This Week's Winchendon News
Calmer Words and Various Points of View as ZBA Continues Hearing on 10 Cummings Road Conversion to Two-Family Housing
Eric Grady answers questions from members of the ZBA
Photo copyright Town of Winchendon
At their meeting on Wednesday, July 1, the Zoning Board of Appeals continued the hearing for a request for a Special Permit to convert the house at 10 Cummings Road into a two-family dwelling. This hearing had initially opened at the ZBA meeting on April 15, which was attended by numerous residents of Cummings Road who voiced their concerns. (See "Cummings Road Residents Pack ZBA Meeting with Concerns about Proposed Two-Family Conversion" in the May 16-23, 2026 edition of the Winchendon Courier (scroll down to article).)
The property in question is a home originally built in 1790 that now sits on a 2.17-acre parcel of land. According to the Assessors Database record, the building has 3,092 square feet of finished space comprising one unit with 7 rooms, 4 bedrooms, and 2 bathrooms. It was purchased by My Three Sons Investments LLC in Lafayette, Colorado for $244,900 in 2024. Robert Grady of ERG Revocable Trust, who owns several properties in Winchendon, states that he is the owner of the 10 Cummings Road property, although the connection between Mr. Grady and My Three Sons Investments LLC is unclear.
Both the house and the property appear to be in poor condition as seen from the road, although some work has been done on the house recently. It is situated on a sharp bend in the road, and as houses typically were in the 1700s, is very close to the edge of the road. Cummings Road itself is narrow and not very well maintained. Because of the house's position, it has a fairly clear view of all its neighbors, and vice versa. (The Courier drove out to take a look in May, and all four sides of the house can be examined easily without leaving the public way. At that time, a very large deck and stairs newly added to the back of the house were visible.)
The ZBA began the July 1 hearing with an overview of the property's characteristics and the situation to date. ZBA Chair Cynthia Carvill said, "Just to review, the purpose of this is to get a special permit. Currently, there is a building permit to do renovations on the first floor, and at one point the building permit included three bedrooms and renovations...I understand that there's a stop work order until some situations can be rectified that were not anticipated. It's a very old building, and there were some issues in regards to the demo and reconstruction of the building, so people have asked, Why is there work being done? Why is it being stopped? But that's just the short version of what's going on historically. Currently, they did get permission, it was a four bedroom."
Planning & Development Coordinator Nicole Roberts confirmed that the building's septic system is approved for a four-bedroom house.
"So that's what the building looked like at one point, and there has been some work done, and some work stopped, and we're here tonight to look at their application to convert it from a single family home to a two family home, and in our town zoning it's an allowed use of the property as long as the conversion doesn't substantially alter the aesthetic or density of the immediate neighborhood in an adverse way, traffic and safety are not impacted, and adequacy of utilities," Ms. Carvill said. If the building was expanded to more than four bedrooms, the septic would have to be upgraded and approved.
There was some discussion about the meaning of regulations about not changing the essential use of the building. State codes define a bedroom as being occupied by no more than two people.
Eric Grady, who is the son of Robert Grady and hopes to move into one of the units of the house with his family, came forward to answer questions. Eric Grady currently lives in a Winchendon property recorded as owned by My Three Sons Real Estate Management LLC, but which Robert Grady states that he owns.
Mr. Grady explained that his family plans to move into the second floor apartment (currently being created by the renovations) and this will make the building a five-bedroom house. He said he was just learning tonight that he would need to upgrade the septic, but he was fine with that. He stated that the previous owners had at least six finished rooms with carpeting that could have been used as bedrooms, not counting the living and dining rooms.
There will be no internal stairs connecting the two apartments, Mr. Grady said. The upstairs apartment will be accessed through the stairs and deck on the back of the house, with a current window replaced with French doors.
Ms. Carvill asked Mr. Grady what their plans would be for the property if the Special Permit for a two-family was denied.
