Special Town Meeting Warrant Articles Quick Recap

by Inanna Arthen
An extra Special Town Meeting will convene on Monday, March 13 at 7:00 p.m. in the Murdock Middle High School Auditorium, 3 Memorial Drive, Winchendon. The final warrant is linked above, and may also be viewed or downloaded from the town website at www.townofwinchendon.com/home/news/special-town-meeting-warrant-available-here-finance-committee-public-hearing-evening-2723. Copies will be available at Town Meeting. A quorum of 75 voters is required to open the meeting.

Article 1: Hear reports of town committees or boards, if any.

What you need to know:

This is the first article in every Town Meeting warrant. Usually only the Finance Committee speaks, occasionally there is another report, there may not be any.

Article 2: Pay prior year bills.

What you need to know:

This article is also in nearly every Town Meeting warrant. Invoices and bills that come in after the end of a previous fiscal year must be approved by voters to be paid in the current fiscal year.

Article 3: Capital purchase: broadcasting equipment upgrades for Town Hall.

What you need to know:

Town committee and Board meetings held in the Town Hall second floor auditorium are recorded, broadcast on Comcast Local Channel 8 and used to be live-streamed from the town website. The equipment is out of date and aging badly, and the town lost live-streaming capability last year. The audio quality of recordings and Channel 8 broadcasts is not optimum. The equipment updates, long overdue, will address all of these issues. The $40,000 will be completely covered by rebates from the new contract the town has made with Comcast.

Article 4: Amend Town Bylaw to conform to changes in the Recreation and Parks Committees.

What you need to know:

With the development of the Winchendon Community Park and the opening of the Performing Arts Amphitheater at the Park, the former Recreation Commission and Community Park Committees have merged together and are restructuring to handle the much larger and more complex work load. This Bylaw amendment reflects those changes and brings the Bylaws up to date.

Article 5: Approve Winchendon adopting the Community Preservation Act.

What you need to know:

The Community Preservation Act is a state program which matches funds raised by communities that participate. The state funds are taken from real estate fees paid by every Massachusetts municipality. Winchendon has been paying into the state fund with every real estate transaction since 2001, but has not taken advantage of the opportunity to benefit from the money it's paid in. 194 Massachusetts municipalities have adopted the CPA.

Communities raise funds by adding a surcharge to their property taxes. Winchendon proposes a 3 percent surcharge on property value above $100,000 (the first $100,000 of value is exempt from the surcharge) with low income, or low/moderate senior income, housing entirely exempt from the surcharge.

The funds raised must be used for preserving open space and recreational land, historical preservation and the creation and support of community housing. Funds will be strictly managed by an independent committee and an administrator.

If this article is approved, it must then go to a ballot question, which will be included on the ballot for the annual Town Election on May 1. Only if that ballot vote passes will the Community Preservation Act be adopted by the town. This warrant article is just the first step toward adopting the CPA--basically, it approves placing the question before voters on the May 1 ballot.

More information is at: https://www.townofwinchendon.com/community-preservation-act-exploratory-committee-cpaec

Article 6: Non-binding referendum question asking voters what they want done with the Whitney Pond Dam.

What you need to know:

This article does not approve spending any money. A referendum is simply asking "the will of the people"--in this case, what voters want to see happen to Whitney Pond.

Whitney Pond dam--already in rough shape--was badly damaged by ice about 18 years ago. Whitney Pond was drawn down about three feet, with negative effects on wildlife, water quality and recreational use of the pond. Restoring the dam and raising the water level would improve all of these things. But it will cost roughly $10 million. Repairing the dam would leave the water level where it is and still cost about $6 million.

Department of Public Works Director Brian Croteau got the state to release some funds from a bond to pay for plans to repair the dam. The funding for the plans is in hand, from the state. But before drafting designs goes forward, the town needs to know exactly what voters want designed.

Until plans are in hand, we don't know what funding we can get for repairs. Since public safety and environmental quality are involved, we could get a lot. But the town needs the designs in order to apply.

A "Yes" vote means design plans to restore the dam and raise the water level (more expensive). A "No" vote means design plans to just fix the dam and leave the water where it is (less expensive).

Additional questions you may have:

Why are we having an extra town meeting two months before Annual Town Meeting?

For the Community Preservation Act. The state requires a community adopting the act to first hold a Town Meeting vote and then a ballot vote, and the two must be within a certain length of time from each other. In order for the Town Meeting vote to happen ahead of the annual Town Election on May 1, a special Town Meeting needed to be scheduled in March.

Isn't this costing the town a lot of extra money?

Yes, but the town budgets for an extra election and an extra town meeting every year, as it's not uncommon for something to come up. Usually the budgeted money isn't used.

If this Town Meeting is just for the Community Preservation Act, why are all those other things on there?

Expediency and convenience. Once all the work of calling a Town Meeting is done and voters are present, there is no reason not to include other business if it's ready to be put before voters. There are only three months left in this fiscal year--why should the Recreation Department, broadcasting equipment and Whitney Pond dam wait longer? And Annual Town Meeting can then be shorter, which works for everyone.

Ahimsa Haven Shelter Building in Templeton Wanted for Office Space

by Inanna Arthen
Ahimsa Haven Animal Rescue, which operates shelters in Winchendon and Templeton, is asking its friends for their support in an appeal to the town of Templeton Select Board. The lease for Ahimsa's shelter building in the Templeton DPW yard is up for renewal, and the Director of Templeton's Department of Public Works is seeking to take over the building and convert it into office space and a locker room for DPW employees, according to Ahimsa Haven Executive Director Nicole Roberts.

Ahimsa is asking supporters to attend the Templeton Select Board's meeting on Wednesday, March 22 at 6:30 p.m., at Templeton Town Hall, 160 Patriots Road, East Templeton (Google Map), and speak out in favor of renewing Ahimsa's lease and keeping the building as an animal shelter. You do not need to be a resident of Templeton to be heard.

The Templeton shelter building was built in 2005 as a replacement for the dilapidated old animal shelter at no cost to the town. Templeton resident Clem Young approached the Select Board with a plan to create the new shelter entirely with donated materials and labor. Concrete, cinder blocks, roofing materials, floor tiles, electrical equipment, the sewer ejection pump, storage cabinets, landscaping, the driveway and parking area, and the professional, licensed labor to install them were all entirely donated by local businesses, residents, and town employees. A team of construction students from Monty Tech also helped. The building was planned and created specifically to be an animal shelter.

Part of Ahimsa Haven since 2013, the Templeton shelter serves as the primary intake facility for 400 to 500 local cats per year. All surrounding towns and residents of those towns are served. Ahimsa works with the Animal Control Officers of Templeton, Winchendon, Athol, Spencer, Barre, Leominster and Fitchburg.

Ms. Roberts wrote, "We help those animals that are strays, abandoned in apartments or dumped, owners who have passed, owners who cannot [afford] surgery, owners who cannot afford to feed their pets, owners who are overwhelmed with the number of pets they have. Owners that have a new baby that the pets are not accepting of, just to name a few situations. We help [trap-neuter-release feral cat colonies]--controlling the population is key! Saving the friendly cats who didn't ask for this life and are able to find wonderful homes."

Ms. Roberts asks friends of Ahimsa and its work who cannot attend the meeting to send a message of support to info@ahimsahaven.org or through Facebook Messenger to https://www.facebook.com/AhimsaHaven.

Memorial First Grader Gives $100 to His School Music Program in "Act of Kindness"

Griffin Sabolevski (left) and music teacher James Mercier
Photo courtesy of Martha McEwen

Griffin Sabolevski (left) and music teacher James Mercier with their music class
Photo courtesy of Martha McEwen

by Inanna Arthen
Memorial Elementary first grader Griffin Sabolevski loves music and loves his school music program. When he found himself in possession of $100, he chose to give it to Memorial School's music teacher, James Mercier, to help purchase more equipment for music classes in years to come.

