STM Voters Approve Fire Station Design, Water Main, Shoot Down Town Charter Changes

by Inanna Arthen
181 Voters checked in for the 2022 Fall Special Town Meeting on Monday, October 24 to decide on 11 articles. Quorum was met and the meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m.

Moderator Coral Grout began by leading the Pledge of Allegiance. She then introduced Attorney Lauren Goldberg from KP Law, and Stefanie Farrell, who was providing CART service captioning for the meeting.

Board of Selectmen Chair Audrey LaBrie called Town Manager's Executive Assistant Linda Daigle to the front of the auditorium and read a proclamation honoring Ms. Daigle for her 40 years of service to the Town of Winchendon. The Proclamation noted that Ms. Daigle, "a model of steadiness and consistency in Town Hall," had served through the tenures of multiple Town Managers and in May, 2015 was appointed as acting Town Manager. She "has been a fixture at over 40 Town Meetings" of which the present meeting would be her last. The Board of Selectmen "wish Linda Daigle a happy retirement full of health and prosperity," Ms. LaBrie read. All in attendance gave Ms. Daigle a long and vigorous standing ovation. The proclamation was then presented to Ms. Daigle, who is retiring at the end of December, 2022.

The meeting continued with Article 1, for which Chair of the Finance Committee Thomas Kane gave the report of the Finance Committee to the town. As usual, Mr. Kane explained the status of the town's Free Cash balance, which was certified at $1,909,508 as of July 1, 2022. If all the articles in the Warrant drawing from Free Cash were approved, the remaining balance would be $1,278,915, which is fairly healthy. Finance Committee Report Powerpoint slides (PDF)

Mr. Kane went on to explain articles 7, 8, 9 and 10, which were placed on the Warrant by the Finance Committee. There were no questions from voters, and the report was approved with 96 percent in favor, 4 percent opposed.

Article 2 asked voters to approve spending $100,000 from Free Cash for streetlights on Central Street and Lake Street. There were no questions or discussion, and the article passed with 85 percent in favor, 15 percent opposed.

Article 3 asked voters to approve spending $145,000 from Free Cash for Phase 2 of the repair and upgrade work on Beals Memorial Library, including a fire suppression system and upgrading old electrical systems which are outdated and insufficient for the building's current needs. There were no questions or discussion, and the article passed with 82 percent in favor, 18 percent opposed.

Article 4 asked voters to approve spending $95,000 from Free Cash for road repairs on Pleasant Street, Summer Street and Island Road. There were no questions or discussion, and the article passed with 89 percent in favor, 11 percent opposed.

Judging from the amount of applause and the number of speakers, Article 5 was what voters had come out for. Article 5 asked voters to approve borrowing $618,750, with a debt exclusion to "the limitations on the tax levy imposed by Proposition 2-1/2", to pay for shovel-ready, architectural designs for a "new" Fire Station (technically, extensive upgrades and remodeling of the existing Fire Station). If the article passed, the debt exclusion would then need to go to a ballot vote within 90 days (a suspenseful situation, as past Prop 2-1/2 overrides have passed at Town Meeting and failed in the ballot vote). The debt exclusion would increase property taxes by a small amount (14 cents per $1000 of valuation per year for homeowners) and would be temporary; when the debt is retired, the increase will be removed from the tax rate.

Numerous voters rose to comment in favor of the article or ask questions. Several of them identified themselves as current or former firefighters. One voter remembered when the existing station was built, saying that at that time, there was only one staff person on duty in the station. Voter David Watkins asked for more details about the project, and Winchendon Fire Chief Tom Smith rose to explain further.

Chief Smith went over the process by which the proposed station upgrade which voters rejected in 2019 was streamlined and cut down to a much lower cost. Important improvements include being able to keep all the equipment inside, available and usable year-round, especially a large tanker truck that currently has to be drained and put out of service in the winter. That truck is important for fighting fires in parts of town with no town water and hence no hydrants. He also stressed the need for safer decontamination procedures. Currently, firefighters and EMTs have to wash contaminated gear in the station's kitchen sink. The new design will include a capture system for diesel exhaust, protecting the crew from carcinogens. Several retired firefighters have fought cancer, Chief Smith said. He also emphasized that at least three or four crew members--firefighters and firefighter/paramedics--are on duty at the station at all times. The number of calls per year has quadrupled. In 1978, when the current station was built, there were 626 fire and ambulance calls; by the end of this year, the Fire Department will have responded to more than 2,500 calls.

