Natick holding May info, input sessions on fate of Charles River dam

May 6, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Natick is holding a series of meetings in May to educate the public on the future of the Charles River Dam in South Natick and collect feedback.

The 1934 dam has received a series of less-than-stellar inspection grades in recent years and the town decided it better do something about it since the dam is owned by Natick. As a high hazard structure that impounds about 160 million gallons of water, the dam would do some real damage to its surroundings if it fails. Town Meeting in 2019 approved $1.25M in funds to fix the dam, but since then the prospect of just getting rid of it has been been entertained.

Some say breaching the dam will be an environmental boon, and rid the town of a financial and safety headache. Those who live along the river fear the unknown of what breaching could bring, from stinky sediment to increased flooding to loss of property. Others are more focused on the aesthetic loss, with the earthen dam and accompanying spillway (aka, the waterfall) a popular gathering and photo spot. Most excited, regardless of what happens, are environmental, engineering and other consultants.

Natick formed an advisory committee consisting of town reps and neighbors earlier this year, which seeks to give the Select Board a recommendation by year-end.

Public Information Session

Monday, May 17, from 6:30 – 8 PM ET

At this meeting, the community will hear from Town staff and technical contractors on the fix vs. breach options. There will be an opportunity to ask clarifying questions. It will also be recorded.

Registration for May 17, 6:30-8 PM ET

Community Input Sessions

Tuesday, May 25, from 6-8 PM ET OR Wednesday, May 26, from noon – 2:00 PM ET

The town is promoting these sessions for Natick community members to discuss and share their input and thoughts on the pros and cons of the two options available. These sessions will have the same agenda, and people should choose to attend one. Those of you from surrounding communities who are down river from the dam— and don’t want to find yourselves up a river because of decisions made by Natick’s town government—might want to check these out, too, and get your voices heard.

Registration for May 25, 6-8 PM ET

Registration for May 26, 12-2 PM ET

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Natick Rec. and Parks & Camp Arrowhead hiring for summer

May 5, 2021 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Natick Recreation and Parks is looking to fill summer jobs from Memorial Beach attendant to lifeguards to counselors at Woodtrail Camp, and more.

Dug Pond, Natick — Memorial Beach attendant is just one of the jobs Natick Rec and Parks is trying to fill this summer.

You can find a full list of available Natick Recreation and Parks department job opportunities here, along with information on where to send applications.

In addition, Camp Arrowhead, sponsored by the Natick Recreation and Parks Department with the Parents Association of the Handicapped, Inc. is seeking 1:1 aides. The volunteer position is open to students entering 9th grade or 14 years or older by the end of summer 2021. The camp is located on Lake Cochituate and serves children and adults with special needs. Applications here.

Check out Natick Report’s summer camps page, your handy guide to everything about summer camps in Natick and beyond. From sports to arts, to music and more, you’ll find listings for over 75 camps.

Natick Service Council program to aid women reentering the workforce

May 5, 2021 by Admin Leave a Comment

The Natick Service Council’s Brack Career Development Center is kicking off a four-part online workshop series starting in May for women who are reentering the workforce. Those interested can sign on at no cost for the whole series or only those workshops that are a fit.

Overcoming Obstacles to Reentry, Part 1

May 18th, 11:30am

You’ll hear from women who have successfully rejoined the workforce and hiring experts with tips on how to move through the interview process to a job offer. You’ll also network with other women who are working towards a similar goal. Studies show that up to 80% of people find employment through networking so you won’t want to miss out on this unique opportunity.

The Right Mindset, Confidence is Queen

June 3, 11:30am

Confidence is a key contributor to a successful job search and career. Hiring managers are attracted to people who demonstrate presence and are clear about the value they bring to an organization. Women can struggle with self confidence, advocating for themselves, and speaking up even when they feel strongly about what they have to say. Many women worry about how others will view them and how they will come across so they do not put their best selves out there for people to see and hear.

Please join Denise Rosenblum, President and Co-founder of Dynamic Development as she discusses why women lack confidence and presents strategies to be your strong authentic self.

If you’re Not on LinkedIn you don’t Exist

Jun 10, 11:30 AM

LinkedIn is the cornerstone of your job search. Employers review your profile to gain additional intelligence about you and your qualifications. Additionally, recruiters find you there, it’s a top job board and networking is ripe for the picking.

If you don’t have a robust LinkedIn profile you can’t fully leverage your network and it can be a turnoff to hiring managers. Getting started or freshening up your profile can seem daunting. In this session join Amy Canty, Manager of Learning & Development at Eliassen, to break down how to create and update your LinkedIn profile to ensure it’s working well for you.

Stop Applying to Jobs Online

Jun 17, 11:30 AM

Online job applications are a big black hole. Often you never hear back from employers or you receive an automated rejection email from the applications system. In a saturated and competitive market it is increasingly difficult to stand out and that’s why up to 80% of people find their next job through networking. Join Amy Canty, Manager of Learning & Development at Eliassen, to hear more about proactive job search strategies and how you can increase your likelihood to find gainful employment through tactics other than online job boards.

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It’s all about soldier readiness and safety at Natick Soldier Systems Center (aka Natick Army Labs)

May 4, 2021 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

We’d always been curious about the Natick Soldier Systems Center, often referred to around town as the Natick Army Labs, so when the opportunity came up to attend a Zoom meeting to learn more about the only active Army installation in New England, we jumped at the chance. Hosted by the Natick Historical Society, NHS director Niki Lefebvre introduced Col. Frank Moore of DEVCOM Soldier Center, one of Natick Lab’s research and technology collaborators. Lefebvre welcomed Moore and asked the occasional clarifying question as he led over 70 participants through a fascinating Power Point presentation about the 174-acre site that includes 459k square feet of lab space and 75 family housing units for active military personnel.