Griffin's family are huge fans of the band Recycled Percussion, who developed the 15-Emmy®-Awards-winning ABC TV show "Chaos and Kindness" to promote kindness, positivity and mental health awareness. On New Year's Eve, Griffin was picked out of the audience to go up onstage with the musicians. Band member Justin Spender gave Griffin $100 and asked him to "do an act of kindness" with the money. Griffin gave the crisp $100 bill to his music teacher.

Thanks to Griffin, there will be more music in Winchendon for everyone!

Social Issues Community Discussion on Mental Health

As a part of the Beals Memorial Library's One Book, One Community, Town-Wide Read program, the library is holding its third monthly panel discussion on the issue of mental health on Saturday, March 11, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., in the Bud Fletcher Community Room at the Clark Memorial YMCA. This conversation is one in a series of discussions that affect our community and that are present in the chosen book for the town-wide read, Hey. Kiddo, by best-selling author Jarrett J. Krosoczka. One Book One Community's goal is to connect Winchendon residents through a shared reading experience, discussion, and community collaboration.

The purpose of these community conversations is to shine a light on the often difficult to talk about social issues that affect our town. This month's discussion on mental health will be moderated by Jennifer LaRoche, Vice President of Acute and Day Programs at Clinical & Support Options, Inc. Panelists include Madison Eldredge, Youth Leadership Intern at Parent/Professional Advocacy League (PPAL); Ann Berube, Family Support Specialist at Parent/Professional Advocacy League (PPAL); and Kelci Schultz, Clinical Interventionist in the Fitchburg Public Schools.

Child Care is available and light refreshments will be served.

The next Social Issues Discussion Panel on the topic of substance abuse will be held on April 15. All of these monthly discussions will lead up to the author of Hey Kiddo, Jarrett Krosoczka, coming to Winchendon and the Murdock High School auditorium on Friday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m. to deliver a talk on his book and how the topics explored there have affected his life. The talk is free and open to the public.

The Social Issues Discussion Series is brought to you with federal funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. Winchendon's One Book, One Community Town-Wide Read is a collaborative program brought to you by: the Winchendon Cultural Council, the Office of District Attorney Early. Funding is also provided by the Beals Memorial Library, the Winchendon Public Schools and the Friends of the Beals Memorial Library. Collaborators include The Beals Memorial Library Board of Trustees, HEAL Winchendon, Youth ChangeMakers, Winchendon Coordinated Family and Community Engagement (CFCE), the Town of Winchendon, the Winchendon Police Department, and the Winchendon Community Action Committee (CAC).

The Bud Fletcher Community Room at the Clark Memorial YMCA is located at 5 Summer Street in Winchendon, MA 01475. For more information visit the library's website at bealslibrary.org or call the library at 978-297-0300.

Clark Sharks Host Mid Region Swim Competition

Awards Winners! - In this large group photo requested by the Winchendon Courier and graciously aided by coaches and staff members on hand, "All trophy winners of the Mid Region Competition" gathered together for a "Award Winners Photo" at the end of the all day event at the home of the Clark Sharks for some recognition which also received one final round of well deserved applause from the crowd.
Photo by Keith Kent

by Keith Kent
If some wondered if the Mid Region Swim Meet Competition scheduled at the Clark Memorial YMCA was going to be cancelled on Saturday, March 4, due to a large snow storm think again, because over 300 people proved when it comes to aquatic sports it's not only hard to keep a good Shark down, but also Amphibians, Torpedeos, and Bluefish too!

Lots of winter storm cleanup and sloppy driving was never even consider an excuse for these diehard athletes and fans who unlike most sports display their talents not on the ground, but in the water. Nor was it either either considered by the "Dedicated Staff" of the Clark Memorial YMCA who worked tirelessly through the night before and into the day to make sure the Mid Region competition could go on as scheduled, a true "Team Effort" on many fronts both seen and unseen where the needs of the many, were provided for by the dedication of the far fewer.

In the pool and starting with the home team, were the Clark Sharks of the Clark Memorial YMCA of Winchendon. Visiting and and locally attending the event, were the Greater Athol YMCA Athol Amphibians. Adding to the mix of competition and coming all the way from deep in southern Worcester County, was the Tri-Community YMCA Swim Team of Southbridge, Massachusetts, along with the Montaque Bluefish, and YMCA of Central Massachusetts, bringing Massachusetts swimming talent all the way from its state lines with New Hampshire to Connecticut.

Events were held in both boys and girls competitions for individual scores in different age groups. The top (4) in each group received a trophy for placing in their respective finish. Beginning with the "Girls Age Groups" were the following results.

GIRLS INDIVIDUAL SCORES

(Ages 8 & Under): 1st Place -Sophia Lyacshenko - Age 7 - Tri-Y Swim Club - 21 points, 2nd Place - Grace Meyers - Age 8 - Montague Bluefish - 19 points, 3rd Place - Gwenyth Sears - Age 8 - Athol Area YMCA - 16 points 4th Place - Kora Kaloustian - Age 8 - Clark Sharks Swim Team - 15 points

(Ages 9 - 10) Tied for 1st Place - Payton Davis - Age 10 - Clark Sharks Swim Team - 21 points, & Kaia Kaloustian - Age 10 - Clark Sharks Swim Team, 21 points, 2nd Place - Maribel Rodriguez - Age 10 - Montague Bluefish - 15 points, 3rd Place - Hayley Mankowsky - Age 10 - Athol Area YMCA - 12 points, 4th Place - Adeline Cardona - Age 10 - Montague Bluefish - 11 points.

(Ages 11 - 12): 1st Place - Hailey Mathurin - Age 12 - Tri-Y Swim Club - 18 points, 2nd Place - Whitney Reeves - Age 11 - Athol Area YMCA - 15 points, Tied for 3rd Place - Terry A. Kwarteng - Age 12 - YMCA of Central Massachusetts - 14 points, & Emma Short - Age 12 - Clark Sharks Swim Team - 14 points, and 4th Place - Kyrah Gingo - Age 12 - Tri-Y Swim Club - 13.50 points.

(Ages 13-14) 1st Place - Alise Sulin - Age 14 - Clark Sharks Swim Team - 21 points, 2nd Place - Isabelle Dumas - Age 14 - Clark Sharks Swim Team - 18 points, 3rd Place - Ella Reeves - Age 13 - Athol Area YMCA - 17 points, & 4th Place - Abbey Korenda - Age 13, Tri-Y Swim Club - 13 points.

(Ages 15 & Over) Tied for 1st Place - Emme Plotner - Age 16 - Athol Area YMCA - 19 points, & Zoey Zhu -Age 18 - Tri-Y Swim Club - 19 points, 2nd Place - Maria Piekarczyk - Age 18 - Tri-Y Swim Club - 17 points, 3rd Place - Katie Deso - Age 18 - Athol Area YMCA - 15 points, & Tied for 4th Place - Kira Dambly - Age 17 - Tri-Y Swim Club - 11 points & Elise Moury - Age 15 - Clark Sharks Swim Team - 11 points.

3rd Place! Posing together for their proud Coach, Julie Whittemore, members of Winchendon's Clark Memorial YMCA "Clark Sharks" Swim Team share a group photo with their strong showing of a great 3rd place finish at their "Home Pool" during their Saturday, March 4, Mid-Region Swim Meet competition!
Photo by Keith Kent

United Amphibians! - Powering together as a team for a strong showing and even stronger 2nd Place Finish at the Saturday, March 4, Mid Region competition at the Clark YMCA, the "Athol Amphibians" of the Athol YMCA brought both a very strong game and all around "Team effort" again pulling off a well earned 2nd Place finish!
Photo by Keith Kent

BOYS INDIVIDUAL SCORES

(8 and Under): 1st Place - Bear Brousseau - Age 8 - Tri-Y Swim Club - 21 points, 2nd Place - Charlie Tyler - Age 7 - Montague Bluefish - 19 points, 3rd Place - Ayrton Almeida - Age 8 - Montague Bluefish - 12 points, & 4th Place - O'Malley O Dickhaut - Age 7 - Athol Area YMCA - 11 points.