Voter Tina Santos rose to point out that the current Fire Station is not ADA-compliant and needs to have adequate facilities for female crew. She pointed out that all town buildings must be compliant, and that the town had upgraded and repaired buildings such as the library and senior center which were closed for months during COVID. "We had our fire station, our essential workers open, crowded in this station working for this amount of time," she said, saying that the town needed to support the Fire Station staff and EMTs.

A voter asked if the designs could be funded from Free Cash, as there seemed to be plenty of it. Mr. Kane said a voter could make a motion for an amendment changing the funding source, but he would not recommend it, as it was important for the town to build up its reserves. The motion received no second from the floor, so it did not carry.

Voter Bill Brown rose to point out that Springfield paid $68,000 to do the engineering and plans for an exterior stairway (i.e. a fire escape) on a two story building.

Voter Phil Brady rose to say that he was a firefighter and EMT in Holden, MA, who had resigned from the Fire Department in Gardner because the Gardner Fire Station is so outdated. "And Gardner is a palace compared to the Winchendon station," he said. He stated that if the Fire Station wasn't updated, Winchendon wouldn't be able to hire and retain staff, because they would leave to go where there were better facilities.

All speakers in favor of the article were applauded. One speaker who protested that taxpayers simply couldn't afford the increase in taxes was met with stiff silence.

The vote was called, and the article was approved with 88 percent in favor, 12 percent opposed. It required a two-thirds majority to pass. The vote was greeted with whoops, cheers and vigorous applause.

Article 6 asked voters to approve borrowing $9,560,000 to construct a new water main line from the Ashburnham-Winchendon Water Filtration Plant in Ashburnham to Winchendon. Voters Greg Vine and Tina Santos both rose to ask questions about who was responsible for the cost--would Ashburnham pay any of it? Would it fall entirely on Winchendon ratepayers or would town residents share some cost? Town Manager Justin Sultzbach stated that Ashburnham was not paying for any of the pipe. He referred voters to the information sheet passed out to Town Meeting attendees, explaining how various methods of "blended funding" would impact the amount borrowed and the annual payments on the loan for 30 years. Many factors could lower the payment amount. The article on the table would simply allow the town to apply for the state loan, if approved. Information sheet about blended funding possibilities (PDF)

With surprisingly little further discussion, the article was approved with 83 percent in favor, 17 percent opposed. It required a two-thirds majority to pass. The results were met with applause. Following this, some Town Meeting attendees began to leave, prompting Moderator Grout to protest, saying there were still five articles left to go.

Article 7, asking for $110,593 from Free Cash for the Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) Trust Account, was approved with no discussion, 88 percent in favor and 12 percent opposed.

Article 8, asking for $50,000 from Free Cash for a Reserve Account "to mitigate the Town's liability for Contractual Separation Pay-outs," evoked some discussion. A voter rose to ask if there was any limit to the town's liability for these payouts. Mr. Sultzbach said the current liability is about $360,000, and that contracts are now being revised to remove clauses such as unlimited accrued vacation time that the employee can cash out. Some contracts are grandfathered with terms that are now being changed. Another voter rose to ask if all town employees had the same contracts. Mr. Sultzbach stated that every department was different, each one being negotiated separately. Mr. Kane added that the School Department was an entirely different contractual situation.

The article was approved with 83 percent in favor, 17 percent opposed.

Article 9, asking for $80,000 from Free Cash for the Stabilization Fund, was approved with no discussion, 91 percent in favor, 9 percent opposed.

Article 10, asking for $50,000 from Free Cash for the Finance Committee Reserve in response to escalating energy costs, was approved with no discussion, 89 percent in favor and 11 percent opposed.

Article 11 was the evening's only upset. It simply asked voters to approve some minor changes to the Town Charter. Amending the Town Charter is a complex procedure; the amendments must be passed by a two thirds majority vote at Town Meeting, then go to a ballot vote within 90 days and pass there, and finally be sent to the state for certification. The article before voters included two sets of changes. One set had already been approved by voters at the 2021 Annual Town Meeting held on May 17, 2021. The vote on those changes had expired because they didn't go to a ballot vote within 90 days, so they had to come back to Town Meeting. The second set of changes was coming before Town Meeting voters for the first time.

