Upton Building Commissioner Patrick Roche retired on June 28 after 47 years of service with the town.  

Pat began his career in 1977, joining the Town of Upton as the part-time Building Inspector. A native of Upton, he first worked out of his house on Ridge Road where people would stop by seven days a week to have him review their plans. He did this without a clerk or assistant inspector while working his regular full-time job. 

In the early 1980s, as building construction began to grow, he moved to an office at Town Hall. As Upton continued to have steady construction growth, averaging about 50 houses per year, the demand for more office space and staff became evident. Pat oversaw a department that grew to include an assistant building inspector, trade inspectors, and a full-time department assistant while moving to the Risteen Building and eventually back to a renovated Town Hall.   

Pat’s knowledge and experience have been invaluable to the town. Through his years as Building Inspector, and more recently Building Commissioner, Pat oversaw many private building projects including single-family homes, subdivisions, and commercial buildings. There have also been many town projects reviewed and inspected by Pat including two new schools, multiple renovations of Blackstone Valley Tech, police station, fire/EMS headquarters, public works building, renovation of Town Hall, the Ramsey building at Kiwanis Beach, and most recently the building of the new Upton Community Center. 

Pat has served as one of the longest tenured building inspectors in the state. A true Uptonian who was committed to doing his best for the town and the citizens of Upton, Pat will be missed at Town Hall, and we all wish him a long, happy and healthy retirement.

Source: bit.ly/UptonPatRoche (uptonma.gov)