(Ages 9-10): 1st Place - Owen Moury - Age 10 - Clark Sharks Swim Team - 19 points, 2nd Place - Cooper M. Mulcahy - Age 10 - YMCA of Central Massachusetts - 19 points, 3rd Place, Malcom Tyler - Age 9, Montague Bluefish - 16 points, Tied for 4th Place - William Tyler - Age 9 - Montague Bluefish - 14 points, & Christopher Davidson - Age 9, Tri-Y Swim Club - 14 points.

(Ages 11-12) 1st Place - Marcus Sementa - Age 12 - Clark Sharks Swim Team - 21 points, 2nd Place - Jack Sullivan - Age 12, Tri-Y Swim Club - 17 points, Tied for 3rd Place - Phil Knight - Age 11 - Clark Sharks Swim Team - 14 points & and William Neslusan - Age 12 - Tri-Y Swim Club - 14 points, & 4th Place - Dyllon Jones - Age 12 - Tri-Y Swim Club - 13 points.

(Ages 13-14) 1st Place - Ethan Zhu - Age 14 - Tri-Y Swim Club - 21 points, 2nd Place - Sam Merchant - Age 14 - Tri-Y Swim Club - 19 points, 3rd Place - Evan Piscitello - Age 13 - Athol Area YMCA - 16 points, & 4th Place - Kyle Paolino - Age 14 - Clark Sharks Swim Team - 13 points.

(Ages 15 & Over) Tied for 1st Place - Drew C. Lawrence - Age 18 - Athol Area YMCA - 21 points & Jacob M. Pervier - Age 15 - Athol Area YMCA - 21 points, 2nd Place - Alex J. Olsen - Age 16 - Athol Area YMCA - 14 points, 3rd Place - Ethan Korenda - Age 16 - Tri-Y Swim Club - 13 points, & 4th Place - Akshat Viswanath - Age 16 - Tri -Y Swim Club - 12 points.

In the end in the "Combined Teams Scores Category", the Tri-Community Torpedoes Swim Team of Southbridge won 1st Place pulling together 529 points, the Athol Area YMCA Amphibians took home 2nd Place honors with 396 points, and Winchendon's own Clark Memorial Sharks took home 3rd Place honors with 314 points. Coming in 4th were the Montague Bluefish with 237 points, and lastly in 5th place was the YMCA of Central Massachusetts with 160 points.

Athol Area YMCA Head Coach Sasha Dyer was proud of her teams 2nd Place Finish. Dyer verified 53 of her 56 swim club roster members attended the event. When Dyer as asked how she felt her team performed she replied, "Oh my gosh! They did fantastic. We have a lot of diversity on our team, and I think that is what I love the most about coaching in Athol. I have been coaching for 28 years now, and we have kids who are from just out of the bubble, to all the way through elite competitors who are close to national YMCA time cuts."

Dyer went on to add, "These swimmers are all like an extended family, and that's important to me as their coach. We have this one pool, one team, one family mentality, and that's what is the most important to me. Everybody was not just cheering for everybody, but also cheering for their competitors, and that is what's it's all about for my team and I love that about them!"

Dyer explained that Area YMCA Swim Teams draw many athletes from a diverse list of communities unlike the majority of public high schools, allowing for expanded friendships through team members being spread out over many cities, towns, and miles. Using her own team as an example, which Dyer explained is made up of members from Athol, Winchendon, Barre, and even Greenfield area. "These children are learning life long skills they have learned through their pool friends and by maintaining friendships through many school districts" Dyer added.

In closing Dyer said, "Swimming is such a unique sport. We see each other so often, and we have so many friends and we cheer for our opponents on the other teams. Swimming is truly unique and I love these kids."

Molly McGuire is the Head Coach of Tri-Community YMCA of Southbridge, MA which took home the 1st Place honors at the Saturday, March 4, Mid Regional competition. McGuire as of this coming June, will have coached the Tri-Y Torpedpes 34 years, and has also coached the Tantasqua Regional High School swim team for some 28 years.

When asked how it felt to have her team come out of top, McGuire answered, "It's always good to see them swim well and the meet was no exception especially when we are trying to qualify for YMCA New England's and they made times and they did great, and we even had a lot of personal best swims. Winning is always great, but it was a little questionable with the weather if we were going to be able swim or not, and we were glad we were able to and the kids did really really well."