The 2021 set of changes included requirements to initiate a recall of elected officers. The new version stated that the number of signatures required on a citizen petition to initiate a recall vote would be at least 15 percent of all registered voters. The previous version specified 15 percent of all residents registered to vote at the time of the last Town Election (not 15 percent of persons who voted in the last Town Election, as incorrectly reported by the Courier two weeks ago. The Courier sincerely regrets the error.)

This is a very small change--the number of registered voters does not increase or decrease much in a single year. Winchendon has become somewhat notorious for its recalls. In 2010, more than 1000 signatures were collected to initiate the recall of two Selectmen, and in 2015, more than 954 signatures were collected to initiate a recall vote. In both cases the officials were recalled in the ballot vote. Winchendonians appear well able to get signatures on petitions.

In 2021, the Board of Selectmen recommended the Town Charter article unanimously, 5-0. Town Meeting voters then approved the article with 88 percent in favor, 12 percent opposed.

In their discussions of the Town Charter changes prior to the 2022 Fall Special Town Meeting, members of the Board of Selectmen questioned whether requiring 15 percent of registered voters to sign a petition was placing an unreasonable barrier before voters who wanted to initiate a recall. After discussing the article in several meetings, the Board voted 3 to 2 not to recommend the present article, with three Selectmen voting to not recommend and two opposed (to not recommending). This was a dramatic change from the Board's recommendations of exactly the same Charter amendments in 2021.

Finance Committee member Dr. Maureen Ward, who chaired the Charter Bylaw Review Committee, read the motion and explained the changes. Selectman Danielle LaPointe said that her vote to not recommend was because she felt "that those changes made it more difficult for all of you to remove us from our seats," should it be necessary. Dr. Ward responded that the amendment did not change the number of signatures required on the petition.

Mr. Vine rose to ask about the several sets of changes being bundled together in one article, because voters might approve some of the changes but not be comfortable with others. Dr. Ward said "there is no one right way to do it," but this was a way to save time.

With no further discussion, the vote was called. 59 percent of voters approved the article and 41 percent were opposed. As the article required a two-thirds majority, it failed.

A motion to adjourn was made and seconded at 8:30 p.m.

Sunshine and Soft Breezes Add to a Successful 2022 Fall Fest

by Inanna Arthen
Organizers and attendees couldn't have ordered up a more perfect autumn day for the 6th Annual Winchendon Fall Festival on Saturday, October 22. Bumped ahead two weeks from its traditional holiday weekend by the Central Street Reconstruction Project, vendors and events still had to work around a few rough spots despite crews putting in extra hours to get as much sidewalk installation and paving finished as possible before the big day. But the mild temperatures, bright sunshine, and clear blue skies made up for it all.

With an estimated attendance of at least 3,000 festival-goers, a steady stream of families filled Central Street for the entire half mile between Blair Square and Maple Street. Bouncy houses were set up by CVS while musicians played at the opposite end by Central Plaza, and by the Clark Memorial YMCA. The Winchendon Recreation Commission hosted activities including pumpkin painting, face painting and the pie-eating contest in the GFA Credit Union parking lot.

The Festival was friendly to four-footed and feathered guests as well as human. Countless dogs accompanied their owners on the round of 174 booths and events, while one fest-goer strolled by with a large colorful parrot on his shoulder. New K-9 officer Blitz did demos of his skills with his handler, Winchendon Police officer James Wironen. Murdock Farm brought some of its younger cows to put on show, while Animal Craze petting zoo had ducks, hens, chicks, goats and a piglet.

Food vendors did quite well as hungry Fall Festers tried out everything from Asian street food to wood-fired oven pizza. Many vendors reported to Fest organizers that they had a great event, and 20 have already signed up for the 2023 Fall Fest.

Fall Fest will return to its traditional weekend next year, and will be held on Saturday, October 7, 2023. Anyone interested in participating with a booth or as an entertainer should contact Nicole Roberts at nroberts@townofwinchendon.com.

The trackless train toured Central Street throughout the day, filled with riders of all ages.
Photo by Inanna Arthen

The Winchendon Recreation Commission's pumpkin painting station.
Photo by Inanna Arthen

Minna Scholten of Growing Places and HEAL Winchendon invited input on the Winchendon Community Grocery Store Project.
Photo by Inanna Arthen

Central Street was filled with people continuously for a half mile from CVS to Cumby's.
Photo by Inanna Arthen

Winchendon Redevelopment Authority Puts 11 Beech Street on the Market

by Inanna Arthen
The Winchendon Redevelopment Authority has placed the property at 11 Beech Street on the market "as is" for a listing price of $140,000. The listing agent is Darlene Rossi of Morin Real Estate. View listing

At the 2021 Fall Special Town Meeting, convened on November 8, 2021, voters approved two articles related to the two adjacent properties numbered 3 Beech Street and 11 Beech Street. The first article authorized the town to accept a deed in lieu of foreclosure from the owners of the properties, then listed as Michael and Bonnie Therrien of Waterboro, Maine. Michael Therrien had, by that time, passed away. Property taxes had not been paid on the properties since 2007 and the accrued delinquent taxes, interest and fees exceeded $150,000. Voters approved this article 87 to 13.

The second article asked voters to approve the town taking any action to sell or convey the properties, and was amended on Town Meeting Floor (motion for the amendment made by the Finance Committee) to specify that the properties would be conveyed to the Winchendon Redevelopment Authority, which is now listed as the owner in the Assessor's database. Voters approved this article 97 to 3.

At Town Meeting, Town Manager Justin Sultzbach explained that the property at 11 Beech Street would be rehabbed by the WRA "at no expense to taxpayers" and sold to help recoup the costs of cleaning up and tearing down the old garage and contaminated lot at 3 Beech Street and creating a waterfront community park on the site. A voter rose to ask if 11 Beech street would be sold at market value or go to auction as a foreclosure. Mr. Sultzbach stated that the property would not be auctioned, but would be sold at market value.

Although 11 Beech Street is referred to as "a duplex" or "a two family" in discussions, the Assessor's documents classify it as a single-unit, one-family home. The documents also list depreciation factors of "basement problems," "location," and "wet basement." It has no garage, is in a flood plain and within the 50-foot "no touch" wetlands zone, and is on a tiny 0.12 acre lot. It is abutted on both sides by properties that themselves have serious problems. (13 Beech Street, next door, is listed as "dilapidated" in the Assessor's database and has holes in the roof.) The building needs extensive work. It does have a very pretty view of the pond, and is considered "waterfront property."

According to the April 25, 2022 meeting minutes of the WRA, in April WRA member David Connor (who is also Executive Director of the Winchendon Housing Authority) suggested marketing the property in "as is" condition rather than investing heavily in rehabbing it first (as was still the plan at that time). The minutes note, "The Authority is interested in maintaining a certain aesthetic for the property and may make this a condition of the sale."

In July, the WRA did a walk-through of the house. The minutes of the July 18, 2022 meeting note, "the property is in disrepair and will need extensive rehab work...There is some concern as the parcels are in a flood plain. Before the Authority makes a final decision as to sell as is or potentially rehab, then sell property they would like more information." The WRA voted to authorize Mr. Sultzbach to reach out to Ms. Rossi for an appraisal of the property and a price estimate.

The minutes of the August 15, 2022 meeting note that Ms. Rossi was working on the appraisal, and that the house needed to be cleaned out and the yards "manicured." While this was being done, the garage at 3 Beech Street was being emptied and a utility pole had been moved so that wires would not be running across the future park.

In an email communication, Mr. Sultzbach told the Courier, "There were discussions over whether or not the WRA should rehab it and sell it themselves, or simply sell without getting involved in the rehabilitation. The WRA voted in a public meeting on August 15th to sell the property as is, with stipulations that the new owner 1. Make repairs within a year 2. Use certain grade materials for siding, windows/doors, and the roof, and 3. Abide by all building codes." He also noted that the Therriens' attorney passed away suddenly, delaying the transfer of the properties by six months. (One's heart goes out to Mrs. Therrien.)

"The WRA felt it would be in the best interest of the town to sell the property now, rather than work on it over the next year and risk a collapse in the housing market. We are still on target to have 4 C's [3 Beech Street] down by next summer, and are actively pursuing additional grant funds for the development of a passive park," Mr. Sultzbach wrote.

There will be a review and update of the project at the Board of Selectmen's meeting on Monday, November 14 at 6:30 p.m. The public is encouraged to attend with any questions.

The public is also invited to attend an on-site public outreach meeting for all of Beech Street, starting at 3 Beech Street, on November 14 at 5:00 p.m. The town is looking at a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to improve all of Beech Street (paving, sidewalks, improved drainage, water and sewer, and more). (A CDBG grant paid for the redesign of Railroad Street.) Contact nroberts@townofwinchendon.com with any questions.

