Huge Turnout For Public Hearing as BOS Makes Decision on Conserving 1100-Acre Property
At table, from left, local citizens Fred Sellars, Wendy Gendron, Elaine Mroz and M.J. Galat, with a just a small part of the audience visible behind them. Yes, the whole hall was that full, and then some.
Image copyright Town of Winchendon
Town Hall was crammed with the highest turnout in many a year on Tuesday night, December 12, as the Board of Selectmen convened a required public hearing, which had been postponed from November 27. At stake was 1100 acres of land in northeast Winchendon bordering Ashburnham, which has been enrolled in Chapter 61 reduced tax entitlement as active forestry land. With a large commercial solar energy firm offering to purchase the land, the town could exercise its Right of First Refusal to either buy the property (matching the terms of the proposed commercial sale), or convey that right to a conservation organization which would buy the land and conserve it. After almost three hours of presentations and public comment, the Board voted to convey the Right of First Refusal to Mass Audubon so they can purchase the land.
At 7:00 p.m. when the hearing was about to begin, every seat in the Town Hall second floor auditorium was filled. People were standing two or three deep against the back wall, lined along both sides of the hall and even standing behind the Board in front of the stage. More people were standing in the foyer outside the main entry, and in the old foyer in back (which still has a ticket booth) leading to the unused Town Hall front doors. Director of Public Works and Facilities Brian Croteau escorted some of the overflow crowd up the back stairs to the upper foyer opening onto the auditorium balcony, although sitting in the balcony was not permitted for safety reasons. No one took an official count, but the Courier's rough estimate is at least 150 persons in the hall and adjacent areas.
Much of what was said during the three-hour hearing reiterated information and comments made in previous meetings on this issue and reported by the Courier. An excellent video of the entire hearing may be found at https://winchendon.cablecast.tv/CablecastPublicSite/show/41?site=1
Before the hearing formally opened, Board Chair Audrey LaBrie asked for general public comments, but there were none. Ms. LaBrie explained the agenda for the hearing. Representatives from the solar energy company, Longroad Energy, would speak first, and the Board would ask them questions. Representatives from Mass Audubon and Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust would speak next, followed by questions from the Board. The public comment period would begin with a specific group of citizens who had requested time on the agenda. This would be followed by general public comment. Ms. LaBrie asked citizens to form a line in the center aisle of the hall, rather than raise hands to be recognized one by one.
"Once the hearing is closed, which will happen after all the public comment is completed, there will be no more public comment. At that point the board enters into their deliberation and then they will make the motion and take a vote," Ms. LaBrie stated. "Once when that vote on that motion is made, whether you agree with it or disagree with it, I'm going to ask you to please maintain order. I think in all the time as Chair, I've only had to gavel one person, and I'd like to keep it at one. So please, regardless of how you feel about the board's decision, please maintain order."
Cliff Scher and Chad Allen from Longroad Energy came to the microphone to make their presentation. Mr. Scher began by reminding the Board that "we have a purchase and sale agreement in place with Winchendon Forest LLC related to a number of properties located, the majority of which are within Winchendon but approximately 200 acres within Ashburnham. And these properties are currently managed timber properties. The reason why we are purchasing them is with the goal of developing 50 megawatts of solar on the properties."
In his presentation, Mr. Scher stated a commitment to conserving about 1000 acres of the properties. The solar installations would be in eight "pockets" on the properties and total roughly 50 megawatts per year. This would "avoid" emissions that would hypothetically result from that amount of power being generated by other sources, equivalent to the amount of carbon that would be sequestered by 44,000 acres of forest. Longroad also forecasts revenue to the town of "close to $20 million over a 40-year timeframe" (averaging $475,000 per year).
Mr. Scher mentioned the Bike Path, saying that trails could be connected through the conserved parts of the property. "Even for this project, the development process would stretch for years. We've got about a four year process ahead of us if we're successful, we would start construction in 2027. And we work to continue to collaborate with the community throughout that development process," he said. It's unclear how far in the future the projected revenue to the town would begin.
