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Hello readers of the Maynard Advantage. We’re grateful you’ve subscribed to the newsletter and hope you find it useful! As you can see from the above graph, our readership has improved this summer but doesn’t begin to reach everyone in town. We’d like your help spreading the word about Maynard Advantage; the easiest way is for you to forward our email alerting you to a new issue to everyone appropriate in your local contacts list. We’d also welcome your feedback in the comments form below on the newsletter, especially what you’d like to read in the newsletter that you’re not seeing now. Any feedback would be welcome. Again, thank you for reading the Maynard Advantage.
Local Business
History of Jersey Mike’s
from jerseymikes.com
Started In 1956
Mike opens up one of the first submarine sandwich spots in the country. It’s a family run storefront offering up this relatively new food invention for the first time in America. It’s an instant success as families line up for the delicious food and friendly service.
Mike chose this scenic vacation spot on the Jersey Shore close to NYC, Philly, and Washington DC to open up his first shop. Located on the boardwalk where people would spend their summers surfing, relaxing, and enjoying time with their families, it was the perfect location for this new concept in food service.
Besides the food, the thing that made Mike’s different was the way he got to know his customers. Mike would love to learn people’s names (both vacationers and locals alike) and he built a loyal following of people coming back year after year, week after week to enjoy the amazing subs.
Peter Buys Mike’s in 1975
A 17 year old high school kid who absolutely loved working at Mike’s heard the original owner was planning on selling the store, and so with a loan from his football coach who was also a local banker, he purchased the shop. Even though he was young, Peter began expanding Mike’s subs locally, and everywhere he went people continued to line up around the block for sandwiches.
Peter Cancro is still the CEO of Jersey Mike’s Franchise Systems Inc. and oversees more than 2,800 locations open and under development. Despite the title, Peter still jumps behind the counter to test his skills and demonstrates his passion for the product and the customer. He tries to instill that passion in every store he enters and with every franchisee he meets.
Mike’s Way
Lettuce, onions, tomatoes, oil, vinegar and spices still top amazing authentic sandwiches across the nation, carrying on the namesake who created the store over 65 years ago. Our secret to longevity has been making sure that everything is always high quality. Our MSA Grade top round beef are trimmed and cooked right in the store. Our meats and cheeses are all top-quality premium brands. Our bread is fresh-baked each day on the premises. And of course, everything’s prepared right in front of you. It’s what makes Jersey Mike’s the most authentic tasting submarine sandwich.
Jersey Mike’s Maynard is located at 3-8 Digital Way
Town Hall
October 7, 2024 Special Town Meeting Thoughts: An Opinion
by Bob McCarthy
Results are a week old from the recent meeting and some of us are pondering, so what’s next? All warrant articles were passed by voters …
…Except Article #3. This was the School Committee request for a debt exclusion to fund new bleachers and related facility improvements for the alumni stadium complex (ADA compliant bathrooms, snack shack, parking improvements, etc). The article language follows:
“To seek Town Meeting approval (one of two steps required for a debt exclusion) to borrow $3,400,000.00 for the construction of code compliant bleachers, press box, bathrooms, utility infrastructure, concessions, and ADA accessibility improvements at Alumni Field and its perimeter for a long-term and safe solution that allows for continued school and community use.”
The background, estimated costs, and tax impacts were summarized at the meeting in a School Committee slide presentation found here.
Discussion on the article was the most involved for the entire meeting, with many advocating for and against for various reasons. It is unclear what ultimately impacted voters’ decisions the most but in the end 42% voted Yes and the balance voted No. Passage required 2⁄3 (or 66.6%) to approve. The article failed.
What do we learn from it?
So the vote is behind us. The result may surprise some. It is clear that a lot of effort and diligence is required to bring a proposal this far in the planning process. Why was there not enough alignment on the proposal? The case was made in the presentation that doing this now had future cost avoidance implications, was needed for safety reasons and implied that sunk cost and being ready (or “shovel ready”) to execute the proposed design made this a priority to borrow the money to proceed now. Some made the case that despite being in favor that it was unaffordable. Others noted that many other projects are viewed as necessary and should be prioritized in the context of need versus affordability.
