The Winchendon Courier
Serving the community since 1878 ~ A By Light Unseen Media publication
Week of August 18 to August 25, 2022
What makes Winchendon what it is...How we're making Winchendon even better

Bull Spit Brewing Moving Forward with Summer Drive

Bull Yard Will Pop Up Again in September and October


In the past week, Bull Spit Brewing has appeared before two town boards to discuss their progress with the future Bull Spit Brewery and Tap Room at 4 and 11 Summer Drive.

On Thursday, August 11, Jim Hunt, Owner of Bull Spit Brewing, and Wesley Flis of engineering firm Haley Ward appeared before the Conservation Commission to present their formal Notice of Intent for the project.

Report for Notice of Intent (PDF)
Proposed Site Development Plan (PDF)

Mr. Flis gave an overview of the project, noting that they had come before the Commission "informally" a few months ago and did a site walk with some Commission members. Referring to the report diagrams provided to the Commission, Mr. Flis said, "So the property that we're looking at, there's actually multiple properties. Properties owned by the town of Winchendon, this property is also owned by Newport Trust, who is the applicant on this. There's five total parcels comprising about 4.4 acres. As you can see on the plan in front of you there are multiple buildings throughout the site."

Mr. Flis went on to describe the plans for 11 Summer Drive, saying that a connector section will be removed, a larger part of the building will be converted into cold storage, and a smaller remaining part will be rehabbed for a use still to be determined. "4 Summer Drive are the properties that are currently owned by the town...so that building is going to remain. That one's going to be fixed up, that's going to become the brewery and Taproom. The smaller building just right off the upper right hand corner of that, that structure is going to be taken down but the concrete slabs are going to remain, and an outdoor patio area will be replacing that structure, and so they will fix that structure up. The concrete slab and the impervious footprint of that will change."

Click to view larger image
Summer Drive schematics
Existing plan of Summer Drive area as it now is.
Image copyright © Whitman & Bingham Associates
Click to view larger image
Summer Drive schematics
Proposed plan of Summer Drive with Bull Spit site
Image copyright © Whitman & Bingham Associates

Mr. Flis stated that a lot of improvements will be made regarding parking and expanded green space on the site. "[The] majority of the property is gravel or pavement and there's some concrete out there, also some larger concrete slabs closer to the bowling alley from a former building that was on the property. And so the proposal includes 128 parking spaces in-between the multiple buildings there, to create enough parking for the users within the multiple buildings" most of whom will be customers of the tap room, Mr. Flis said.

"On the right hand side of the site plan we show a larger area of outdoor entertainment and eating area," Mr. Flis went on. "And that's really where a lot of the improvements within the buffer zone to the resource area will happen. A lot of that area that's gravel now will become grass and lawn area" with tables placed on the lawn.

Altogether, the project will convert about 70,000 square feet of the 4.4 acres into new green space where gravel and pavement now exist. "Some of that green space will also be adjacent to the pond...between the proposed parking lot and the edge of the pond, where currently there's no green space buffer now, with the existing gravel or stone parking lot and loading area that was from the old users of the building basically going right up to the pond's edge." The new project will create a 15-foot buffer of grass. "Right on the other side of that 15 foot grass filter strip is going to be a two foot wide pea stone filter such that a runoff from the parking lot will go through that pea stone filter" and will also be treated. "The intent there is to improve the water quality that currently exists on property," Mr. Flis asserted. Mr. Flis stated that they are working within the 50-foot and 75-foot buffer zones to wetlands, but "we're looking at it as redevelopment and an overall improvement of the site and overall improvement to the resource area, which would be Tannery Pond."

Mr. Flis stated that a few existing catchbasins on the property will be improved and hooded. The property is on town water and sewer so there's no issue with septic runoff.

Conservation Commission Chair Kyle Bradley said, "I just want to start off by saying I'm really excited about this project for the town, because I think it'll be a big draw to the town, not just for townspeople but for surrounding towns to come to our town. My sticking point is the parking next to the lake...I've been on this Commission since 2005. And I don't think I've ever wavered on the 50 foot setback." Parking vehicles in the 50-foot "no touch" zone will be a "hard sell," he said, because you have no idea what so many different vehicles might leak out as contaminants. "Other than that, I think it's a great project. I've done an extensive tour of the property, we did. I think it's a great project. I really love the outdoor space and it's going to look good coming into town. It's going to look really nice seeing the grass and the tables and people." But parking in the 50-foot zone is "a real sticking point for me because we've never violated that."

