INCORPORATED 1655

TOTAL AREA: 22.8 Square Miles

FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Board of Selectmen/Town Manager/
Representative Town Meeting

Chelmsford at a Glance:

Board of Selectmen: (978) 250-5201 BOSOffice@townofchelmsford.us

George Dixon	Matt Hanson	John Kurland
James Lane	Patricia Wotjas

Town Department Contacts (as of August 2011)

Town Manager	Paul Cohen	978-250-5201
Town Clerk	Elizabeth L. Delaney	978-250-5205
Town Engineer & Director of Public Works	Jim Pearson	978-250-5228
Building Commissioner (Inspectors Office)	Scott Hammond	978-250-5225
Community Development Director	Evan Belansky	978-250-5231
Housing Authority Director	David Hedison	978-256-7425
Board of Health Director	Richard J. Day	978-250-5241
Public Library Director	Becky Herrmann	978-256-5521
Chief of Police	Chief James Murphy	978-256-2521
Chief of Fire Department	Chief Michael Curran	978-250-5267
Finance Director/Treasurer	John Sousa	978-520-5210
Community Education Director	Connie Silva	978-250-5262

Planning Board: (978) 250-5231

Nancy Araway	Susan Carter	Robert P. Joyce
Richard Mclure	Michael Raisbeck	Edmund Roux
Colleen Stansfield	S. George Zaharoolis

Conservation Commission: (978) 250-5248

David J McLachlan - Chair	Christopher Garrahan - Vice Chair/Clerk	Thaddeus J. Soule - Conservation Agent
Marc Gibbs	Beth Logan	David McLachlan
Dr. Holly Parker	Cori Rose	William Vines

Public Water System:

Approximately 95% of the town is serviced by public water systems through one of the community’s three water districts – Chelmsford Center Water District; North Chelmsford Water District or East Chelmsford Water District.

Trash Collection:

The Town has curbside trash collection and recycling. In FY98, Chelmsford residents disposed of 14,620 tons of solid waste and recycled 3,370 tons.

Sewer:

The Chelmsford Sewer Project, underway since 1984, reached an important milestone in 1998 with the start of sewer line construction in East Chelmsford. This area was the last section of Town envisioned for sewers in the 1984 Wastewater Facilities Plan. That plan outlined an implementation program for sewering 68% of the Town. Design began in 1998 on the final phase to sewer the remaining 32% of Chelmsford. 75% of the Town is under town sewerage as of the summer of 2000.

Library:

The Chelmsford Public Library underwent renovations and expanded its size and holdings in 1999. The Town also has a satellite library – the Anna C. MacKay Memorial Library on Newfield St. in North Chelmsford.

Schools:

The Chelmsford School System is made up of five K – 4 elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school. 1999 – 2000 enrollments for all Chelmsford Public Schools are 4,069. The town is also one of seven member communities of the Nashoba Valley Technical High School.

Public Safety:

Chelmsford Police Department is staffed by 58 permanent officers and the Fire Dept. roster totals 62 firefighters and officers.

Chief of Police: Chief James Murphy Ph: (978) 256-2521 Email: chiefmurphy@townofchelmsford.us

Chief of Fire Dept: Chief Michael Curran Phone: (978) 250-5267 Email: mcurran@townofchelmsford.us

Rail:

Commuter rail service to North Station, Boston is available at Lowell Gallagher Terminal or North Billerica Station (travel time 40 mins). Freight rail service is available from Guilford Transportation, contact number: (978) 663-1073

Bus:

Chelmsford is a member of the Lowell Regional Transit Authority (LRTA). Fixed bus service is provided, and paratransit services, including medical trips to Boston, are available for the elderly and disabled through LRTA’s Road Runner program.

FY2011 TAX RATE: Residential - $16.72 per $1,000, Commercial- $16.72 per $1,000

Finance Director/Treasurer: John Sousa Finance Director/Treasurer Ph: (978) 250-5210

Community Census Profiles: 2010 Census data is currently becoming available in sections. Tables will be updated as new data is received. The 2000 Census Tables that have not been updated as of yet will remain below. Updated 1/25/12.

2010 Population Trends: Includes Community Population, Population by Age and Population by Race,

2010 Housing Profile: Includes Housing Units, Housing Occupancy, and Housing Tenure

2010 Household Relationship Profile: Includes Number of Households, Household Relationships, and Households by Type

Poverty Status (2000 U.S. Census)

Persons Below Poverty Level:	Chelmsford	Mass.
	938	573,421
	2.8%	9.3%

Income Distribution (2000 U.S. Census)

	Households	%
Less than $10,000	523	4.1
$ 10,000 - $ 14,999	400	3.1
$ 15,000 - $ 24,999	887	6.9
$ 25,000 - $ 34,999	847	6.6
$ 35,000 - $ 49,999	1,693	13.2
$ 50,000 - $ 74,999	2,589	20.2
$ 75,000 - $ 99,999	2,247	17.5
$ 100,000 - $149,999	2,555	19.9
$ 150,000 - $199,999	672	5.2
$ 200,000 or more	413	3.2

Sources of Income (2000 U.S. Census)

	# of Households	Average Income
Wage & Salary	10,820	$80,310
Social Security	2,360	$7,827
Public Assistance	411	$3,946
Retirement	1,823	$7,951
Supplemental Security	1,823	$7,951

HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS

Median Household Income (2000 U.S. Census)

1970	1980	1990	2000
$13,867	$26,248	$54,191	$70,207

Median Home Sale Price (Banker & Tradesman)

	1992	1994	1996	1998	2000
1 – Family	$149,750	$159,555	$166,000	$190,986	$240,000
Condo	$94,900	$95,250	$106,000	$125,950	$154,000
All Sales	$127,490	$133,250	$138,800	$159,000	$199,200

Housing Unit Permit Data

1990	1992	1994	1996	1998	2000
100	141	216	69	103	43

LAND USE CLASSIFICATION (Mass. GIS 1991)

CHELMSFORD LAND USE	ACREAGE	% OF TOTAL
Residential	6,874.74 Acres	46.5%
Commercial	376.89 Acres	2.6%
Industrial	528.66 Acres	3.6%
Agriculture	590.17 Acres	4.0%
Open Space/ Recreation	5,283.2 Acres	35.8%
Transportation/Mining/Waste	748.16 Acres	5.1%
Water	370.02 Acres	2.5%
TOTAL ACREAGE	14,771.84 Acres	100%

RECREATION

Chelmsford Recreation Commission
50 Billerica Rd Chelmsford, Ma. 01824
Connie Silvia - Community Education Director (978) 250-5262

Recreational Facilities

Cranberry Bog Reservation (164 acres)
Hiking, wildlife observation, fishing

George B.B. Wright Reservation (110 acres)
Hiking, nature observation

Lime Quarry Reservation (64 acres)
Hiking, nature observation

Lowell Sportsman Club (64 acres) private)
Fresh water fishing, target archery, shooting

Chelmsford Country Club 31.5 acres) (municipal)
Golf, sledding

Chelmsford High School (52 acres)
Baseball/softball, cross country skiing, football/soccer, general play, hiking, nature observation, organized events, tennis.

Russell Mill Pond and Forest (132 acres)
Hiking, horseback riding, nature observation, fishing, boating, soccer

Thanksgiving Ground Forest (48 acres)
Fresh water fishing, swimming, hiking, nature observation, boating

McCarthy Jr. High School (42 acres)
Baseball/softball, football/soccer, general play, nature observation, tennis, walking/jogging

Freeman Lake (77 acres)
Swimming, boating (non-motorized), skating

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Employment Base – 1999

LABOR FORCE – 2000	21,583
# Residents Employed	21,188
# Residents Unemployed	395
Chelmsford Unemployment Rate	1.8%
NMCOG Region Unemployment Rate	2.5%
State Unemployment Rate	2.6%

Employment by Industry Sector – 2001 (Mass Division of Employment & Training ES - 202 Series)

Agriculture/Forestry/Fishing	222
Government	1,451
Construction	511
Manufacturing	6,849
TCPU	3,002
Trade	3,811
FIRE	482
Services	7,280
Total Employment/Chelmsford	25,750

TCPU = Transportation, Communication and Public Utilities
FIRE = Finance, Insurance and Real Estate
conf = Data suppressed due to confidentiality

Means Of Transportation To Work - 2000 (Census Transportation Planning Package 2000)

Subject	1990 Census		2000 Census		Change 1990 to 2000
Subject	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent
Workers 16 years & over	18,276	100.0	17,929	100.0	-347	-1.9
Drove alone	15,898	87.0	15,736	87.8	-162	-1.0
Carpooled	1,406	7.7	1,072	6.0	-334	-23.8
Public transportation (including taxicab)	232	1.3	411	2.3	179	77.2
Bicycle or walked	277	1.5	122	0.7	-155	-56.0
Motorcycle or other means	99	0.5	50	0.3	-49	-49.5
Worked at home	364	2.0	538	3.0	174	47.8

Travel Time To Work - 2000 (Census Transportation Planning Package 2000)

Subject	1990 Census		2000 Census		Change 1990 to 2000
Subject	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent
Workers who did not work at home	17,912	100.0	17,391	100.0	-521	-2.91.4
Less than 5 minutes	397	2.2	251	1.4	-146	-36.8
5 to 9 minutes	1,643	9.2	1,328	7.6	-315	-19.2
10 to 14 minutes	2,688	15.0	2,517	14.5	-171	-6.4
15 to 19 minutes	2,962	16.5	2,411	13.9	-551	-18.6
20 to 29 minutes	4,373	24.4	3,717	21.4	-656	-15.0
30 to 44 minutes	3,800	21.2	3,969	22.8	169	4.4
45 or more minutes	2,049	11.4	3,198	18.4	1,149	56.1
Mean travel time to work (minutes)	23.1	X	27.6	X	4.5	X

MEDIA:

Lowell Sun
491 Dutton Street, Lowell; Phone: (978) 458 – 7100

Chelmsford Independent
15 Fletcher Street, Chelmsford; Phone: (978) 256 – 7196

Media One
12 Washer St, Lowell, Ma

The Merrimack Journal
1794 Bridge Street, Unit 27B, Dracut, Ma 01826; Phone: (978) 441-2770

REGIONAL PLANNING AGENCY:

Northern Middlesex Council of Governments
40 Church Street Suite 200 Lowell MA 01852
Beverly Woods, Executive Director
Phone: (978) 454 – 8021
Fax: (978) 454 – 8023