Gardner in Uproar Over Proposed Horse Racing Facility on Rte 140

Would have significant impact on Winchendon

by Inanna Arthen
For some months Winchendon's neighbors in Gardner have been concerned over a proposed zoning change to two city-owned parcels on Rte 140, directly abutting the Winchendon/Gardner town line. One of the parcels includes acreage in Winchendon although it is owned by the City of Gardner and is land protecting the City of Gardner water supply. The other, smaller parcel touches the property line of Sunset View Farm in Winchendon, which is under preservation with Mount Grace Land Trust.

Gardner City Hall proposed changing the zoning of just these two parcels, isolated in a vast unbroken area of north Gardner now uniformly zoned Rural Residential, to "Commercial/Light Industrial."

There was no obvious reason to select these parcels for such a zoning change. The parcel east of Rte 140 is almost all wetlands surrounding Wilder Brook and is entirely within the Surface Water Protection Overlay District (SWPODW). The larger parcel to the west of Rte 140 contains areas of wetlands with a small part within the SWPODW. The western parcel abuts The Rome Conservation Area, which is under preservation with North County Land Trust. Both parcels are wooded, rich with wildlife and crossed by hiking and walking trails. As well as Sunset View Farm, they abut or are very close to the Green Street Conservation Area and Bailey Brook Conservation Area in Gardner and the Winchendon State Forest in Winchendon.

Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson argued that commercial development would be better than 129 residential building lots for these parcels. But there is no proposal for residential development in this area, and if there were, nowhere near 129 lots would fit in those parcels, after excluding wetlands and buffer zones and allowing for access roads, easements and utilities. The minimum lot size in the Rural Residential zone is 60,000 square feet (1.36 acre). The western parcel, the only one which is partially buildable, is 120 acres.

The Mayor's argument also begged the question of why only these two small parcels would be considered for re-zoning, and not far more of the Rte 140 corridor, if the concern was (hypothetical) residential development impacting traffic.

Anna Wilkins, Executive Director of North County Land Trust, has been spearheading a campaign to oppose the zoning change. (see "Re-Zoning and Development Effort on Rte140 in Gardner: An Open Letter to the Planning Board and City Council") But until recently, it seems many residents of Gardner have been completely unaware of the re-zoning proposal.

Earlier this month, some persons in Gardner were made aware that there was a proposed plan for the western parcel coming from a group of investors outside of Gardner. It appeared that a group organized as Baystate Racing LLC, which had registered with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on March 27, 2023 using paid registration services to conceal who was associated with it, was quietly talking to members of the Gardner City Council about building a thoroughbred race track and sports betting center on the larger parcel slated for re-zoning. Also connected with Baystate Racing LLC's proposal is Gardner-based non-profit GAAMHA, Inc. Baystate Racing LLC has joined the Greater Gardner Chamber of Commerce, and sponsored GAAMHA's 2023 golf tournament fundraiser in the "Birdie" category of $3,000.

In 2020, GAAMHA Inc. purchased a 115-acre parcel of land almost directly across the street from the larger parcel slated for re-zoning, which now houses the Carl E. Dahl House at Evergreen Grove. This parcel had been a standardbred (harness racing) race horse facility in a past era and its half-mile exercise track is still there.

The New England Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association announced their excitement that a race track might be opening in Gardner (see New England HBPA Sees Progress on Potential New Track, August 17, 2023).

News of the proposed race track and sports betting project immediately launched a storm of activism in opposition to the plan. Concerns include the ethics of thoroughbred horse racing overall, the possibility of increased crime, substance abuse and gambling addiction, increased traffic on Rte 140 which already has one of the state's highest accident rates, and the likelihood that businesses in downtown Gardner will suffer from a large attraction far outside the city center. But the real concern is the almost complete lack of transparency and honest information from nearly all parties involved.

In January, 2023, the town of Hardwick, Massachusetts defeated a proposal to put a race track and sports betting facility on a 360-acre farm. The investors for this project were incorporated as Commonwealth Equine and Agricultural Center LLC and included persons who had proposed similar projects in several other Massachusetts towns beginning in 2017, all of those proposals being rejected by those towns.

