Sudbury Finance Committee Weighs Options To Close FY28 Budget Gap

SUDBURY — Sudbury's Finance Committee got its first extended look this week at options for closing a projected fiscal 2028 budget gap, a discussion that landed the same week as an emergency water main break on Peakham Road, the start of rail trail construction and a Loring Elementary fall festival.

TOWN HALL

Sudbury Water District crews made an emergency repair Friday, Sept. 18, at the intersection of Peakham Road and Fox Run Road, temporarily cutting water service to homes on Peakham Road, Fox Run and Saddle Ridge Road. Service was restored by late morning as crews isolated and fixed the line.

The Department of Public Works will begin maintenance work along the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail on Monday, Sept. 21; trail users should expect temporary access impacts. Separately, the town's Liberty Ledge/Sewataro planning effort will present draft recommendations Thursday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. at the Fairbank Community Center and via Zoom, and the Sudbury Fire Department will hold its annual Open House Saturday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at headquarters on Hudson Road.

Looking ahead to the fall, the Sudbury Cultural Council has opened its annual grant round for arts, culture, humanities and education programs, with applications due Thursday, Oct. 15. The state election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 3, with polls open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Fairbank Community Center and early voting running Oct. 17 through Oct. 30.

SCHOOLS

Sudbury Public Schools has no classes Monday, Sept. 21, and holds its next School Committee meeting remotely on Monday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. The district recently posted its Sept. 14 School Committee agenda packet and an enrollment update as of Sept. 11.

At Israel Loring Elementary, the PTO's Leopard Fest fall festival brought families to the school Saturday evening, Sept. 19, for music, pizza, face painting and the annual "Beat the Bucket" dunking of fifth graders, with the PTO's fall Book Fair running alongside in the school gym.

COMMUNITY & ARTS

Chabad Jewish Center of Sudbury is observing Yom Kippur this weekend, with Kol Nidre services Sunday evening, Sept. 20, at 6:30 p.m. and Yom Kippur services Monday, Sept. 21, from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., including a children's program, at its Horse Pond Road center.

Sudbury families can also join the Sudbury PMC Kids Ride Sunday, Sept. 20, a bike-a-thon benefiting pediatric cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Longfellow's Wayside Inn's calendar includes a Colonial Faire on Saturday, Sept. 26, and the Wayside 5K road race on Saturday, Oct. 3.

ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS

"FinCom Lukewarm on Override Avoidance Mechanisms": Sudbury's Assistant Town Manager and Finance Director, Victor Garofalo, presented fiscal 2028 budget-gap projections to the Finance Committee at its Sept. 14 meeting, drawing reactions ranging from cautious support to open skepticism, per Sudbury Weekly (read it at https://sudburyweekly.com/fincom-lukewarm-on-override-avoidance-mechanisms/).

"Sudbury Select Board Sets 7 Priorities For Fiscal 2027": The Select Board has adopted seven priorities for the coming fiscal year touching town finances, staffing, transportation, rail trails and economic development, Sudbury Patch reports (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/sudbury).

"Sudbury Sets Timeline For Smile Playground, Restroom Upgrades": Renovations at Smile Playground and the Haskell Field restrooms are set to begin later this month, according to Sudbury Patch (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/sudbury).

"SPS Teachers Voice Confidence In Interim Superintendent": Sudbury Education Association president Melissa Morabito told the School Committee on Sept. 14 that teachers have appreciated the interim superintendent's communication this fall, per Sudbury Weekly (read it at https://sudburyweekly.com/sps-teachers-voice-confidence-in-interim-superintendent/).

"Representative Gentile to Hold September District Virtual Office Hours": State Rep. Carmine Gentile will hold virtual office hours for constituents on Monday, Sept. 28, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to Sudbury Weekly (read it at https://sudburyweekly.com/representative-gentile-to-hold-september-district-virtual-office-hours-2/).

"State Senate Candidate Forum Sept. 30 in Acton": Democratic incumbent James Eldridge and Republican challenger Timothy Shea will square off at a Middlesex and Worcester District forum on Sept. 30 at Acton Town Hall, per Sudbury Weekly (read it at https://sudburyweekly.com/state-senate-candidate-forum-sept-30-in-acton/).

"Get A Grant!": Sudbury Weekly also flagged the Cultural Council's new grant round, a story the town's News Flash also covered today (read it at https://sudburyweekly.com/get-a-grant/).

COMING UP

The Sudbury Public Schools food drive for the Sudbury Food Pantry, known as Food Pantry Friday, returns to Loring Elementary on Friday, Sept. 25, with volunteer shifts starting around 8 a.m.

Compiled from official town feeds, community organizations, and local press. Outside reporting is attributed inline.