Master Plan Implementation Committee Presents Action Plan to BOS
At their meeting on June 13, the Board of Selectmen viewed a presentation by representatives of the seven-member Master Plan Implementation Committee (MPIC), which has been meeting monthly since the beginning of 2022. The formation of the MPIC was approved by the BOS in February, 2021 but had a long search for committee volunteers. The full complement of seven was appointed in November, 2021. (See "Board of Selectmen Approve Formation of Master Plan Implementation Committee" in the February 25-March 4 2021 edition of the Winchendon Courier, and "BOS Appoints Seven Members to the Master Plan Implementation Committee" in the November 25-December 2 2021 edition of the Winchendon Courier.)
The complete Master Plan document can (and should!) be reviewed at Community Master Plan - Town of Winchendon, MA (PDF). The current MPIC members are: Jill Sackett, Chair; Kyle Bradley, Vice-Chair; Amanda Philips, Secretary; Nikki Nickerson, Project Manager; Guy Corbosiero, Miranda Jennings and Erika Eitland, members-at-large.
Ms. Sackett, Ms. Eitland and Ms. Nickerson rose to give the presentation. (View presentation slides here. (PDF) ).
After naming the other members of the MPIC, some of whom were in the audience, Ms. Sackett went on, "As you know, the Community Master Plan has been six years in the making. It was approved in February of 2021," followed by the formation of the MPIC. "Today, one of the reasons we're sitting here is we're not speaking just to the Board of Selectmen. But we're really speaking to all of the stakeholders in the audience, whether you're watching on television or going to watch it later, or you're out here in the audience today. Whether or not you're on a committee, or a board here in town, you are all stakeholders in our town's Master Plan."
Ms. Sackett explained that the Master Plan is required by Massachusetts General Law, "but more importantly, it's really a roadmap and a guide to the town's growth and development. It sets our priorities. It sets our policies, it informs our actions, our decisions and so on and our allocation of resources...It's a living, breathing document and ours in particular is very ambitious and very detailed."
Winchendon's Master Plan includes nine "action areas," seven of which are typical of community plans: Land Use, Open Space, Economic Development, Housing, Historic and Cultural Resources, Transportation and Circulation, and Services and Facilities. But the remaining two are unique to Winchendon: Communication and Engagement, and Community Health and Wellbeing. Ms. Sackett echoed other recent comments by people such as the Winchendon Community Park Committee's Dave Romanowski when she said, "we don't have very good mechanisms for communication in our town" and it's becoming increasingly more important.
Ms. Sackett then handed the microphone to Ms. Eitland to explain what the Master Plan will help Winchendon do.
"This Master Plan and these action areas, these are our compass or cookbook, our treasure map for this community," Ms. Eitland said. "And so what we see as the Master Plan Implementation Committee, is that we are the conveners of all of the different committees to really make sure we get it done." They'll be looking at Winchendon's centuries-old legacy of farming, conservation, innovation and entrepreneurship, and its motto of "Winchendon Working Together." Winchendon has over 400 official historical sites.
72 percent of Winchendon's land is undeveloped or underdeveloped, Ms. Eitland said, and the MPIC will encourage diverse land use for the benefit of both the environment and the community. There are action areas encouraging agricultural use, as well as protecting and maintaining open space and recreational areas.
Ms. Nickerson then rose to speak about Transportation Access and Safety. The MPIC had found that 24 percent of Winchendonians feel that local transportation services have worsened (the local MART bus and volunteer options such as the Senior Center vans pretty much cover it), and 11 percent of residents do not have access to a vehicle. Transportation is tightly tied to employment and child care options.
Moving to Economic Development, Ms. Nickerson said, "the top five employers for this town are education services, manufacturing, health care and social services, followed by retail and food services. So this action area is really focused on increasing the opportunity for economic development in town."
In the action area of Services and Facilities, Ms. Nickerson said that Heywood Hospital identified language and cultural barriers to health care. 44 percent of those Winchendon residents who are eligible for SNAP/HIP ("food stamps") benefits are not receiving them. "It's important for us to to make sure that we're providing high quality services. This also includes improving access to existing services, raising awareness for existing services and improving the quality of the services that we provide," she emphasized.
"The next topic I know is 'spicy' in this town," Ms. Eitland then picked up, "but we're hoping the action area related to housing is an opportunity for us to increase the variety, the quality, the access, the connectivity and affordability of housing in Winchendon." Winchendon has a growing number of senior citizens; 10 percent of its population consists of veterans, 16 percent of whom have a disability requiring accessible housing. The Winchendon Housing Authority has a minimum 18-month waiting list for affordable/subsidized units. Half of Winchendon's housing stock was built since 1980 (the state average is 30 percent), and in the past decade, all of it has been single-family homes. Winchendon is not in compliance with the state's Chapter 40 B regulation, which means a developer could force a housing development on the town as long as it meets the 40 B rule of providing some "affordable" units. "We have a legal and moral and not just a community obligation to be able to provide that housing," Ms. Eitland asserted.
