Sheila Dibb, Rutland Selectboard 2007-2020, 2026-

09/11/2026

For those of us perhaps 35 years old and above, today's 25th anniversary is one of our generations' "Where were you.." "Did you know anyone". All of us remember. Many of us did. As we near the anniversary times this morning, please take a moment to reflect, as you are able, and to recollect how the country came together in the aftermath. And for those for whom this is "only" a piece of history, and not a memory - just like the assassination of JFK, D-Day, Hiroshima, Armistice of our ancestors - please take them to visit the NYC site, and the others, one day, as you are able.

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09/01/2026

Today is the Massachusetts State Primary. Rutland polls are open 7am-8pm at all three precincts: Precinct 1 and 3 at Naquag, Precinct 2 at the lower level of the Rutland Free Library.

As with all primaries, if you are registered with either party, you must take that party's ballot. If you are registered as unenrolled in any party, you may take your choice of ballot. There are contested races on both ballots. You can check your voter registration, and/or register to vote in future elections, here: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/OVR/

If you have a mail-in ballot, DO NOT PUT IT IN THE MAIL TODAY. Go to the polls as usual. All mail in ballots must have been received by today. Please discard unused mail-in ballots.

Thank you to our Town Clerk office staff and all our election workers for your hard work - they have a long, important day ahead of them.

08/26/2026

Happy first day of Wachusett district school to all our Rutland families, educators, staff and admin.

Our high school and CTMS middle schoolers are already well into their days, and our Glenwood and Naquag elementary kids are making their way to the buildings.... except for kindergarten, which starts tomorrow.

Thank you to all commuters who make the necessary adjustments to your drives, especially over these first couple of weeks, as the town gets back into its fall schedule. This is especially important as our police department is not currently able to staff school opening day as it had been.

This is the first short week (Weds-Fri) of two, as we work around the long Labor Day holiday weekend.

Wachusett Regional High School Central Tree Middle School Glenwood Elementary School

08/25/2026

This posting is big step for the Town of Rutland - it will be the first time our Town Clerk position will be *appointed* (hired) rather than elected at ballot. Sally Hayden was our elected Town Clerk *and* Treasurer Collector from 1991-2012. When she retired in 2012, the positions were split up, and only the Town Clerk remained elected.

Now, as we move to fill the upcoming vacancy created by the announced retirement of current Town Clerk Anita Carlson, Rutland will no longer have any elected municipal employees.

Municipal management is not what it was 50 or 25 or even 10 years ago - gone are the times when these jobs could be learned and handled by an elected townsperson.

Much is demanded of municipal professional staff. The Town Clerk is the keeper of all records, the official poster of all notices, and the last word on all our elections.

An ad-hoc search committee has been seated that will handle all first round reviews of incoming resumes, applications and will hold first round interviews. The final round of interviews will be public and televised at a future Selectboard meeting. As we move into our next era with our Town Clerk, I wish Anita all the best.

Appointed Position | Grade 6 (Non-Union) | Exempt Salary Range: $39.86 – $46.96 per hour The Town of Rutland is seeking a knowledgeable, detail-oriented, and...

08/24/2026

I hope everyone who wishes to vote in the upcoming state primary checked their voter registration and registered and/or changed party affiliation, if necessary - voter registration for the September 1 primary ended at 5pm on Saturday.

If you missed it but plan to vote in November, that registration deadline is October 24th. And you can always check your voter registration status, and/or register to vote, at https://www.sec.state.ma.us/OVR/

Early voting for the primary has begun in Rutland, with limited hours today and tomorrow, 8am-4:30pm, as noted in the flyer below from Activate Rutland, a group of volunteers trying to ensure that information is getting out to residents.

On that topic, the Selectboard has formed a Communications Committee to advise and assist the town with ensuring that we are sharing information effectively. If you'd like to apply to be on that committee, or on the newly formed Building Committee, please go to the town website for more information.

08/18/2026

URGENT REQUEST TO RUTLAND RESIDENTS TO SAVE THE RUTLAND PRISON CAMP STRUCTURES FROM IMMINENT DEMOLITION.

THESE ARE HISTORIC LANDMARKS THAT WILL BE LOST FOREVER IF WE DO NOT ACT.

CALL EMAIL TAG TEXT SHARE TO Governor Maura Healey Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll State Senator Peter J. Durant Mass DCR Congressman Jim McGovern

The Rutland Historical Commission, after working diligently for years, including a pending application with the Massachusetts Historical Commission for designation as a state historic site, to defend the historic Prison Camps structures from senseless demolition by DCR, received the below/attached letter yesterday after months of silence. It has no stated demolition date - purposely. The letter was received yesterday afternoon. As of this writing at 9am on August 18th, no equipment is on the site yet. But their planned destruction could be imminent.

The regularly changing graffiti that exists, in other communities, would be considered art installations - it is certainly considered so on Atlas Obscura. Our Rutland MA Police Department Rutland Fire Department - Rutland MA chiefs stated in public meetings that DCR's allegations of rampant crime and danger are unfounded and without fact. Emerging symbols of hate, rampant across the country, are not solved by destroying whatever the symbol was temporarily attached to. Risks to the public are inherent in all open spaces and DCR needed only to place signage to that effect to mitigate fears of litigation.

This would never be happening in Lexington, or Concord, or Sudbury. The history would be protected appropriately and preserved without question. Rutland's strengths include its notable historical contributions and sites - how dare DCR try to erase our history.

Why, yet again, is our central MA watershed town being adversely affected by the arbitrary, capricious, and inappropriately unilateral decisions of the DCR?

