WESTBOROUGH – It was quiet that Wednesday morning, but for the flock of Canada geese flying overhead.
Aside from a dog walker or two, the fields around Chauncy Lake stood empty. The soccer pitches, the newly-built cricket pitch, the multi-use fields.
Earl Storey knows every inch of these grounds. For more than two decades, he’s helped build and maintain these athletic fields.
Come this spring, this entire area will be named after him.
“I was blown away” by the announcement, said Storey, who recently retired from the Department of Public Works and Recreation Department.
Born and raised in Westborough, Storey remembered when the fields in front of the former state hospital were farmland.
One of his first jobs – remove the fencing made from railroad ties.
“There was a lot of fencing,” he said.
The ties had to be sent to a hazardous waste facility for proper disposal. Starting around 2001, together with other longtimers such as former highway supervisor John Arnold and Jim Harvey, who rented out the necessary equipment, Storey helped convert the farmland into athletic fields.
Aside from two parking lots, the work was “all done in house,” he said.
Storey credited the town’s departments for their help.
“They’re great to work with,” he said.
This is not the first time the town has honored Storey. He was named the town’s employee of the year in 2022 for his continued maintenance of the fields at Chauncy Lake as well as the Westborough Golf Club.
“For over two decades, we relied on Earl’s passion for creating and maintaining public spaces that benefited the entire community, from the youngest to our most senior,” said Chris Payant, director of the DPW. “He embodied the spirit of public service.
“It is absolutely appropriate that we recognize his contributions to the town and celebrate his well-deserved transition to a new chapter,” he added.