Moving to Community Health and Wellbeing, Ms. Eitland said, "We acknowledge that there's this growth of female single head of households with children under the age of five, we acknowledge there's a vulnerable population that needs support. And this is something that's impacting food security, what types of services we provide, and also about social connectivity, and how are we going to support both the environmental and social facets that make Winchendon a great place to live?"
Winchendon has been selected as a Heart & Soul Community, the only one in Massachusetts, out of about 100 nationwide. (See "Winchendon Community Heart & Soul Project Prepares to Begin Gathering Residents' Stories" in the
March 24-March 31 2022 edition of the Winchendon Courier.) Winchendon's youth are "increasingly diverse"--14 percent of Toy Town youth identify as Black, Indigenous or People of Color (BIPOC). (A number of Winchendon youth identify as LBTQIA+. The BOS has officially proclaimed June to be LGBTQIA+ Pride Month in Winchendon, an initiative which was spearheaded by local youth. See "BOS Signs Proclamation Recognizing June as Pride Month in Winchendon" in the
June 17-June 24 2021 edition of the Winchendon Courier.) Ms. Eitland stated that "we have to recognize the types of communication and approach that we take with welcoming new faces into this community. We also have to see that the ways that we communicate and engage everyone is not going to be the same. We are going to have to get creative as we see that we have an aging population as well. And so the different tactics that we take require listening and outreach that we probably haven't done before, but I think are critical to making sure that this Master Plan is implemented in its full breadth and we touch the blind spots."
The speakers presented a slide with a quote from a town resident: "We have an active community that comes together in times of need. Hopeful for the growth of the town and kindness within. At the center of it all is the active military, veteran community and pride for our country." Ms. Eitland said, "why I felt it was important to say that we come together in times of need is that this Master Plan is coming at a really important time in society, which is you're coming out of the COVID pandemic with different individuals really bearing a burden, whether it be food insecurity, housing insecurity, energy insecurity." Winchendon has one the highest rates of chronic disease (such as HIV, asthma, obesity and diabetes) in the state, has seen an increase in food insecure households since 2019, and reports that 40 percent of its children under age 5 are living below the poverty line. "And so this is a time for us to sort of course-correct, and really make sure that everyone has access to this type of Winchendon that we're talking about," Ms. Eitland said.
Ms. Nickerson took the floor to talk about Teamwork, and the timelines currently mapped out for specific goals, toolkits and strategies. The long-term timeline extends ten years into the future.The MPIC will develop SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) goals, and every town committee and board will be involved in some way.
Ms. Sackett said, "There are fundamental goals that are short term, medium term and long term, and there are quick wins that of course we want to look at and tackle goals right away. So we are going to be setting up and working with the stakeholders, the committees and the boards that are named in this Master Plan and recommended to be leads and contributors on getting some of these strategies done." She went on to go over some of the "nuts and bolts" plans, which can be viewed in the presentation slide deck (PDF).
The MPIC members asked those present, including the BOS, to take some index cards and write down the answers to three questions: "Why are you on a committee, what is important to you when you go and work on your committee? What things really matter to you, of all the things you work on in a committee, or what excites you in town? What do you really, really want to see changing first?"
Ms. Sackett went on, "I'm also going to put this out to the people that are watching on television and the people that aren't on boards and committees: you are stakeholders. And trust me, these boards and committees can't tackle all of this by themselves. We are all going to be looking for other help in town...you may not have the time or the bandwidth that you can sign up for a board or committee and put that kind of time and commitment into it but you might be a very valuable asset in this Master Plan. No particular niche or skill is too small or insignificant at this point. If you're just a resident of town and you say...I'm interested in healthy food. I'm interested in buses, I'm interested in fixing our roads, or any of the many, many opportunities we have here in town. And if you have a skill set, or I have some history, I have some history about Winchendon. I lived here a long time, or I came from another town and this is the way they did XYZ and I think I can bring some best practices in."
With the presentation concluded, BOS Vice Chair Rick Ward thanked the MPIC for their hard work and "one of the finest presentations I've seen since I've been a Selectman." He mentioned having seen a statistic that 65 percent of Winchendon's population felt "socially isolated" and he felt this was something "we really have to look into."
BOS Chair Audrey LaBrie asked the MPIC members if there was anything else they needed from the Board. Smiling, Ms. Sackett said, "To rest up. You folks are named often in the Master Plan."