Mr. Flis responded that he had been involved with a project in town that got a waiver on the 50-foot no-touch zone. "But with regards to parking, we're only improving an existing condition. They can park out there currently. It's a parking lot now, it was a parking lot before for the previous user."

After some debate about the parking issue, Town Manager Justin Sultzbach said he was sensitive to the concerns, but "I think what the gentleman is trying to highlight is that it's a pre-existing condition. And I think just asking if the Conservation Commission would be willing to provide some leniency there because it's a former industrial site. If you look at historic photos, while not currently, traditionally there were big rigs parked right up to the edge of that water stacked front to back the whole way through, dripping God knows what. I cringe thinking about it. And I do agree that while that may have been the case historically, presently it's not and nobody really parks there. But I think for the sake of seeing some development there and seeing some improvements knowing that ultimately what ends up there is going to be by and large from a conservation standpoint way better than what was there historically, personally I find a little bit of comfort in that and I hope the Commission can kind of dig deep and potentially find some leniency or propose maybe some type of middle ground or solution there."

Mr. Bradley said he was uncomfortable "setting a precedent" on the 50-foot rule. Mr. Flis waxed eloquent, arguing that the entire site was being improved and returned to green space from an existing paved over space, and that the parking would be "family vehicles" for a few hours. Acting Director of Planning and Development Nicole Roberts put in that the project has been issued a state DEP [Department of Environmental Protection] number "and DEP had no comments." Commission member Lionel Cloutier stated that he didn't see the waiver as a "precedent" but rather "a variance that is being well-used by the town of Winchendon. It's something that we're going to be proud of."

Mr. Flis added that some of the pavement in the proposed parking area has a remediation function--it will cover and seal contaminated soil that otherwise would have to be dug out and removed.

Commission member Melissa Blanchard said she was concerned about cars pulling forward from the parking area and closer to the water. Mr. Flis said they could put in a guard rail, concrete bumpers, whatever it took to keep vehicles where they belonged. Mr. Flis said that the timeline has become more urgent, since a previous slowdown due to supply chain issues has been resolved and Bull Spit wants to get moving on the building.

The Commission voted to approve the project with the standard order of conditions plus a guard rail along the edge of the parking area.

With yet another hurdle in a long, long track of them cleared, Mr. Hunt appeared before the Board of Selectmen on Monday, August 15 for an entertainment permit. "So last year, as you may remember, we did a series of one day events, right off Central Street, a little pop up Bull Yard," he began. "Very successful. And we wanted to return this year and set up the same thing. That piece of property we used last year was unavailable. So we thought we would try to utilize some of our land down on Summer Drive."

Board Chair Audrey LaBrie asked Mr. Sultzbach for the status of the site contamination remediation at the Summer Drive location. Mr. Sultzbach stated that the site has been completely surveyed for contamination. The main area of concern involved elevated levels of arsenic, typical for former industrial areas. It was found in a five-foot core sample, not in the first 12 inches of surface. That whole area can be blocked off for the time being. Mr. Hunt said they'll put the back of the stage in front of "the imaginary line" and fence it so no one can get near that part of the site. The stage would be temporary, on a flatbed trailer like they used last year.

The Summer Drive pop up events are planned for Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in September and October. On Fridays the event would start at 3:00 p.m. and run until 9:00 p.m. Saturday's hours would be 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and on Sunday, 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The music will be directed out over the pond and toward the bike path, Mr. Hunt said.

"The plan is to obviously utilize the restaurants downtown again," he said. "We had a great relationship with them last year, we did table numbers. So people would call and say I'm at table 10 up in the Bull Yard and the restaurants would bring the food right to the table just like a home delivery. So that's great. So we'll be back out knocking on the restaurants' doors.

"I do have a spot that says food truck and that's if we decide to bring one in on a Saturday or Sunday. And we're just going to pull it from the list that was here for the food truck fest because the Board of Health knows those trucks and they should be able to get certified easily and quickly. But it won't be an every weekend thing, we really want to utilize downtown businesses again for that."