Mr. Grady said, "if it was only able to be a four bedroom, the business plan is to get these properties and offer them to people that need houses. Whether it's what you guys consider 'undesirables' or low-income people or me that needs a house or anybody in town that needs a house, we've taken in people off the streets in town. He doesn't charge above what the utilities cost and the mortgage cost. Inherently doing a project on a property like this from the 1900s is expensive, so buying the property, the renovations, all that puts us into a category where we're going to have to charge $6,000 a month for that property for a mortgage. That's what we have to pay. If you do the math and you split it into two properties that are big enough to hold families...$3,000 a piece, or $2,500-$3,500 apiece, more than you'd be able to ever rent that full property for $6,000 to anybody. People can't afford that, so short of us having to sell the house...which my dad would never do." He said that they might rent out the house as bedrooms to eight individual people, and they could also create an accessory dwelling unit to add more space.
"There was never any plan of 'undesirables' living in these properties," he went on. "This is all fear-mongering. Somebody came up here and threatened the board, made a.. there's a federal threat, and I'm not sure if you guys did anything about that. He threatened lives, he threatened me because I'm an occupant of the house. He's going to hang me from this property. If nothing's going to be done about this ever, if you're not going to do something about it. Last time it's on record. It was reported he threatened the Board that if you guys didn't vote the way he wanted, that he would kill people, and that's not okay. And there was no recourse or repercussion, and nobody said anything about it. Why? Why when you were threatened, did you not call the police?" [Heated words to that effect were indeed spoken at the April 15 hearing, and may be heard on the video of the hearing.]
Mr. Grady said, "I will be living there. Another family from town with autistic children were going to be living in the downstairs unit. It's fear-mongering that got us to this point. I had a civil conversation with a gentleman here in the back that is opposing us as well. After that conversation, he was very pleased with what I had to say. He asked me if I could relay that information to more townspeople."
There was further discussion in which Ms. Carvill emphasized that they were talking about a two-family conversion, not a rooming or boarding house in any sense. The Board also discussed that they could not place any restrictions or stipulations on who could rent the house, as legally that would be discrimination. Mr. Grady said, "I'm willing to talk and have a civil conversation with anybody in town at any point, and give you any information that you need on any of the properties. This is our intended use for this property. We'd like to switch it into a two-family, and that's it."
Mr. Grady asked if any similar neighborhoods in town had ever had a property converted from a single family to a duplex. He pointed out that his family pays the highest amount of property taxes of any owner in town. "We are upgrading every property we have at the pace you allow us to, that is also simultaneously raising the property values of everybody in this room that is questioning what we're doing. When we put $100,000, $200,000 into these properties, it is raising the integrity of the neighborhood. That house has been an eyesore in that neighborhood for years, if everybody would sit here and say, 'I'd rather have that house look like it looked and sat there like it sat.' We have intentions to resurrect that barn as a historical barn. You can't just tear it down, it's historical. You have to do certain things, and we are going to do stuff with this whole property, and it's going to increase the property. It's not taking away from anything."
Ms. Carvill stated that the ZBA bases its decision on the land, not the person connected to it, and they cannot base a denial on "an applicant's personality or past zoning behavior" or on "general neighborhood opposition." She pointed out that when the farms in that neighborhood were subdivided and homes were built, some people were very upset that the property went from rural residential with a big farm to a subdivision with houses. The ZBA looks at specific factors, such as traffic, nuisance and privacy issues, parking and so on.
The floor was opened to members of the public. The first speaker introduced himself as Jeffrey Allen Bartley and said he was a carpenter who had been doing a lot of work on the 10 Cummings Road house. He described replacing walls and supports that were completely rotted out because previous owners did a lot of "Mickey Mouse" DIY. He asked permission to read into the record a letter from Robert Grady. The letter in part said,
"I promise to rent these apartments to local families, including my son. Neighbors were misled by a woman I refused to rent one of the units to. She told them that I plan to move men from my sober houses up there. I own several rental properties in town. I have four sober homes on Walnut Street, and several two-families around town. I promised the town that I would only maintain sober homes on Walnut Street. I've kept my word. In every other home I own, I rent to families. I have offered to accept conditions to be included on the special permit, just to prove my sincerity. You can add a clause that says that whichever one of these units becomes vacant, I will advertise the unit for 30 days, then I will allow the same members of each household on Cummings Road to review the rental applicants, they will each get a vote and whichever applicant gets the most votes, will get the unit.
