Winchendon veterans housing project receives economic boost from Fitchburg bank

A $25 million project to convert two vacant Winchendon school buildings into low-income housing for veterans and their families has received another economic boost.

Representatives of the Fitchburg-based Rollstone Bank and Trust dropped by the Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center in Gardner to deliver a $15,000 check to go toward the group's plan to redevelop the former Streeter and Poland Elementary Schools into 44 apartments for homeless and high-risk veterans in the community.

Morty Connors, president and CEO of Rollstone, said he was proud that his company could be involved in such a worthy community project.

"(MVOC) started out in Fitchburg and they've been a longtime customer of ours, and everyone cares about the veterans, and it's a sad situation that some of them have been overlooked," he said. "So, if we can help, we help. We try to better the communities we operate in."

Health center to be named for Rollstone Bank

In exchange for the donation, the center's health clinic will be named after Rollstone Bank, according to MVOC Executive Director Dr. Stephanie Marchetti.

The two vacant school properties for the project were sold to MVOC by the town for one dollar. The completed project will also include 22 parking spaces, a courtyard with recreational areas, a grill area, and raised planning beds for gardening.

The nearly 4-acre site will also include a columbarium memorial structure to provide a final resting place for the cremated remains of residents.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the project is scheduled to take place at the end of September. Construction is expected to take between 15 and 18 months, Marchetti said.

"Hopefully, by the end of 2025 we will have our first group of veterans move in," she said.