(see "Plans for thoroughbred racetrack in Hardwick still alive", November 14, 2022, Boston Globe, and
"Hardwick residents vote down developer's push to build horse racetrack in town", January 7, 2023, Boston Globe, and
nohorseracinginhardwick.com/)

Baystate Racing LLC may be the newest incarnation of this same group of investors, but there is no way to confirm this, since they're going to such lengths to conceal their identities behind shell corporations, public relations firms, consulting firms, attorneys and spokespersons. One spokesperson who does link Baystate Racing LLC with Commonwealth Equine and Agricultural Center LLC is Mary Kate Feeney, a resident of Framingham and Chair of Framingham's Strategic Initiatives and Financial Oversight Committee. She was the community liaison for Commonwealth Equine and Agricultural Center LLC in Hardwick. Her home address and personal consulting business phone number are on the Greater Gardner Chamber of Commerce listing for Baystate Racing LLC, and she is serving as a spokesperson for Baystate Racing LLC.

Attorney John Stefanini also worked with the investors in Hardwick, chairing the five-person Racing Oversight Board for Commonwealth Equine and Agricultural Center LLC, which applied for their racing license with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. Atty. Stefanini is now working with Baystate Racing LLC. He is a City Councilor in Framingham, MA.

Lynda Tocci of Dewey Square Group, a national public relations consulting firm based in Washington, D.C., with an office in Boston, is representing Baystate Racing LLC, and contacted North County Land Trust to give them some information about the race track project. Lynda Tocci did not respond to repeated requests for comment by the Courier this past week.

On Tuesday night, August 22, the Gardner Planning Board met to consider the re-zoning question. The meeting was attended by an estimated fifty or more persons, including residents of Gardner and Winchendon, as well as reporter Brandon Truitt and a camera crew from WBZ Channel 4, Boston. The Planning Board quickly postponed the re-zoning proposal, saying they needed more information. The City Solicitor is being asked to investigate whether the proposal constitutes illegal "spot zoning," defined by Board Chair Mark Schafron as, "the process of focusing on a small section of land to be used in a completely different fashion from the surrounding land for the sole benefit of the landowner to the disadvantage of nearby landowners," as well as whether it violates Article 97 of the state constitution, which regulates open space.

(see the WBZ news story here: https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/gardner-horse-racing-track-zoning-sports-betting/)

On Wednesday night, August 23, representatives for Baystate Racing LLC met with select members of the public and city administration in an invitation-only dinner at Williams Restaurant in Gardner. Atty. John Stefanini and Mary Kate Feeney gave a presentation with details about the proposed race track facility, including a site plan. This was the first time that information had been made available to any members of the general public. (In Winchendon, this presentation would have been made in a public hearing and would have been recorded and made available on the town YouTube channel.)

The presentation slides may be viewed here: BayStateRacingLLC-20230823GardnerPark-Handout.pdf (PDF)

Atty. Stefanini and Ms. Feeney talked up the project warmly, offering many collateral benefits for the community, including collaborations with GAAMHA, whose COO Shawn Hayden was in attendance (equestrian programs), Mount Wachusett Community College (agricultural and veterinary tech programs) and Gardner Municipal Golf Course (use of facilities for tournaments). "We want to be good neighbors in Gardner," Atty. Stefanini said. "We don't have any problems with the process, and we want to be as transparent and interactive as possible." The wetlands would be untouched, the facility itself would be "minimal" and racing would only take place in a short "festival" period each year. Most of the buildings on the plan are marked "temporary." The city could use the facilities as it chose, for things like "a farmer's market, community concerts, or an arts festival."

While the presentation included a website URL for Baystate Racing LLC, www.baystateracingllc.com, it currently is just a domain placeholder with no website yet built. The domain registration has been anonymized through a privacy service in Iceland.

The whole project is on hold for the time being, since the Planning Board will not be meeting again to consider the re-zoning proposal until September 19.

