Special and Annual Town Meeting
Monday May 15, 2023
7:00 p.m.
Murdock High School Auditorium, 3 Memorial Drive
Call the Town Clerk's office at 978-297-2766 with questions or accessibility requests.
Click here to review final Warrant with recommendations (PDF)
Last day to register to vote in Town Meeting: Friday, May 5 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Town Clerk's office, Town Hall, 109 Front Street.
New Check-in Procedure for Annual Town Meeting Voters
To accelerate the check-in process at Town Meeting, check-in will now be accomplished by use of electronic Poll Pads. You may check-in at any Poll Pad line. The use of these tablets will allow our election officers to check in a voter:
1. By manually entering the first few letters of the voter's first and last name
OR
2. By scanning the bar code on the back of the voter's driver's license. In this case, the Poll Pad matches the name and birth date of the person on the voter list with the name and date of birth it reads from the bar code on the back of the license. No information from the scanned license is retained by the Poll Pad. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts does not require that a voter present a license to check in at Town Meeting.
Winchendon Voters Choose New Members of BOS and School Committee in Contested Races
405 Winchendon voters flocked to the polls on Monday, May 1 to cast ballots in the annual town election, which featured two contested races for seats on the Board of Selectmen and School Committee. According to the official results posted by the Town Clerk's office as of May 4, the winning candidates are:
Board of Selectmen
Melissa S. Blanchard
School Committee
David A. LaPointe
Karen E. Kast McBride (incumbent)
Board of Health
Tina M. Santos (incumbent)
Housing Authority
Leston J. Goodrich, Jr. (incumbent)
An open seat on the Board of Health remains unfilled due to two write-in candidates, Keith Kent and Ed Bond, being tied with 13 votes each. A write-in campaign for Matthew Hawkins for the School Committee garnered Mr. Hawkins 54 votes, placing him behind the other three candidates. Mr. Goodrich ran unopposed.
The Courier congratulates the winning candidates, and thanks all the candidates who were ready to step up and serve their town.
View the official election results at www.townofwinchendon.com/sites/g/files/vyhlif8401/f/news/official_results_ate_5.1.2023.pdf (PDF)
Town Manager Resigning as of July 7, 2023
Town Manager Justin Sultzbach has submitted his formal letter of resignation to the Board of Selectmen as of Thursday, May 4, 2023. His final day of employment in Winchendon will be July 7, 2023.
Mr. Sultzbach has accepted the position of Town Administrator in Middleton, MA. His interviews there, and the Middleton Selectboard's consideration of his application were publicly broadcast on the Middleton town video stream and posted to the Middleton town website. The Middleton Selectboard had initially chosen another candidate who withdrew their application, and subsequently offered the position to Mr. Sultzbach in April.
The Winchendon BOS ratified a new three-year contract with Mr. Sultzbach on February 21, 2023, after several weeks of negotiations.
Mr. Sultzbach told the Courier that he is very familiar with the Middleton area, and had not expected the opportunity there to become available. It's also much closer to his home and his growing young family than Winchendon is.
In his letter of resignation, Mr. Sultzbach says, "I am grateful to have had this opportunity to serve this community and the good people and businesses that call Winchendon home. The two-year stretch has included a number of highlights and challenges for our team, all of which are memories and experiences I will hold closely for the rest of my career."
He concludes, "We did it together. While moving on from a community is always bitter-sweet, I am confident that I am leaving Winchendon in a strong position for future success. A lot of that is due to the hard work of our exceptionally talented staff and the support I received from the Board of Selectmen. I thank you for that."
Mr. Sultzbach was hired as Winchendon's Town Manager in May, 2021 following the departure of previous Town Manager Keith Hickey at the end of January that year. The town had been served by an interim Town Manager, Stephen Delaney, for the previous several months.
During his tenure as Winchendon Town Manager, Mr. Sultzbach personally brought in $1,538,659 in grant monies for the town (not including the annual grants from the Robinson Broadhurst Foundation). He has overseen the ongoing redevelopment of deteriorating properties in town including 4 Summer Drive, which will become a new brewery, tap room and entertainment center for Bull Spit Brewing Company, and the old 4 C's garage at 3 Beech Street, now demolished and the site of a future waterfront "gateway park." He has been working with the Winchendon Redevelopment Authority on the industrial parcels off Hillside Drive (next to Mylec on Rte. 140/Gardner Road), which is planned as the site for a very large cannabis growing facility that will employ several hundred people.