Mr. Sultzbach emphasizes that proceeds from the sale will be the same whether the town gets $130,000 without having spent money on rehabbing, or spends $100K on rehabbing and sells for $230K (figures are examples). In either case the site clean-up, demolition and waterfront park will be funded by these proceeds plus grant money and will cost taxpayers nothing.

Just for the record, the delinquent amount owed to the town by the Therriens on 11 Beech Street alone (not including 3 Beech Street) was $72,351.88 total, of which $31,305.07 is accrued taxes, $39,375.29 interest (which accrues at the rate of 13.73% per day) and $1,671.52 in fees, according to the Town Collector's office. This was cleared with the acceptance of the deeds in lieu of foreclosure.

Anyone interested in the 11 Beech Street property may contact the listing agents at 978-584-7567, or email via the property listing, to ask questions or arrange a viewing.

Legion Auxiliary Installs New Officers

Officers from left are: Coral May Grout (Co-Junior Vice President), Patricia Maillet (Historian), Dee Holt (Co-Chaplain), Judith Philbrook (Co-Chaplain and Executive Committee), Joni Vaillancourt (Treasurer), Debra LeRay (Senior Vice President), Monique Connor (Co-Junior Vice President), Madison Connor (Junior Chairman), Bridget Marinelli, (Secretary) Lisa Gauthier (Co-Junior Vice President). Front row: Claudette Vaillancourt (Sergeant at Arms) and Tina Santos (President). Missing: Margie Kuchta (Executive Committee) and Tracy Tenney (Executive Committee).
Photo courtesy of Coral Grout

Eugene M. Connor Unit #193 American Legion Auxiliary in Winchendon held its Installation of Officers on Monday, October 17, 2022. The Installing Officer was Department of Massachusetts Chaplain Lisa Gauthier.

The Unit is more than 100 years old and works directly throughout Winchendon to support veterans, enlisted, and the community at large. The Unit will hold a Spaghetti Supper and "bag auction" on Thursday, November 10. The supper begins at 4 p.m. and the bag auction will take place at 6 p.m. The Community is invited to come to the post on Veterans Day (November 11) at 11 a.m. for the annual Veterans Day ceremonies. The Unit members will serve refreshments after the ceremony. The Unit always welcomes new members. Membership applications are available from any of the officers. In order to be a member, you must be a direct descendant of someone who has served in the military.

The Winchendon American Legion Post #193 is located at 295 School St., Winchendon.

One Book, One Community: Winchendon's First Town-Wide Read

Award-winning author and illustrator, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, will be visiting Murdock Middle High School for a meet & greet, book signing, and author keynote speech on Friday, April 28, 2023.
Photo courtesy of Beals Memorial Library

Take part in a one-of-a-kind reading experience with One Book, One Community, beginning this November. One Book, One Community is a special program geared towards connecting Winchendon residents through a shared reading and discussion of the same book, nurturing collaborations within the community. The selected book will be Hey, Kiddo, by Jarrett J. Krosoczka, a powerful, unforgettable graphic memoir about growing up with a drug-addicted mother, a missing father, and two unforgettably opinionated grandparents. The book includes topics such as: addiction, mental health, adult language, and non-traditional families, and is recommended for ages 11+.

Beginning in November, copies of the book will be distributed free of charge around Winchendon. Some will be located at the Winchendon CAC, the Winchendon Senior Center, the Town of Winchendon Clerk's Office, and more. After you've finished reading the book, please return it to the place you received it from. Books will also be available for check out at the Beals Memorial Library. E-books, E-audio books, and audiobooks are available as well.

Building off of the reading, the program will feature a series of public social issue panels and discussions from January through April, culminating with an author visit and book signing at the Murdock High School Auditorium with Jarrett J. Krosoczka on Friday, April 28, 2023!

One Book, One Community is a free event, everyone is welcome!

This program is funded by the Winchendon Cultural Council, the Office of District Attorney Early, and through a Library Science Technology Act (LSTA) grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. Funding is also provided by the Beals Memorial Library, the Winchendon Public Schools and the Friends of the Beals Memorial Library. Collaborators include The Beals Memorial Library Board of Trustees, HEAL Winchendon, Youth ChangeMakers, Winchendon Coordinated Family and Community Engagement (CFCE), the Town of Winchendon, the Winchendon Police Department, and the Winchendon Community Action Committee (CAC).

The Beals Memorial Library is located at 50 Pleasant Street in Winchendon. For more information, call the library at 978-297-0300, email winchendonreads@gmail.com, or visit bealslibrary.org/townwideread.

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