BOH Closes Winchendon Family Dollar Due to Health and Safety Concerns
At their meeting on Monday, January 3, the Winchendon Board of Health voted to close the Winchendon Family Dollar store, located in the plaza at 49 Central Street, due to concerns about the lack of cleaning, water leakage and safety hazards inside the building.
BOH Chair Keith Kent opened the discussion with the history of the issues, saying that there had been concerns about cleanliness in the store going back for several years. Mr. Kent noted that "a couple months ago," Family Dollar was granted a temporary food permit on the condition that the leaky roof be repaired within six months, when the food permit would be reconsidered. Family Dollar rents the store space from the owner, but "is in control of meeting all health code requirements in their business as they do sell food product."
Mr. Kent described visiting the store on four consecutive days between Friday, December 31 and Monday, January 3. "I found everything on the floors from used, germy popsicle sticks that children threw on the floor where they'd had a lollypop, straws, food crumbs, plastic food wrappers," Mr. Kent said, as well as rotting ceiling tiles, pails of water on wet floors to catch leaks, and water dripping from the ceilings around electrical wiring and light fixtures in the store's back aisle.
"I spoke with the manager [on Friday] and I said, 'the floors are really bad. Could you please at least get the floors swept, because several months ago the Board also made it clear that they needed to clean their floors,'" Mr. Kent said. "I asked him if he could help with getting the floors at least swept, and then cleaned eventually, and he said, 'Okay.'" Mr. Kent went on to describe return visits to the store on Saturday, Sunday and Monday and finding no changes, the same debris on the floors, and more trash as well. "The floors were still not even swept, let alone washed," after four days, Mr. Kent stated.
Mr. Kent displayed, and entered into the record, many photographs he had taken of the floors, shelves, wet and damaged ceiling tiles, and contaminated food packaging inside the store to document the conditions.
Health Agent Jim Abare suggested having a meeting with Family Dollar's district management about "these recurring violations." Mr. Kent told the Board that Town Manager Justin Sultzbach had left phone messages for the property owner which, as of the time of the BOH meeting in progress, had not been returned.
BOH members expressed their own strong concerns. Member Tina Santos brought up the potential for mold with the constantly wet ceiling tiles. "Years ago they used to have a rat and mice problem. We had food permits and they were not shut down. They were shut down for a day to put down certain products and such, and then I went in and saw mothballs, which in my opinion are not healthy, those should not be put down, especially around public and young children. Then they had the air problem, where it was, that smell was terrible. They were closed for some time. I don't see why they couldn't be closed at this time, for this problem." She suggested that the building inspector and fire department inspect the ceiling for electrical hazards, with water leaking around the lights.
BOH member Lionel Cloutier said, "I've been on the Board for sixteen years and I'm telling you that store is just about getting as bad as the IGA was. And we had to close the IGA down because the people would not listen, the managers would not listen, they would not take care of the place like it should have been taken care of. My suggestion to the Board is, you can ask them to meet, but I'm gonna put it this way, if they don't meet quickly, I want it closed."
Mr. Kent said, "If we were to go that road, we want the public to know, after this discussion, after stacks and stacks of photos, of filth everywhere, on the floors, dripping down from the ceiling, all the other issues, we want the public to know that we don't do this short-sightedly, we don't do this without thought, we sure as heck don't do this without pages of documentation, without multiple attempts over months. We want the public to know we take what [we're doing] right now extremely seriously. During a pandemic, in a building that has filth everywhere along the floors and aisles."
After much discussion, the Board voted on a motion "to close Family Dollar due to multiple serious health concerns regarding cleaning, regarding water, regarding the leaks, regarding potential mildew, regarding the water around the electrical, regarding the shelves...being cleaned, the floor being thoroughly cleaned as defined in MA, swept, washed, and then inspected by the health agent, the building agent and the fire department." The motion was approved unanimously, 4-0, by members in attendance.
"I consider this a dark moment. I'm not proud of it," Mr. Kent said after the vote. Ms. Santos added, "It's a shame it had to come to this, unfortunately."