"I plan to do the same thing once I've renovated my Front Street property building, wwhich will have 16 to 20 units, and the Goodspeed property, which will have 40 to 60 units. I plan to work with some of the CAC staff to better ensure that those most in need of housing get these units. What apparently isn't understood by the town's residents is that by law up to five unrelated adults can occupy a housing unit. If this special permit is in fact denied, I could place five people on the first floor unit. I also have the 2.5 acres, besides this property, and plan to build a home there that I could legally do the same with. I am not going to do that, because I've given my word to all of you that I won't. I'm only looking to create as many nice, clean, and safe and affordable housing units as possible in town. The town, and for that matter, the Commonwealth, are in need of housing. I ask that you please allow me to continue to work to contribute to fixing this problem. Between the Front Street property and Goodspeed, I will be investing more than $4 million into affordable housing options in town.
"This is similar to last year, when you were all misled and all you accomplished was to keep a supermarket from opening on Summer Street. This has never been about money. I care only to break even, but most of all to contribute to a town that I have loved my entire life. Instead of working so hard to prevent me from accomplishing what I am trying to do, why not instead support me? Let me show you that all I want is to make Winchendon the best it can be. When I bought the Cummings Road home, it was deplorable. The previous family were running an illegal animal hospice, and we have eradicated all the home's issues, and once completed, it will be beautiful."
Cummings Road resident Dakota Brouillard came forward to argue at length that the increased traffic from two families and additional vehicles in the house would create "significant traffic changes." The house is "right in the middle" of Cummings Road, not at the ends where new housing is being built, and the road is "barely holding together" and is "not kept up." It's also a tight S-bend in the road at that point.
Cummings Road resident Jason Dack came forward to say that he bought a $400,000 home in that neighborhood because it was "serene, peaceful, quiet," and he was confident that the area would always be single-family homes. "If I wanted to live in an area with multifamily dwellings, I would have moved to an area that had those existing, so I feel like I'm getting duped right now. My property value will go down, traffic will increase, and as the gentleman back there said, possible undesirables may or may not move in." He went on, "I like where I live. I like this town. I was on the fire department in early 2000s. I was an EMT here. I've coached Little League, I've coached deck hockey. I'm 24 years law enforcement. I'm a good citizen. I pay my taxes. I will not be happy if you allow a two-family dwelling across the street from me. That's the potential of housing people that I have to see every day at work. I don't want to see them when I'm outside my house, and I know there are little kids in my neighborhood, and the potential is there to have that happen, and I will not be okay with that, and my house will be up for sale, and you'll lose another taxpayer." The new stairs and deck in back are very visible and "not a pretty sight," he said.
Cummings Road resident Brielle Bailey came forward to ask about the toxic materials such as asbestos and lead that would have to be removed from a 1790 house, and whether those would be getting into people's wells. She also spoke about the issues with traffic on the road and parking on the property.
Cummings Road resident Tracy Keeney came forward to state that occupants of the second floor apartment would be able to see into all their neighbors' yards from the "gigantic" deck, and possibly into their windows.
Resident Jennie LeBlanc came forward to say that she was familiar with the house from decades ago when she was a child in the neighborhood and called it "the Hoyt house" ("she was the lady that gave me raisins on Halloween"). She had seen the inside of the house and didn't see how it could be converted into two apartments. The rooms are small, she said, and she would not want to be raising kids in a house that was right on the edge of the road.
Resident Sharon Ball then came forward with a different perspective. "I came to you this evening because I feel the need to help you better understand the matter at hand," she said. "I met Bob Grady over the phone quite a few months ago, when he answered an ad that I placed to sell some of my husband's tools. While speaking, I told Bobby that I recently lost my husband of 55 years, and that I was going to be selling my home and downsizing. He asked me where I'd be relocating to, and I told him the struggle I was having finding some new property, and he suggested I consider Winchendon, and we arranged for me to look at property he owns on Walnut Street. The apartment was beautiful, it's very old, but it's everything I need, and it's just the right size. The apartment was to be a sober unit, and it was in a home that he had recently purchased...I was saddened to hear that the rent would be more than I could afford, at which, without hesitation, Bobby told me he would take the $700 monthly loss rather than have me end up in a bad housing situation, and he told me that the apartment was mine for the rest of my life, and that I never again have to worry about housing.
