INCORPORATED 1655

TOTAL AREA: 22.8 Square Miles

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

TOWN SERVICES:

TOWN CONTACTS (as of August 2010)

Board of Selectmen:
Eric Dahlberg
George Dixon
Matt Hanson
John Kurland
Phone: (978) 250-5201
Email: BOSOffice@townofchelmsford.us

Town Manager:
Paul Cohen
Phone: (978) 250-5201

Town Clerk:
Elizabeth L. Delaney
Phone: (978) 250-5205

Building Inspector:
Scott Hammond
Phone: (978) 250-5225

Community Development Director:
Evan Belansky
Phone: (978) 250-5231

Planning Board:
Ann McGuigan
James M. Lane Jr
Susan Sullivan
S. George Zaharoolis
Colleen Stansfield
Robert P. Joyce
Edmund Roux
Michael Raisbeck
Phone: (978) 250-5231

Conservation Commission:
David J. McLachlan - Chairman
Christopher Garrahan - Vice Chairman
Thaddeus J. Soule - Conservation Agent
Brian Reidy
Anthony Omobono
William Vines
Cori Rose
Beth Logan
Phone: (978) 250-5248

Board of Health Director:
Richard J. Day
Phone: (978) 250-5241

Housing Authority Director:
David Hedison
Phone: (978) 256-7425

Public Works Director and Town Engineer:
James E. Pearson
Phone: (978) 250-5228

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:

Public Library Director: Becky Herrmann (978) 256-5521

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 Jack Parow Phone: (978) 250-5267 Email: jparow@townofchelmsford.us

Rail:

Commuter rail service to North Station, Boston is available at Lowell Gallagher Terminal or at the newly renovated 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.

FY2010 TAX RATE: Residential - $15.15 per $1,000, Commercial- $15.15 per $1,000

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

Population Trends – CHELMSFORD
(Updated May 25, 2002)

1960	1970	1980	1990	2000	# Change 1990-2000	% Change 1990-2000
15,130	31,432	31,174	32,383	33,858	1,475	4.6%

Persons by Sex (2000 U.S. Census)

Male	16,364
Female	17,494

Age Distribution (2000 U.S. Census)

	Persons	%
Under 5	2,264	6.7%
5 – 14	4,784	14.1%
15 – 44	13,630	40.3%
45 – 64	8,762	32.9%
65 & over	4,418	13.1%

Race and Ethnicity (2000 U.S. Census)

	Persons	%
White	31,520	93.1%
Black	266	0.8%
Am Indian, Eskimo or Aleut	23	0.1%
Asian or Pacific Islander	1,563	4.6%
Hispanic Origin	418	1.2%

Households (2000 U.S. Census)

1980	1990	2000
9,588	11,453	12,812

Household Size (2000 U.S. Census)

2.61 Persons per household

Poverty Status (2000 U.S. Census)

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

Households by Type (2000 U.S. Census)

	Households	%
Married Couple/ Family	9,307	72.6%
Female Householder	1,148	9.0%
Non-Family Household	3,505	27.4%

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

Housing Units (2000 U.S. Census)

1970	1980	1990	2000
8,559	9,813	11,815	13,025

Median Household Income (1990 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

Housing Breakdown by Occupancy (2000 U.S. Census)

TOTAL HOUSING UNITS	13,025
Total Occupied Units	12,812	98.4%
Owner Occupied	10,743	83.9%
Renter Occupied	2,069	16.1%
Total Vacant	213	1.6%

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: