HUDSON — An important step in realizing a new dog park for Hudson was taken at the Dec. 4 Select Board meeting.
The board authorized Recreation Director Steven Santos to apply for the Stanton Foundation grant to build a dog park, which will be located at Sauta Field on 539 Main St.
Santos said the grant program, which was founded by the late Frank Stanton, the former president of CBS, would consider applications with a deadline of Dec. 15, which meant “time was of the essence.” They could get up to 100% of design funds for $25,000, and the town needs about $23,000 to continue the design process.
“We should hear favorably from the Stanton Foundation probably by the end of this month [of December]. They turn around their decisions rather quickly,” said Santos.
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Then, the Recreation Department can go right into the design phase with Kyle Zick Landscape Architecture (KZLA) and come up with final designs and construction documents for the dog park. The next step, Santos said, would be to go back to the Stanton Foundation for a construction grant.
He added, “They will fund 90% of hard construction costs up to $250,000. So I think we have a great opportunity to access those funds, and I think we’re a great candidate.”
The Select Board’s vote was unanimous at 4-0. For more information about the Stanton Foundation, visit http://thestantonfoundation.org.
New Fire Chief
During the meeting, the Select Board appointed Jamie Desautels as Hudson Fire Chief with an effective starting date of Dec. 28, 2023. He previously served as deputy chief of the Devens Fire Department for a little over two years, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Executive Assistant Thomas Gregory noted that Desautels was Devens’ deputy fire chief since June 2021. He also has been a firefighter and EMT in Northborough since 1989. He has a master’s in public administration from Ana Maria College.
Desautels said he was excited to work with the Select Board and town department heads and outgoing Fire Chief Bryan Johannes, as well as the Hudson Fire Department itself.
“I’m extremely excited to be a part of the town of Hudson,” Desautels said.
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He noted Johannes’ “dedication and devotion that he had with the department.” Desautels wanted to keep up the good work Johannes has done with the department.
Select Board Chair Scott Duplisea commented on the successful celebration of the Annual Downtown Stroll on Dec. 2. He said that it was “well attended” and a fun event for all.
“I would just like to thank [the Hudson Business Association] for putting on a great event, and the weather held out pretty good,” said Duplisea.