Mr. Sultzbach also worked closely with the Board of Health, Finance Committee, Capital Planning Committee, Winchendon Redevelopment Authority, Winchendon Community Park Committee, the Robinson Broadhurst Foundation and Winchendon's state and congressional legislators to guide the town out of the COVID-19 emergency, improve the town's financials, begin restoring Town Hall and the Old Murdock building, oversee the revitalization and redesign of Central Street, the town's main commercial way, supervise the development of the Winchendon Community Park and the construction of the new Performing Arts Amphitheater there, and secure a $9 million loan to replace the town's main water line from the reservoir in Ashburnham.
BOS Chair Audrey LaBrie told the Courier that the Board will be convening in Executive Session during their meeting on Monday, May 8, to discuss their next steps.
Double Dip! Town Does Official Ribbon Cuttings for Two New Local Businesses
On Sunday morning, April 30, representatives from Town Hall and the state legislature met at two local businesses, one after the other, to hold an official ribbon cutting ceremony and certificate presentation for each.
At 10:00 a.m., a small crowd of people joined Veronica Cruz, the owner of Winchendon's newest business enterprise, Laydefit Nutrition & Fitness, at her colorfully decorated shop at 314 Central Street. Long the home of the much-loved Hometown Cafe, whose owners retired last year, the space is freshly remodeled and redecorated and now serves as a brick-and-mortar location for Ms. Cruz's Herbalife® product distribution.
Immediately following, the ad hoc honors committee moved to the other end of the main drag for the official ribbon cutting at Two Foxes Farm Pizza, at 60 Central Street. Two Foxes Farm Pizza, owned and managed by Igor Shemeret, has been in operation in that location for several months, but there had not been an opportunity to schedule their official opening before now.
At both businesses, the owners opted to hold the ribbon cutting indoors due to the wet and chilly weather. This made things a little cramped, but no less celebratory, as the blue ribbons were snipped with the traditional over-sized scissors. Each business owner was presented with a certificate by state Representative Jon Zlotnik.
Laydefit Nutrition & Fitness owner Veronica Cruz offered attendees at Sunday's Grand Opening some healthy refreshments, with whiteboards displaying the many selections for sale.
Photo by Inanna Arthen
Health and fitness maven Veronica Cruz (center) means business with the giant scissors, as (from left) state Representative Jon Zlotnik, Selectman Rick Ward, Winchendon Redevelopment Authority members Ken LaBrack and Leston Goodrich and Winchendon Planning & Land Use Coordinator Nicole Roberts look on.
Photo by Inanna Arthen
The colorful front window display at Two Foxes Farm Pizza.
Photo by Inanna Arthen
Lined up for the ribbon cutting ceremony are (from left), Winchendon Planning & Land Use Coordinator Nicole Roberts, Planning Board Member Art Amenta, Selectman Rick Ward, Winchendon Garden Club member Linda Dellasanta, Winchendon Redevelopment Authority member Leston Goodrich, state Representative Jon Zlotnik, Winchendon Redevelopment Authority member Ken LaBrack, and Two Foxes Farm Pizza staff, with owner Igor Sheremet wielding the giant scissors.
Photo by Inanna Arthen
Laydefit Nutrition & Fitness Offers Tasty and Healthy Supplements for Everyone
Laydefit Nutrition & Finess owner and expert Veronica Cruz
Photo by Inanna Arthen
Winchendon's newest retail store, Laydefit Nutrition & Fitness, just celebrated its Grand Opening and official ribbon cutting on Sunday, April 30, one month after its "soft opening" on March 27. The interior of the space at 314 Central Street, formerly occupied for decades by the beloved Hometown Cafe, has been completely transformed. The Courier stopped by to learn more from owner and entrepreneur Veronica Cruz.
Ms. Cruz is a highly knowledgable and experienced distributor for Herbalife® nutritional products. Laydefit's mission statement is "to improve nutritional habits within the community with great-tasting, science-backed nutrition products that help people get the right balance in their daily nutrition."
Ms. Cruz told the Courier that she first got involved with the Herbalife® products when she started seriously working out at a gym some 10 years ago. "I am heavy on strength training and like CrossFit type of workouts. When I first started I was really just kind of getting familiar with the gym. I didn't know exactly what I was doing. So I was just doing anything until later on I got a personal trainer, and then he was like a CrossFit base gym. And then from there, that was the type of workouts that I was doing, and I focus mainly now on strength training."