"Additionally, he explained how his sober homes operated, and told me why it was important to him to offer back to the community that he loved so much. He further told me how the sober men living in sober homes did volunteer work in the community, and for me too. When it was time to move, they would handle everything using some of Bobby's trucks, and they did. They cleaned out my cellar and my garage, they packed things for me, they washed my kitchen floor, because my bursitis was so bad then, too. The men and women in the sober home treated me with the utmost respect...It's been a long time since I've felt so safe and cared for. Where I lived, there were drug dealers on two sides of my property in Westminster."
Ms. Ball said that people had been misled, that not all the men in the sober homes were convicted of sexual offenses, or of anything at all. "They all share one thing, a desire to put their drug and alcohol misuse lifestyles behind them," she said. "The next thing I'd like to point out is that Bobby never had any intention of moving any of these men, or any future men seeking sober occupancy, to Cummings Road, and I've known that since last year, because we've talked over and over about it." She stated that Robert Grady had been smeared by people with ulterior motives who spread lies about him.
The last resident to come forward was Tina Durand, who said she lived in one of Robert Grady's properties and spoke strongly in his defense.
There was more discussion with Eric Grady about parking and where parking spaces would be on the property, traffic impact from multiple vehicles, landscaping, and ways to ensure neighbors' privacy from the back deck of the house. The Board decided that they needed to make a site visit to the property before they made a final determination. Mr. Grady said that he would need to check with the state and their insurer due to some of the materials being remediated from the property--access was strictly limited for safety and liability reasons. Mr. Grady also brought up again concerns about his own safety and the death threats that had been made, and Ms. Carvill said they would request an escort from Winchendon PD.
The Board voted to continue the hearing to August 19, by which time they would have made the site visit and would hopefully be able to make a determination.
BOS Appoints Members to the Fire Station Building Committee
At their meeting on Monday, June 22, the Board of Selectmen considered applicants who had submitted letters of interest for the Fire Station Building Committee. Earlier this year, the Board had discussed forming committees of residents with specific expertise to oversee major building projects in town, including the still-to-be-resolved Fire Station renovation and expansion. (See "BOS Creates Fire Station Building Committee for Oversight on Solutions Going Forward" in the January 22-29, 2026 edition of the Winchendon Courier (scroll down to article).) Board Chair Andrew Beauvais said, "Due to the MSBA project and everything going on at the time, we decided to just table that, and so tonight's the night we do have some interested parties."
Diane Coulter was recommended by the Finance Committee to represent them on the committee. Resident applicants were Kevin Sutton, Dr. Maureen Ward, Ken Wante, and Rev. Dr. Susan Suchocki Brown.
Rev. Brown came forward to answer questions about her application. Mr. Beauvasi asked, "What has piqued your interest in joining this Fire Station Building Committee?"
"I was in Leominster, Mass. for a career and moved back to Winchendon in 2014," Rev. Brown said. "During the time that I was in Winchendon, I was 25 plus years their Fire Department chaplain, founding member of the Massachusetts Corps of Fire Chaplains, a member of the Unitarian Universalist Trauma Response Ministry. I'm an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister. I have knowledge of fire departments, chaplaincy, firefighters, and I know that WinchenDon is struggling with what to do. When I came back into town, I got involved in the Cultural Commission, which I'm still on, and I'm just interested in getting back connected to the community and the Fire Department. Fire chaplaincy is in my blood."
"Your experience from where I sit, matches precisely what is necessary on this committee. So, thank you," Mr. Beauvais said. The Boards voted to appoint Rev. Brown to the Committee.
"Next up is a resident, we have Kevin Sutton. I see Mr. Sutton has been in construction for 38 years, so when it pertains to construction background, I think he's got it," Mr. Beuavais said. Mr. Sutton was appointed to the committee. Also appointed was applicant Dr. Maureen Ward.
The fourth resident applicant, Ken Wante, prompted some discussion, as his son Capt. Garrett Wante currently serves with the Winchendon Fire Department as a firefighter, raising a question of potential conflict of interest. Fire Chief Tom Smith had communicated with the Board about the applicants, saying that Ken Wante "has software skills and is familiar around construction professionals."
Board member Audrey LaBrie said, "The purpose of this committee is to make a recommendation. It's not to actually decide on anything, is that correct? So I understand they would not be making final decisions on the project or such. So I think perhaps no, just with a written disclosure of the connection."
