Natick Report

Since 2020: More than you really want to know about Natick, Mass.

Natick church’s Gale House demo on hold

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Natick’s St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, which had been looking to tear down Gale House (parish house) later this year to make way for major church renovations, has announced that the demolition is now on hold. There had been indications in recent months that such a delay could be possible, even after the church over the summer got the Historical Commission’s blessing to tear down Gale House.

Rev. Becky Binn issued an update this week with the subject line of “Important Announcement about the Status of our Building Project.”

gale house
Gale House (Photo by Maureen L. Sullivan)

In short, the church made progress with its contractor on a number of pre-construction fronts, and set up temporary offices in the chapel. The church has been working recently with the contractor and project management team, but in the end couldn’t agree on a construction contract.

Binns said she and others with the church are actually relieved as it became apparent the partnership was not a good fit.

Looking ahead, the church team will take what it’s learned from the experience and find a general contractor it can work with on the design already settled upon.

In the meantime, Binns asks supporters to pray for progress, and stay tuned for the next update.

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Coming off solid FY26, Natick plans for challenging financial future

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Ari Sky, deputy town administrator/finance director, at a Natick Select Board meeting earlier this month shared a wrap-up of FY26 finances and an updated outlook. The board will continue with financial discussions, including about possible amendments to the town’s financial principles and FY28 expenditure guidelines, at its Sept. 30 meeting.

For FY26, ended in June, revenue was a bit above budget and up 5% year-over-year (the town has upped its game in collecting taxes) and expenses were a little below, though took a hit due to higher than usual snow and ice removal costs in light of the stormy winter. Local receipts were down 11% vs. the previous fiscal year, in part due to the fact there was a huge construction project the year before by MathWorks from which the town reaped big building fees.

natick finances

In looking at the five-year forecast (begins in FY28…we’re now in FY27), Sky pointed out the town’s current plan for covering its OPEB (other post-employment benefits) liability from all pension savings based on the town’s financial management principles, and suggested this “very aggressive approach” is worth taking a fresh look at (the pension liability is expected to be paid off in 2030). He later laid out three possible approaches to funding the town’s $100m+ OPEB liability, noting that there is no state requirement on how to handle this.

The five-year forecast also includes phasing out the use of free cash for operating costs starting in FY30, and this aligns with the state’s recommendations on using what’s referred to as “one-time money” that can’t be counted on annualy. Moving away from using free cash for operating expenses should give the town more flexibility in funding capital ones, like for fire trucks, buildings, and more (one Select Board member noted that Natick has smaller free cash numbers than in the past due to intentionally conservative budgeting).

The literal bottom line, in red, for the forecast shows a negative balance throughout, ranging from about $2.5m to $5.5m.

forecast natick

Select Board member Cody Jacobs asked about what the town (and schools) might be looking like operationally if their budgets were limited to 4% or 5%. Sky, speaking about the town itself, said it would require austerity and doing “less with less.” He added: “There would be less of an ability to fund great ideas.” Deputy Town Administrator Jon Marshall, in talking to various department heads, said projected revenue wouldn’t be a match for inflation and the rising cost of parts and materials, resulting in necessary cuts.

Select Board Chair Kathryn Coughlin did speak to ongoing efforts made on the town side to increase revenue, such as by reviewing building and other fees.

Sky returned to position the challenge facing Natick as a math program, with relatively predictable revenue and disproportionate growth in expenses.

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Natick business buzz: ScrubaDub celebrates 60 years as family business; ThinkLite founder recognized as immigrant entrepreneur

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The latest Natick, Mass. business news:
 

ScrubaDub celebrates 60 years as family business

 
Alex Paisner, director of people and culture at Natick’s ScrubaDub, is among the third-generation members of the family that play key roles in running the car wash business that launched in Watertown 60 years ago and now has its headquarters on Rte.9 in Natick. He emphasizes that it was no done deal that the Paisner siblings and cousins from his generation would wind up in the family business, and not all of them did.

“We were all required to live and work elsewhere outside of the bubble,” he says, noting that in fact he and his brother Ian and cousin Mat did all have successful careers before joining ScrubaDub. There was no assumption of entitlement or that any of them would know how to run ScrubaDub before getting broader business experience.

Their grandparents Marshall and Elaine Paisner started the company in 1966, and their sons Bob and Danny have been running it in more recent years.

One of the third-generation’s goals is to rededicate the business to being involved locally, as could be seen by ScrubaDub’s presence at the recent Natick Days community celebration. ScrubaDub also regularly supports the Pie in the Sky bake sale-style fundraiser, among other charitable endeavors.

ScrubaDub at Natick Days

“We’ve done way too good a job being a big national brand, and many people don’t realize how small we are,” Paisner says of the company, which runs about two dozen car washes across New England. ScrubaDub employs about 30 people at its Natick location, which includes headquarters offices and a car wash.

As part of his job, Paisner works to get feedback and ideas from frontline and backroom employees.

While the third-generation Paisners have joined ScrubaDub in the past 10-to-15 years, the company has many non-family members who have spent decades working for the business, some rewarded with generous scholarships for themselves and their children. “We have great homegrown stories” involving the hiring of immigrants who learned English on the job and earned good livings for themselves and their families, Paiser said.

Founder Marshall Paisner stepped down “cold turkey” after 30 years at the top, and shared what he learned on the job in a 1999 book called “Sustaining The Family Business: An Insider’s Guide To Managing Across Generations.” Marshall had a “stewardship mindset,” Alex said, that ScrubaDub tries to keep going.