Anyone interested in contacting the MPIC for any reason can message Jill Sackett at www.townofwinchendon.com/user/2324/contact.
CAC Will Host Information Q&A Session on New Student Loan Forgiveness Options
On Tuesday, July 19 at 6:00 p.m., Dr. Ryan Forsythe, Chair of the Winchendon School Committee, will lead an information session about recent changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions about the program. Dr. Forsythe has more than 20 years of experience in higher education and deep understanding of the PSLF.
The training is free to the public. Food and drink will be available. The meeting is in person, but a Zoom link can be provided. Call 978-297-1667 or email winchendoncac@gmail.com for a link or more information. The CAC is located at 273 Central St., Winchendon.
Persons who are paying back student loans and work for a Federal, state or local government, or a non-profit organization, may be eligible for the expanded student loan forgiveness. Changes include:
- Counting most or all prior student loan payments toward PSLF, regardless of the loan repayment plan.
- Counting additional types of student loan payments toward PSLF, possibly including late payments and partial payments.
- Including payments made on Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans and Federal Perkins Loans (if consolidated into a Direct Loan).
- Further qualifying Federal employees and members of the military for the PSLF program.
- Reviewing previously denied PSLF applications.
Financial Auditor Stresses Danger of High Turnover in Town Hall
On Monday, July 11, the Board of Selectmen, School Committee, Finance Committee and Audit Committee met jointly in a Quad-Board meeting for a presentation of the Fiscal Year 2021 Audit.
Roselli, Clark & Associates, a firm of certified public accountants based in Woburn, MA, had been selected by the Audit Committee as the consultants to perform the FY21 Audit. CPA Tony Roselli rose to present a summary of the Audit findings.
Mr. Roselli began with an urgent discussion of the high turnover in critical town positions. "You've got turnover at the Treasurer's office," he pointed out. "You have potential turnover with the Town Accountant's office. There's been turnover at the school. There's been turnover at the Town Manager's seat. I'm flipping back to 2011 and '12 right now. And this is how things started. A lot of turnover. Folks coming in not familiar with the system, not familiar with the processes, not familiar with the workarounds. And next thing you know, there was a pretty big problem here in town that hit in about '12 or '13. So I can't stress enough how important it is for you folks to have a plan."
He went on, "The two critical critical pieces of this to avoid, if we don't learn from history, we're going to repeat history. So really the one thing, that if we don't take anything else from tonight's meeting, the town needs to have a plan."
Board of Selectmen Chair Audrey LaBrie asked Mr. Roselli to clarify: did he mean an exit plan, or a continuity plan, or what in particular?
"Okay, let's step back," Mr. Roselli responded. "So I've got over one hundred clients and a lot of them are going through the same issue where people are just retiring. And there's not a lot of young people in the workforce that are replacing these individuals that have been around for a long time that have now retired. So what's happening is you're getting consultants and you're getting folks in that just aren't qualified to be doing the work. Just because you're desperate so you just hire someone.
"There's opportunities to regionalize some of these positions," he continued. "A lot of towns partner up with another town and the same treasurer does both. You're able to offer a higher salary, which you split and you get a qualified person because they're going to be attracted to the highest salary." He mentioned a situation in which three towns share the same Finance Director.
Things have changed, Mr. Roselli explained--smaller towns with smaller budgets can no longer count on posting an ad and getting a pool of qualified candidates. "The qualified people are cherry picking. They're going for the highest salaries, the better benefits, the closer [commutes] ...you guys have put so much work into where you are right now. Things are really done well in this town right now."
Mr. Roselli said that even if things are going well, everything can go downhill in a few months if "a storm comes in" and key people leave. And when that happens, he said, "don't just hire anyone. You're better off going with a consultant than just hiring anyone because you'll be paying the consultant later. That's what's happening."
Aside from these advisories, Mr. Roselli described the town's fiscal situation as largely good. The unassigned fund balance is $3.6 million, with $1.2 million in the stabilization funds. This is impressive considering that in FY14, seven years prior, the unassigned fund balance was a huge deficit of negative $3.6 million. The town has completely turned it around in just seven years. The town's FY22 budget is balanced.
Mentioning the town's $3.3 million ARPA [American Rescue Plan Act] allotment, Mr. Roselli pointed out that up to $10 million of a municipality's ARPA allotment can be used at the town's discretion, and recommended "not to use it in your budget, but to use it for one-time things that improve the community."
The town is doing well with network security, he said. "But you don't want to be that town makes it into the newspaper, getting held for ransom where you get locked out of your system and you can't get in. So it's important to just stay vigilant, train employees, let your employees know what they can and can't be clicking on."