The town meeting vote described above highlighted an area where we as a town can improve our planning and communication on capital spending.
This month we offer the simple suggestion that there is a need for a documented process to prioritize capital and operational cost needs, designed in such a way that the process and results can be understood by voters and so that they have more context when voting on spending at town meetings.
A few initial thoughts are listed below. In next month’s newsletter, we will expand the discussion and provide information on steps already being taken such as multi-board stakeholder meetings to create more dialogue and align on priorities as well as other suggested improvements.
These are meant as discussion starters, not a final analysis or playbook.
- Develop and widely share a thorough process to prioritize community needs aligned with available financial resources.
- Create and begin using a template for proposed large projects which allows an average taxpayer to understand the community benefits and do this well ahead of the vote asking for approval.
- Agree on a communications protocol that allows taxpayers to see the merits and priority ranking against other big investments in the town in order to make a thoroughly informed choice.
The Maynard Advantage welcomes your comments and input on this and other topics. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and ideas with us.
Maynard Receives Grant to Create Marketing and Communications Plan
by Jack MacKeen
Based on a grant under the Massachusetts Community Compact Best Practices program of the Executive Office of Administration and Finance (the Governor’s Office), the Town of Maynard is working with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) to develop a Marketing & Communications Action Plan to guide local public and private stakeholders in promoting the Town’s assets to new and expanding businesses. The project began in April and is expected to end by March 31, 2025. The award supports implementation of the following Program best practice: “Create an Economic Development Plan that engages diverse stakeholders, leverages local and regional economic strengths and assets, encourages innovation and entrepreneurship, and/or promotes workforce development planning and implementation.”
Project Team – While the project is managed by MAPC and coordinated through the Office of Municipal Services (OMS), it is being driven by an Advisory Board made up of leaders of active local advocacy organizations, including the Maynard Business Alliance (MBA), the Maynard Cultural Council, the Maynard Economic Development Committee (EDC), the Maynard Library, Discover Maynard, ArtSpace Maynard and the Marketing Maynard Task Force.
Project Goals – The goals of the proposed effort are to leverage local existing efforts and expertise, and research promising practices or process improvements from other communities to create a Marketing & Communications Action Plan, supported by an Implementation Matrix. Principles guiding development of the Action Plan and Implementation Matrix are:
- Support effective coordination among stakeholders, identifying roles for public and private entities and integrating insights from promising practices or process improvements;
- Support a sustainable effort in line with existing local capacity and conducive to volunteer engagement; and
- Support outcome-oriented implementation, including identification of specific actions and related evaluation metrics.
The project will focus on the development of effective collaborations and partnerships among local stakeholders. It will not include the production of public-facing marketing materials.
Stay tuned for future progress reports,
Community Voices
by Mark Alston-Follansbee
Jacquie Rogers & David Duane
There are many opportunities to volunteer with critically important local nonprofits, but Maynard residents are also involved in helping others around the world. Here are two examples as part of our Maynard Advantage Community Voices: Jacquie Rogers founded Global Goods, now the Global Goods Foundation, over 20 years ago and David Duane, who helped start and is a board member of the Witness Tree Institute of Ghana, now in its fifth year.
Jacquie always loved to travel. In 1996 she was in a market in east Africa and began talking to a man selling handmade art. Both were teachers but Jacquie found out Amon only had a high school diploma; he couldn’t afford his dream of going to the university. Jacquie agreed to sponsor his education at Dar Es Salaam University. While he was at school, Amon would send handmade art pieces back to Jacquie hoping she could sell them to help him with his expenses. When the art arrived at Maynard High School where Jacquie worked, her colleagues quickly bought them all; that was the beginning of Global Goods.
If you’ve been in Maynard long enough, you must have seen Jacquie’s pop-up stores in her basement, at the High School, or for six years at Mill & Main. Jacquie gathered handmade goods from Africa, South and Central America, Vietnam and Hong Kong. She got to know the artists and craftspeople and found out that she loved telling their stories when people came to look at the art and crafts she had gathered. She also told everyone all the money raised was being put back into private programs focusing on education, so that people who didn’t have opportunities could grow.