Town Manager Bill McKinney agreed that the disclosure should cover any transparency concerns. The Board appointed Mr. Wante to the committee.
The last appointee was the Board of Selectmen's representative. The Board voted to appoint Board member Erika Eitland to the committee, due to her background in architecture and engineering.
Beals Prize for Poetry Call for Entries
WINCHENDON, MA, June 29--The Beals Memorial Library in Winchendon, Massachusetts seeks entries into the seventh annual Beals Prize for Poetry. Ten finalists will be chosen by the judges to read their work at the awards presentation on Thursday, September 24th, 2026. Prize money of $250, $100 and $50 will be awarded to the top three competition finalists. Submissions for the contest are now being accepted through Friday, August 15th. There is no fee to enter.
Entrants may submit only one, original and unpublished poem. Contestants must live in Massachusetts or in one of these New Hampshire towns: Keene, Swanzey, Richmond, Fitzwilliam, Troy, Marlborough, Dublin, Peterborough, Jaffrey, Rindge, New Ipswich, Greenville, and Sharon. Submissions must be emailed to: bealspoetryprize@gmail.com (Word docs preferred). Competition finalists will be notified on or before Friday, September 11, 2026. All entries will be judged blindly. Previous Beals Prize first place winners are not eligible to participate, and submitters should be at least 18 years of age.
The judges for this year's competition are poets Sara Letourneau, 2023 winner of the Beals Prize for Poetry, Managing Editor at Heart of the Story Editorial & Coaching Services and author of "Wild Gardens"; Maria Williams, author of White Doe, which won the 2023 Verse Daily Prize, and A Love Letter to Say There is No Love; and Karolina Zapal, current holder of the 2025 Beals Prize for Poetry.
The Beals Prize for Poetry is funded in part by the Winchendon Cultural Council and by the Friends of the Beals Memorial Library. Call the Library at 978-297-0300 or go to bealslibrary.org for more information.
The Beals Indie Author Book Fair Seeks Self-published Writers
The Beals Memorial Library in Winchendon is calling all self-published authors to participate in the first Beals Indie Author Book Fair on Saturday, September 19, 2026 from 10:30 AM to 5:00 PM. The event is planned to be a celebration of literature, creativity, and the diversity of stories being told by self-published, independent authors. The idea behind the Book Fair is to create a space where these authors can engage with fellow writers, and reach a larger audience of potential readers.
Illustrators, editors, literary agents, small indie publishing houses, and printing companies are also invited to participate in the fair, giving the authors an opportunity to connect with these services.
Throughout the day authors will also have the opportunity to take the outdoor stage to talk about their work or do a reading. Panels will also take place in the Library auditorium covering subjects such as Intro to Publishing: How to Get Started; Scams to Avoid; and Working with Third Party Contractors: Artists, Editors, etc. There will also be two workshops covering topics like E-pubs Unzipped, and From Book to Audiobook.
Authors, and other vendors servicing the self-published who wish to participate can reserve a 10' x 10' space to display and sell their work, or offer author services. Space is limited, and is on a first-come, first-serve basis. The vendor fee is by donation, with a $10 minimum required.
Authors interested in a 15 minute, on-stage time slot to do a reading or talk about their work should indicate their preference on the on-line registration form. Registration for all interested parties can be found at bealslibrary.org/bookfair. The registration deadline is Friday, July 31, 2026.
For more information visit the Library website at bealslibrary.org/bookfair, or call the Library at 978-297-0300. The Beals Memorial Library is located at 50 Pleasant Street in Winchendon.
The Beals Indie Author Book Fair is a collaboration with By Light Unseen Media, and is funded in part by the Winchendon Cultural Council, and the Friends of the Beals Memorial Library.
More than 175 audience members attended the final 2026 Winchendon Winds concert on Sunday, June 28
Photo by Inanna Arthen
Winchendon Winds piccolo players Elise Locker, Patricia DeAndres and Jen Kramer showing their stuff in Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever."
Photo by Inanna Arthen
Winchendon Winds plays the John Philip Sousa march "Stars and Stripes Forever" at the June 28 concert. "Guest conductor" Al Locker takes the podium after winning the raffle to conduct this beloved march.
video by Inanna Arthen