PLEASE MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD, AND NOT JUST ON FACEBOOK. CALL OFFICES. SEND EMAILS. SHARE. THERE IS NO GOING BACK ONCE THESE STRUCTURES ARE GONE.

Sheila Dibb, Chair, Rutland Selectboard

Text of letter:

August 17, 2026
Peter Pasierb, ChairRutland Historical Commission
Sent Via Email
RE: Rutland Prison Camp modifications

Dear Peter:I am writing to update you on the status of the Rutland Prison Camp. As you know, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is concerned with the public safety risk posed by the current condition of the structures. In November 2025, DCR proposed demolition of the prison cells and modification of the root cellar at the site. At the time, the Commission asked to submit an alternative proposal.Staff have reviewed your proposed alternatives to keep the structures intact. Unfortunately, these alternatives are unlikely to address DCR’s continuing concerns about public safety risk, hate speech, and ongoing illicit and illegal activity at these structures. However, DCR heard your Boards’s and the public’s sentiments at the April 2026 meeting and understands the town’s desire to retain as much of the historical characteristics of the site as possible. Taking these desires into consideration, and meeting with DCR’s cultural resources staff, DCR has altered its plan for the site and will instead be making the following modifications:•Prison Cells – DCR will remove the upper portion of the interior and exterior walls of this structure down to a height of 3-4 feet. As a result, the footprint of the structure will remain, the public will be able to walk through the cells, and the unstable top portions of the walls will be removed. This will substantially reduce (or eliminate) any public safety risk from crumbling walls and should also reduce the overall amount of graffiti.•Root Cellar – DCR will seal off the entrance to the root cellar and then fill the structure with sand, rocks, and gravel. The roof of this structure is unsafe so allowing the public access to the inside is not possible. By filling the structure with material, it will remain intact while eliminating any safety hazard.•Educational Signs – DCR will explore the possibility of installing new educational signs at the site, but options may be limited given the history of damage to signage at the site.We know the legislative delegation has been involved and interested in Prison Camp concerns. We have met with them regarding the current plan and have copied them on this letter.

Please let me know if you have any questions.
Sincerely,Dan Clark, Regional Director
CC: Senator Peter Durant
Representative Kimberly Ferguson
John Scannell, Division Director, DWSP

08/13/2026

UPDATE 8/24: Thank you to all who attended and watched the information session last week! What was most surprising to me was how many people thought this was related in any way to town taxes - it is not, at all. The town simply negotiated on behalf of its residents with our largest electric supplier. I hope everyone got their questions answered.... we will continue to tweak the FAQ's to reflect them. And the link to the info session video is below.

Rutland residents are now receiving notice in the mail of the new Community Electric aggregate program.

TL;DR version:

1. The Town of Rutland has bargained a locked in, competitive rate that is lower than the current National Grid rate: 16.239 cents per kWh, Oct 2026-Nov 2027.

2. If you have National Grid as your supplier you are automatically opted in, BUT *you may opt out at any time*.

3. If you have a supplier other than NatGrid, you have to opt *in* to this new town aggregate program at https://rutlandcommunityelectricity.com

4. There is an information session next week, 8/19, 6pm, in person or virtual, at the Rutland Free Library. Have questions? Drop them here and I will do what I can to answer you directly and/or have the information added to the FAQ's.

5. This Is Not Mandatory. It is a town-negotiated deal for our residents, but you don't have take it - just opt out at any time, including before the program even starts - deadline to do this is 9/12.

The Town of Rutland is pleased to announce it will launch its municipal aggregation program, Rutland Community Electricity, in October 2026. This is a Town-run electricity supply program, designed to provide stability protecting against seasonal energy price changes while offering alternatives to in...

08/12/2026

10 more days if you need to register to vote before the September 1 primary. Please visit the Town of Rutland, MA Clerk's office on Mondays or Tuesdays, or reach out to make an appointment. https://www.rutlandma.gov/755/State-Primary-Sept-1-2026

Are you election ready? Review these key dates and deadlines to ensure you are ready to cast your vote by mail or in-person on September 1st!

Check your voter registration status: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/VoterRegistrationSearch/MyVoterRegStatus.aspx
Learn about candidates on your ballot: https://www.vote411.org/plan-your-vote
Learn about vote by mail in MA: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/elections/voting-information/vote-by-mail.htm

06/19/2026

Juneteenth is one of the oldest commemorations of the end of slavery in the United States. It marks June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and issued General Order No. 3, enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation at the end of the Civil War.

Within the National Park Service, Juneteenth helps connect this history to places and stories preserved across the National Park System that interpret emancipation, Reconstruction, and the broader struggle for civil rights.

Learn more about the history of Juneteenth at: https://www.nps.gov/articles/juneteenth-origins.htm

Image: The African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, D.C.

12/23/2024

Today is Festivus, so I'm going to air my top local government grievance: those "I Am Supremely Confident My Taxes Are Too High No Matter What" people out there.

Because in these past few holiday weeks, we have seen multiple serious structure fires - including Westminster and last night in the frigid cold in Spencer, where community mutual aid was crucial. We have seen pedestrians hit by cars. We have seen multiple accidents because of slippery roads. Here in Rutland, we have a dedicated union firefighter going through the unimaginable right now - at a hopefully-mostly-covered-by-health-insurance cost that will easily reach hundreds of thousands of dollars.

So for all those out there who put up the "NO NEW TAXES" signs in their yard at the drop of a hat, without even understanding what's going on in their town - how our public safety and service officials deserve fair wages and health insurance, how quickly things can turn wrong and show you how important strong municipal structure and professional services are, how spending judiciously on capital projects can save money in the long run - THIS IS WHERE YOUR TAXES GO.

Send a message to learn more