WFD Holds Emergency Responder Autism Training to Better Serve Those in Need

by Keith Kent, Winchendon Courier Correspondent
The Winchendon Fire Department held a three hour Autism educational training on Monday, November 22, helping department members be better prepared though necessary knowledge to be able to communicate, evaluate, and assist those with emotional, social, communicational, or behavioral challenges, with those who have Autism and or are on various levels of the Autism Spectrum.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder or "ASD" is defined as, "A developmental disorder of variable severity that is characterized by difficulties in social interaction and communication and by restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and behavior." The Monday evening training and educational exercise, which took place from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., was organized by WFD Fire Fighter / Paremedic Garrett Wante, and included some 15 members of the WFD, along with several members of the Winchendon Police Department including Lt. Kevin Wolski, Sgt. Gerald Gagne, and Sgt. Raymond Anair, as well as two members of the Town of Templeton Fire Department.

Chief Thomas Smith said, "Lance Mason of Winchendon who he himself has an Autistic son, taught the class and we are very thankful for his help and knowledge on this subject. He teaches all around the country, and with his help we can now be better prepared to serve those in need. It was very helpful as Mason was able to educate us on various areas including how to treat people with Autism with respect, and understand what their potential is. Also to understand how people could react to certain situations, and tips on how to help them react better. Topics were as an example how to better be able to communicate with those who have Autism, and how to go over and evaluate sensory communication as well including communication through pictures."

In closing Smith said, "It's frequent training and updates our members receive such as this, that help us better serve the pubic in emergency response situations with the respect, understanding, and the dignity those we provide care for deserve."

Event organizer Garrett Wante of the WFD explained, "Mr. Mason is both a retired Leominster Fire Fighter, and member of ALEC (the Autism and Law Enforcement Education Coalition). With the increasing population of people with Autisim, I felt we as a department and emergency responders needed to be better trained on how to efficiently and effectively interact with and provide aid for members of the Autism community, so when we encounter them, we treat them in the best possible way for both themselves and our members as responders."

Wante spoke of learning about signage, such as when you come to the aid of an Autistic person, keeping an eye out for stickers that may be placed at the entrance of a home or on a motor vehicle, to help those responding understand what they are approaching and know how to communicate, react, and be better aware of potential communication complications while trying to aid those in need. "Mason taught us a list of important steps to take and how to approach such as if we need to help remove and transport an autistic person for care, it's beneficial to wrap that person in a blanket to provide a sense of comfort as it is known to help relax that person making them feel secure, which is known to help reduce the chances of Autistic sensory overload," Wanted explained.

In closing when asked what Wante hoped his fellow WFD members took away from the three-hour training he replied, "I hope my fellow members took away a better understanding and mindset of what an Autistic person is thinking at that time of that call for aid situation, and how to properly assist them and care for them in the correct manner while keeping safety in mind for both the responder and the patient while again treating them with understanding, respect, and dignity."

If you would like to learn more about ALEC and the Autism Alliance you can call (508) 652-9900. or visit and view on the internet at https://www.autismalliance.org/resources/alec.

BOS Appoints Seven Members to the Master Plan Implementation Committee

by Inanna Arthan
After many months of urgently requesting and recruiting local residents to serve, on Monday, November 22 the Board of Selectmen appointed seven dedicated citizens to the Master Plan Implementation Committee. Five appointees were present at the meeting. The new Committee members are:
Kyle Bradley
Guy Corbosiero
Erika Eitland
Miranda Jennings
Nikki Nickerson
Amanda Phillips
Jill Nicholson Sackett

BOS Vice-Chair Rick Ward invited the appointees present to come to the microphones in front. "I read all of your resumes, and there's quite an array of experience and skills in those resumes. If I was still working for the government, I'd be looking to hire some of you folks," he said, and invited each appointee to introduce themselves and say a few words about why they want to serve on the committee.

Amanda Phillips began, "I've been in Winchendon for 23 years now, and I've had children go through the school system, and I think it's time for me to give back somehow. I look forward to serving on this committee."

Jill Sackett explained, "we've had ties to town since 1975. I'm happy to have retired here now, and I'm getting very involved in a lot of different town affairs. I'm very excited about the potential Winchendon has, and also looking for an opportunity to give back. I was involved in the Master Plan Committee, so this is kind of a natural follow-on from that."

Miranda Jennings, also known to Toy Towners through her work with HEAL Winchendon, said, "I've only been here for seven years, but this town has grown on me more and more every year, and there's just a wonderful sense of community here and I think this plan brings it all together. I'm excited to serve the town in this way."

"I'm the newbie of the group," Erika Eitland said, "so I've been here about a year, as of today, actually. My background is in public health and in climate-related issues as well as community engagement, so for me, I'm hoping that my nerd qualities are something that can support the plan fully, so that it's executed with a real strategic lens. And then we figure out what is the biggest priorities for the community as we look through that public health and community focused approach."

Finally, Nikki Nickerson wrapped up with, "I've been living in Winchendon for about five years. My background is in project management and quality improvement. So I'm excited to have this opportunity to help implement a plan that will give our town an opportunity to continue growing in the way that we think is a good way."