Mr. Scher went on to say that there were rollback taxes of $320,000 from the Chapter 61 program that would immediately go to Winchendon and Ashburnham. He continued, "The property taxes are a rough forecast, but we expect to pay approximately $65,000 per year while we're working on this project. Then that would increase at the start of operations. One of the things that we'd be working on during the development period is to get a pilot agreement in place. We're estimating a payment rate of $7,500 per megawatt per year. Based on that, that would be an additional $375,000 per year for that 50 megawatts of solar. There's also in Massachusetts taxes, property taxes that are paid on the property where solar farms are located. So we're estimating that's another $100,000 per year. And the estimates are based on the sum of the tax rates that we've seen in Winchendon...There's also potential for additional revenue to the town and additional local employment if the town wishes to operate the project."
Mr. Allen spoke about a project Longroad Energy has done in Maine. He went on, "the decision here before you tonight is not a guarantee or a green light to start construction. This project still has many many steps to go before we would have that opportunity to actually build the project. And so I'll iterate a couple of those key development activities. So there's an interconnection study process. So we will need to submit an application to National Grid which will initiate a long series of studies that the utility will undertake to ensure that this project can safely and reliably interconnect to the grid. We still have a considerable amount of field work to be done. So those would be field surveys and design work to refine those areas, those eight areas of interest that Cliff previously indicated in a prior slide. And then finally, and perhaps most importantly, is a rigorous permitting approach. You know, through both local state and federal permits that will be required for this project. In throughout each and every one of those there will be many opportunities for the community, municipalities and other regulators to weigh in on the merits of the project to ensure that it meets the requirements."
Mr. Allen also said that Longroad is using a relatively new kind of animal friendly fencing that allows small game and animals to pass though. He went on to explain that "this project has an expected operating life of 40 years at which time it would be decommissioned. And through that decommissioning process, we have to restore the property where the project was." He stated that this would create a new meadow habitat for some species of wildlife in place of the former forest habitat.
Board Vice Chair Rick Ward clarified with Mr. Scher that if the solar project does not work out, Longroad could give the town another Right of First Refusal, so the town would have another opportunity to buy the land or assign the right to a third party. Mr. Scher replied to Board member Danielle LaPoint that a decommissioning plan with a bond posted would be in place.
Mr. Scher replied to Board Member Barbara Anderson that the lifespan of a solar panel is 30 to 40 years. The panels they use are manufactured by First Solar in Perrysburg, Ohio.
Board member Melissa Blanchard asked how vegetation would be controlled and whether herbicide would be used. Mr. Scher said they hire contractors to manage vegetation, and it's mowed, or in some places sheep grazed around the panels. Spot treatment of herbicide might be used for invasive species. The facility would be "monitored remotely 24/7" Mr. Scher assured Ms. LaBrie, with weekly onsite inspections "probably" each week.
Following some clarification of the forecast revenue and how the town might manage the project, the Board thanked Mr. Scher and Mr. Allen and called up Sarah Wells, Conservation Director at Mount Grace, David Sanchez, Senior Director of Land Conservation for Mass Audubon, and Dr. Jonathan Thompson, Senior Ecologist at the Harvard Forest.
Ms. Wells stated that "It's usually very difficult to mobilize quickly enough to try to bring the funding together to have a shot at meeting whatever offer is already on the table. And that is what makes the opportunity tonight so unique. Mass Audubon has the money. They have the $6 million to match the offer from Longroad--that's not hypothetical or theoretical...I wanted to reinforce upfront how powerful that is because most towns especially in our neck of the woods, never had a realistic shot of coming to the table and even thinking about using their Right of First Refusal when there's a multi million dollar price tag attached to the project. So tonight, we are asking that the Board assign the Right of First Refusal to Mass Audubon."