The Board voted to approve the group entertainment permit and 27 special one-day malt and wine permits for Bull Spit Brewing to operate a pop-up Bull Yard at 4 Summer Drive "as long as the site is safe for human habitation."



K-9 Clyde Given Commendation by BOS

K-9 Clyde with Ofc Wironen
front, from left: Board Chair Audrey LaBrie, Officer James Wioronen, K-9 Clyde. in back, Town Manager's Executive Assistant Linda Daigle
Photo copyright © Town of Winchendon
K-9 Clyde with Ofc Wironen
Clyde shows his approval of his retirement gift--beats a gold watch any day!
Photo copyright © Town of Winchendon


At their meeting on Monday, August 15, the Board of Selectmen read a proclamation honoring K-9 Clyde for his service to the community. Clyde has worked with the Winchendon Police Department for seven years (or "49 dog years" as Board Chair Audrey LaBrie said), not only backing up the officers in dangerous situations, but interacting with the public in demonstrations at the schools and town events. He carried on even with challenges such as a cancer diagnosis and treatment, and an infection which cost him part of his tail.

Winchendon Chief of Police David Walsh began with a statement, as Clyde's "supervisor."

"I just wanted to give a couple of my observations of Clyde over the years," Chief Walsh began."I've been Chief nearly all Clyde's seven-year career and what I was amazed with was how well the town has received and supported him. I attribute that to, obviously [Clyde's handler] Officer Wironen, but also to Clyde himself. They as a team exemplify what K-9 programs should be. And as Officer Wironen often said, some dogs may excel in one aspect of the K-9 program, perhaps drug searches, or tracking, or they may interact well with the public during demonstrations, but Clyde was an exception. He excelled in all aspects of K-9 program."

Chief Walsh stated that when the K-9 program was introduced to then-Chief Livingston and himself, they were promised that one benefit would be strengthening relationships with other departments and the community. These promises were borne out. "In my opinion, he's established the standard by which Winchendon K-9s will be measured. And at this point, he is well deserving of relaxing retirement with his family," Chief Walsh concluded.

Clyde himself was brought into the meeting by Officer Wironen, eliciting expressions of delight from the humans in attendance, while Clyde was far more excited to be at a Board meeting than most humans ever are.

Ms. LaBrie rose--correctly checking with Officer Wironen that it was okay for her to approach Clyde, a working service animal--to read the Board's Proclamation.

"Whereas K9 Clyde has dutifully served the Winchendon Police Department for nearly seven years, and

"Whereas K-9 Clyde served proudly as the first K-9 officer in the Winchendon Police Departments since 2015, and

"Whereas K-9 Clyde was a fixture at town events, including the annual Summer Solstice and Fall Festivals, with frequent visits to Winchendon public schools, demonstrating his skills with his handler Officer James Wironen, and

"Whereas K-9 Clyde was embraced by the residents of Winchendon, who loved and supported him, and

"Whereas K-9 Clyde was named after our beloved Toy Town horse, and has now grown to become our much loved first Toy Town K-9,

"Now therefore, the Winchendon Board of Selectmen do hereby proclaim Wednesday, August 31 2022, as K-9 Clyde day in the town of Winchendon, Massachusetts in gratitude for his 49 dog years of service to the Winchendon Police Department and our wishes for his happy retirement with his handler, Officer James Wironen, and in witness whereof we have set our hand and cause the Seal of the Town of Winchendon to be affixed on this 15th day of August 2022."

Following a round of applause, to which Clyde barked his appreciation, Clyde was presented with a retirement gift of a dog bed, which he promptly tested out by lying down on it.

Happy retirement, Clyde! You will be missed.



Town IT Specialists Still Chasing Down Residual Effects of Foiled Ransomware Attack


Town IT specialist Don O'Neil appeared before the Board of Selectmen at their meeting on Monday, August 15, to report on the status of the ransomware attack recovery process, which forced an emergency shut-down of the entire town computer system on Thursday, August 4. The effects of the attack, shut-down and recovery have also impacted the town's broadcasting capabilities, so that town board meetings have been recorded but not broadcast live. Email glitches are still being solved, as well.