A friend who distributed the products reached out to her suggesting that if she was really serious, she should talk to him. "I had a sample of a shake, tea and aloe and after that it was history. I bought my first month, I lost the 10 pounds within that first month. And then I've been on the program and on the products ever since," Ms. Cruz said.
The following month, Ms. Cruz signed up to be a distributor herself. "I had a shake party and I got a few customers off that shake party. And it's just been my thing for the past 10 years."
Ms. Cruz has been a Winchendon resident for about three years. Initially she was distributing out of Lunenburg, but for the most part she sold products online. She also sold in person and delivered products to customers herself.
Leasing the physical space was a big step, Ms. Cruz admitted. "It was a big investment. It took a lot of knowledge and a lot of preparation in the back end. I just felt it was time because I felt like a lot of people, Herbalife® has been around for a long time. And a lot of people still don't know about it. So I felt like bringing a storefront and inviting people to the storefront just brings that atmosphere of what we offer, obviously the products like shakes and teas but we also have a huge catalog for the skincare, your heart, your memory, your eyes, children, pregnant moms to older age towards--the list just goes on.
"So I feel with a storefront you can offer and showcase all those type of products where it can help anybody within what their goals are, and the positivity that comes behind it and then just everything that we offer to give back to the community, to give back to the children with Herbalife® casa. I just feel like the storefront offers more than just somebody trying to get you to lose weight."
Ms. Cruz heard that the space was available in November 2022. In spite of dealing with adversities in her personal life, Ms. Cruz waffled a bit but decided to "put two feet in" and just do it. She paid for all the interior renovations and work herself.
Business has been good, Ms. Cruz said. "At first I was a little scared because it was a new type of business at a new location. I wasn't sure on whether people want to be receptive or not, but it seems to be going very well and I'm super excited to bring back to the community and get everybody in that healthy environment where people get to lose weight, the gateway, just overall a little bit to live a healthy lifestyle." Customers have been coming from Templeton, Ashburnham, Gardner, New Hampshire and other places, besides Winchendon.
Ms. Cruz hasn't yet participated in one of the big local Central Street events such as Fall Fest and Solstice Fair, but she intends to in the future. She reached out to the organizers of Taste of Winchendon, but unfortunately her store was not due to open soon enough to be included in the Taste of Winchendon "Passports" for this year. She wants to be part of that in 2024.
The name "Laydefit," Ms. Cruz explained, is a twist on a name she used when she worked as a cosmetologist, Laydestyle. There are plenty of products available in the store for boys and men, geared toward athletics, strength training and serious workouts, as well as all-round nutritional support. Laydefit has something for everyone.
"I'm just overwhelmed with joy how receptive the community has been, how everybody is like, supporting this business in town and I just want to thank you guys," Ms. Cruz said. "I feel overwhelmed in joy with all the support that I have been getting in town."
Laydefit Nutrition & Fitness is located at 314 Central Street, Winchendon MA. Customers can purchase fresh-made shakes, smoothies and teas to take with them, or to drink at the small table in the store, and can also purchase powdered forms to take home and prepare themselves. The store is open Monday through Friday from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. (get your boost before your morning workout or workday!), then again from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. On Saturdays the hours are 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Laydefit is closed on Sundays. The phone number is 860-751-9116.
Follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/laydefitnutrition.
Busy Beavers Busting Their Tails!
Frequently seen along the banks of Whitney Pond which is part of the northern branch of the Millers River, this mated pair of beavers seen in these photos are busy not only building their "Hut" but also slapping their wide muscular tails on the surface of the water at local fisherman and those just sitting along the shoreline as a warning to back off as they protected their hut. Beavers usually have their young or "Kits" in births of 1 to 9 during the months of April - June which they house in their huts as a family unit. To learn more about Beavers in Massachusetts on-line, visit the Massachusetts Dept of Fisheries & Wildlife at https://www.mass.gov/doc/living-with-beavers-fact-sheet/download
Up close and personal. - Here we get a nice face to face with a beaver as it patrols the waters about 100 feet away from its hut out in the river keeping a watchful eye out for anything moving around it.
Photo by Keith Kent
Sending a message! - As a pair of beavers mate for life, this pair or family unit swims around in a circular pattern in the waters Whitney Pond sending a clear message that any trespassers they perceive in their area who are not wanted and warned off by "Tail Slapping" which can be seen in the background.
Photo by Keith Kent
Brute Force - This Beaver tail slap on the water caught on camera 150 feet off shore, shows the beaver slapping its tail to the right on the surface of the water, and then slapping it in a 2nd motion to the left just before it goes under in a dive caught at 15 frames per second which was still not quite quick enough to stay with the critters pace!