Ms. Wells also told the Board that Ashburnham's Select Board had voted to continue their public hearing, held on Monday night, until next Tuesday, with the request that Mass Audubon provide them with proof that they had the purchase funds, which Mass Audubon has sent. Nearly 100 people attended the Ashburnham public hearing.
Ms. Wells argued strongly for conserving the land, saying that the record shows no history of it ever being developed. Turning the land into a quilt of developed and undeveloped blocks "doesn't actually help us with the goal of this whole project, which is landscape connectivity. In fact, it threatens the very heart of what we're trying to do which is to keep this landscape intact. It's a little bit like if we were partnering with a developer to try to save a really iconic special multi-generation family farm, except the developer said that they needed to be able to keep the farmhouse and the barn and the farm fields, and we could conserve the rest. But at that point, no matter what that acreage was, how would we be meaningfully conserving the farm? And in this case, how could we conserve unfragmented connected landscape if there are going to be 400 acres of pockets of solar that are puncturing that landscape? That's why we're hoping that the Board will support a full conservation outcome tonight," Ms. Wells said.
Dr. Thompson said, "When we started doing the analyses that are behind the whole Growing Solar, Protecting Nature report, I'll be frank, I didn't know how the results would come out. There was an estimate that we might need to lose up to 100,000 acres of forest to build out the amount of solar and indeed that's the trend the state has been on. Solar is fast becoming the largest cause of deforestation in the state."
He went on, "We can meet our clean energy goals without sacrificing our natural and working lands. It's a false choice to think that we have to do both. And there are many solar projects that I think the three of us would stand behind. But this isn't one of them. This is a large, intact, connected forest ecosystem that would be perforated by the solar development, and the impacts of that extend well beyond the 400 acres that would be developed, not just in the loss of conductivity and movement, but in the changes in micro meteorological conditions. The changes in migration routes, it cascades into the remaining forests. So the issue just isn't simply about the footprint." He added that there are no technologies that approach the effectiveness of forests and trees in sequestering carbon and keeping it out of the atmosphere. "It's not something solar can do, something only trees can do."
Ms. Anderson asked about Mass Audubon proposing to partner with Mass Department of Fish & Game. Mr. Sanchez explained that it's very resource-intensive to manage and care for property. They are facilitating the immediate acquisition, but the state has the funds to put it in permament stewardship. Mass Audubon will be able to recapture its funds to invest in their next conservation project.
Dr. Thompson said that they believe there are enough locations to site solar and reach the state's goal of 25 to 30 gigawatts of solar capacity by 2050--such as rooftops, landfill sites, already developed areas. "We need to incentivize siting it in the right locations," he said.
Following this, the public comment portion of the hearing opened with the group that had formally requested to speak. Wendy Gendron and Fred Sellars from the Far Hills Association spoke of the importance of keeping the property complete and contiguous with surrounding conserved areas, and siting solar on land that is not forested land. Mr. Sellars suggested that with the property zoned Residential, there are high odds that a residential development will go in if the solar project doesn't succeed (the many barriers it has to overcome and the years these will take had been described by Mr. Allen).
Gina Galat-Skey evoked some amusement with her very creative visual presentation to show citizens just how much space 400 acres of solar panels was with respect to the main part of the town of Winchendon. She explained that she added up the existing solar arrays in town already and found that they amount to some 130 acres. (From the first that the Longroad Energy project was introduced, back in 2022, it was stated that the project would be larger than all of Winchendon's existing solar installations combined.) Ms. Galat-Skey showed slides with 400 acres of solar superimposed over the center of town, using the Clark Memorial YMCA's 8.25 acres as a base unit. The sketch covered most of downtown Winchendon.
