The Winchendon Courier

Serving the community since 1878 ~ A By Light Unseen Media publication

Week of August 17 to August 24, 2023

What makes Winchendon what it is...How we're making Winchendon even better

Yet Another Spring Street Accident Snarls Traffic, Damages Three Vehicles

by Inanna Arthen
A multiple collision involving three vehicles at one of Winchendon's worst accident hot spots, Spring Street and Glenallen, backed up traffic in both directions at the peak of commuter rush hour on Tuesday, August 15.

According to witnesses at the scene, who have requested anonymity, at approximately 4:40 p.m. a late model Ford Escape was stopped in the east bound lane of Spring Street waiting to turn left into the Grout Park parking area. A late model Dodge Ram pickup truck was stopped approximately two car lengths, or fifteen feet, behind the Escape waiting for the driver to make the turn. While both of these vehicles were stopped, an older Toyota Camry heading east rear-ended the truck. The force of the collision propelled the front hood of the Camry almost all the way beneath the rear bumper of the truck and pushed the two-and-a-half-ton truck forward until it collided with the Escape, two car lengths ahead of it.

Significant damage was done to both the Camry and the truck. Winchendon Police and Winchendon Fire both responded to the scene. All three drivers exited their vehicles without assistance. It is unknown whether any of the vehicles had passengers, whether the occupants were wearing seatbelts, and whether any vehicle occupants were transported for medical care. Winchendon PD took a report at the scene.

West bound Traffic on Spring Street was backed up at least as far as Mathieu Ford Sales, 1.4 miles away (it was not noted how far traffic was backed up in the east bound lane coming from town). Winchendon Police are continuing to investigate the incident.

Adam LeBlanc Appointed to School Committee Vacant Seat - One Seat Still Open

by Inanna Arthen
Only one applicant sent a Letter of Interest to the School Committee for the two open seats left vacant by the recent resignations of Greg Vine and Dr. Ryan Forsythe. Adam LeBlanc, one of the eight citizens who interviewed to fill the vacant seat left by Alicia Jordan, was appointed by unanimous vote at a joint meeting of the School Committee and Board of Selectmen on Monday, August 14.

In the interviews for Ms. Jordan's seat at the joint School Committee/Board of Selectmen meeting on June 26, 2023, Mr. LeBlanc was one of three finalists in a three-way tie between himself, applicant Anthony Findlay and applicant Brandice French. When two consecutive votes ended in a tie, Mr. LeBlanc rose to withdraw his application so that the boards could appoint a candidate that night, saying he would run for a seat in the next election. BOS member Danielle LaPointe asked him, "Is that a promise?"

In his interview on June 26, asked what he saw the district doing right, Mr. LeBlanc responded, "I believe that the last presentation with the Toy Town Elementary Principal and teachers coming up with your analysis on how their students is doing, it's progressively getting better...we have the majority of teachers that want to be here, that want to teach, that have the enthusiasm and the drive to teach, and I think that's what is needed."

Asked what he saw as needing improvement, Mr. LeBlanc said, "Not to beat a dead horse, but I believe the SPED Department and all the SPED needs to be looked at and revamped.

"And I believe that the rush of trying to figure out this turnover of comings and goings, it needs to have a more methodical aspect at it with the intentions of trying to fill positions quickly. Sometimes that does not work out, as we all know. You can only put lipstick on a pig for so long...So if we take our time and look at the situation, see what we have for qualified candidates instead of going for the lowest offer and then for those ones that are not considering, making a lucrative offer for them, make them come here. We all have a lot of lucrative offers."

He described the way that job postings will quickly be buried by newer ones and need to be repeated or boosted so they'll be seen. "Things take time to do and if we put down a task and not a time limit, then you're just asking me to do something. But if you put a time limit on it, I guarantee you I will get it done."

Mr. LeBlanc said he would be interested in running for the permanent seat next spring. A veteran, when asked about the time committment, Mr. LeBlanc said, "No problem. I've already served my country for more than enough time, I can serve my town just as much."

