Boxborough Select Board unanimously appoints Chelmsford captain as next fire chief

BOXBOROUGH -- June 10, 2024, Boxborough Select Board taps Chelmsford fire captain as next fire chief and clears path to Green Community funds. The board voted unanimously Monday night to appoint John Kivlin, a 26-year Chelmsford Fire Department veteran and hazmat team leader, as the town's next fire chief, contingent on contract negotiations and background checks. The choice followed back-to-back 30-minute interviews with three finalists drawn from a 16-applicant field that included a nine-hour assessment center run by retired chief Jack Paro and four colleagues. In a separate unanimous vote, the board adopted a fuel-efficient vehicle policy and energy reduction plan that will qualify Boxborough for an estimated $130,000 in immediate state designation grants and up to $225,000 annually thereafter through the Department of Energy Resources Green Communities program. The board also accepted a $4,700 student fire education grant and a $2,200 senior fire education grant from the state Department of Fire Services, introduced volunteer police chaplain Father Theodore Barbas, and voted 4-0-1 to require a Finance Committee voting seat on the new fire station building committee, for which a public application process will launch this week.