"If we develop this it's going to be the largest in Massachusetts, as of right now the current largest one is, I think it's in Spencer, is 15 megawatts," she said. "Will Winchendon be known as Toy Town or Solar Town? I'm guessing that this will not be the last industrial solar complex that will be proposed in Winchendon. Just because this is one, I'm guessing there's others, right? We have a lot of relatively inexpensive land. However, in this particular instance, we have a path forward for conservation, not by Winchendon but out of concern and generosity of Mass Audubon."
Elaine Mroz urged the Board to take a critical look at the promised revenue, saying that broken down on a per-person basis, it wasn't as much as it seemed.
M.J. Galat spoke of the value of the natural land to residents. "The townspeople of Winchendon have made their voices heard numerous times over the years. This is not our first trip to the rodeo. Winchendon has a rich and Goliath history and fighting for our community and the land that provides for us. Many of us remember and were involved in the controversies including the airport proposal, BFI landfill, dragstrip, Kinder Morgan pipeline, and now this industrial solar installation. What do these projects all have in common? They all wanted to take and exploit our most valuable commodity: our open space and resources.
"The land being targeted has been managed as a forest for decades and has been open for public passive recreation, allowing local residents to feel free on this property with no restricted access. Recently, No Trespassing signs have been posted. So it has been made clear that the public's recreation access will be significantly limited if this land is not conserved."
James Carville rose to point out that Longroad Energy stands to make huge profits during the time the project is active.
Local realtor Michelle Peterson rose to say that she had been doing some research and found that property values decrease in the area around a solar farm, differently in various states, but she projected that local property values in Winchendon could see a decline of five percent or more. "We will not benefit personally from having the solar farm, as we do not benefit from the other solar farms in the area. It's really hard to measure the exact impact on our property values. But the question is, do we even really want to take the risk and find out? We live here because we love our forests, lakes and rivers. People move here because they love the solitude. Why would we want to compromise this by allowing companies to come in and devastate our land? Most buyers looking to move from the cities to more tranquil towns will look elsewhere, causing our town to lose tax revenue. I don't think we want to be known as that town with the largest solar farms, but a town with gorgeous views and many areas for hiking, hunting and fishing," she said.
Molly Velasco rose to say that adults and children in town who had been asked, in many different surveys and contexts, what they love most about this town, have talked about nature, wildlife, farmlands, trees and so on.
Ashburnham resident Stephanie Ashman rose to state that the property in question contains significant archeological and historical sites. "There are hundreds of Native American indigenous stone structures within the area of land we're speaking of this evening. History needs to be protected as well. These sacred ceremonial spaces have the right to be protected. Once I discovered the solar farm plan I spent over 10 hours in the woods of Winchendon focusing specifically on Longroad Energy's map noting where the solar panels are actually going to be constructed. I've discovered over 200 stone structures, animal effigies, indigenous culturally modified marker trees, ceremonial stone walls, but also two extremely large prayer mounds, which may contain burials underneath. In addition, numerous smaller prayer mounds and many more, which I didn't have time to track that far. All of these structures are in close proximity of each other which defines the space as sacred to our Indigenous history and people," she said.
Steph Ingram, steward of Noonday Farm which is preserved by Mount Grace, rose to speak of sustainability, and our lack of knowledge of how systems work in the long term. She reminded the assembly that in the 19th century the government sent pioneers out to farm the prairies; they destroyed the natural ecosystem and by the 20th century there were devastating droughts and the land became the Dust Bowl. "There are lots of people right now, very wealthy billionaires who are buying up land all over the United States. It's not for people anymore, it's for private wealth," she said.
Mike Giovannucci rose to speak of the dangers of the material used by First Solar to manufacture the solar panels, cadmium telluride.
Mr. Scher rose to respond to some of the concerns that had been expressed. "We as the owner and operator of the project would be responsible for returning the land to its original condition [upon decommissioning]. It's very low impact installation. We're not building a shopping mall or a restaurant. It's just pilings, things that are taken out of the ground and that's the foundation of the solar panel resting. So it's just steel pilings that are taken out of the ground, we'd be responsible for removing that and returning the land to its original condition and we'd be open to placing that conservation at that time as well." He stated that cadmium telluride is "a very stable compound" that resists being broken down for recycling, and "there's nothing that leaks out of the panels."