"It's been quite a couple of weeks," Mr. O'Neil began. "A couple of ten days actually, but we are in good shape. So I've said this throughout my career. It's only a matter of time before they hit you with these ransomware attacks. It's just part of the business. So you got to always be prepared and be as prepared as possible. And key thing is backups. And fortunately, we had a good set of backups. So although it took some time to download them, we had all the data so that's in my mind the key of all of this is we didn't lose any data."

Things were about 98 percent back, Mr. O'Neil said. He was still getting email mailboxes restored, especially those that were very large. He was helping staff get various things re-installed, while everyone continued to have their usual work to do. Desktops, laptops, iPads and cell phones were all impacted.

The email server has been completely replaced with a new one--thanks to COVID funding, the town has spares ready to use in case of catastrophic failures. Software has been updated and the town has switched to an anti-virus application called CrowdStrike®. CrowdStrike® learns from its customers' attacks--the malware that broke into Winchendon's system has been identified and added to the CrowdStrike® database so it will be stopped from hitting anyone else.

Most importantly, new 14-character passwords have been implemented. "Because once they're 14 characters then being able to figure that out, becomes very, very difficult," Mr. O'Neil explained. "In fact, we ran them through--there's a website, you can put your password in and it tells you exactly how long certain types of hackers take, which is kind of neat. You know, some of them were, you know, it's 29 seconds. Then if you change it and add a few numbers, a symbol, becomes like 2 trillion years."

Mr. O'Neil couldn't emphasize the importance of backups enough, saying it was best to back up to the network and not just have everything on individual hard drives. All the town computers have been "scrubbed" and have fresh installations of Windows. If possible, their user files were saved to the network first. Mr. O'Neil admitted that he lost all the contents of his own Dropbox, including pictures and Winchendon History and Cultural Center materials.

Restoring so much from backups was a slow process, Mr. O'Neil said. "I'm looking at a couple of other solutions that are more local that are bulletproof, that a hacker could not get into but still backs up locally here. And you can kind of restore on the fly."

Board Chair Audrey LaBrie asked, "how did we know that we were hacked? What should we be looking for?"

"That's a good question and you really kind of don't unless you see some really weird stuff happening with your PC," Mr. O'Neil said. "iPads not as much. It's mostly PCs and Android phones and things like that, that they they really go for. But you'll find if it becomes all of a sudden dog-slow...[With ransomware] you're gonna see some files get encrypted pretty quickly. You're not gonna be able to open up anything. It happens relatively fast once they get in. They can do your whole network within a day but basically, you know, things you look at, you have good up-to-date virus software, and that will tell you right off the bat. You know, there are very few things that it can't pick up."

The town has a service called EdgeWave that filters email for spam and sends a daily digest of what it's caught. Bob O'Keefe, IT specialist for Gardner, sends out test "phishing" messages at intervals to see if staff will be fooled and click on the bad link. If this happens, staff are retrained in how to recognize malicious email messages.

Later in the meeting, Town Manager Justin Sultzbach kidded that he had to reconstruct his report to the Board from paper calendars, "it was like I was working in the 1990s." Even the Courier has been affected, and owes Town Manager's Executive Assistant Linda Daigle a huge debt for providing town board meeting recordings on a flash drive; email between the Courier and the police department is still bouncing both ways. As lucky as the town is to have avoided a similar fate as Peterborough, New Hampshire (which lost $2.3 million to cyberscammers one year ago), the importance of Mr. O'Neil's advice has definitely been proven.

Last Chance to Catch Some Outdoor Movie Magic at the Beals Memorial Library

A little magic goes a long way at the Winchendon library. This month, the library is inviting the community to three Thursday evenings of outdoor movies and magic, where they'll be showing a family-friendly film paired with a live magic show that'll be sure to put a spell on you! Here's what's happening on the final Outdoor Movie Magic night of the month:

On Thursday, August 25, the library will be screening Matilda, starring Mara Wilson, Danny DeVito, and Rhea Perlman. Based on the children's book by Roald Dahl, the film follows a gifted young girl with telekinetic powers dealing with a family she doesn't fit in with and a school trapped under the control of a wicked headmistress. The movie will begin at sundown.

