Cooling Center Open at Clark Memorial YMCA
On Friday, September 8, the Clark Memorial YMCA will have a cooling center available from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. for residents who need to escape the heat.
East Momonomac Road in Rindge will be Closed Next Week
The town of Rindge will be performing maintenance on a culvert running under East Monomonac Road on the New Hampshire side on Tuesday-Wednesday, September 12-13. As this road is used frequently by residents traveling to and from Rte 119, be aware and take another route. For more information contact the Rindge DPW at 603-899-2105.
Gardner City Council Withdraws Proposal to Re-Zone Properties on Winchendon Town Line for Racetrack
As a follow-up to previous coverage ("Gardner in Uproar Over Proposed Horse Racing Facility on Rte 140" in the August 24-31, 2023 edition of the Winchendon Courier), the proposal to change the zoning on two Gardner parcels from Residential to Commercial has been withdrawn by City Council member Dana Heath. Mr. Heath withdrew his proposal at the City Council meeting of September 5.
City Solicitor John Flick had determined that the parcels in question do fall under the purview of Article 97 of the state constitution, saying, "The evidence in favor of Article 97 protection of the Parcels is unequivocal." It's also very complicated, but is based on the facts that the acreage has been largely untouched for some 100 years, and has been identified as conservation land in the City's Open Space Plan for over 40 years. In 1937 the City Council stated intent to keep the property protected in order to protect Gardner's drinking water supply. It was at this time--July 30, 1937 according to the Winchendon Assessor's database--that 52.4 acres in Winchendon which extends one of the parcels in question was acquired by the City of Gardner specifically to protect the City water supply.
What Baystate Racing LLC's next steps are remain unknown. The Courier reached out to them via their brand new website (http://www.baystateracingllc.com/) but did not receive a reply by press time. Spokesperson Mary Kate Feeney said in an emailed statement, "We have stated from the beginning that we want to be good neighbors and our proposal is in the very early stages. We respect the decision of the Solicitor. We look forward to continuing our discussion with community leaders on how we can partner with the City of Gardner in the future."
Whether the City of Gardner will offer alternatives to Baystate Racing LLC with an aim to bring the racetrack to some other location in the city also remains to be seen. Concerned citizens continue to discuss pushing for permanent protection to be placed upon the parcels on Rte 140 so they will not be threatened in the future.
Friends of Veterans' Memorial Cemetery Goes Beyond the Basics--and They Want to Do More
One of the benches in the Winchendon Veterans' Memorial Cemetary
photo courtesy of the FMCW
The Friends' new logo
photo courtesy of the FMCW
"The best kept secret in Winchendon," as Board member Lorenzo Sordoni half-jokingly called the Friends of the Veterans' Memorial Cemetery of Winchendon, wants to make citizens more aware of what they do, as well as increase their membership and financial support and expand their activities. The Friends were formed to fund and implement projects to enhance the cemetery and make it more welcoming and comfortable for visiting families, which the state doesn't appropriate for in its budget. Several of the Board members--Mr. Sordoni, his father and founding Board member Larry Sordoni, and Robert DeFeo--joined the Courier in a chat via Zoom on Friday, September 1 to talk about what they do.
The Veterans' Memorial Cemetery of Winchendon broke ground in July of 2004 and officially opened on November 30, 2004 when it accepted its first military burial. The Friends incorporated as a 501c3 non-profit in 2009, younger Mr. Sordoni explained. "Their sole purpose was to organize to provide supplemental activities and operations and provide appropriate memorials and funding to the Veterans Cemetery for things that the state would not appropriate for the site," he continued. "So the state wouldn't handle the memorial pathway. So the Friends of the Winchendon Veterans Cemetery is the one that takes the donations in, we get the bricks created and ordered and we get them to the Veterans Cemeteries for the memorial pathway...They handle all the donations for people that want to donate the benches that they have out there, those nice green benches that they have specific sites right now, for plots where we can actually put the benches."
The Friends also provide funding for bales of hay to place over grave sites in the winter to keep them from freezing, so that burials can take place over the winter. At Christmas when a ceremony is held with an honor guard and firing squad, the Friends organize a get-together and meal for the squad. In the fall, when professional arborists volunteer their services to come in and prune trees around the site, the Friends pay for them to get hot coffee and some food.
The Friends handle taking in donations because the state isn't allowed to do that. "There's a whole bit of bureaucratic politics behind the scenes where the state won't help," Mr. Sordoni said, so the Friends manage collecting funds and making sure they get applied to the programs and projects.
The Winchendon Veterans Memorial Cemetery is one of two operated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Veterans' Services. The other is in Agawam. (There are also military cemeteries maintained by the federal government, the largest being the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne near Otis Air Force Base, and another the Fort Devens Post Cemetery at Devens.)