Mr. Scher also stated that Winchendon has 27,648 acres of land and Longroad is proposing developing about 365 acres and conserving another 1000.
Jill Sackett rose to emphasize that "you already have the will of the people expressed to you in the body of the Master Plan." Winchendon cares about preserving its open space and natural resources.
Ashburnham resident Ken Gendron rose to talk about the long term value of the property and how the town can't hope to get the same deal in a future Right of First Refusal even if the solar project doesn't go through. "The way I see it, the town's won the lottery in the $6 million form of the Audubon sitting behind me. You win the lottery once in your life and you're not going to win it twice, so you're not going to win it for twice the amount they had down the road. So you need to be cognizant of the fact what is the actual purchase price going to be for the town's right to do that, six years from now or four years from now if this doesn't happen, given the significant obstacles that it has to go through."
Russ Gaulin rose to say that the town has an Open Space Preservation and/or Survey Revolving Fund Advisory Committee, which he had been appointed to in 2010 and was still on--but he was the only member left. Their job was specifically to advise the Board of Selectmen on Right of First Refusal for Chapter 61 change of use. Mr. Gaulin spoke of the problem with soil disturbance, saying that our soil locally is very thin and fragile. He said, "I understand that the Board of Selectmen must make compromises and sort of thread the needle on a lot of these decisions, and try to figure out what benefits the town the most. And so it's not easy to do and I worked on developments that I probably would have preferred not to have done, but there are compromises and that's what we do. So having heard all the testimony tonight, I would just as a member of the Advisory Committee, I would advise you to go with the Mass Audubon and Mount Grace proposal to assign [ROFR]."
As the audience applauded, Ms. LaPointe suggested humorously that Mr. Gaulin put out a sign-up sheet and his committee would probably be filled by the end of the night.
When all of the citizens who wanted to speak had been heard, the Board voted to close the public hearing, and immediately went to deliberations.
Mr. Ward began, saying that this was "one of the most tormenting decisions I make" because the town doesn't have enough revenue, and he'd supported both sides about three times in the past week. His first criteria has always been the history of the town. It seemed clear to him that the town's founders wanted to be stewards of the land, because after centuries of commerce and industry, 72 percent of the town was still forested. "I was out there fighting for the Senior Center because we didn't want to destroy it. I was out there fighting for the library to be renovated because I didn't want to destroy it. I was out there on the G.A.R. Park committee. We were that because I don't believe in getting rid of what works in town. I can't get rid of the trees. So I will support Mass Audubon on this issue," he said.
Ms. Anderson said, "I was elected to serve the people of Winchendon. So it's not really about what I want at all, really about what the people want and to be their representative. So that's what I intend to do."
Ms. LaPointe said that she had intended to support Longroad, "however, we are elected to hear you and to really consider what you say and to do what's in your best interest. And we hear you. I came in tonight, I was going to vote that we just let things go. But I will vote to assign our right."
Board member Melissa Blanchard said she would vote to support Mass Audubon. She added, "I would also like to thank the community for coming out so strongly tonight. You were heard tonight. Thank you."
Finally, Ms. LaBrie spoke to the Board's "fiduciary responsibility," although she personally is committed to conservation. "I won't say I regret this, but the next time that we're looking at the budget and I'm wishing we could come up with some money...but that being said, I move that the Board assign the town's Right of First Refusal arising under that certain notice of intent to sell given by Winchendon Forest LLC dated September 5, 2023, to Massachusetts Audubon Society Incorporated, a non-profit corporation pursuant to General Law Chapter 61 Section 8 upon the terms contained in that certain assignment and acceptance of Right of First Refusal dated December 12, 2023."