Winchendon will want to pay close attention to developments. Rte 140 to Route 2 is our main access to any major highway, and whatever affects the Route 140 Corridor has the potential to affect Winchendon's ability to develop our own businesses and economy. Winchendon's zoning laws stipulate an Inter-municipal review of anything impacting that corridor, which is shared by Winchendon, Gardner and Westminster. The proposed race track project will also be right on the town line with Gardner and directly impact Winchendon homeowners and businesses such as Sunset View Farm.

Interim Town Manager McKinney Participates Internationally With the BSA World Jamboree

by Keith Kent, Special to the Courier
Recently Town of Winchendon Interim Town Manager Bill McKinney participated as a Scout Master at the global and international 2023, 25th "WORLD SCOUT JAMBOREE" in Seoul, South Korea. What McKinney and his own contingent of 4 adults and 36 troop members from the United States could not have known was, "The daunting amount of work and test of spirit all would jointly endure in the face of true adversity!"

McKinney explained, "We flew out on Thursday, July 26, for the World Scout Jamboree and landed in Seoul, South Korea the next day after passing many time zones in a 15 hour flight. Like the Olympics, it moves around the world ever 4 years. Attending were over 43,000 people from over 140 countries so it's a huge event with a lot of planning, and the host is basically building a city from scratch. The Jamboree itself is August 1-12, and we arrived a bit early and spent two nights in Seoul and a another place first before the Jamboree."

This is where it quickly gets interesting, as the website for the event advertised the event at close location SaeManGeum, South Korea, where the temporary city site for the 43,000 plus troops was to be temporarily stationed. However, many unpredictable moves and events were in the near future.

Breaking it down, McKinney, who joined the BSA at age 9 and is now 54, detailed the United States sent 18 troops with 36 Scouts each ages 14-17 and 4 adults, and adding other staff, about 1,000 individuals over all. The United Kingdom by comparison sent 95 troops who had nearly 10 percent of all attendance. The average cost of the trip per USA BSA troop member was reported by McKinney to be roughly $6,100 each to attend the global and once every 4 years event.

McKinney was asked what was the goal of the BSA attending this event with the Scouts? McKinney replied, "Sweeden and other European nations had many more members at the event than we did from the USA. The goal is for our troops to meet kids from other countries, and not only see what scouting is like there, but also what life it like there, talk, interact, and realize we are really not all that different! Break down stereotypes, realized we have a lot in common."

After McKinney and his fellow troops stayed two nights in both Seoul and another province, they were then alerted, "The host Jamboree site is not ready for everyone to show up yet due to weather complications." It was then over the next days, the true test of good will, character, fortitude, and the reason 43,000 people from over 140 nations from all over the globe got together to begin with would be put to the true test, as nature it self would eventually "Flood the temporary city grounds and drive out troops to alternate sites from its flat plains as drainage would be overwhelmed, and quick thinking from many bright minds would be needed to save the entire global event!"

Recalling the initial delay McKinney said, "It was all built on flat reclaimed land by the ocean, no trees or shade whatsoever. 75,000 troops showed up on day one, and we showed up on day two. We actually stayed nearby at U.S. Army Base Camp Humphreys, with all male U.S. male troops sleeping in one school, and all female troops sleeping in another school. "The Army fed us all with MRE's, or "Meals Ready to Eat" and put up some 500 temporary beds, they were incredibly helpful. They even let our troops try on items such as night vision goggles and other things. The kids had a great time at the base, and we truly thank them for their help."

Once finally at the World Jamboree arriving late on August 2, due to the flooding concerns from all the incoming rains, troops instead of placing their tents on the ground, had to put their tents on top of 4 pallets. Making matters worse, during the entire Global Jamboree opening show, McKinney said there was a non-stop background of ambulance sirens due to people passing out in the extreme heat from not drinking enough water. There was also, according to McKinney, not enough ice, shade, and other items, so people were passing out waiting for their buses. A lack of even enough people to clean the rest rooms was an issue as well at the temporary city site.

The Bright Side: While in their "Sub Camp" of 18 United States Troops, they were located next to England, the Netherlands, Brazil, Japan, and even Taiwan. Their BSA interaction with members from around the world which was the prime focus of the event, "Continue as intended despite the weather!"