At 7:00 p.m. and before the movie begins, come and enjoy some magical entertainment provided by Eddie Raymond! Eddie has been performing magic professionally for 32 years. His show is family friendly, providing a mix of comedy and magic with lots of audience participation for a fun-filled experience!

Also prior to the start of the show, the Friends of the Beals Memorial Library will be running their book sale and concession stand from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Purchase some used books and media for low prices or grab a tasty treat to enjoy during the show. Popcorn will also be provided by the Winchendon Recreation Commission and the Youth Changemakers' Sunshine Cafe will be selling freshly-squeezed lemonade.

This year's Outdoor Movie Magic nights are sponsored in part by the Winchendon Cultural Council and the Friends of the Beals Memorial Library. In the event of rain, the movie will be rescheduled to the following day.

The Beals Memorial Library is located at 50 Pleasant Street in Winchendon. For more information, contact the library at 978-297-0300 or visit their website at bealslibrary.org.

Magician Eddie Raymond performs at the Beals
Enjoy some magical entertainment with Eddie Raymond followed by a fun showing of Matilda on Thursday, August 25.
Photo courtesy of Beals Memorial Library

Jandris employment ad

Be sure to check out our Classified and Employment Ads on the Events Page!

Winchendon Police Department Personnel Commended for Response in Life-Threatening Situation


At the Monday, August 15 Board of Selectmen's meeting, Winchendon Chief of Police David Walsh asked everyone to recognize several officers and dispatchers on the force, as each was called forward and given a certificate of commendation "for their outstanding response to a report of an armed individual.

"This individual at the onset was intent on either harming himself or the responding officers," Chief Walsh said. "Under the leadership and direction initially of K-9 handler Jim Wironen, and then ultimately Lieutenant Wolski, the incident was resolved without any injuries. The coordination of the responding police agencies and the professionalism of the communication between the officers and the two dispatchers was remarkable, as was the ability of the officers and the dispatchers to remain calm and controlled under very stressful circumstances. Each of the commendations note that the officers and dispatchers are an asset to the Winchendon Police Department that can cannot be overstated." Chief Walsh expanded that all of these individuals are not only an asset to the department but an asset to the town and community as a whole.

Then recognized and given their commendations in person were Officer James Wironen with K-9 Clyde, Officer Joseph Champney III, Officer James Maynard, Officer Brennon Jacoby, dispatcher Dillon Walsh, dispatcher Dylan Mei, and Reserve Officer Daniel Caputi.

Click to view larger image
Summer Drive schematics
A closed Central Street seen from Blair Square on Thursday, August 18
Photo by Inanna Arthen

Central Mass Tree

Subway June 2022 New Steak Teriyaki Sub

Stone Ladeau Funeral Home


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Winchendon Businesses, Organizations, Services, and Government


Letter to the Editor

Winchendon reaches double digit viral positivity for first time in over 6 months

The Town of Winchnedon under the strong Flu-like Omicron BA.5 strain of the COVID-19 virus has reached 11.16 percent positivity, up from 9.09 just a week prior, based on data calculated by 233 molecular tests accumulated by the Mass Department of Public Health taken from the reporting period of Sunday, July 31 - Saturday, August, 13. This is the first time Toy Town has seen double digit viral positivity as tracked by the Board of Health since February of this year.

In total, 8 of 10 municipalities in our local Ten Town Area increased in positivity, with 3 of the ten now in double digit viral range. Following Winchendon, neighboring Ashburnham increased from 4.46 to 8.70 percent, Ashby to Ashburnham's east increased from 9.33 to 11.48 percent, and Westminster which shares Ashburnham's school district jumped from 11.17 to 12.58 percent positivity, highest in our area. The Town of Templeton increased from 3.56 to 4.88 percent, and it's school district partnering town, Phillipston, increased from 2.94 to 6.67 percent. In Royalston to Winchendon's west, a jumped was observed of 0.00 to 5.88 percent in just one week, while it's school district partner, the Town of Athol with 11,500 residents continues to keep it's numbers down, lowering just slightly from 4.63 to 4.48 percent positivity. Lastly, the City of Gardner with 21,000 resident lowered slightly dropping from 6.55 to 5.69 percent viral positivity, while Hubbardston to it's south increased from 8.08 to 8.33 percent. During these many increases, our Ten Town area in just one week increased from 5.98 to an average of 8.03 percent positivity across the board finally catching up with the commonwealth average.