Photo by Keith Kent
There is no place like home. This hut was made as a new location by this pair of beavers, which abandoned their previous hut not far from the Black Bridge Dam last fall as frequent human activity along the shore line likely contributed to their relocation. Note: All photos including this were taken at responsible distances with discretion using camera magnification, as not to cause any issues or harm to the wildlife.
Photo by Keith Kent
Town-Wide Read Wraps Up with Visit from Author Jarrett Krosozcka
On Friday, April 28, Award winning artist and author Jarrett Krosozcka visited Winchendon in the final wrap-up to the "One Book One Community Town Wide Read" sponsored by Beals Memorial Library over the past half year. Mr. Krosozcka wrote and illustrated the Town Wide Read title Hey, Kiddo, a memoir in graphic novel form that depicts his childhood and teenage years in Worcester, MA being raised by his grandparents while his mother struggled with heroin addiction.
Mr. Krosozcka gave a presentation to Murdock High School students during the day. After a book signing and meet-and-greet session at 5:00 p.m., Mr. Krosozcka gave a presentation to his adult readers at 6:30 p.m. in the Murdock HS auditorium. There was no admission fee and all were welcome to attend.
Mr. Krosozcka is the author of many children's books and picture books, and travels around the country continuously speaking to schools, kids' groups, fan conventions and other events about art, book publishing, and dealing with tough issues such as substance abuse and mental illness. A graphic novel sequel to Hey, Kiddo titled Sunshine, depicting Mr. Krosozcka's experiences as a teen working at a camp for children with cancer, has just been released. Mr. Krosozcka has also done multiple TED talks.
Mr. Krosozcka's presentation was polished, with ongoing video and animation on a large screen accompanying him as he spoke. He talked about how he came to write Hey, Kiddo, showing all the steps involved in scripting and story-boarding the story, then creating the panel-by-panel art. After he concluded his presentation, he answered questions from the audience, which numbered about 70 people in total.
Along with making the book widely available for residents to borrow and read, the Town Wide Read incorporated four Social Issues panels on topics dealt with in the book (and by Mr. Krosozcka as he grew up)--domestic violence, trauma-informed care, mental illness and substance abuse.
Messages on May Day
Discovered soon after their initial depositing along Toy Town's section of its bike and walking path between Black Bridge and a bench shortly behind the River Walk Restaurant on Monday, May 1, May Day, these painted rocks which say "Love", "Breathe", and display "spring flowers", accompanied by lastly a "Yellow Rose" complete with its own water to prolong and sustain it, were left behind by either a thoughtful person or persons for those to see who look other than just at what is straight in front of them.
Photo by Keith Kent
Photo by Keith Kent
Photo by Keith Kent
Photo by Keith Kent
Beals Memorial Library Announces 2023 Summer Teen Library Internships
The Beals Memorial Library invites all teens ages 15 to 18 who are Winchendon resident high school students to apply for our 2023 summer internship. This will be a commitment of about 40 hours during the library's Summer Reading Program from June 26 to August 11, an average of about 8 hours per week. This is a paid internship at the rate of $15 per hour.
Interns will be responsible for assisting with programs and events, aiding with day-to-day library operations, and helping promote the library's programs and services as a library representative. We are looking for individuals who are interested in learning more about how a library runs and are interested in making a difference in the community.
Interested students should submit an application by Wednesday, June 7. The interviews will be on Wednesday, June 14.
For more info go to www.bealslibrary.org/internship or contact the library at 978-297-0300 or visit them in person at 50 Pleasant St., Winchendon
Children's Mental Health Awareness week May 7-14, 2023
Join Town Hall in Lighting Up Winchendon "Green" May 7-14, 2023
Accept, Advocate, Act - Because Awareness Is Not Enough
Children's Mental Health Week is dedicated to increasing public awareness about the triumphs and challenges in children's mental health and emphasizing the importance of family and youth involvement in the children's mental health movement! Events focus on promoting positive mental health, well-being and social development for all children and youth.
In Massachusetts, Children's Mental Health Week is sponsored by the Department of Mental Health and the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Partnership (MBHP), a Beacon Health Options company.
The Winchendon Board of Selectmen recently issued a proclamation (see below) supporting good mental health in a child's development and will Light Up Town Hall in green May 7 through May 14.
You can find more information at ppal.net/childrens-mental-health-week/
Click here to read the Board of Selectmen's Proclamation (JPG).
Photo copyright © Beals Memorial Library