The closure was to take effect immediately with the adjournment of the meeting.
On Tuesday, January 4, Health Agent James Abare inspected the store, but told the management that more cleaning was required before he could give them a passing grade.
On Wednesday, January 5, the store had a small handwritten sign on the front door, on fluorescent orange paper, saying, "closed until further notice for building repairs." Staff were working inside the store. Mr. Abare inspected the store again on Wednesday, and while he noted improvement, he still felt that more cleaning was required.
On Thursday, January 6, store staff could be seen continuing to work on the floors. Mr. Abare visited the store twice on Thursday but still could not give the facility a passing inspection based on the cleanliness requirements and regulations demanded for a food permit. As of the end of the day on Thursday, Family Dollar had not been cleared to re-open.
Mr. Kent consulted with town counsel, via Town Manager Justin Sultzbach, as to whether the Chair of the BOH could authorize the store to re-open once it passed all inspections, without requiring the BOH to convene a meeting and vote. Town Counsel Brian Riley indicated that Mr. Kent has this authority, if the store meets all requirements of the Health Agent and building inspector.
Winchendon Building Inspector Geoff Newton and the Winchendon Fire Department both inspected the ceiling and electricals, and determined that there is no danger to the public from the leaking roof and light fixtures at this time. The leaking ceiling is not in an area where food products are displayed or stored. Dairy products are in a cooler by the front door.
A special meeting of the Board of Health has been posted for Monday, January 10 at 5:00 p.m. which will include Family Dollar representatives and the owner of the property, in order to discuss a constructive action plan to address the cleanliness and repair issues and prevent future closures being necessary.
Besides the former IGA grocery store, which closed in 2017, the Plaza building formerly housed an auto parts store in the lower level, facing Beech Street on the back of the building. The interior of that empty store area is littered with debris left by the auto parts retailer, and would obviously require extensive cleaning at the very least before a new business could occupy it.
According to the Town of Winchendon Assessment Field Card, the property (lot and buildings) has a current assessed value of $2,155,300.
Fire Station Redesign Proposal and Plans Moving Forward
Redesign plans for the Town of Winchendon Fire Station continue to move forward towards a Fall 2022 Special Town Meeting proposal to voters, with a downsized proposal reducing the total project cost, as the current facility continues to fall short of meeting codes, department needs, and requirements.
At the Fall Special Town Meeting held on October 28, 2020 under the administration of former Town Manager Keith Hickey, a large proposed expansion of the station with a new building connected to the existing fire department was rejected by voters. The Finance Committee recommended against the estimated $12 million project proposal, explaining that the expansion project had not gone through what it considered to be the proper channels and procedures for adequate discussion among various town committees, and had bypassed the Capital Planning Committee.
During that Town Meeting, residents also voted down an additional override debt exclusion request of $853,000 for the necessary architectural design and all associated documents of the project regarding potential construction. Based on the discussions and "No" vote by Town Meeting, voters then passed over the request to approve $200,000 to be take from free cash to fund a project OPM (Owners' Project Manager).
The Finance Committee Chair, Tom Kane, said the FinCom felt there had not been enough discussion regarding the project, especially regarding costs, and did not understand the need to rush it. Kane added that while the committee understood something needed to be done, more people needed to be afforded the opportunity to ask questions and be part of the process.
Now, over fifteen months later and after much planning, that time will soon come. Talks and discussion, Q&A sessions, and a future proposal on the table for voters, if all goes according to plan, will be taking place for the Fall, 2022 Special Town Meeting (exact date to be confirmed by the Board of Selectmen).
On Wednesday, January 5, Fire Chief Thomas Smith verified to the Courier that there will be announcements soon to come regarding new proposed projected redesign plans, project scope, and potential cost, as well as proposed cost savings verses the original project. Smith said, "We are working diligently with the Town Manager to bring the future proposal to the town. We will be holding in-person meetings as well as possible zoom online meetings if needed. We are working on slide shows among other information which will be available to help answer residents and voter questions, as well as what aspects of a potential future project have been either downsized or eliminated from the original proposal."
