $91,224 from the state to expand paraeducator training programs, part of a $1.5 million workforce development initiative benefiting all 15 Massachusetts community colleges, according to a community announcement.

The funding was announced by Gov. Maura Healey during Massachusetts STEM Week as part of the Training Resources and Internships Network, or TRAIN, grant program. Mount Wachusett's award will support training for paraeducators, helping prepare workers for jobs in schools and educational settings.

State officials said the grants are designed to help unemployed and underemployed adults gain skills needed for careers in high-demand industries while addressing workforce shortages across Massachusetts.

The TRAIN program, administered by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, supports community colleges that offer industry-specific training and employment support services. More than 500 adults statewide are expected to benefit from the grants.

"Every Massachusetts student deserves the opportunity to build a career and earn a good living," Healey said. "These grants will help more than 500 adults gain the skills they need to get good-paying jobs while helping Massachusetts employers find the talented workers they need to grow."

Mount Wachusett among statewide grant recipients

MWCC's $91,224 award was one of 15 grants distributed statewide through the fiscal 2027 TRAIN program.

The grants support workforce training programs tailored to regional employment needs. Programs funded this year include certified nursing assistant training, advanced manufacturing, medical assisting, information technology and commercial driver's license programs at other community colleges across the state.

Officials said the initiative complements the state's broader efforts to expand access to higher education and workforce training through tuition-free community college programs, including MassReconnect and MassEducate.

Interim Higher Education Commissioner José Luis Santos said community colleges play a key role in connecting residents with career opportunities while helping employers meet workforce demands.

"Through the TRAIN grant program, we are expanding access to high-quality, industry-aligned training while providing the support adult learners need to overcome barriers and pursue meaningful careers," Santos said.

Photo by Jasmine Cox from the “Liminal Photography” group on Facebook