Moore provided an overview of the 15 tenant organizations operating at the Systems Center, all of which are dedicated to one goal: working together to optimize soldier readiness and safety. About 1,500 people are employed at the facility including 1,188 civilians, 90 military personnel, and 220 contractors. The Systems Center takes great pride in the brainpower concentrated in that small corner of Natick—it’s a smart bunch that collectively holds over 1,231 college and university degrees.

A large part of what happens at the Systems Center involves clothing. Both the US Navy and the Coast Guard run research and development on clothing design and textiles. Some other partner organizations work on soldier protective equipment including combat equipment and weaponry systems.

The conversation focused on the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center (DEVCOM), where Moore works. The stated mission of DEVCOM, the national and international leader in warfighter science and technology development, is to “provide the Army with innovative science and technology solutions to optimize the performance of our soldiers” by “ensuring dominance through superior scientific and engineering expertise.”

That group’s 903 employees, made up of a combination of military and civilians, work on parachute design and parachutist safety; military nutrition; fiber and textile science such as camouflage concealment and ballistic protection; optimizing and enhancing soldier performance; soldier protection through enhanced equipment design, environmental protection; chemical biological protection; and Army training tech that includes live training exercises.

Moore says DEVCOM is known as “the soldier’s research center”, meaning that everything done there focuses on keeping soldiers safe and optimizing their performance.

Durning the Q & A period, several residents fondly remembered back when the Army Labs opened up to the pubic for tours and asked if that would be repeated in the future. Moore said due to COVID that’s not possible for now, but hoped that is something that could happen in the future.

Moore did seem confident that a ribbon-cutting ceremony could take place in 2023, when an under-construction $50 million dollar 4-story facility is slated to be completed. This new building will house the Soldier and Squad Performance Research Institute, a research lab the Army says is, “designed to inform and optimize soldier and squad lethality and combat readiness.”

Until then, Moore said the Systems Center is always looking for qualified candidates to fill a host of jobs. A quick google search showed they are in search of a textile technologist; a general engineer; an architect; a warehouse/inventory control specialist; and more.

Watch Col. Moore’s presentation on youtube at this link.

Next up on the Natick Historical Society’s calendar: a presentation by Boston University American Studies PhD candidate Mariah Gruner titled, Ten Thousand Digital Absurdities: the Power of the Needlework in 19th Century America.

DATE: Tuesday, May 4, 2021
TIME: 7pm-8pm

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Natick bid farewell to Fairway candlepin bowling lanes 10 year ago

May 3, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

I wouldn’t call myself a closet candlepin bowler, but I never did mention to colleagues at my old job in Framingham when I’d head over to Fairway Bowling in Natick to get in a few strings during my lunch break. That made sure I was ready for our annual company bowling outing, where I was only too happy to trot out my own shoes and balls as an intimidation tactic in advance of inevitable victory.

But all that ended in 2011 when Fairway Bowling closed, and the building wound up as part of Dover Rug’s carpet and squash empire on Rte. 9 west.

Fairway’s demise after around 60 years in business has been one of many among candlepin bowling alleys, with just 18 centers now listed on the Massachusetts Bowling Association website. Perhaps venues like the Level99 one coming to Natick Mall will be the future of entertainment, but I keep hoping against economic reality that somehow candlepin can make a comeback more than 100 years after first appearing on the scene.

The Bowling Browns

I come from something of a hometown bowling dynasty: My parents were perennial champs in their respective leagues, and my brothers and I largely dominated Saturday morning leagues at Milford Candlepin. I don’t ever recall us returning from one of the endless bowling banquets we attended without hardware.

The TV in our house was tuned into locally-produced bowling shows on the weekends, and my Dad did the “rolloff” rounds at regional bowling alleys to try getting on those shows (came sooooo close a number of times). Gifts for my Dad ranged from bowling towels to new bowling bags to bowling gift certificates.

Working at the now-defunct Milford Candlepin as a teen, first as a custodian and later as a pin machine mechanic, gave me no edge against my competitors. My bosses never let me bowl a free string, figuring my minimum wage afforded me the free cash to pay my own way. I’ll chalk that up to a life lesson or something.

bowling trophies — Not sure why I still have these, think I’ll whittle the collection down to 1 keeper.

Bowling returns

I largely abandoned candlepin bowling after high school, though toyed with joining an adult league now and then, coming out of nowhere to once again rule the lanes. Bowling didn’t really return into my life until we had kids, when the alleys became part of the birthday circuit.

We’ll always be thankful to Fairway Bowling for that time we had a birthday party for one of our boys scheduled for the Village Green miniature golf course that got thundered and lightninged out, and Fairway hesitantly worked our crew of 8- and 9-year-olds in at the last second.

fairway bowling party — Last-second Fairway Bowling birthday party

We’d visit the lanes from time to time with the kids outside of birthdays, and always for their spectacular animatronic Christmas decoration display.

While I’ve stopped lugging my candlepin bowling balls in my car’s trunk—just in case I came across an alley in my travels—I will to this day defend the small balls as being more fun than tenpin bowling (nothing against tenpin, just prefer candlepin).

And once the pandemic truly subsides, we will be paying a visit to Norwood, Needham, or one of the other communities that is still home to candlepin lanes, bowling bag in tow.

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The Bowling Browns

Bowling returns