Not quite gone fishing

June 26, 2026

Welcome back!

It might be summer, but Sudbury hasn’t gone completely quiet. There were consequential municipal meetings this week, and there was a whole bunch of community news. You know that week when you just want to phone it in, but instead lots of unexpected stuff happens and you end up being super busy? That was this week.

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Here’s what we have for you:

June 26, 2026 Edition

Let’s get into it!

Sudbury Recall Measure Reaches the State House as H.5521

NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise

The petition approved by Town Meeting in May has been formally filed in the Massachusetts Legislature, where it now awaits committee review.

The recall election proposal that Sudbury voters approved this spring has cleared its first hurdle at the State House. The measure was filed last week as House Bill 5521 in the 194th General Court and immediately referred to the Joint Committee on Election Laws.

Sudbury Volunteer Tania Vitvitsky Honored at Commonwealth Heroine Awards

NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise

Longtime Sudbury volunteer Tania Vitvitsky was recognized by State Representative Carmine Gentile at the Commonwealth Heroine Awards ceremony on June 24, an annual event celebrating women across Massachusetts for their service and leadership.

Gentile (D-Middlesex 13th), whose district includes Sudbury, praised Vitvitsky as a volunteer leader who has spent years working to improve her community both close to home and around the world.

“Do I think it’s $3M? No.” — Sudbury’s First Budget Working Group Meeting Highlights Uncertainty

NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise

Town Manager Andy Sheehan has created a Budget Working Group just as the Fiscal Year 2028 (FY28) budget building process has commenced. The group will be discussing a forecasted deficit in FY28 and beyond, among many other considerations.

The first meeting was a bit of a primer on the latest budget forecast, and an update on the November 2025 presentation of the financial condition of the Town.
Weather Delays Mass Central Rail Trail Grand Opening

Carding Mill House Restoration and Access Talks Paused Pending Dam Assessment

NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise

Conversations about possible restoration and expanded access to the historic Carding Mill House have hit a temporary roadblock, in the form of a dam.

While the Sudbury Historical Commission and Conservation Commission recently began collaborating on the future of the 102 Dutton Road property, all conversations regarding restoration and public access will have to wait until a full assessment and possible repair of the property’s dam is completed.

News By Limerick: The People Want a Summer Camp

NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise

Sudbury convened a public input session on June 24 regarding the future of Camp Sewataro, and the message from residents, both in the room and joining remotely, was overwhelming: keep the beloved summer camp running. But the conversation didn’t stop there. Attendees floated a host of ideas for making fuller use of the property year-round, from splash pads and ice rinks to corporate retreats, after-school care, and teen programs designed to pull kids away from their screens.

PHOTOS: Assabet Wildlife Refuge

FEATURES
By Raphaëlle Cruz

Sudbury Nonprofit Birthday Wishes Receives $30,000 Cummings Foundation Grant

NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise

Birthday Wishes, the Sudbury-based nonprofit that throws birthday parties for children experiencing homelessness, has been awarded a $30,000 grant from the Cummings Foundation, the organization announced this week.

The three-year award comes through the foundation’s $30 Million Grant Program, a competitive process that distributes funding to nonprofits across Massachusetts. Birthday Wishes said the money will help it keep up with rising demand while continuing to offer personalized, caregiver-led celebrations to children who might otherwise see their birthdays pass unmarked.

Single Bid Could Move SHA’s Pine Lakes Project Forward Under New Accessory Dwelling Law

NEWS
By Kevin LaHaise

The Sudbury Housing Authority wants to replace four aging homes with eight affordable units. A 2024 state law now allows accessory units by right.

The Sudbury Housing Authority (SHA) has received a single bid to move ahead with its long-debated plan to add affordable housing units in the Pine Lakes neighborhood, and the proposal reflects a shift in State law that has quietly reshaped the project since neighbors first raised their objections.

For years the SHA described the plan as converting four of its single-family houses into duplexes. The winning bid, submitted last month by the modular builder MassDwell Solutions, accomplishes the unit increase under a different name: each of the four sites would become a single-family home with an attached accessory dwelling unit; a configuration Massachusetts now permits by right. If the project proceeds, the outcome on the ground is the one the SHA has long described, doubling the number of family units on those lots. (Technical proposal below)

Events!

Opinion

Reading the Region

Cartoon of the Week

More information here.

Onward!