Sturbridge board accepts town planner's retirement, hires officer
Sturbridge accepts town planner's retirement as consultants warn of steep water and sewer rate hikes.
Select Board · Meeting of February 17, 2026
Sturbridge accepts town planner's retirement as consultants warn of steep water and sewer rate hikes. The Select Board voted unanimously to accept the resignation of longtime Town Planner Jean Bouvan, effective August 11, 2026, with Vice Chair Chase Kaitbenski joking, "I kind of hope you vote against it." In a joint session with the Finance Committee, engineering firm Tighe & Bond outlined roughly $23 million in sewer capital needs through 2030, including a $1.7 million overhaul of the wastewater plant's corroded screening room and a possible $4.8 million Route 20 pump station replacement, plus water system upgrades that could reach $20 million to $30 million. One member called the resulting compounded rate projections "almost cataclysmic." The board also hired Patrick Cackley as a full-time police officer at $39.16 per hour and approved a $69,450 library elevator design contract with NV5 Design Services.
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Source: the Select Board meeting of February 17, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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