In today’s daily 5 Things You Need to Know feature, ThisWeekinWorcester.com explores five important items and stories that Worcester and Central Massachusetts residents should keep a close eye on.
These five things can cover a whole range of subjects and issues that we feel are pertinent to understanding what’s going on in the city and the cities and towns surrounding Worcester.
In today’s edition – Monday, September 27 – there’s a community input session on federal funding from the ARPA tonight, a series of municipal election candidate debates have been announced, the first information session on the WPD Cadet Program is Wednesday, Big Brother Big Sister is in Worcester this week to pick-up donations, and tomorrow is the last day to register for this fall’s Friendly House youth hoops league.
Community Input Session on How City Should Spend Federal Funding from ARPA is Tonight
A fourth community input session is being held tonight for residents in District 5 to provide feedback and recommendations on how the city should spend federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
The City is holding these listening sessions for community input on funding appropriate projects.
ARPA allocated Worcester $110 million in funding to Worcester. The proposed budget for the funding allocates $10 million to community-driven projects that will help improve neighborhood vitality and quality of life in Worcester.
A survey is available online here to enable residents who can’t attend one of the listening sessions to provide feedback.
The next Community Input Sessions is:
- District 2 — Thursday, Sept. 30 at 6 PM at Worcester Technical High School at 1 Skyline Drive
Four Municipal Election Candidate Debates Scheduled
The Worcester Regional Research Bureau is hosting four municipal candidate debates next month at Mechanics Hall.
The first debate will be October 6 between candidates for At-Large City Council seats. The debate will be held at 7 PM.
All debates are free and open to the public. Face coverings are required regardless of vaccination status.
Here is the remaining debate schedule:
Candidates for School Committee — Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 7 PM
Contested District Council Seats (Districts 1, 2 and 5) — Monday, Oct. 25 at 7 PM
Mayoral Candidates — Wednesday, Oct. 27 at 7 PM
All debates will be lived streamed on telegram.com.
First Information Session on WPD Cadet Program Scheduled for Wednesday
The first information session on the Worcester Police Department’s Cadet Program will be held Wednesday, Sept. 29 from 5 PM to 7 PM at the Emergency Communication Center at 2 Coppage Road.
A second session will be held on Saturday, Oct. 2 from 5 PM to 7 PM at the Emergency Communication Center.
The WPD Cadet Program is open to individuals ages 18 to 23. Individuals interested in the program will need to fill out an application. If selected for the program, cadets will need to make a two-year commitment to the WPD and will be temporarily assigned to WPD units.
Once the program is completed — and if the candidate passes the entry level exam for Police Officer — a Cadet may receive preference in hiring and be appointed to a WPD recruit class.
Big Brother Big Sister is in Worcester this Week Collecting Donations
The Big Brother Big Sister Foundation is a foundation which supports the Big Brother Big Sister mentorship program for young people across the county, which was founded in 1904.
The organization will have a truck in Worcester on Wednesday and is accepting used clothing, shoes and housewares donations.
Interested donors and find the list of acceptable items, instruction, and schedule a pickup appointment on the Foundation’s website.
Tuesday is Last Day to Register for Friendly House Youth Hoops League
The Friendly House Youth Hoops League starts on October 10.
Registration for the league ends on Tuesday, Sept. 28. Registration is $200 and includes a team t-shirt, 12-week regular season and playoffs, and six weeks of practice.
Students in grades 2 to 9 are eligible to participate. To register, click here.
