Stephen Wallace, Westminster Town Planner, and Westminster Board of Selectmen submitted this letter to Catherine Onasanya the Massachusetts Film Office regarding our town's interest in being considered 'film friendly'. Below is the full text of the letter.

Dear Ms. Onasanya:

On behalf of the Town of Westminster, I’d like to thank you for holding one of your “Tourism-U” seminars at the Wachusett Village Inn here in Town and we hope you enjoyed your stay. We have completed our Survey of Interest and are happy to report that we are quite interested in becoming a “Film Friendly” community. I’d like to speak briefly about what our Town can offer the film industry:

* Our municipality does not issue Film Permits or Event Permits. Instead, those film companies interested in filming in our Town should contact our staff point person who would convene a meeting of our Technical Review Committee (TRC), comprised of municipal department heads. Our TRC would meet with the film company to discuss what would be required for municipal services. We find that TRC meetings are quite useful in identifying the issues up front so they can be dealt with in a coordinated and comprehensive manner.

* Our Town works very closely with the local business community and we would be more than happy to convene a vendor’s roundtable on behalf of any film company looking to film in the area. If we know what a film company would require for a particular shoot, we could help them connect with local businesses and service providers who can meet their needs. Our local business community stands ready to help. We have catering services, hotels and inns, restaurants, tailors, doctors, dentists, grocers, lumber suppliers, local artists and musicians, building contractors, bus and truck rental companies, computer technicians, florists, landscapers, movers, painters, welders, and anything else you may need to have a successful film shoot here in town.

As you know from your visit, Westminster is a picturesque rural New England community with many scenic landscapes that would make wonderful backdrops for the movie industry. I have included a disk of photographs with this letter that will help you understand why Westminster is such a special place and why we want to share it with the world.

Our designated point of contact will be our Town Planner Stephen Wallace and you can reach him at 978-874-7414 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Stephen will be more than happy to assist you with whatever you need to make your Westminster filming experience successful.  If you have any questions or need additional information, please don’t hesitate to contact us.


Sincerely,


Laila Michaud, Chairman

Westminster Board of Selectmen


CC: Lisa Strout, Director, MA Film Office