At this time a myriad issues currently face the department. Smith confirmed concerns such as not having enough facilities for the proper washing of all clothing and gear, requiring members to bring such items to their personal homes to launder, allowing potential cancer-causing agents to contaminate their private residences. The department garage is at full capacity, not allowing for a fully loaded tanker truck inside during the winter months. The vehicle must be kept empty as it would freeze solid outdoors if filled as needed.
Additionally, there continue to be no separate sleeping or showering facilities for any female employees, as Fire Departments across the nation are seeing employment and membership growth of volunteer, on call, and full time female firefighters. In a 2020 NFPA report based on 2018 data collected, the Nation Fire Prevention Association documented an overview of 29,705 local and municipal fire departments in the nation. Four years ago, in 2018, the NFPA estimated that 93,700, or eight percent, of the 1,115,000 firefighters in the United States were female. More specifically, 15,200 or four percent of career firefighters and 78,500 or 11 percent of volunteer firefighters were women.The current department also fails to meet current ADA compliant regulations as it was constructed nearly five decades ago in the mid-1970s.
When asked about the current upcoming project and proposal on Wednesday, January 5, Town Manager Justin Sultzbach said, "I have been working tirelessly with Chief Smith and a team of architects to reduce the scope and cost of our Fire Station design. The total cost was just over $12,000,000 when it last came before Town Meeting. I am happy to report we have tightened this project up while ensuring the expanded structure stills meets the needs of our Firefighters and the community they serve."
Sultzbach continued, "Rather than put an addition on the existing building which would trigger mandated code updates throughout the building that per square foot can be more costly than new construction, I proposed to the architect a full separate building, which down the road could then be later connected to the existing building with a new addition or feature. This would allow all the existing front line apparatus to be stored in the then new structure next door, that would be significantly smaller than what was proposed, and then allow all the old second line apparatus to be stored in the old fire station."
Elaborating on this, Sultzbach said, "Administrative space, bunk space, and some new bays would go in the new building, and then in the old building could be used for a community meeting room, workout room, the second line apparatus and other purposes. These are things that don't need to be graded as high on modern fire station code but are still perfectly safe for general use, and still experience significant cost savings as you are not fiddling with the existing structure as much."
Requests for funds for the design costs are expected to be made at the Fall, 2022 STM, Sultzbach said. If approved by voters, the design work will take place over the winter, producing a concrete number for project construction costs, as required to put the project out for bid, to be approved by voters at the 2023 Annual Town Meeting in May.
In closing Sultzbach offered, "This early design has been brought before the Capital Planning Committee recently at their December meeting, and will be available for several public input sessions to be held. This is a community project, and it is crucial that we get the community's perspective."
Winchendon and Surrounding Area See Huge Post-Holiday COVID Surge
The town of Winchendon, which in the previous two weeks was listed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health at 14.13 and 14.47 percent, as of the most recent Thursday, January 6, 2022 report is documented at 17.49 percent viral positivity. This number does not include results from state-provided free testing kits delivered to Winchendon residents, or store-purchased testing kits, as private individuals are not required to report their results. Results from these kits are reported on the honor system, and unreported positives would place Winchendon at at least 20 percent positivity or over.
In one week's time after all indoor holiday gatherings, the ten-town area surrounding Winchendon, going two towns in each direction, has now surged to an average positivity rate of 17.1 percent, increasing from 12.62 percent--a 26 percent seven-day increase. Many of the municipal positivity percentages and regional averages are new all time record highs for the Commonwealth.
Locally, the Town of Athol just two towns away from Winchendon to the west, a town of 11,500 residents, has advised its residents that it now has documented 328 viral positive cases as of Thursday, January 6, according to the Athol Public Health Department, and a DPH documented positivity rate of 19.91 percent not including all state-distributed or store purchased free testing kits. Fellow Athol-Royalston Regional School District partner town of Royalston registered at 15.23 percent positivity, up from 12.21 percent on December 30, 2021.
