NORTHBOROUGH – Northborough officially has a new Town Planner.
Laurie Connors will start in her new position at the helm of the Planning Department on March 7.
“I think we’re very lucky to secure such a qualified individual for that position,” Town Administrator John Coderre said during a Board of Selectmen meeting on Monday. “There are very few experienced town planners out there, and I think we got a good match there.
“[We’re] Looking forward to Laurie starting in a couple of weeks,” Coderre continued.
New Town Planner brings experience
Connors comes to Northborough after serving as the director of the Planning and Development Department in Millbury since 2004.
Connors worked with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission, according to Coderre.
Connors received her masters degree in regional planning from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
She’ll be filling the Town Planner job in town that has sat vacant since the retirement of longtime Town Planner Kathy Joubert last year.
Joubert had worked for the town of Northborough for over 30 years.
Town staff excited about new Town Planner
Coderre said that town staff are excited about Connors’ “extensive” experience surrounding downtown revitalization.
He also cited her experience with grant writing and programs like the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Complete Streets Funding Program.
“If I had to lay it out, I’d say that the work that she is doing in her current community is about two or three years ahead of exactly what it is that we’re looking to do in Northborough,” Coderre said.
Northborough’s Master Plan Implementation Committee has recently been working through the town’s master plan, which was accepted in the spring of 2020.
Their recent work has included discussing the scope of a downtown master plan.
Connors will join that ongoing effort in her new role.
Feature photo/via Millbury Public Access
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