'Unsung heroine': Wendy Wiiks honored for behind-scenes work after Leominster flooding

First in a series of stories on Worcester County residents recently honored by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women.

LEOMINSTER — Driving around Leominster to eyeball the different community projects the city is working on is one of the best parts of Wendy Wiiks’ municipal job.

“I love to see what’s been accomplished,” Wiiks said. After all, it's teamwork and her writing skills that made the work possible.

Wiiks is the grant administrator for Leominster and while in her position managed the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and administered the American Rescue Plan Act funds the city was awarded through the federal bailout plan. She seeks out funding opportunities offered by state and federal entities, then researches whether any of Leominster’s projects fit the criteria and writes grant proposals in an effort to secure the funds.

“I was an English major, so I can write,” Wiiks said. She also has an eye for detail, takes the time to "dot her i’s and cross her t’s" and can follow directions. “The state and federal governments like to see clearly thought out projects, with cost estimates and proposed timelines.”

It helped that the city has always had a hard-core planning department with a priority list of projects to be completed. There was always the next park to refurbish, the next land grant or the next industrial project, Wiiks said.

Wiiks has been working for Leominster for 15 years after working as the economic development coordinator for Sen. Robert Antonioni until his retirement in 2008.

“Who doesn’t want to work for their hometown for a dynamic mayor who never sleeps?” Wiiks joked.

More: Worcester County women honored at State House as heroines of the commonwealth

Wiiks was one of 125 women from around Massachusetts nominated by local legislators as a Heroine of the Commonwealth Class of 2024; a recognition bestowed by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. In tapping Wiiks, Sen. John Cronin, D-Fitchburg, said she, “does remarkable work whenever called upon, whether the problem is large or small.

“Sept. 11, 2023, was a rainy day across Massachusetts, but in Leominster, the rain was catastrophic. Nearly 10 inches fell in several hours, stranding evening commuters on flooded-out roads, forcing residents to evacuate from their homes and destroying roads and critical infrastructure,” Cronin said. “Wendy worked tirelessly to field residents’ damage claims and navigate a complex FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) submittal process.”

All her experience came into play this past year as Wiiks and her team mustered the information needed to seek out a federal disaster declaration for Leominster following the September flash floods . The 11 inches of rain that fell over the course of four hours caused $30 million in damage to the municipality’s infrastructure and millions more to individual homeowners and businesses in Leominster.

“I would say that this FEMA process is one of the most intense and confusing processes I have seen in my life,” Wiiks said, adding she was pleased that homeowners and business are getting assistance.

“Dealing with the flood was a team effort,” Wiiks said. They gathered information, damage reports and estimates of repair costs, and submitted it to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. And then they did it again when the federal government denied the disaster designation request and the municipality gathered more information to appeal the decision.

“I’m still shocked we were denied,” Wiiks said. However, President Joe Biden reversed the agency’s decision for private landowners and businesses without addressing the damage sustained by the municipal infrastructure.

While the community sustained considerable damage, the Federal Emergency Management Agency declared, “damage to the municipal infrastructure is not of such severity or magnitude as to warrant public assistance.” The state allocated some funding from an emergency fund to Leominster and Cronin filed an amendment to the Senate budget for fiscal 2025 that starts at the end of July to be administered by the United Way of Central Massachusetts. That $500,000 stipend, if approved by the House, would cover lost personal property and would augment state and federal aid.

Cronin praised Wiiks,’ “quiet confident approach with resident, community partners and elected officials and her unwavering persistence is a demonstration of her character. Wendy displays the qualities of a true unsung heroine through her unselfish giving and caring for others.”

He said he is proud to call her a constituent.

One of Wiiks’ favorite community improvement projects was, thankfully, untouched by the flash floods: the remodeling of the common at the city's center.

“We redid the center of town, planted new trees, installed new seating and organized the common,” Wiiks said.

The revitalized area has a bigger, greener open space, is entirely accessible and is user friendly. The municipality added new lighting, wired the space for public WiFi and put in new tables that included checkerboards.

“It’s a place where people can sit, grab food, use their laptops, have lunch,” Wiiks said.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: 'Unsung heroine': Wendy Wiiks honored for behind-scenes work after Leominster flooding