In years to come you can look for upgrades at ScrubaDub in Natick, which a few years back acquired rights to Rhode Island Avenue in the middle of its setup to improve traffic flow. It’s also planing to improve the exterior and interior of its tunnels, and its point-of-sale system.

More immediately, ScrubaDub will celebrate its 60th birthday by turning back the clock with $2 Express Car Washes at all locations. Employees will be wearing throwback outfits in Natick and Framingham, cupcakes will be given away, and birthday cake scented car washes will be available Sept. 23-Oct. 7.
 

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Founder of Natick’s ThinkLite being recognized as immigrant entrepreneur

 
Dinesh Wadhwani, founder and CEO of Natick’s ThinkLite, will be honored with the Barry M. Portnoy Immigrant Entrepreneur Award this November for his contributions to the state’s economy and communities. ThinkLite focuses on indoor air purification.

Dinesh Wadhwani
Dinesh Wadhwani

The Barry M. Portnoy Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards Celebration event will be held on November 5, 2026, at the Royal Sonesta Boston. Tickets are available online

Wadhwani, who immigrated to the United States from Ghana, founded ThinkLite in 2009 while studying entrepreneurship at Babson College. The business initially focused on smart lighting, but has expanded both its focus and its reach.

 

 
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Natick Cultural Council grant application open until Oct. 15

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The Natick Cultural Council , which strives to promote excellence, education, and diversity in the arts, humanities and interpretative sciences, has opened its application for fiscal year 2027 grants. The deadline is Oct. 15.

$15,400 in grant money is available, with a priority placed on Natick-based organizations and audiences.

Projects, performances, and activities may be conducted in-person or online.

Grants are typically awarded over the winter.

Read about last year’s grant award recipients.

Questions? Contact Ann A. Eggleston, Natick Cultural Council Chair, at natickculturalcouncil@gmail.com or 508-647-6400

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Can you Name a Natick Soldier Who Helped Win American Independence?

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By the fall of 1776, the Siege of Boston had long since ended and the war was moving south. Nearly 250 men with ties to Natick fought in the American Revolutionary War. For many of them their service ended when the Continental Army left New England. Others traveled well beyond Massachusetts to fight for the Patriot cause. You can read their stories and much more on our new website, www.amrevnatick.org, but here’s a glimpse of what you’ll find.

Private Isaac Dunton, Jr. (English) served from 1781 in New York and New Jersey until the close of the war. Lieutenant Willam Boden, Esq. (English) followed the Army to New York and served at Fort George, the site of the largest smallpox hospital for American soldiers. He and his wife Kezia later donated the land that became Boden Lane Cemetery. Captain John Felch (English) enlisted in the Continental Army and traveled to White Plains, New York where he was killed in battle on October 28, 1776. He was 47 years old. According to family history, Felch joined the army so that his 16 year old son, John Felch, Jr. could stay home. John Jr. later served in Rhode Island.

Many of the soldiers who enlisted for longer terms and traveled farther from home did not have citizenship rights in Natick or in the newly-forming United States of America. These men were of Indigenous and/or African descent. Private James Anthony, who was descended from one of the first Indigenous families to settle in Natick after 1651, enlisted in the Continental Army after serving in the Siege of Boston. His regiment was at both Battles of Saratoga and he spent a grueling period in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Private Joseph Paugenit (Indigenous) also stayed in the army after the Siege of Boston and fought at the Battles of Saratoga. He was reported deceased in 1777. Although the cause of his death is unknown, soldiers were far more likely to have died of disease than from a bullet. Private Jacob Speen (Indigenous), descended from one of Natick’s founding leaders, John Speen, also traveled south to New York and New Jersey and was still in service at the war’s end in 1783.

At least one enslaved man from Natick served in the war and traveled far beyond Massachusetts. Private Caesar Thompson (African descent), enslaved by Samuel Welles of Natick, was sent by Welles to serve in the ill-fated campaign to capture Quebec under General Benedict Arnold. Thompson traveled all over the northeast during the war and later received a pension. Welles granted Thompson his freedom in February 1783, just a week before slavery was outlawed across Massachusetts.

You can read the stories of these soldiers and much more on the Natick Historical Society’s new website: www.amrevnatick.org. This project, funded by Mass Humanities, Mass Cultural Council, and the Frank and Sheila Magullion Foundation, creates a modern record of Natick’s 249 Revolutionary War soldiers. The project also supports several education initiatives, including the Traveling Memorial for all ages, the Revolutionary War Knapsack program for elementary-aged students, and the Archive-in-a-Box project for middle and high school students. Reach out to learn more about booking one of these initiatives.

Powder horn, powder measure, and musket balls from the Revolutionary War Knapsack. Thereproduction knapsack is filled with items that soldiers would have used when they traveled for battle. You can book the knapsack for your classroom or youth group here.
Powder horn, powder measure, and musket balls from the Revolutionary War Knapsack. The
reproduction knapsack is filled with items that soldiers would have used when they traveled for
battle. You can book the knapsack for your classroom or youth group here.

 
And don’t miss the upcoming free talk with Natick Historical Society Executive Director, Niki Lefebvre. “Broken Promises: Natick in the American Revolution” will take place at 6pm at the Natick History Museum on Thursday, October 1. Reserve your free ticket today.

 
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