The Winchendon Friends organized when they found that the cemetery in Agawam had a similar group. Larry Sordoni said they first started out in a trailer that had been on the site while it was being constructed.
Future members of the Friends were influential in bringing the second Veterans' Cemetery in Massachusetts to Winchendon, Larry Sordoni explained. "My own boss when when I was an active duty member...one of the company commanders was the number two man at the VA for cemeteries. And he came up to give a briefing about Agawam. They were looking at putting one in at Westover. So I went to the briefing, we had lunch together. And I saw the demographics that they had. They had one in on Cape Cod. They had another one scheduled from Westover. Again, east and south. Up in the north area of the state there was nothing, and a lot of people in the northeast part. Along Lawrence, those cities over in that area, nothing close. So I asked my old boss, John, and I explained that to him, and I said we've got a lot of land out in Winchendon. And he said, if you've got the land, I've got the money."
Larry was Chair of the Winchendon Board of Selectmen at that time. He said that he spoke to people in town and a committee was formed. Committee members included Hank Doody and Pat Doyle. Charlie Grout, the Veterans Service Officer at that time, also was involved. They made a motion to go after bringing the cemetery to Winchendon--and they succeeded.
Larry said that his major job on the Board was to acknowledge donations for memorial bricks and follow up with the donors once the bricks had been put in place. He also took the meeting minutes.
Mr. Sordoni said that while the Friends primarily raise funds to pay for work to be done, they do assemble the benches. "When the benches get delivered, John Walker, who was the past treasurer, he's one of the advisors on the Board now. John's an older gentleman, he'll go down and he will assemble the benches on site by himself. And he actually just taught Rick Marinelli from town and myself how to do that, so when the benches come in, the workers don't assemble them themselves at the cemetery, we go down, we actually assemble the benches for them, put them wherever they need to be. And then once they have the concrete slab poured, then the anchoring system, they'll bring it out to the site and put it out there."
Mr. DeFeo put in, "The Friends pay for the concrete, we pay for the slab to be poured. The state doesn't fund that at all. It's all funded through us. And anything that's done on the grounds is done by the workers at the cemetery themselves. So we will provide them with all the materials they need, but they will do all the work."
High on the Friends' "wish list" is a carillon, which the Agawam cemetery has. "They had a concrete slab poured, they had all the wiring done and dug up. And they had gone to some different organizations for donations. And for some reason or another, the donations fell through. So they have a beautiful spot to place this but they don't have the funds for it," Mr. Sordoni said. The Friends want to follow up on this and find a way to fund the carillon for Winchendon's cemetery.
The Friends also want to expand their current services. They'd like to give the arborists more than coffee and doughnuts for working all day--a full breakfast and perhaps lunch as well.
Mr. DeFeo said that each VFW around the area has a day that they are assigned to Winchendon's Veterans' Memorial Cemetery as an honor guard for ceremonies. These are volunteers who receive no compensation and some travel a fair distance, spending the entire day in dress uniform. The Friends would like to offer them more than one meal a year to show appreciation for what they do.
"I've talked to some people who are veterans in town, and they said, they assume the state paid for everything up there," Mr. DeFeo said. "And I think it's just going to be now for us to get the word out through social media. And as Lorenzo said, we're gonna look into a website, and build up our Facebook page and just trying to get the word out that, yes, the state funds taking care of the grounds" but the Friends are funding much more. Along with the benches and memorial pathway, the Friends funded the lectern, sound system and bier for the casket inside the cemetery chapel. They paid for some of the display cases for military memorabilia in the chapel lobby. The Friends also contribute to Wreaths Across America, which is entirely supported by donations. They would like to be able to contribute more and help promote that group.
Fundraising isn't always easy. The Agawam Friends tried selling coffee mugs and were told by the state they couldn't do that. The Winchendon Friends were told they could not put flyers out in local funeral homes. Much of the Winchendon Friends' budget comes from the balance left after purchasing bricks and benches with donations. Information has been largely word of mouth and a few flyers. Through Operation Winchendon Cares, the Friends were able to raffle off some donated sports memoribilia a few years ago.
Part of the problem is the small amount of person-power available. Fundraising can be labor-intensive. The Board is now down to three members since Richard Ladeau passed away earlier this year. The Board has tended to be older, and some of the members live out of state. The Friends would love to hear from new local folks interested in becoming part of their team.
"There's definitely things that we can look to in the future as we kind of get going and get comfortable in the new positions that we're in, and move forward," Mr. Sordoni said. "So we're definitely open to seeing what's out there that we can do to, again, make the cemetery a little bit better place. We do have a lot of people that are up there all the time," visiting their loved ones' graves. Some families travel a long way and spend a whole day at the cemetery.