To Winchendon's east, the town of Ashburnham which a week ago registered at 10.28 percent in its last report, now registers at 11.29 percent, and its neighboring town of Westminster which was last reported at 14.97 percent, now registers significantly higher at 19.34 percent. Both towns are members of the Ashburnham-Westminster Regional School District.
Traveling south of Winchendon, the city of Gardner which last week registered 11.98 percent, now as of January 6 registers at 14.34 percent positivity based on 2,769 molecular tests. Just south of Gardner and only two towns from Winchendon, the town of Hubbardston which last week realized 14.19 percent positivity, is now currently documented at 18.76 percent. Its fellow Quabbin Regional School District member town of Barre, which last listed as high as 16.56 percent, has just realized 17.45 percent positivity.
Also to Winchendon's south and southeast, the towns of Templeton and Phillipston which are members of the Narragansett Regional School District, last week listed as 10.00 percent and 13.99 percent viral positivity respectively. This week as of the DPH January 6, 2022 report the two towns register at 16.13 and 21.86 percent respectively for a 19 percent positivity average.
Winchendon has now remained stable for several weeks at a registered 53 percent of its residents fully vaccinated and 60 percent of its population with at least one dose of a vaccination. As of January 2, 2022, Winchendon is now at 5,717 residents fully vaccinated, and 6,504 residents having received at least one dose. The increase in number is so slight, the percentages remain unchanged.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, per this newest report, lists the total of Commonwealth residents fully vaccinated as 5,090,635 of its 6,096,000 residents. Of those 5,090,635 fully vaccinated Massachusetts residents, the Department of Public Health as of the latest, January 2, 2022 data, documents 170,594 "breakthrough cases" or 3.5 percent of all persons vaccinated. This means the vaccine is still documented at a current total protection success rate of 96.5 percent against reinfection based on reported cases. At this time, the vast majority of those hospitalized, based on mandated reporting, are the un-vaccinated, filling hospitals and heavily overtaxing all medical resources.
In closing, if you are not yet vaccinated, the Winchendon Board of Health urges you to please get vaccinated if healthy enough to do so. If you are not vaccinated, please take proper precautions around those in high risk groups, such as the elderly, or those with pre-existing conditions. The numbers above are all legally documented by mandated reporting. Please take any proper precautions necessary, to keep both you, your family, and friends safe as needed. Any municipality registering at 15 percent or higher, when taking into account all non-reported store purchased or Massachusetts-provided free test kits, is likely 20 percent or higher at this time.
Keith Kent
Chair
Board of Health
Town of Winchendon
To schedule a free COVID-19 vaccination, including a booster, at any time, go to www.mass.gov/covid-19-vaccine.
Scholarships Available through the North Central Massachusetts Chamber Foundation
(North Central, MA) - The North Central Massachusetts Chamber Foundation is pleased to announce that applications for its 2022 Scholarship program are now being accepted. Each year, the Chamber Foundation distributes approximately 25 scholarships to local high-achieving high school students in North Central Massachusetts. Since the establishment of its scholarship program, the North Central Massachusetts Chamber Foundation has awarded over a million dollars in scholarships.
Students interested in applying for a 2022 scholarship through the North Central Massachusetts Chamber Foundation should contact their high school guidance department to submit an application. Deadline for applications is Tuesday, March 1, 2022. A limited number of scholarship applicants are submitted by each school in the Chamber's service area each year and then reviewed by a committee of Chamber members.
Many of these awards are made possible through contributions from members of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. Scholarships endowed through the Chamber Foundation are often named in honor of prominent members of the North Central Massachusetts business community whose philanthropy and commitment to the community have helped shape North Central Massachusetts.
The Chamber's Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization focused on assisting in the betterment of the region through charitable activities. Funds raised by the Foundation are utilized primarily for education/workforce development initiatives and charitable activities in North Central Massachusetts, including scholarships to eligible applicants pursuing education and grants to support economic and community development projects.
For more information on the North Central Massachusetts Chamber Foundation's scholarship program or a list of the named scholarships, please visit northcentralmass.com or call 978.353.7600 ext. 222.