Around the Commonwealth, the Massachusetts viral positivity average is now listed by the Mass DPH per the Thursday, August 18, 2022 report at 7.95 percent. Boston registers at 7.25, Worcester up at 7.99, and Springfield is also up at 10.85 percent, with a high cluster still surrounding it's municipal area. Locally to the east, Fitchburg increased from 6.94 to 9.03, and neighboring City of Leominster lowered slightly from 8.98 to 8.48 percent. Also locally to the west of Athol, the Town of Orange now tests at 7.87percent, Erving registers at 14.63 percent, and Gill at 16.67 percent, all along the Route 2 western travel area.

Recently, the U.S. Center for Disease Control has announced both Pfizer and Moderna are are the two companies on target for reaching an updated version of their COVID-19 viral booster shots which will target the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants in early to the middle of September. There is no announcement as of yet from Johnson and Johnson. Those two variants, are the dominant strains, of which the BA.5 now accounts for the vast majority of infections according to hospitals and other tracking methods.

In closing, as numbers continue to climb, please continue to practice frequent washing of hands, and do not rub your eyes or nose with your fingers, use a clean tissue or cloth if needed. If hand washing is not available, keep hand sanitizer available as needed. The Board of Health continues to recommend vaccination for those who are only healthy enough to do so, especially those for who are either immunocompromised or have pre-existing conditions.

Keith Kent
Chair
Board of Health
Town of Winchendon

Senior Center Seeking Food Donations

We've been so successful we need your help. We love helping our seniors, so now our Food Pantry is running low. If you can do it, we'd love your help replenishing it with such commodities as: Hormel 'Compleats' meals; Chef Boyardee ravioli, spaghetti & meatballs, etc; applesauce; canned vegetables; juice boxes; Ensure; spaghetti sauce; Cookies; Crackers; small (individual) packages of cereal, etc. And anything you think would help. Thank you very much! Bring donations to the Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave., Winchendon.

Winchendon Farmers Market Accepting Applications for 2022 Vendors

The Winchendon Farmers Market is accepting applications for vendors for the 2022 season. You can download the form at Winchendon Farmers Market Application (PDF), fill it out and mail the form with the table fee to the address on the form, or drop it in the dropbox at Town Hall. The market days and times for 2022 are Thursdays from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. For more information, see www.winchendonfarmersmarket.org.

United Way Day of Caring September 16

Local non-profit agencies should start planning potential projects now for the United Way's 27th annual "Day of Caring" event on Friday, September 16, 2022. Agency project registration opens on June 13. To register, visit volunteer.uwncm.org.

Qualifying agencies have teams of volunteers assigned to their site to assist with various projects. For updates and further information, see uwncm.org.

Town Committee Vacancies
as of July 25, 2022


If you'd like to be an active participant in decision-making and management for your community, consider joining a town committee or board. There are a number of vacancies currently open.

Communications Committee - 1 vacancy
Community Preservation Act Exploratory Committee - 1 vacancy
Conservation Commission - 1 vacancy
Cultural Council - 13 vacancies
Fence Viewer and Field Driver - 1 vacancy
Library Trustee - 1 vacancy
Open Space Preservation Appraisal and Survey Revolving Fund Advisory Committee - 1 vacancy
Zoning Board of Appeals - 2 alternate member vacancies

If you'd like more information about any of these positions or are interested in being considered for an appointment, contact the Town Manager's office at 978-297-0085, or send a letter to Town Manager, 109 Front Street Dept. 1, Winchendon MA 01475.

Complete description of each committee's responsibilities, updated for May 10, 2021 (PDF).