Mr. DeFeo added that the need will be increasing. The state may be expanding the cemetery in the near future, and enlarging the chapel. It is currently very busy; services begin at 8:00 a.m. and continue one after the other until 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon.
If you'd like to send a donation to the Friends of the Veterans' Memorial Cemetery of Winchendon, you can mail it to P.O. Box 264, Winchendon, MA, 01475. You can contact the Friends at that address, or by email at memorialpathway@gmail.com, or through their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095352157637
Natural Disaster Recovery Program for Agriculture is Open for Applications
The application for the Natural Disaster Recovery (NDR) Program for Agriculture is now open. The program will provide financial assistance to farmers who suffered crop losses as a result of any of three 2023 natural disasters in Massachusetts:
- February 3-5, 2023 Deep freeze that impacted a large amount of peach and stone fruit production.
- May 17-18, 2023 Frost that impacted a large amount of apple production and vineyards.
- July 9-16, 2023 Rainfall and flooding that impacted a large amount of vegetable crop, field crops, and hay & forage crops.
Thank you to the legislature for working with the administration to make the funds available for this program, less than two months after the historic floods. These resources will help sustain Massachusetts farms so they may continue their important roles as contributors to the Commonwealth's food security, local economy, and efforts to combat climate change.
Winton Pitcoff
Deputy Commissioner / Legislative and Policy Director
Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
(857) 262-2096
Winchendon residents to participate in Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk presented by Hyundai
Brenda Heard and Daniel Wolski will join thousands in the iconic fundraising walk for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to support all forms of cancer research and care
Winchendon, Mass. - Two residents from Winchendon will participate in the Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk presented by Hyundai on Sunday, October 1.
Brenda Heard and Daniel Wolski, along with thousands of other walkers, will participate in the iconic annual event that will unite the community to raise funds to support all forms of adult and pediatric care and cancer research at the nation's premier cancer center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The Jimmy Fund Walk has raised more than $167 million for Dana-Farber Cancer in its 34-year history, raising a record-breaking more than $8.8 million in 2022.
"Throughout the past 34 years, the Jimmy Fund Walk has continuously supported life-saving research and cancer care at Dana-Farber. The 2023 Walk will be held during the Jimmy Fund's 75th anniversary year and will aim to raise $9 million in the effort to prevent, treat, and defy cancer," said Zack Blackburn, Director of the Jimmy Fund Walk. "This year also marks the 35th annual Jimmy Fund Walk. We are eager to get out on the course and see all our outstanding walkers and teams come together to support this great cause."
The Jimmy Fund Walk is the only organized walk permitted on the famed Boston Marathon® course, and participants have the flexibility to choose from four distance options: 5K walk (from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's Longwood Medical Campus), 10K walk (from Newton), Half Marathon walk (from Wellesley), and Marathon walk (from Hopkinton).
Whatever route walkers choose, participants will be treated to 10 refueling stations as well as poster-sized photographs of patients - Jimmy Fund Walk Heroes - displayed at each mile and half-mile marker as inspiration. All four routes of the Jimmy Fund Walk will culminate at the Jimmy Fund Walk Finish Line Powered by Schneider Electric. Due to construction in Copley Square, the Jimmy Fund Walk Finish Line location has been moved to the Fenway neighborhood for 2023. Walkers should know that distances may be slightly shorter as we finish the walk in front of Fenway Park. The finish line will include a celebration complete with food, music, and a speaking program.
If walkers wish to participate a bit closer to home, the Jimmy Fund Walk has flexible opportunities. Participants can also join the event virtually by "walking their way" from wherever they are most comfortable--in their neighborhood, on a favorite hiking trail, or on a treadmill at home. Materials to support Virtual Walkers are available.
To register to walk or volunteer (#JimmyFundWalk) or to support a walker, visit www.JimmyFundWalk.org or call (866) 531-9255. Registrants can enter the promo code NEWS for $5 off the registration fee. All registered walkers will receive a bib, medal, and a Jimmy Fund Walk T-shirt.
About the Jimmy Fund
The Jimmy Fund, celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2023, is comprised of community-based fundraising events and other programs that, solely and directly, benefit Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's lifesaving mission to provide compassionate patient care and groundbreaking cancer research for children and adults. The Jimmy Fund is an official charity of the Boston Red Sox, the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, the Pan-Mass Challenge, and the Variety Children's Charity of New England. Since 1948, the generosity of millions of people has helped the Jimmy Fund save countless lives and reduce the burden of cancer for patients and families worldwide. Follow the Jimmy Fund on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @TheJimmyFund.
