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We’re about to complete another trip around the sun, and not much has changed here in Sudbury. The Town budget is stretched thin, the intersection at Horse Pond Road and Boston Post Road is still as harrowing as ever, and the restaurant space is vacant once again at 29 Hudson Road.
Of course, 2025 was a busy, complicated and, at times, unpredictable year. Of the roughly 600 stories published by Sudbury Weekly this year, a few stood out as they covered the issues, themes and developments that defined life in Sudbury in 2025. If you’re interested in a stroll down memory lane, here’s the 2024 Year In Review.
Here’s the annual Sudbury Weekly “Year In Review.”
January 2025
The year opened with big changes in the Sudbury Fire Department, and a sudden closure at the Atkinson Pool. But the big story in January was the Mass Central Rail Trail, as Eversource finished their transmission line project and handed things off to the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Eversource Energizes Line, DCR Gets Started – MCRT Trail Construction Imminent
Timothy Choate Named Next Sudbury Fire Chief
Chief Whalen Wraps Up 45-Year Fire Career
Atkinson Pool Closure Continues
February
February is the start of election season in Sudbury, and this year it was chalk full of contested races. While the campaign season was “business as usual,” elected committees were dealing with some mid-winter conflicts. That included a spat between the Select Board and the Sudbury Public Schools (SPS) School Committee regarding the appointment process to fill a vacancy on the school committee. And that was just one of many SPS school committee melodramas, including the Chair at the time filing an Open Meeting Law complaint against her own committee.
School Committee Implodes Over Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Student Policy
Contested Races Confirmed for Select Board, L-S, SPS
Roberts Clarifies, Reaffirms SPS Appointment Process
Goodnow Library Director to Take Post In Andover
March
Change was the theme in March thanks to the Annual Town Election, but there were several changes to senior staff positions this year, too. Sudbury’s long-time library director moved on to a new post in Andover. Three first-time candidates were elected to the SPS and L-S school committees in March. But there were some familiar faces that won election, too. Two former elected members of the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School (L-S) School Committee were elected when Radha Gargeya delivered a dominant performance in the contested Select Board race, and Jack Ryan did the same on his way back to the L-S School Committee.
Goodnow Library Director to Take Post In Andover
Kouchakdjian, Gargeya Win Select Board Race, Sues, Morton, Ryan Take School Committee Seats
McCready Appointed to SPS School Committee
April
April brought a surprise for voters — news of a rare contested race for commissioner at the Sudbury Water District. The incumbent, Robert Sheldon, won reelection, but the contested race provided an opportunity for Sudbury residents to discuss issues facing the often overlooked water district. Meanwhile, construction of the Mass Central Rail Trail in Sudbury heated up in the spring months, along with the weather. The run up to Annual Town Meeting featured a heavy focus on the Community Preservation Act surcharge, and a Citizen Petition article that called for cutting it in half. That petition failed at Town Meeting, but was really just the beginning of a year-long municipal finance disinformation campaign that ran through Special Town Meeting in December. In April, the Town of Sudbury released a massive financial report and reference guide which helped to clarify the ongoing misinformation about Sudbury’s financial management.
“Reckless” and “Shortsighted” – Select Board Opposes CPA Cut
Contested Race for Sudbury Water District Commissioner
Town of Sudbury Releases Long-Term Financial Report and Reference Guide
May
Annual Town Meeting is the main event each May, but we can’t overstate just how busy May of 2025 was for Sudbury. From a Route 20 corridor study to the sudden closing of Sul Tavolo/Sobre Mesa, Sudbury’s business scene was a source of several big stories in May. Meanwhile, three Curtis civic projects made it all the way to a State event. Way to go, Sudbury students!
Sheehan Just Keeps Settling Contracts Like An Absolute Boss
Sudbury Restaurant—Sul Tavolo—Announces Permanent Closure
Planning Board Hears Initial Findings on Route 20 Study
Three Curtis Civics Projects Headed to State Event
June
Sudbury got back to it’s favorite hobby in June: minting new plans! The Housing Production Plan and the Fields Needs Assessment arrived in June. While historically Sudbury has struggled to fully implement plans over the medium and long term, the Park and Recreation Department moved quickly to apply for Community Preservation Act funding to design new fields based on their new assessment.
Residents Sound Alarm On UniUni Deliveries
School Calendar Review Gets Underway
Select Board Approves Housing Production Plan
Park and Rec Starts to Prioritize Field Projects
July
July had a mix of everything. The Sudbury Community Food Pantry made news with their new permanent home while scaling to meet growing demand in Sudbury and surrounding towns. Meanwhile, the future of the crime lab property came into question with news of the State consolidating operations in Marlborough. Not to be outdone by other news, the SPS School Committee turned a simple process discussion into the most inane conversation of the year. Fortunately, it was easy to ignore with the re-opening of a Sudbury institution; Lotus Blossom.
