Toy Towners Light Up Their Community with Dazzling Holiday Displays
This home at 22 Prospect Street has long been a Toy Town holiday favorite. Its colorful light show can be seen from across the Millers River at the United Parish Church, Town Hall and History and Cultural Center.
Photo by Keith Kent
This beautiful old home located just past the Old Center Church not only displays an ever-changing light show, but also has a playlist of songs on a radio station for those who want to park and tune in while watching the display.
Photo by Keith Kent
Both the elderly residents and local neighbors always enjoy the annual holiday display at the Broadview Assisted Living Center located at 547 Central Street. From deer to snowmen, with nearly every angle of the buildings being gloriously alight, a walk or drive past after dark is sure to please the most demanding light show critic.
Photo by Keith Kent
Located directly across the street from the Broadview Assisted Living Center at the intersection of Central Street and 3 Elmwood Road, this home also changes colors and light patterns. Several homes near this intersection attract viewers with their impressive displays.
Photo by Keith Kent
Discussion of Special Municipal Employees Sparks Fierce BOS Debate
At their meeting on Monday, December 19, Town Manager Justin Sultzbach presented an update to the Board of Selectmen regarding the October discussion and vote to designate volunteer members of certain town boards and committees as "Special Municipal Employees" in agreement with rules of the Massachusetts Ethics Commission. This designation would allow members of those boards or committees to also be employed by the town in paid positions without violating conflict of interest laws. (See "BOS Vote to Classify Conservation, BOH members as Special Municipal Employees" in the October 20-27 2022 edition of The Winchendon Courier)
Mr. Sultzbach explained that they had received previous lists of town volunteers designated Special Municipal Employees, one from April 29, 1963 and one dated July 9, 1984, demonstrating a precedent in town for the designation. It was unclear whether the 1984 list was intended to replace the 1963 list or supplement it.
"What we're asking for the sake of housekeeping, and to tie up loose ends from the last conversation with the Board of Selectmen, is to combine these two lists, removing items that no longer necessarily apply. I believe the example I provided was the Gypsy Moth Superintendent, something that doesn't really exist in town anymore," Mr. Sultzbach said. Another example was the town accountant, which was now a full-time job. "I would just want to stress that the discussion pertaining to this covers the roles specifically and not the individuals presently holding the roles."
Selectman Barbara Anderson expressed strenuous objections to the proposal. "I'd like to remove them all off. I just think this is so dangerous. This is a horrible, horrible thing. There are enough people in this town, the population has grown exponentially, that we do not need to have special employees. If you're an employee, it really is a conflict, especially when you serve on a board that oversees a particular department you work in. It's a terrible thing," she said.
Mr. Sultzbach stated that he had talked to the Inspector General's office and "they in so many words lamented the fact that towns don't update these more frequently. He actually commended Winchendon for updating it in 1984. Because it wasn't atypical to see a lot of communities still to this day that put it forth in 1963 and haven't updated it since. And so it was their recommendation that the town provide an update."
Ms. Anderson insisted that there were "a hundred different scenarios" in which a town employee on a volunteer board or committee could make decisions that benefited themselves, or a boss, or someone they owed a favor to. She expressed skepticism that in a "big old town" of over 10,000 people, it wasn't possible to fill volunteer positions with people who didn't also work for the town. "I move the Board of Selectmen designate absolutely no employee as a special employee," she said.
Mr. Sultzbach said the proposal "creates a formalized system. So if there was an individual that fell within this category, they would have to file a form that's referred to as a Section 20A in order to not be in violation....they're required to file that form with the Clerk's office and publicly disclose it. So if anything, this is protecting you from the type of situation you're concerned about, because what it's doing is holding individuals in that category accountable and making them publicly state and put on file with the clerk's office that they hold those multiple positions."
Ms. Anderson stated that the town wasn't trying hard enough to recruit more residents to serve. "How many people feel like they don't because the same old, same old are always sitting in those seats, and they don't want to compete with them. So they don't feel like they have that opportunity. We have a lot of talent in this town. We don't tap into that. We're not aware of it because they just sit quietly by, but they know how to do things," she said. "We don't reach out enough. Okay. I'm going to be very honest, because a lot of people have said to me, they think we're elite and we don't reach out to them, and we don't say 'hey, you know what you'd be really good on that committee. Why don't you try joining that?' "
"If people live in this town, and they want to work for the town, but they would also like to exercise their right as a citizen of Winchendon and volunteer their time on a board or committee, without this in place, they wouldn't be permitted to do so," Mr. Sultzbach said.
Ms. Anderson continued to argue that the proposal was "dangerous" and "a bad precedent," because once it was in place, there was no way to predict who might be a member of boards or committees in the future who might not be ethical.