Jacquie and Global Goods fund a foundation in Bali that helps people with physical disabilities. These disabilities are seen as the work of the devil and the people are shunned and isolated. The foundation gives people the education, vocational skills, and support they need to become financially independent. Grants from Global Goods have supported the education, vocational, and technology programs as well as building projects. Jacquie visits yearly to spend time with the residents and to discuss the project’s needs.
Another example is a school in Guatemala that serves indigenous children. The people are so poor that even though the government provides free education, these children can’t attend school because they don’t have the money necessary for uniforms, books, and transportation. So a school was created where the children live and Global Goods offers support so they all have the essentials for their education.
One of the girls in the school told Jacquie, “I only want to have two children so I have enough money to raise them right.” “That,” said Jacquie, “shows what an education can do for a person and bring about real system change. And one of the girls who attended the school is now a teacher there. That’s our impact and what makes me happy.”
Jacquie retired from teaching at Maynard High School in 2005 after teaching for 31 years and devoted her time to Global Goods. Now she is slowly retiring from Global Goods after creating a nonprofit organization, the Global Goods Foundation, to carry on her work. It’s a family affair with her two daughters, also Maynard residents, playing an active role. The Foundation won’t be selling handmade crafts and art but will work to raise funds for small projects where their support can have the greatest impact. To learn more about the Foundation, please visit globalgoods.org.
David Duane became involved in the Witness Tree Institute of Ghana during the planning phase in 2018. A fellow teacher at the Fenn School where David is head of the science department, Tete Cobblah, was born and educated in Ghana and had come to the United States for graduate school at the Rhode Island School of Design. Tete is also a Maynard resident.
For many years Tete was an art teacher and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion leader at Fenn and he and David talked about a concept to bring K-12 educators from the United States to Ghana to foster professional development in both countries and to expose the US educators to African culture and its impact on the world. Tete left Fenn to focus on the Witness Tree Institute.
Ghana was the first sub-Saharan country to gain independence from their colonizers and the United States and Ghana have had a long relationship. W. E. B. Du Bois moved to Ghana when he was 93 and is buried there; Peace Corps volunteers went to Ghana in 1961. Every summer, the Witness Tree Institute sends 10-14 American educators to Ghana where they are matched with five or six Ghanaians for the two-week program. The Americans learn by participating in the culture of Ghana with music, singing, and drumming and visiting places like the slave fortress to better understand the country.
One of the American participants expressed their participation: “It was inspiring and thought provoking to be in a new culture. It gave me a new appreciation for being a “minority” yet the warmth and welcome that I felt was so genuine that I always felt valued and appreciated. As an educator, my trip to Ghana was the best professional development experience I’ve had. It opened my eyes to how Ghana plays a role in the global economy and as a leader of the African continent.”
“American educators bring our understanding of our educational system to share,” said David. “We hope to show them something other than the stereotypes people have of us and we have rich discussions about our different educational systems. We hope to empower the Ghanaian educators so they can bring positive change to their schools. The Institute provides a place for everyone, even as strangers, to learn together.
“Our impact is measured anecdotally with the stories from both Ghanaian and United States teacher participants,” David said. “This is a homegrown Maynard nonprofit; we’re based here and we need community support, especially financially. We have a successful program and we’re talking about what are our next steps. Do we want to expand and how would we expand? We now have a cohort of alumni, both here and in Ghana, that are spreading the word about the program and offering their support.” To learn more about the work of the Witness Tree Institute of Ghana or to get involved, please look at their website: witnesstreeinstitute.org.
Events
Maynard Downtown Trick or Treat:
A Community Tradition
by John Cramer
Mark your calendars for October 24th from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM as the Town of Maynard gears up for its annual Downtown Trick or Treat event! This beloved community celebration, first held in 1992, continues to delight children and families, making it a hallmark of the fall season.
Sponsored by the Assabet Valley Chamber of Commerce, the event sees local businesses come together to provide candy and treats for the eager little goblins and ghouls who roam the streets. Last year, the event attracted an impressive 1,200 children, showcasing the strong community spirit and participation that has made this event a success for over three decades.
