Millbury Awarded $229,293 State Fiber Grant to Build Municipal Network
MILLBURY — The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has awarded Millbury a $229,293 Community Compact Fiber Grant to build a municipal fiber network — the largest single financial announcement from Town Hall in this news cycle — while the library scored its own funding win and Summer Reading season moves into final countdown.
TOWN HALL
Millbury will receive $229,293 through the state's Community Compact Fiber Grant program to construct a municipal fiber network, the town announced this week. Town officials called the award exciting news for local digital infrastructure, and the grant represents a significant step toward the town owning and operating its own high-speed connectivity backbone.
Dog owners have until July 1 to register their pets and avoid a late fee. The town is reminding residents not to let the summer slip by without completing the routine annual licensing requirement.
The Town Manager Screening Committee is scheduled to meet Monday, June 15 — a signal that the ongoing search for a permanent town manager remains active. Two other scheduled Monday meetings, the Cemetery Commission and the Board of Fire Engineers, have both been cancelled.
SCHOOLS
Millbury Public Schools launched its Summer Eats Program, inviting families to take advantage of free summer meals for children so that food doesn't become an added stress during the break. The district framed the program as one less thing for families to worry about.
The district also sent a reminder to families to collect any medications stored in school health offices before the academic year closes. Medications cannot be held on-site over the summer, and families are asked to retrieve them promptly.
COMMUNITY & ARTS
Millbury Public Library is carrying a bold banner this week: "VICTORY IN THE FIGHT FOR FEDERAL FUNDING!" — the library's announcement that an effort to preserve or secure federal library funding has succeeded. No additional detail was posted on the library's homepage, but the declaration is front and center for patrons visiting the site.
Summer Reading is nearly here. The library's program opens for all ages beginning June 22, with registration available now. Young readers ages 0–11 get a petting zoo kickoff on June 23, while teens have a murder mystery event on June 24; both special kickoff events require separate registration. Participants read to earn prizes throughout the summer.
The library will be closed Friday, June 19, in observance of Juneteenth.
ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS
No new coverage from Patch, MetroWest Daily News, or The Boston Globe in this cycle.
COMING UP
- **Mon., June 15:** Town Manager Screening Committee meeting - **Tue., June 16:** Dog Park Committee meeting - **Thu., June 18:** Farmers Market at the Asa Waters Mansion — local vendors and live entertainment - **Fri., June 19:** Millbury Public Library closed for Juneteenth - **Sat., June 21:** Dog registration late-fee deadline approaching (register by July 1 to avoid fee) - **Sun., June 22:** Library Summer Reading Program officially begins; sign up now - **Mon., June 23:** Library Summer Reading Kickoff — Petting Zoo (ages 0–11; register separately) - **Tue., June 24:** Library Summer Reading Kickoff — Murder Mystery (teens; register separately)