Mr. LeBlanc was asked the only challenging question out of all eight interviews when School Committee member Greg Vine asked, "At the last School Committee meeting we had, you were pretty adamant. And I realize when people are exercised about something they can entertain or use a fair amount of hyperbole, but you made it sound as though the district were just falling apart at the seams, and you suggested a wholesale change of administration. I'm just wondering, if you were to get this position, can you come in and maintain an objective assessment or be objective in the assessment of the people that you're going to be coming in to work with, including the superintendent and the principals that are still here?"

Mr. LeBlanc responded, "I gotta be black and white. If there's something wrong, by all means, I'll be the first one to raise the tail feathers and call it what it is. If it's the right thing, I'll call it as it is. And I'm human, you're human. Everybody else on the board is human. There's stuff that we don't know, that's fine. There's stuff that we're not allowed to know. That's fine, but at the end of the day, I get on the board and I'm allowed to see and then my feelings are right, then by all means I'm gonna pursue. But if my feelings are wrong, I'll be the first one to say it...At the end of the day, it's for the kids. It's not just for my opinion, his opinion, her opinion. It's the children's futures what we're looking for."

Mr. Vine apparently was referring to the School Committee meeting on Thursday, June 15, at which Mr. LeBlanc rose twice to speak during the public comments section. Maintaining a calm and non-accusatory tone, Mr. LeBlanc began his comments at that meeting by reading from the school district handbook. " 'We believe that every individual can achieve at high levels. This belief is reflected in the highest expectations we set for students and ourselves both in schools and in the community.' I would put on my opinion that we are failing not only in the schools but in the community," Mr. Leblanc said. " 'We share common visions of effective instruction, driven by data educators working together and challenging and engaging all students in every class every day.' Again, my opinion, I believe we are failing as a whole. 'Our district and schools support our teachers to provide each student with the support they need for academic success and personal well being.' I think you guys know where I'm going with this, right? I believe we are all collectively failing. 'We share cultural possibilities, respect, international interactions among stakeholders, enable students to thrive, fostering a positive relationship with community and positive images of school.' Again, ladies and gentlemen of the board, I do believe we are failing collectively as a whole."

Mr. LeBlanc continued, "There is a broken piece in the institution together, collectively as a whole. You have parents arguing for the rights of their child, which they should, they are the first and the greatest source of their children's education. We have an education system that seems to be fractured right now and has bandaids put on, in my opinion, to hold it together. We have again, teachers going out but none coming in."

Referring to teachers that had not been renewed, Mr. LeBlanc said, "If we have knowledge of musical backgrounds, children that have music in their backgrounds seem to strive better in reading, writing, and other aspects of their educational careers...Especially with, not singling this gentleman out, but the music department. We know that music at Murdock as a whole is a dying subject. We have a decent music education going on right now. After seeing and being at the Memorial School presentation for Memorial Day, it would be a step back in our direction to get these kids into being musically inclined."

Mr. LeBlanc also spoke earnestly about the teachers being treated fairly if they were not renewed or were let go without remediation. "What we're doing to them, the students and everything else is causing chaos. We need to stop the bleeding. Treat the wounds, and readjust, refocus. It shouldn't be a witch hunt. I'm sure all of you have been at wit's end with this witch hunt that's going on. We need to address it. We need to solve it and we need to move forward. Or else we're gonna be here every meeting with the same issues."

By stepping up to join the School Committee, Mr. LeBlanc proved that he was ready to be part of the solution to the problems he identified in his June 15 comments.

At the meeting on August 14, the board did not require Mr. LeBlanc to repeat his previous interview, as all were familiar with his statements and qualifications. Both the School Committee and the BOS voted unanimously to approve appointing Mr. LeBlanc to one of the two vacant seats.

Winchendon resident Ed Ford, Jr., who had also been one of the prior eight candidates, rose to state his intention to submit a new Letter of Interest for the remaining seat.

All Winchendon citizens are encouraged to submit a Letter of Interest if they would like to interview for the remaining vacant seat on the School Committee. Applications will be considered at a joint meeting of the two boards on Monday, September 11. Letters of Interest should be submitted by 12:00 noon on Thursday, September 7 to mcalandrella@winchendon-ma.gov, so they can be distributed to the board members before the meeting. These appointments are temporary and extend to the town election in spring of 2024, when candidates for the School Committee seats will be elected by voters. All sitting Committee members whose terms are expiring must pull nomination papers in the Town Clerk's office and get the requisite number of signatures from voters in order to be placed on the ballot.

