Municipal Updates, March 11
New leadership in Worcester Division of Public Health, rain barrels for purchase, pricing plan for electric vehicle charging stations, and more.
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The City Manager’s Office is pleased to publish its first edition of Municipal Updates – an aggregation of departmental and divisional news and updates related to programs and policies that will be distributed regularly.
New Leadership in Worcester Division of Public Health (WDPH)
The municipality recently announced that Tamara Lundi was appointed Director of Public Health. Nikki Nixon was also promoted to Deputy Director of Public Health.
Lundi joins the municipality following her tenure at UMass Memorial Health Care where she worked for 11 years, most recently serving as Chief Executive Officer of Community Healthlink. She brings more than 15 years of public health and human services experience to the position.
Nixon led WDPH’s Office of Data, Research, and Epidemiology since its inception in 2022. She joined WDPH in 2016 as an Epidemiologist, facilitating the Regional Youth Health Survey, COVID-19 surveillance, and other projects.
WDPH Receives $350K Prevention in Early Childhood Grant
WDPH was approved for another three years of funding from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS) for the Prevention in Early Childhood (PEC) grant, totaling $350,000. Over the past three years, the Maternal and Child Health Unit, under the Community Health Office, has worked tirelessly to implement the SOR-PEC grant with dedication and integrity.
The goal of the “PEC” grant remains focused on developing and implementing evidence-based interventions to support the wellbeing of families with children ages 0-11 who are impacted by substance use disorders. This initiative will continue to help the Worcester community build a more comprehensive and effective response, ensuring that all families with young children have the resources they need to thrive.
Rain Barrels Available for Purchase
It’s raining. It’s pouring. And you could be using a rain barrel to collect the rainfall to water your lawn, garden, or indoor plants!
Residents can order a discounted 60-gallon rain barrel starting at $84. The Great American Rain Barrel Company is offering discounted rates to customers who purchase barrels for delivery in Worcester.
Rain barrels must be picked up on Thursday, May 15 between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Blackstone Valley Heritage Corridor Visitors Center at 3 Paul Clancy Wy.
Pre-order by midnight on May 4. Worcester residency is not required. Pre-order is required for pickup. Rain barrels are not available for purchase onsite.
To pre-order a barrel visit greatamericanrainbarrel.com/community. Under “Community Programs,” select Massachusetts as the state and Worcester as the city to order for pickup at this distribution event.
For more information, email info@tgarb.com, or call 800-251-2352.
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
The City of Worcester is implementing a pricing plan for municipally owned Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCS).
The Department of Sustainability & Resilience (DSR) currently manages more than 28 EVCS across the city and on or about April 7, 2025 will begin charging users 30 cents /kWh, with the goal of offsetting municipal costs associated with operating and maintaining the stations.