Before the vote was taken, Selectman Danielle LaPointe commented, "Can I just say, I should have added before, the background that the five of you bring, in the corporate world, in your history of what you've done, I think it's something we haven't seen before, where it's something where you guys can take the details of that plan and actually put them in a plan and execute them detail by detail by detail, so I'm so excited to see--because we've had a Master Plan for years and years and years, and I don't mean to be critical, but I feel like we've never seen them executed. So I am incredibly excited to see what you guys can do to actually take it and launch it and see where that can go."

The BOS unanimously approved the appointments of all seven committee members, to be served with staggered expiration years so the whole committee wouldn't expire at the same time. The Committee members will be sworn in at the Town Clerk's office, and an email list will be created for them to communicate as a committee.

The Master Plan Implementation Committee oversees the execution of the Master Plan. It works with the Town Manager and responsible leads of town departments. Its responsibilities include coordinating and monitoring implementation of the Plan, collaborating with players to develop and track goals, encouraging ongoing citizen engagement, identifying successful stragegies and barriers, assessing progress, periodically evaluating the Plan, and providing updates and progress reports to the BOS. The role requires strong knowledge of project management and town history, good communications skills and knowledge of "how things work."

Interested Winchendon residents can read the Master Plan on the town website at Community Master Plan: Town of Winchendon, MA (PDF).

Winchendon Applies for Safe Route to Schools Grant

Seen in this photo at the intersection of School and Grove Streets and just a few hundred feet from Toy Town Elementary, is one of many sidewalk examples showing why Tracy Murphy, Director of Planning and Development, and DPW Superintendent Brian Croteau, are working with the town to try to obtain a "Safe Route to Schools Grant" to make sidewalks safer, more acceptable, and also become compliant under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Photo by Keith Kent

by Keith Kent, Winchendon Courier Correspondent
Town Manager Justin Sultzbach informed the Board of Selectmen at their Monday, November 22 meeting that the town has applied for the Safe Routes to Schools Grant program to help increase sidewalk connectivity between the schools and downtown and assist children to safely travel to and from school either by bike or foot.

Sultzbach requested approval of a grant support letter by the Board Of Selectmen as part of the grant application package to begin applying for the funds. BOS Vice Chair Rick Ward asked DPW Superintendent Brian Croteau to update the BOS about where the grant stood in the process, and what the town would realize in return if it receives the grant.

Croteau informed the BOS that he brought the grant process in front of the most recent school committee meeting. Croteau explained, "This grant could help bring existing sidewalks up to current standards and make them a lot smoother than they are, and some of the focused areas are School Street and Central Street, from a corner near here at the Town Hall and up to the state line. We are also looking to add better visibility at the crosswalks which are in place now. As you have probably seen, we installed some flashing signs on upper Central Street where both the children and other pedestrians are crossing. We are also looking to add some sidewalks where they don't exist now at this time." The grant application process will be managed jointly by Department of Planning and Development Director Tracy Murphy and Croteau.

Croteau elaborated, "The state is looking to give out about $10 million on this grant, and is tailoring it to about 10 individual $1 million grants. This is kind of a three-fold process with bringing our sidewalks up to our standards, making them a lot safer, increasing visibility on crosswalks, and providing some sidewalks in areas that currently don't have them. The money is going to go quick when you see what you get for $1 million, but we will work with the state and see what we can get done."

Selectman Danielle LaPointe inquired if this was the same attempt at the grant application and project which the BOS had heard about in the past. Sultzbach replied, "Yes, this has been in the works for several months now, as we began coordinating with the state back in June or July." Selectman Amy Salter asked Croteau if the project would potentially be a project the DPW would complete or would the state be the one installing the sidewalks? Croteau responded, "So that for complete transparency would have Mass DOT design it, so if we were awarded the money tomorrow, we wouldn't have money to spend. The funding would then be provided for a contractor to come in, so it's not going to be our staff as we don't have the capabilities to do this amount of work."

Croteau added, "One of the things about the grant program is that there has to be a buy-in between the Department of Public Works and the School Department, and the School Department told us it has a 100 percent buy-in, so it's done through our Chapter 90 Funds portal, and does not affect our Chapter 90 balances."

LaPointe then asked if the town would have an opportunity for input, or is the town at the mercy of the state regarding input? Croteau responded, "We have input on how it will look, but it's their design so they put the standards necessary into play. It's not the same as the Central Street project, because we are dealing with just sidewalks and visibility, and not bike lanes and things of other nature."

Selectman Barbara Anderson commented that Mass DOT worked on School Street 25 years ago, and there were issues with crosswalk locations in relation to intersections and their proximities. Croteau replied, "It has changed a lot since then. If you look at Maple Street and other state roads in town, there is a much better standard now than there was then." Salter asked if the sidewalks' modifications will be ADA compliant, and Croteau replied, "Yes, it all must be 100 percent ADA complaint, or Mass DOT will not even do a sidewalk now that isn't going to be ADA compliant."

In closing a motion was made for the BOS to authorize a support letter to Mass DOT for the Safe Route to School Grant program offer as presented. The motion passed 4-0 yes, with all in attendance in favor.

As seen in this photo, GEG Construction Inc. workers continue necessary updates on the current Railroad Street improvement and redesign project on Friday, November 19, as they connect new storm water runoff drainage in to new correct existing lines.
Photo by Keith Kent

A construction worker for GEG uses a special poll to raise utility lines connecting to a building enabling heavy equipment to turn and position itself without tearing the lines from the building.
Photo by Keith Kent

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