A weakness in the town's financial plan is preparing for pension obligations. The Worcester County pension system was so far behind, they will likely to increasing by 10 percent annually just to catch up with the state average. Another concern Mr. Roselli raised was the town's Other Post Employment Benefits (OPEB) account, which pays for the health insurance of retired employees, and which, in FY21, only contained $12,127. The Finance Committee actually addressed this in the summer of 2021 (See "In First Meeting of FY22, Finance Committee Receives Large Preliminary Numbers from Town Manager" in the August 5-August 12 2021 edition of the Winchendon Courier). They placed an article to approve beefing up this account annually on the 2021 Fall Special Town Meeting Warrant, which passed 92 percent in favor, 8 percent opposed.
Another issue Mr. Roselli raised is orphaned parcels on the tax rolls, for which owners can't be found and the unpaid tax balances keep on rising. Some of them have been on the rolls for ten or twelve years. He suggested the town get some legal help in identifying the owners or the town's options.
Mr. Roselli mentioned that some employee files are missing updated documents, and recommended going through them on a regular basis. "It's important as a town that your Human Resources function is very strong...If something ever happened from a litigation standpoint, or some sort of dispute and your files are not complete, that would be a problem for the town."
Ms. LaBrie asked if the town needs a formal dedicated Human Resources department or staff, as Human Resources is currently divided between the school department and the town and "is kind of fragmented." Mr. Roselli said it was probably a good idea, and suggested sharing the cost between the town and school budgets, or sharing a Human Resources officer with one or more other towns.
The audit report in its 54-page entirety may be reviewed at Report on Examination of the Basic Financial Statements and Additional Information (PDF).
Winchendon Lions Club Presents Awards and Installs Officers
Tracey Barrows and P.D.G. Richard Braks
Photo by Mark Ladanno
P.D.G. Richard Braks and Dan Tenney
Photo by Mark Ladanno
P.D.G. Richard Braks and Linda Tenney
Photo by Mark Ladanno
Lion Dee Holt, new member Tracey Tenney and P.D.G. Richard Braks
Photo by Mark Ladanno
At a ceremony held at Winchendon's Harbour Restaurant on July 5, the Winchendon Lions Club honored four members with awards and installed officers for the coming year. Tracey Barrows, Dan Tenney and Linda Tenney were each presented with the Joseph J. Camarda Fellowship Award, a District award which honors a deserving Lion who has gone above and beyond to help their club and Lions Clubs International. The award, for which clubs donate $500 each, supports the Lions Sight & Hearing Conservation and Treatment Fund. It is named for past District Governor and International Director Joseph J. Camarda, a member of the Leicester MA Lions Club in Lions District 33-A (Massachusetts).
Also honored was Chaplain Curt Fitzmaurice who was given the Lion of the Year award. Past District Governor Richard Braks presented the awards.
Tracey Tenney, sponsored by Lion Dee Holt, was inducted into the club as its newest member by P.D.G. Richard Braks.
New officers installed were Joni LaPlante, President; Mark Desmarais, Vice-President; Linda Tenney, Secretary; David Walsh, Treasurer; and Curt Fitzmaurice, Chaplain.
A Message from Your State Senator, Jo Comerford
Hello folks in Winchendon,
Our team is about to hit the road to photograph the most meaningful and beautiful spots in the cities and towns in our district, but we're missing a suggestion from Winchendon!
Please take a minute and read on to see if you can help. We'd be so grateful.
This summer, our team is hitting the road to photograph and raise up the unique and exquisite Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district and we need your help and advice.
In 2023, our district will grow to be 25 of the most beautiful cities and towns in the Commonwealth but it's clear that too few of my colleagues in Boston fully understand our region.
That's why I want to hear from you about the most beautiful, most inspiring, most unique places in our midst. Please take a minute and click here to share the places that bring you the most joy and sense of community.
Maybe you'll point us to a quarry, or perhaps a bridge, town hall, street, historic music venue, or a community meeting spot like a local coffee shop. Perhaps you'll suggest a fire station, a farm, a river bank, or a pond. Perhaps you'll ask us to capture pictures of a school, business, field, or forest. What's important to you will be important to me and our team.
Just click here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeTYMlR1nA5ZyXkbDbDSjSRIqoq0i0uI2du0W1M-97gBRERrg/viewform.
I'd be so grateful if you'd also share this message with your community so that we can capture and share its beauty from the perspectives of the people that know it best.
We'll use these photos to tell the story of our district here at home and to colleagues in the State House in Boston.
Best,
Jo, working in partnership with Lila and Jasper, 2022 Summer Fellows