Board Vice-chair Rick Ward said that he'd reconsidered his previous opposition to the proposal. Winchendon is a small town. "We don't get the volunteers. There are opportunities galore. There are events that we hold and minimal people show up. So the people we're getting are the ones who care and come before us and join. So I think when we get people that overlap, we should encourage them as long as it's not a conflict of interest, and the conflict of interest law still stands. It doesn't go away. So I've come around, because we're not setting precedents, we're reinforcing what's already out there. These folks, many of these are already special municipal employees from 1984. That's what they are."
Ms. Anderson said that she would accept the motion made at the previous meeting, to designate only members of the Conservation Commission and Board of Health as Special Municipal Employees, but no others, and only because she didn't want to "take back" the Board's previous decision.
Selectman Danielle LaPointe made a motion "that the board vote to designate those listed above, with the exception of School Committee and Finance Committee, as Special Municipal Employees as permitted in MGL Chapter 268A the Massachusetts Conflict of Interest Law did in previous lists submitted in 1963 and 1984 and further direct the Town Manager to notify the Town Clerk of this updated list." The Board of Selectman was not included on the list. Ms. LaPointe explained, "I feel those three boards have far too much power," to allow the designation.
Mr. Sultzbach said that the motion "would create an issue for one individual for the Finance Committee," although he didn't want to mention anyone by name.
Ms. LaPointe's motion was defeated, 3 opposed and 1 in favor.
Mr. Ward then made a motion "that the board vote to designate those listed above, with the exception of School Committee, as Special Municipal Employees as permitted in MGL Chapter 268A the Massachusetts Conflict of Interest Law did in previous lists submitted in 1963 and 1984 and further direct the Town Manager to notify the Town Clerk of this updated list."
The vote on this motion was tied 2-2, with Mr. Ward and Ms. LaPointe voting aye and Selectman Amy Salter joining Ms. Anderson in voting no. Board Chair Audrey LaBrie was not present.
The Board agreed to bring the topic up at a future meeting when the full Board was present.
Living Nativity Goes On Despite Bitter Temps
It probably wasn't this cold on the first Christmas Eve. Members of United Parish assembled for the church's annual Christmas Eve Living Nativity, in a style of presentation once known as a "tableau" in which live performers create a scenario without actions. In their traditional location on the front steps of the Clark Memorial YMCA at 155 Central Street, the tableau included a stable decorated with evergreens, a lighted star, two live sheep and a pony. Wearing heavy coats, mittens, gloves, and hand and foot warmers under their robes and head coverings, the tableau performers represented three shepherds, three Wise Men, Mary and Joseph, and an angel, grouped around a manger with a doll depicting the infant Jesus.
The temperature at that time was 6 degrees with an estimated wind chill value of -5 degrees, and the tableau performers remained in position for half an hour. In reflective safety gear, Pastor Calvin Miller helped direct traffic for visitors crossing Central Street to view the tableau. The weather reduced the usual number of visitors, but the brilliantly lighted scene caught the attention from a considerable distance. It was a lovely addition to Winchendon's many Christmas Eve services.
Photo by Keith Kent
Photo by Keith Kent
Pattie's Jewelry Store Gets a Shattering Surprise on Christmas Eve
At about 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 24, a car went over the sidewalk curb and struck the outside wall of Pattie's Jewelry store at 15 Central Street (next to Subway). The car shattered the plate glass window by the front counter, and sent the elaborate holiday window display flying in all directions. Fortunately, no one was injured and the building did not sustain any structural damage.
The Courier went to ask Pattie's Jewelry owner Sherrie Erlenmeyer for the whole story.
Ms. Erlenmeyer explained that the driver was a customer whom she knows quite well. The customer is struggling with serious health challenges. The car, a small sedan, had come up from the lower parking lot, by the package store, turned around the corner of the building and was pulling into the parking space facing the window, when she "just kept going."
No one was at or behind the front counter. Ms. Erlenmeyer said that, by a weird coincidence, she had been on the other side of the store talking to a customer about the heavy frost on the windows that morning, and how she didn't want to put a space heater near the window because it could cause the glass to shatter. On the word "shatter," the car crashed into the store.
The driver of the car "was just in shock," Ms. Erlenmeyer said. "I gave her a hug."
Ms. Erlenmeyer praised the contractors who appeared promptly to board up the windows securely. They were done in about two hours, she said. The store remained open for business, although foot traffic was light. The store is open now for regular business hours.
Ms. Erlenmeyer is working with her own insurance company. She has contacted the building owner and her landlord, Roy Serpa, but states that Mr. Serpa says it's "not his problem." As of Wednesday, he had not returned her calls. Mr. Serpa owns the entire building containing Family Dollar, the former IGA, Subway and Pattie's Jewelry, as well as the Dunkin Donuts.
The car jumped the curb, hit the wall and shattered the plate glass, destroying the window display.
Photo by Keith Kent
Building inspector Geoff Newton evaluates the damage and advises a repair company on what needs to be done.
Photo by Keith Kent
