Select Board Approves Keith Darling as Fire Chief

Select Board · Meeting of September 14, 2026

Northborough's Select Board voted 5-0 to appoint Keith Darling as the town's next fire chief, following Deputy Fire Chief Neal Espizzi's withdrawal from the post. Chair Jonathan Rea said Darling, a 24-year Franklin Fire Department veteran and U.S. Army veteran, starts October 1. The board also heard from member Michael Tietjen that the Peasley Elementary rebuild carries a preliminary $98 million price tag, with an estimated 48.68 percent MSBA reimbursement rate on eligible costs.

Member Jeffrey Ostiguy pressed for a "hard command of the numbers" before the project reaches an April town meeting vote, questioning a roughly $9.3 million preschool addition. Separately, DPW Director Scott Charpentier and consultant Emily Sherbo pitched a stormwater utility fee that could run under $100 a year per household, an idea the board called premature for this budget cycle.

In the full story:

• 4 West Main Street: NRB Enterprise Redevelopment Update
• Fire Chief Appointment: Keith Darling
• Peasley Building Committee: A Preliminary $98 Million Project
• Stormwater Utility Feasibility: A New Fee on the Table
• DPW Highway Garage Gate Hours
• Emergency Communications: Weighing Regionalization
• Annual Financial Summit and Fiscal Year 2028 Budget Guidelines
• Public Comment: Cell Tower Appeal Deadline and Peasley Cost Concerns
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 3,208 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of September 14, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.