Also covering a large area, McGuire clarified the Tri-Y swim team services 7 school districts including the Tantasqua District where she also coaches at, which however she will be stepping down from in her last year of coaching as it's time to free up some time in the family schedule after many demanding but happy years which McGuire said she absolutely loved what she was doing.

Summing it all up McGuire said, "this was a great group effort, I don't want to call any one person out. Everybody did super. This meet has always been one of my favorite meets, and we've been doing it for years and years, and my kids really look forward to it, and I think it's really important that it's able to continue!"

The Home Team: Julie Whittemore and the Clark Sharks took home a strong 3rd Place Finish in front of a large crowd at the YMCA Mid Region. Whittemore who is also a long time swimmer veteran of the pool, also echoed the sense of so many knowing each other and the relationship between not just the swimmers, but the many clubs that compete at a high level of intensity while maintaining strong relationships.

Whittemore explained, "The kids are really close. We spend September though November together at meets almost every weekend so the kids are together 4 to 5 hours every week, no to mention all the time the kids spend together at practice." Whittemore also went on to add, "Swimming is also really about racing your self in the pool, it's about that drive racing your self for a best time, so part of the sportsmanship is that it's not that is so much that you have to beat this kid, it's that you have to beat your time. I think we have all kind of adopted that way of coaching."

In closing Whittemore was happy to say, "It was a great day. A little stressful in the morning trying to get everybody coordinated with the snow storm. But at the end of the day it's one of our favorite meets. The kids get dressed up in silly outfits, and they get all sorts of prizes. They laugh, they swim well, that's all we want really is for them to enjoy what they are doing, and get a life long sport out of it."

If either you as a swimmer or your child is interested in joining either the Clark Sharks or younger Shark Bites, you can learn more by either emailing Aquatics Director and Head Coach Julie Whittemore at j.whittemore@clarkymca.org or call the Clark YMCA at 978-297-9622, or visit the Clark YMCA webpage of https://www.theclarkymca.org/programs/swimming/sharks-swim-team-shark-bites-and-pre-team

To learn about all Clark Memorial YMCA and its programs on the internet, simply visit https://www.theclarkymca.org/

Tri-Y takes home 1st Place! Celebrating happily in this team photo with their 1st place banner, members of the Tri-Community YMCA Torpedoes Swim Team of Southbridge, MA Swim Team finished 1st Place overall as a team, also making their Head Coach Molly McGuire one very happy lady who was also quick to point out, "Coaches and swimmers at the meet have many great friendships and we all cheer and support each other!"
Photo by Keith Kent

Full House of Support - Only just part of the entire crowd on hand at the Saturday, March 4, Mid-Region Swim Meet Competition, at it's high point there were over 150 swim meet team competitors and team staff around pool area, and at least 150 more in the bleachers cheering on their teams and children who were giving it all they had.
Photo by Keith Kent

Mass DPH Issues Warning About Eating Fish Caught in Lake Dennison

by Inanna Arthen
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has issued an advisory on consumption of native game fish caught in 13 bodies of water in Massachusetts state parks, including Lake Dennison in Winchendon and Dunn Pond in Gardner. Fish tested from these locations were found to have levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) above DPH-recommended levels for regular consumption.

PFAS, sometimes called "forever chemicals" because they degrade extremely slowly and persist in the environment unchanged, are man-made chemicals used in a variety of consumer products and industries, including plastics, packaging materials and firefighting foams. They can contaminate water through industrial pollution, degrading plastics and the use of foam on a fire, among other ways.

PFAS have been associated with changes in liver and kidney function, changes in thyroid hormone and cholesterol levels, and immune system effects; developmental effects to fetuses during pregnancy; and an increased risk of developing cancer following long-term exposures to elevated levels of some PFAS.

Different bodies of water have different advisories. For Lake Dennison, the recommendations are:

• Sensitive persons (children under 12, pregnant women, nursing mothers, women of child-bearing age) - Do not eat any fish caught in the lake.
• General Public - Limit all fish caught in the lake to one meal per month.

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