Local Makers Invited to "Meeting of the Minds" Brainstorming Session on Winchendon Makerspace, "Local Makers Hub"

by Inanna Arthen
The HEAL Collaborative and Winchendon CAC are inviting all local makers who would interested in utilizing the community Local Makers Hub kitchen to an open meeting on Tuesday, August 22 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the new CAC and Local Makers Hub space at 5 Summer Drive, Winchendon (the former Playaway Lanes bowling alley, next to Bull Spit).

At the meeting, makers will have an opportunity to see the facility in its current form and discuss priorities and needs for a functional commercial kitchen for makers. Equipment for the space needs to be ordered by September 30. This is the time to talk about what features are most critical, what will be great to have down the line, how the overall space can be organized, and many other aspects of the Local Makers Hub kitchen.

If you have any questions about how the Local Makers Hub will work or whether you'll be able to use it, come to the meeting!

Winchendon Parks & Recreation Seeking Volunteers and Sponsors

by Inanna Arthen
Winchendon Parks & Recreation is seeking volunteers to help out with upcoming events at the Winchendon Community Park, including:

Friday, August 25, 4:00-10:00 p.m.: Billy and the Jets Concert (free concert)
Saturday, August 26, 4:00-10:00 p.m.: Scott Brown and the Diplomats Concert (ticketed concert)
Saturday, September 2, 9:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.: "Back to School Bash" Community Day (free to the public)
Saturday, September 9, 7:00 p.m.: Reminiscents Concert (ticketed concert)

Volunteer tasks may include working the gate to check tickets, helping with parking, helping with games and refreshments, setting up tables, signs, and equipment and taking them down at closing, and more.

To learn more and volunteer, email Recreation Coordinator Tiffany Newton at Tnewton@winchendon-ma.gov

Meanwhile, the 2024 Sponsorship Packet is ready with all of the offerings for 2024. If you or your business would like to sponsor at any level, please review this packet and fill out the Sponsorship form at the end to send in with your generous sponsorship. Giving back to our community is a worthwhile cause but, on top of that there are so many ways to get your business noticed by sponsoring with Winchendon Parks and Recreation, just take a peek.

The 18-page Sponsorship Packet includes detailed information about levels of sponsorship, 2023 events, how events are promoted, a tentative schedule of events for 2024 and an application form. You can download the packet here:

2024-Season-Sponsorship-Packet.pdf (PDF)

Winchenstock Rocks Out for the CAC!

The fourth annual Winchenstock music festival was held in the Winchendon Community Park on Saturday, August 12, with great success. Some two hundred audience members filled the tiers of the Robinson Broadhurst Performing Arts Amphitheatre to listen to classic rock covers and original songs from local musicians, ranging from solo performer Bob Morey to duo TWO for the ROAD and band Neon Alley, to Winchendon-based cover band The BIG RanDom. Altogether, more than $5,000 was raised in support of the Winchendon CAC.

Along with the music, there was food and drink supplied by Bull Spit Brewing, LaPointe Catering and Proud & Country Barbeque, yard games including croquet, corn hole and badminton, bounce houses, a crafts station, and numerous local vendors, including several regular vendors from the Winchendon Farmers Market, jewelry and crystals, a pet-sitting service, repurposed second-hand clothes, and a Tarot card reader who seemed very busy.

The music was sponsored and organized by LaPointe Law Offices and hosted by the Town of Winchendon. DPW Director Brian Croteau (and his family!) worked hard from start to finish to make everything run smoothly. The HEAL Collaborative and Local Makers Hub organized the vendors, while Cornerstone Church ran the tie-dye station. The Youth Changemakers sold popcorn and lemonade from the Sunshine Café and assisted in covering the front gate and other essential volunteer jobs. The CAC posted on Facebook, "Most of all we want to thank our community for coming out to support. It is because of you that we are able to offer essential programs and services to our community. Rock on Winchendon!"