McKinney then proudly smiled and added, "They began to swap patches, they began to swap neckerchiefs, even articles of clothing. There were even cases of troop members, swapping ENTIRE UNIFORMS with members of a nation where their older family ancestors originated from, it was great!" McKinney added, "The United States of all 140 nations attending, secured and had its national flag flying the highest of any nation on a raised flag pole at the temporary city site."

One night, the troops attended a Korean Baseball game. McKinney recalled it was a high scoring game, and the kids not only had a great time, but were buying merchandise like crazy. "I will bet you that gift store never sold so much merchandise as that night" McKinney added with a smile.

Building on the experience despite all the bad weather, using social media, McKinney found a Dutch Troop Master nearby, and both parties agreed on meeting up for dinner. Each troop split in half, eating with the other troop that evening. McKinney emphasized, "I was looking around, and no matter if talking or listening, every single kid was involved in conversation. Even after the dinner ended, the kids were all talking two hours later, it was so good to see. I was like, you know what, this is what the Jamboree is all about."

However at this point with the weather getting worse, the Korean Government immediately got involved to rescue all involved and all at the event. Bringing in medical staff, rest room cleaners, cooling buses and much more, things while beginning to look up for some but it was too late for many with a new approaching "Typhoon" now in the mix ending the Jamboree early. Both British and U.S. contingents had already pulled out with the BSA of America returning back to U.S. Camp Humphreys. "At that point, sleeping in close quarters on the cots, it seemed more like a National Jamboree for the remaining 5 nights," McKinney clarified.

In closing, McKinney was asked for his thoughts regarding the wild ride he shared in his two weeks scheduled away from his duties as Interim Town Manager which were anything but a vacation. McKinney summed it all up as, "It was intensive. We moved six times overall for the troops' safety. As a leader, you're responsible for the 36 scouts and making sure they had a good time and you had good conversations with them. I didn't meet them until we got over there, and I will probably never see them again as they all live on the west coast. I didn't get a lot of sleep over there, but I would do it all over again. I enjoyed getting to know the kids, and my fellow leaders. I would also like to say, the Korean people were a very hospitable and impressive people. Not everything works out the way you plan, but that is what makes for a great story!"

Murdock Alumnus Michael Glenzel Writes--and Publishes--What He Loves

Raising Kane, second in projected 10-book series, just released

by Inanna Arthen
"This is how it begins. Creatures of myth and legend lived only in fairy tales and bedtime stories--until the evil living beneath the Earth had its say."

So starts the book description of Raising Kane, the latest short novel by author Michael Glenzel, a Winchendon native and 1987 graduate of Murdock High School who has been writing and publishing his fiction since 2002. Available on Amazon's KDP platform as Kindle editions, Glenzel's works range from science fiction to horror. Now residing in Westfield with his family, Glenzel spoke with the Courier by phone about his journey as a writer.

Glenzel grew up on Lake Monomonac, close to the New Hampshire border. There wasn't a lot happening on the lake back then, and a lot of his friends went to school in Rindge or elsewhere, rather than Winchendon. "Yeah, there was plenty of boating and stuff like that," he admitted. "But my brothers would say that I spent a lot of time reading. So when they wanted to play kickball or baseball or football or something like that, I was reading a book and it was always some kind of science fiction book. I just got lost in those worlds and I would spend hours and hours curled around a sci-fi book."

Glenzel's uncle in Bangor, Maine, would bring a lot of books with him when he visited. He brought all kinds of fiction, but one type especially resonated with young Glenzel. "I started just consuming all those types of books. So obviously like the Tolkien series, like The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, and there's a series under Terry Brooks, The Sword of Shannara. That's really good. And then Steven Donaldson, that series was really good too...then you pick up the usual like Stephen King and and others like that, so it's just been a lifetime of just, I just love it all. I love sci-fi and fantasy."

Despite his broad interests, Glenzel reached a point where he felt that he "could never find a good book to read." He hadn't been much of a writer in high school and college, but now, in his 20s and working toward a Masters degree in business administration, Glenzel thought, "Why can't I write a sci-fi book?"