After each Board member spoke, there was a burst of exuberent applause and cheers from the audience. Ms. LaBrie raised her hands and called for silence, so that Ms. Anderson could second the motion and the Board vote unanimously to approve it. The audience burst into applause again as Ms. LaBrie called a five-minute recess.
Winchendon Voters Pass or Pass Over Most Articles on STM Warrant
Proposal to Rename Board of Selectmen Goes Down in Flames
After a month's delay from its originally scheduled date, Winchendon's 2023 Fall Special Town Meeting was called to order on Monday, December 11 at 7:00 p.m. with a quorum of 155 voters signed in. More voters were still in line to check in before Town Moderator Coral Grout called everyone to rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. Before business commenced, Board of Selectmen Chair Audrey LaBrie introduced former Interim Town Manager Bill McKinney as the new official Town Manager, and also introduced Town Counsel, Attorney Jonathan Murray from KP Law. CART captioning service was provided by Stefanie Farrell.
Chair of the Finance Committee Tom Kane presented the Finance Committee Report. Town Meeting was postponed from November because Free Cash would not be certified in time; despite the additional time, Free Cash had still not been certified. This meant that all the articles specifying funding from Free Cash would be passed over.
Article 1, accepting the Finance Committee's report, was approved with 85 percent in favor, 15 percent opposed.
Article 2 asked voters to approve paying $193,469.01 total in bills from fiscal year 2023 (the prior fiscal year, this is fiscal year 2024) from Free Cash. This is a typical article found in nearly every Town Meeting warrant, but the total is rarely so high. In this case, the town's monthly insurance bill for June, 2023 inadvertently was not paid before July 1, the start of the new fiscal year, and had to be brought to Town Meeting. Voter Greg Vine rose to ask for an explanation of this, which Mr. McKinney made.
Finance Committee member Maureen Ward proposed an amendment that this article be funded through the Stabilization Fund, so that the prior year's bills could be paid. Ms. Ward said that the Stabilization Fund is intended for just these unexpected situations. The amendment was approved with 91 percent in favor, 9 percent opposed.
However, it took two votes to pass the amended article. It required a nine tenths majority and the first vote failed to reach that majority with 88 percent in favor, 12 percent opposed. A motion was made to reconsider the amended article, which passed with 91 percent in favor, 9 percent opposed. A second vote on the amended article was taken and this time was approved with 92 percent in favor, 8 percent opposed.
The next five articles were passed over as follows:
Article 3, $118,555 from Free Cash to the OPEB (Other Post Employment Benefits) Trust Account, passed over with 90 percent in favor, 10 percent opposed.
Article 4, $50,000 from Free Cash to Contractual Separation Pay-outs Reserve Account, passed over with 93 percent in favor, 7 percent opposed.
Article 5, an unspecified sum from Free Cash to the Stabilization Fund, passed over with 93 percent in favor, 7 percent opposed.
Article 6, $60,000 from Free Cash to the Fire Department Houseman Account, passed over with 90 percent in favor, 10 percent opposed.
Article 7, $126,245 from Free Cash to the Fire Department Spare Houseman Account, passed over with 90 percent in favor, 10 percent opposed.
Article 8, to approve borrowing $442,551 for a new ambulance, was approved by the required two thirds majority with 82 percent in favor, 18 percent opposed.
Article 9, $35,000 from Free Cash to the DPW & Fire Department vehicle repair account, passed over with 90 percent in favor, 10 percent opposed.
Article 10, $158,754 from Free Cash to to fund the purchase of Fire Department Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus, passed over with 91 percent in favor, 9 percent opposed.
Article 11, transfer $140,000 not needed for the Winchendon Community Park Barn Exterior Project to fund the Blair Square Project, was approved with the required two-thirds majority of 80 percent in favor, 20 percent opposed. In response to voters' questions, Director of Public Works Brian Croteau explained what the Blair Square Project is, and assured voters that a rotary was absolutely not on the table.