Future of Sudbury Crime Lab Is Up In the Air
Sudbury Community Food Pantry Announces Permanent Home in Wayland
SPS Committee Struggles with Procedures, Packet Materials Following MASC Guidance
Lotus Blossom Reopening Wednesday, July 30
August
Without a doubt, the defining story of August 2025 was the SMILE playground at Haskell field. Following a multi-year delay, the playground improvement project proved not to be an improvement at all, at least in the eyes of Sudbury residents. While the Town quickly pivoted to pursue CPC money for further enhancements and equipment replacements, it was a good reminder of the first rule of suburban living: don’t mess with playgrounds. All things recreation dominated the news in the second half of the year.
SPS Committee Passes Gender Identity and Inclusivity Policy
SMILE Playground: A Work In Progress?
Select Board Initiates Sewataro Evaluation from Town Staff
Sudbury’s Carole Ann Baer to Be Honored at Fenway for Challenger League Legacy
September
“Back to school” month was largely uneventful this year. Perhaps the biggest story was the Select Board initiating a review of the Sewataro property. The Town of Sudbury hasn’t conducted any planning work for the property since the acquisition in 2019. Planning was once again a key theme in September, as the Planning Board pushed the Route 20 planning process further along, with discussion of zoning changes taking center stage.
Select Board Initiates Sewataro Evaluation from Town Staff
Planning Board Takes Methodical Approach to Route 20 Corridor
Park and Rec to Go Big On CPA Funding Applications
October
In October we published some of the largest newsletter editions since the founding of Sudbury Weekly. The news coming out of SPS was almost impossible to keep up with in October, ultimately culminating in the resignation of a member at the end of the month… the second SPS resignation of 2025. After a months-long effort, the calendar subcommittee landed with a thud, while the No Kings Protest and proposed Sherman’s Bridge renovations generated quite a bit of noise.
SPS Establishes LGBTQ+ Parent Advisory Council
SPS Receives Recognition From State For LGBTQ+ PAC, Gender Identity Policy
Sim Resigns from SPS School Committee
Calendar Subcommittee Opts Not to Make Calendar Recommendations
Sudbury, Wayland Town Managers Voice Support For Sherman’s Bridge Project
Capital Plan Garners Widespread Praise In Joint Meeting
Nearly 800 Participants Estimated At Sudbury No Kings Protest
November
After months of SPS and recreation headlines, things turned back to municipal finance in November. With approval from the Massachusetts School Building Authority for two school roof projects, Sudbury was headed for a special town meeting in December. Town Manager presented his annual Financial Condition of the Town, only for SPS to drop a surprise $1.6M budget bomb mere days later. While the SPS administration’s budget management circus took shape, the Town was combatting misinformation regarding free cash, levy capacity and funding sources for school roofs.
Meanwhile, roughly a decade after Sudbury’s battle with Eversource began, the Select Board closed out litigation funds as residents were eagerly using the (not quite finished) Mass Central Rail Trail.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: SPS Gets MSBA Approval for Roofs
Misinformation On Chapter 70 Swirls Through Sudbury… Again
End of An Era: Select Board Closes Out Eversource Litigation Funds
Sheehan’s Financial Condition of the Town Calls For Unity
SPS Budget Forecast Shows $1.6M Shortfall in FY27, $2.5M in FY28
School Roof Debt Projected to Have Minimal Tax Impact – Despite Underinformed Proposals
December
The month of December delivered a rousing finish to 2025. The Town administration stepped in to help the SPS administration do their jobs at nearly every juncture. To start, Town Manager Andy Sheehan presented the roof articles at Special Town Meeting, which passed overwhelmingly. Sheehan was also appointed to the SPS negotiations subcommittee to help with contract negotiations and to open a channel of communication following the surprise reveal of a massive forecasted deficit at SPS.
The Town side also ran the appointment process to fill a vacancy on the SPS School Committee. Meanwhile, Sheehan joined a school committee meeting with his Assistant Town Manager, Victor Garofalo, to explain how the Town develops guidance for cost centers and builds sustainable budgets.
Julie Durgin-Sicree Appointed to SPS School Committee
SPS Budget Conversation Yields Few Answers On Deficit Surprise
Planning Board Poised To Make Progress On Cell Service
School Roofs Pass At Special Election
Public Records Raise Further Questions About SPS Administration’s Role In Capital Planning