Glenzel launched into a program of self-study, improving his writing skills both in technique and in the craft of creating fiction with strong characters and a compelling story. He collected and read dozens of reference books about writing. Glenzel especially praises a book by Evan Marshall, The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing. "That book changed everything, because he provided a strict outline of how to approach a novel no matter what the length is, and how to build in, weave in characters and their arcs and things like that." Glenzel found that he needs an outline to start a story--and he has to know how it will end. "The books seem to write themselves as soon as I have an outline and I know where I'm going, like the dialogue and sentence structure and they all just kind of, I'm just scribing. It just feels like that sometimes when I'm in the zone."

As for influences from other writers, Glenzel said, "I think everyone will say that they're inspired by Stephen King in some way." He admires King's character development, but says he prefers to have less detail. Readers should be able to fill in detail with their imaginations. Glenzel also singled out Nick Cutter (The Troop, The Deep) and Andy Weir (The Martian, Project Hail Mary). "I like the modern writers. Like those guys, I like their style. They just get right to the point, they get the story moving right away." Glenzel follows this philosophy in his own fiction.

When it came to the next step, publishing his work, Glenzel again did his homework. "Marketing and the self-publishing part now is like exercising a completely different muscle" than writing, he said. He collected and read more books from people who had successfully self-published (Andy Weir being a famous example of these). "Amazon provides just the path of least resistance. So if you're going to be a self-publisher, you're going to push out ebooks. Amazon really is the number one place." Glenzel is trying out Apple Books with his newest titles to see how it goes.

To create the books, Glenzel formats his manuscripts in Word and uploads to the KDP platform. Amazon does all the rest.

Glenzel said he's plotting out a 10-book series, called the Crack of Dawn Series, but the individual books are only about 50 to 60 pages each. "It started out with Farmer, which I wrote about a year and a half ago. We now have the second book, Raising Kane, was published this March, and then Book Three, Reckoning, will be out in October." The storyline is non-linear: Farmer begins with the protagonist, Commander Kane Garner, as a "worn down and beaten" ex-soldier who thought he could retire to a peaceful life after fighting a 20 year war--but the enemies he thought were defeated are coming back. Raising Kane goes back to a time 30 years earlier and shows how the war got started. "These creatures just pour out of the core of the Earth, and they wreak havoc, and he's called to action. He finds purpose," Glenzel says. Reckoning will continue from there.

Glenzel says he doesn't have a lot of time to do in-person promotion or author appearances, with a full time job, a family, and trying to write every day. He has a Facebook page and is on LinkedIn. He does respond to people who contact him individually.

"I think over the years I've been asked by other people who are trying to figure out how to write or how to get started and...I would tell people, just write what you love. And someone will say, 'Well I love to write horror as an example but how can you ever compete with Stephen King?' I said, 'But you're not competing with him. You're really competing with yourself.' It's like nobody has written your story. So Stephen King writes his stories, but no one has written your story. And then you might say, well in sci-fi, it's always about alien invasion or the apocalypse or the future, Star Trek or Star Wars. It's all been done. I said, I get that but no one has written your story."

You can learn more about Michael Glenzel's books, including how to buy them, at his publishing website, www.alienalmanac.com. You can sign up for his newsletter and get updates on the website's first page (or sign up to be a "beta reader" and become part of the process!). Find Michael on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MichaelGlenzel and on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14620813.Michael_Glenzel.

Local Poet Selected as a Finalist in the Beals Prize for Poetry

The Beals Memorial Library in Winchendon, MA has announced that local area poet Kate Shiebler of Winchendon, has been selected as a finalist in the 2023 Beals Prize for Poetry. Now in its fourth year, the competition drew the attention of 43 poets from around the Bay State.

The award ceremony will be held at the library on Thursday, August 31 at 6:30 pm, when the top ten finalists will read their submissions. Directly after the readings, a panel of three distinguished judges will announce the prize winners. Prize money of $250.00 for first, $100.00 for second, and $50.00 for third will be awarded to the contest's three best poems. The event is free and open to the public.