Safety is a top priority during the festivities, and the Maynard Police Department plays a crucial role in ensuring a secure environment for all attendees. The Department of Public Works (DPW) also contributes to the event, helping to manage logistics and maintaining the area’s safety. Their cooperation is essential in making the evening enjoyable for everyone. For the duration of the event, Nason Street will be closed from Main Street to Summer Street and Main Street will be closed from Walnut Street to Summer Street.
Adding to the festive atmosphere, WAVM radio station will broadcast live from the event, capturing the excitement and energy of the trick-or-treating experience. The sound of laughter and music will fill the air as the Maynard High School Jazz Ensemble performs in Memorial Park, creating a joyful backdrop for the evening’s activities.
As children don their creative costumes and families come together to celebrate, the Downtown Trick or Treat event embodies the spirit of community and togetherness. It’s a wonderful opportunity for families to enjoy the festive season while supporting local businesses and fostering a sense of belonging in Maynard.
Whether you’re a long-time attendee or new to the tradition, this year’s Downtown Trick or Treat promises to be an unforgettable experience for all. Don’t miss out on the fun—join us on October 24th for an evening filled with treats, music, and community spirit!
First Annual Maynard Bocce Tournament
Veterans Memorial Park
Saturday, October 19th, 2-6PM
Sponsored by The Maynard Cultural District
We were raised in the mean streets of Backyard Bocce, where you get kudos for rolling a ball with one hand while holding refreshments in the other. As such, the courts might be wonky. We’ll do our best to pick up the twigs and acorns and stuff, but nothing except skill and luck (and more luck) can save you from the slopes, the roots, and the excitement of Veterans Memorial Park.
Amory’s Tomb will be offering libations! El Huipil will be providing tacos!
We currently have a full roster of teams but please register here if you’d like to be on a wait list!
All ages welcome to participate! (Each player must be able to safely throw/roll Bocce balls)
Walk for the Wild
Saturday, October 19th, 10AM-1PM
The “Walk for the Wild” is a non-competitive 5K walk which celebrates our National Wildlife Refuges. Join the Friends of Woodlands and Waters, Saturday morning October 19. You can begin your walk any time between 10 and 11am. Meet at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge visitors center, 680 Hudson Road, Sudbury. Nature activities geared for kids and families will also be available. When you’re done, join us for live music, and a snack! Registration is free, but a contribution will support the Friends and their work with the Refuges.
Please register in advance at https://bit.ly/walk-4-wild-info-and-register
Friends of Woodlands and Waters is a non-profit supporting the three National Wildlife Refuges in the Metrowest area. We work with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and our local communities to meet wildlife and biological management objectives, recreational and educational goals, and support diverse programs related to the Refuges. Learn more about us at woodlandsandwaters.org
FUNDRAISER: Scout Troop 130 Electronics Recycling & Bottle Drive
Mill & Main Sudbury St. Parking Lot
Sunday, October 20th, 9AM-12PM
Do you have bottles/cans hanging around? Do you have broken and unwanted electronics taking up space in your home or office? Well, Maynard’s Combined Scout Troop 130 is having another Electronics Recycling and Can/Bottle Drive on October 20th from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.
As you know, this is our biggest fundraiser which all proceeds are used to buy tents and equipment, sponsor camping scholarships, and other incidentals. Maynard Troop 130 serves more than 25 scouts (boys and girls) ages 11 to 17 from Maynard and nearby towns. The troop meets weekly during the school year and sponsors a camping trip each month, a week-long scout camp each summer and a high-adventure trip every other year.
Please consider helping us out! Payments can be made in Cash or Check payable to “BSA Troop 130.” Any questions, please send an email to: [email protected]
Discover the Maynard Cultural District
Sanctuary
Monday, October 21st, 7PM
Discover the Maynard Cultural District: What they do, how they do it, and how to get involved. Complimentary refreshments available and a free raffle for all attendees.
•Cash bar will be open!
2nd Annual Maynard Fall Ball
Maynard Clinton Elks
Saturday, October 26th, 7PM
Come and join us at THE MAYNARD ELKS on Saturday October 26th for a COSTUME PARTY WITH A PURPOSE; raising funds for Maynard’s beloved MAYNARD HOLIDAY PARADE.