Article 12, to convey the property on Lincoln Avenue where the now demolished Alaska Freezer Company factory once stood, to the Winchendon Redevelopment Authority for resale or development, was approved with the required two-thirds majority of 89 percent in favor, 11 percent opposed.
Article 13, convey the town-owned ball field adjacent to the former Poland and Streeter Schools to the Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center Inc. which is rehabbing the school buildings into veterans' housing, was approved with 97 percent in favor, 3 percent opposed.
Article 14, to swap a town-owned parcel on Spruce Street for a privately owned parcel of land to be added to the extension of the Bike Path/Rail Trail, was approved with the required two-thirds majority of 90 percent in favor, 10 percent opposed.
Article 15, to accept, in one bundle, a number of previously unaccepted roads in town, some of them parts of subdivisions and others simply overlooked, was approved with the required two=thirds majority (for the non-subdivision roads) of 89 percent in favor, 11 percent opposed.
Article 16, to accept revisions to the Town Charter which were previously accepted by Town Meeting (in May, 2021) but did not go to the required ballot vote within deadline and now have to be approved all over from scratch, was approved with the required two-thirds majority of 83 percent in favor, 17 percent opposed.
Article 17, to accept the renumbering and revision of the Zoning Bylaws to incorporate them into the new Code of the Town of Winchendon, was amended to change its date to October 24, 2023, which is the date the change was approved by the Planning Board. The amendment was approved with 89 percent in favor, 11 percent opposed. The amended article was approved with the required two-thirds majority of 85 percent in favor, 15 percent opposed.
Article 18, to accept the renumbering and revision of the General Bylaws to incorporate them into the new Code of the Town of Winchendon, was approved with 87 percent in favor, 13 percent opposed.
Article 19, to change the name of the town's Board of Selectmen to "Select Board" and update the Town Charter's language referring to the Board and its members accordingly, evoked considerable noisy hostility from voters present. Voters rose to say they didn't see a need for it, that they weren't offended by the general use of "Selectman," and in one case, to pronounce that "they can't even define a woman!" A self-identified 19-year-old female voter stated "I don't need a man to define who I am." Each statement was met with whoops, yells and applause from a segment of the voters. A voter asked what this would cost the town, and Board Vice Chair Rick Ward, who had proposed this and the following article, explained that the cost was minimal because records are all digital now.
With a required two-thirds majority to pass, Article 19 failed, with 42 percent in favor, 58 percent opposed.
Following this, Article 20, to update the language of the General Bylaws to change Board of Selectmen to "Select Board", was passed over, with 89 percent in favor, 11 percent opposed to that motion.
Article 21, to approve the town investing town funds according to the "Prudent Investment Rule," was approved with 81 precent in favor, 19 percent opposed.
Article 22, a non-binding referendum to discover the will of the people as to whether the Town should pursue a temporary moratorium on new construction of Solar Energy Collection Systems, evoked some discussion from voters present. Several people expressed concern about the impact on the environment, the watershed, aesthetics and community health presented by solar installations. There were questions about the parameters of a moratorium and how long it could last (the maximum appears to be one year).
The article was approved with 78 percent in favor, 22 percent opposed.
Town meeting adjourned at 8:46 p.m.
Harrisville Brass Quintet to Perform Holiday Favorites
"And the trumpet shall sound..." The five-member Harrisville Brass Quintet will provide a cheerful variety of classical and holiday selections this Saturday, December 16, at 4:00 pm. They will perform in the acoustically "live" sanctuary of the Unitarian Universalist Church (UUCW), 126 Central Street in Winchendon, following the close of the church's Holiday Bazaar held earlier that day. Admission is free; the quintet's appearance is made possible through a generous grant from the Winchendon Cultural Council.