Applications Available for Senior Tax Work-off Program

The Senior Work-Off Abatement Program is a program allowing the Town of Winchendon the opportunity to utilize the knowledge and skills of its senior residents in exchange for credit toward the resident's property tax bill. The purpose of this program is:

  • To employ qualified senior citizens who will apply their earnings toward payment of a portion of their property taxes;
  • To increase senior citizen involvement in local government; and
  • To enhance municipal service by using the skills of resident senior citizens.
Qualified and income-eligible residents will accrue the Commonwealth's minimum wage per hour ($13.50/hr) toward a maximum credit of $1,100.00 per household during the fiscal year. The criteria for this program is:
  • You must be 60 years old or older
  • Homeowner in Winchendon and occupy property
  • Annual income below $40,150 if single; or below $45,900 if married.
Applications for the program are now available in the Town Manager's office or on the town website, and will be accepted until the eight slots are filled. There are different types of positions that are available depending on the preference and qualifications of the resident and the needs of each department. Types of past and current positions have been: Custodial services, clerical help for both School & Town, library aides, Senior Center aides, cable station operator, Bike Path clean up, painting, light outdoor work and classroom volunteers. Click here for more information and a downloadable application.

Missing Fireworks Shows in the Winch? Join the Fireworks Subcommittee!

The Winchendon Recreation Commission wants to get the community involved in a subcommittee to discuss bringing back town fireworks in Winchendon. All interested residents are invited to a meeting on Tuesday, August 23 at 6:00 p.m. in the 4th floor conference room in Town Hall (109 Front Street). The subcommittee will discuss options and come up with a best action plan to present to the Recreation Committee. Call Tiffany at 978-297-5410 with any questions.

Help the Town of Winchendon Update its Housing Production Plan by Sharing Your Input

The Town of Winchendon has requested assistance from the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) to update its Housing Production Plan (HPP). The purpose of the HPP is to develop a proactive strategy for planning and developing affordable housing consistent with the state's Chapter 40B statute and regulation. The HPP is required to include a comprehensive housing needs assessment, a list of affordable housing goals, and an implementation plan to realize the goals.

This survey has been developed to assist with the housing needs assessment and solicit public input to be included in the HPP. We appreciate your opinions and want to assure you that all answers are anonymous. In addition to the survey, MRPC will be collecting and analyzing demographic, housing, and income data to determine needs of the population of Winchendon. Results of the data analysis and survey will be presented at a Planning Board meeting in the fall where goals and objectives will be discussed.

Please see link below to complete. Thank you for your participation!

www.surveymonkey.com/r/WinchendonHousingSurvey2022

Toy Town FYIs

Transfer Station Summer Hours

Beginning June 2, the Transfer Station hours are:
Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday 8:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m.

653 River Street
978-297-0395
Sticker price: $70
Pay-As-You-Throw bags required

2022 Street Lists Available

The 2022 Town of Winchendon Street List of Residents is now available at the Town Clerk's office in Town Hall, 109 Front Street. Cost is $8.00 each, $5.00 for seniors.

2022 Dog Licenses Now Available

2022 dog licenses are now available. You may purchase at the Town Clerk's office using check or cash, or you may purchase through the mail, Town Hall drop box, or online through the Town Clerk's page. The licenses will be mailed to you. Please be sure to provide a valid rabies certificate. Spayed and neutered dogs are $10.00. Non-spayed and non-neutered dogs are $20.00.

Sign up for Code Red Emergency Alerts
Sign up for our emergency notification program today! Receive up-to-date information before, during and after an emergency in your neighborhood. You can choose to be notified via voice, text and email notifications of emergency and inclement weather alerts.

Is Your House Number Clearly Visible from the Street?
The Winchendon Fire Department reminds all residents to make sure their house number is clearly visible for first responders who may need to find you. Numbers should be at least four inches high and facing the street, with lighting if possible. Put numbers on a contrasting background so they will stand out. If your driveway is long, put the number on a mailbox or pole on the street or at the end of driveway, facing in both directions. (Reflective numbers are helpful.) Check your house numbers to make sure foliage has not grown up in front of them without your being aware of it.

Report a Pothole to the DPW

You can report potholes directly to the DPW using this form on the town website:

www.townofwinchendon.com/public-works/webforms/report-pothole

Winchendon Town Hall & Transfer Station Now Accepting Credit/Debit Payments

We are excited to announce that the DPW, Treasurer/Collector's Office and the Transfer Station can all now accept in-person credit and debit card payments. This means next time you need to purchase or pay for:

Trash bags
Transfer station stickers
Excise bills
Tax bills
Water & Sewer bills
And more

You can pay with a credit or debit card! (subject to a convenience fee).

If You Call for Emergency Services...

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