But wait … there is more!!! Maynard’s favorite dentist Glenn Jackson and his band Westwood Junction will be playing all night long so we can get our groove on while supporting this town of Maynard tradition.
Tickets are just $35 and INCLUDE appetizers and desserts! 100% of the proceeds go to funding the parade.
- SILENT ACUTION
- RAFFLES
- PRIZES
This fun night will be one that we remember for a long time. Don’t miss it!!!!
*costumes are encouraged, but not required
21+Event
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
For more on events, shopping, things to do, and dining head over to Discover Maynard
Around Town
Hometown Heroes
by Armand Diarbekirian
The rest of the Hometown Heroes banners have gone up on Powder Mill Road, thanks to the hard work of DPW. They not only put them up, but they also take them down and store them safely for the winter.
Strategically, hanging across from Hawes Florist, which he owned, is the banner of CPL Victor Anthony Tomyl, who served in the US Marine Corps and faught in the Korean War.
Hometown Heroes is a program that was launched in 2019, with the objective of honoring Maynard Veterans and Active Duty Military men and women.
Maynard Fire Hydrants
courtesy of David Mark, Maynard Historical Commission
Have you ever thought about the history of Fire Hydrants in Maynard? You see them everywhere and they all seem to be different so what’s the deal?
Maynard in the late 1880s had a population of 2500 and no central water system. Pipes and pumps were installed to bring water three miles north from White Pond, Sudbury. In town, a tank was built on Summer Hill, so that water pumped to the hilltop would provide good water pressure to all homes and businesses.
Through the paint, and sometimes through the rust, most of the fire hydrants in Maynard read MUELLER, ALBERTVILLE, and either ALA or AL (for Alabama), plus a year for when the hydrant was made. Mueller Company was started in 1857, but did not get into the hydrant business until 1933, when it acquired Columbian Iron Works.
And the oldest hydrant in town? There may be Mueller hydrants that pre-date 1959. That’s not shockingly old, as with proper maintenance hydrants can be operative past 75 years. Forest Street hosts an antiquated-looking, red-topped hydrant with “THE COREY” across the top. This model, from the Rensselaer Manufacturing Company, was named after the inventor William W. Corey. This individual hydrant may be more than 100 years old, although some versions of that model were still being made into the 1930s. There is an “1895” low on the front, but it seems that refers to the patent year, not the manufacture year.
Maynard appears to use a nationally standardized color-coding system on older hydrants to indicate capacity. The main body of each hydrant is painted white. The bonnet and outlet caps are blue, green, yellow or red. Color indicates water output in gallons per minute, with blue meaning excellent, green meaning good, and so on.
So next time you’re driving around town, take a look at the fire hydrants near you.
Community Health Survey
Concord and Maynard’s 2024 Community Health Needs Assessment is now open! Please participate in this survey to improve the health of your community and help inform future health priorities.
- The survey in English is available here: https://forms.office.com/g/cjJf6CzSRa
- Responda a encuesta en español aquí: https://forms.office.com/g/1K6434KZUP
- Responda a esta pesquisa em português aqui: https://forms.office.com/g/bpppMqj8wr
- Pran sondaj sa an kreyòl ayisyen isit la: https://forms.office.com/g/BdpisqV91V
Being a healthy town is about more than delivering quality health care to residents. Where you live, learn, work, and play all have an enormous impact on your health. Understanding our community’s current health status—and all of the factors that influence health—is important for identifying future priorities, existing strengths and assets upon which to build, and areas for further collaborative efforts.
The Concord and Maynard Public Health Divisions are conducting this Community Health Needs Assessment to tackle the following goals for separate town-specific planning:
- Understand the health needs and concerns among residents
- Assist in developing programs and policies to address those needs
- Improve health-related programs and services
- Provide information for town planning processes
- Engage partners, organizations, and individuals in promoting a healthier community
This survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes. All responses are completely anonymous.
Participants must be 18 years and older.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Moira Carter, Public Health Nurse. She can be contacted at [email protected].
Thank you for your continued support as we work to better understand how to best help our community.
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