Ms. Shiebler, who was chosen for her poem "Forage," is a 6th grade science and social studies teacher at Merriam Elementary in Acton, MA. She grew up in Winchendon and moved back as an adult with her family. She lives with her husband and three children.

Other finalists were Tara Dasso of Ludlow for her poem, "Five Apples in the Orchard;" Daniel Hales of Greenfield for "Candle;" Barbara Lemoine of Northfield for "Reclamation;" Sara Letourneau of Foxboro for "At the Immersive Monet & Expressionists Exhibit;" Miriam Manglani of Cambridge for "They've Come;" Robert Perry of Dudley for "Primal;" Cate Rowen of Northampton for "Chilmark;" Lauren Schmidt of Shelburne Falls for "On Seeing a Doe Struck in the Middle of the Road;" and Hillary Smith-Maddern of Greenfield for "An Open Letter from Ursula to Gretel."

The Beals Memorial Library is located at 50 Pleasant Street in Winchendon, MA. For more information, please call the library at 978-297-0300 or visit the website at bealslibrary.org.

This event is funded in part from a grant from the Winchendon Cultural Council and by the Friends of the Beals Memorial Library.

Winchendon Ren Faire Committee is Looking for Community Help!

by Inanna Arthen
The committee formed to organize a Ren Faire at the Winchendon Community Park in April, 2024 is already actively seeking resources from the community. Committee member Gardner Wood posted on Facebook,

My part in this is the artistic side and to get the props we need. I am looking for only free items/ things you no longer want or need. I am searching for things that look Renaissance time period appropriate, preferably outdoors things such as, rustic looking benches, flower garden archways, also this fair will not only cover the Renaissance but also the fantasy side of things such as fairies, dwarves, and pirates, etc. I am looking for basic materials such as wood, fabric of a basic color such as green,white, red or blue. I am also looking to set a royal banquet table, so with this I am searching for large platters, goblets or beer mugs, preferably in silver or gold color, or carved out of wood. I know this is a weird request, but I appreciate anyone that can help me out with this.

If you can help, contact Gardner through their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/gardner.wood, or email Tiffany Newton in Winchendon Parks and Recreation, tnewton@winchendon-ma.gov

Meanwhile, committee member Richard Fahey, a "a teacher and professor as well as a scholar of medieval literature, history and culture," posted on Facebook,

My role is in part to act as an academic advisor, help organize volunteer characters and design the main storyline/plot of the Faire [much more to come on this from myself and others], and to this end I was wondering:

Is there anyone out there interested in participating in the Faire who might be willing to build a Viking Longboat? We have a lot of props and structures to consider in creating the space, and I have a great idea for how to use a Longboat, if we had one, but I don't think we would be able to budget for building one this year.

So, I figured I would crowdsource the building of the ship on here, in case anyone wants to contribute to the community by taking on this project? If this sounds like it might be you, please message me!

p.s. If you want to participate by volunteering as a Viking (or any other) character, but aren't up for the ship building, feel free to hit me up as well.

Richard gives no contact information besides his post on the private members-only Winchendon Residents Facebook group, but as above, you can contact the Ren Faire organizing committee through Tiffany Newton in Winchendon Parks and Recreation, tnewton@winchendon-ma.gov.

Lake Dennison Life Guards End Seasonal Monitoring

With the upcoming Labor Day holiday weekend on Saturday, September 2, Sunday, September 3, and Monday, September 4, Local DCR Park Officials have already posted "Unguarded Water" signage at the Lake Dennison State Park and beach, to alert attendees while seasonal swimming is still allowed at this time, there are "No longer any Lifeguards on duty."

Seasonal Lifeguards at the local DCR Lake Dennison State Park served their last day of watch this past Sunday, August 20, as many in the profession leave their summer season jobs to return to colleges and universities. Please know if you intend on using both the park's beach and swimming area, you are responsible for both your own personal conduct and safety at this time.

Multiple portable outdoor style rest rooms including handicapped accessible per DCR are still placed on the beach at this time through the holiday weekend, and will then soon be removed which usually follows not long some time after the holiday.

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