By Joan F. Simoneau, Community Reporter
Marlborough – The City Council unanimously approved a 15-year tax financing package for Quest Diagnostics at its Nov. 26 meeting.
Quest is seeking to lease 200,000 square feet of space at 200 Forest St., a location known over the years for housing RCA, Digital Equipment Corporation, Compaq and Hewlett Packard.
The 15-year tax financing package will begin July 1, 2014 and end June 30, 2029, according to officials of the Fortune 500 company, who are prepared to open a new laboratory complex that conceivably could bring 1,200 jobs to the city.
Atlantic Management L.L.C., owners of the 109 acres site located off of Interstate 495 ?is asking the city to approve a proposal to rezone and redevelop the full site into a district that would allow for commercial office space, retail shops and restaurants, a hotel and residential units.
In other business, Mayor Vigeant addressed councilors on “concerns pertinent to sewer issues.” He said that officials in the town of Northborough are not honoring an agreement made with the city to pay for contracted sewer treatments at the Westerly Wastewater Treatment Plant.
“They should be paying us for the service and they are not,” he said, adding that Northborough currently owes the city $190,000.
Department of Public Works Commissioner Ron LaFreniere noted he was authorized by the mayor “to get their attention.”
Ward 1 City Councilor Joseph Delano said he would be willing to sponsor a resolution to give Northborough 30 days to respond “before we shut things off”.
Vigeant said he was not asking the council to take action on the matter at this time; he merely updating it on the situation.
Councilor-at-Large Michael Ossing said he felt the matter would be resolved with Northborough officials now that the matter had been made public.
“I wouldn's want to harm the good relationship we have with Northborough,” he said.