The Harrisville Brass Quintet was organized by member Bob Coviello in the spring of 2022. Having played with a previous brass quintet, Bob had an extensive library and wanted to recreate that style of ensemble. Numerous calls and emails brought just the right group together. Bob also provides the rehearsal space in the Harrisville Inn where he is co-proprietor with his wife Marie. The quintet made their debut at UUCW in December 2022. This is their second visit to Winchendon.
Rick Anderson (Trumpet) has been a music educator for over 40 years. Retired, he is now a private instructor, performer, adjudicator, and conductor. He plays trumpet with various ensembles including big bands, concert bands, orchestras, pit orchestras, small ensembles, and general business bands. Locals may recognize Rick as the Assistant Conductor of Winchendon Winds, which performs seasonally at UUCW. Rick is also a regular performer with the Vermont Jazz Center Big Band and a founding member of the Keene Jazz Orchestra.
Bob Coviello (Trumpet) began playing trumpet at the age of ten. During and after high school he played in dance and concert bands. He received a BS degree in Music Education and was a high school band director in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Quincy MA public schools. Her served six years with the 76th Infantry Division Army Band and twenty years with the 567th Air Force National Guard Band.
Keira Christian (French horn) started playing clarinet at age 9 and picked up a French horn for the first time in 6th grade. After performing as first chair horn in the UNH Symphonic Band and Section Leader for the UNH Wildcat Marching Band, she has continued to perform with the Claremont American Band, the Temple Band, and most recently, the Amherst Town Band.
Dr. Taylor Hughey (Trombone) a Courtois Performing Artist, is an Artist in Residence at Valdosta State University. Previously, she was the Head of Brass Development for Brass for Africa in Uganda and on faculty at Heze University in China. She earned a DMA/MM from the University of Southern California and a BM from the University of Tennessee. She has performed with various recording artists including Elton John, Deana Carter, and Taylor Swift, and has played throughout the US, Europe, and Asia as soloist and with numerous orchestras. She currently resides in Brattleboro, VT.
Joe Hoye (Tuba) has been playing the tuba in and around the western Massachusetts/Pioneer Valley area for many years and with many different groups of musicians. He now resides in southern NH and enjoys playing whenever he can.
The quintet will perform for about an hour, concluding with a family-friendly Christmas carol singalong. Start your holiday celebrations on a musical note with this uplifting live concert featuring some of your favorite tunes.
UU Church of Winchendon Holiday Bazaar and Cookie Sale
Corin Fandel of A-Crafting We Shall Go returns with her custom wreaths and home decor.
Photo courtesy of Jill Sackett
Flynn's Chocolates were a sell-out at last year's bazaar
Photo courtesy of Jill Sackett
Still getting ready for Christmas? Not to worry--shoppers can expect a full house at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Winchendon (UUCW) Holiday Bazaar scheduled for Saturday, December 16 from 10:00 a.m to 2:00 p.m. UUCW has a record number of vendors signed up offering a wide variety of wares. Visitors may stroll two floors of displays against a backdrop of cheerful holiday music and decorations.
Local crafters will be selling hand-sewn or crocheted clothing, home décor and toys; pet treats; wood-burned art; tumblers; bookmarks and cards bearing original art; custom wreaths; gnomes and one-of-a-kind gift items. Featured popular lines include Scentsy, Pampered Chef, 31 Bags, Usborne Books and Color Street. Children's toys, plushies and home-made slime will be up for grabs. Favorite nibbles include Flynn's chocolates and UUCW's own home-made holiday cookies. Stocking stuffers abound!
Stop in at the church's warm kitchen downstairs to purchase a hot beverage and freshly baked treat from their annual cookie sale. Several varieties baked by ServSafe® certified chefs from Our Neighbor's Kitchen will be available, including sugar-free and/or gluten-free options.
There is still time and opportunity to shop "local" and find some truly unique gifts this season. Holiday Bazaar purchases support local vendors, and all of the church's vendor rental fees and food sales go towards their operational costs and ongoing Set in Stone building repairs.
