Town Manager Presents First Draft Town Meeting Warrant
At the Board of Selectmen's meeting on Monday, April 8, Town Manager Bill McKinney presented the first draft of the Warrant for the 2024 Annual Town Meeting scheduled to be held on Monday, April 20. The Warrant had just closed that day at 5:00 p.m. "I've been working feverishly on this for the past several days and quite a bit today," Mr. McKinney said. "And I want to thank [Town Manager's Executive Assistants] Linda [Daigle] and Deb [Dennis] for their help in putting all this together." Altogether, the draft Warrant includes 31 articles.
Article 1 is the usual vote to hear the report of the Finance Committee, and any other Boards or Committees required to report to the Town. In most cases, only the Finance Committee gives a report, but the Board of Selectmen will be giving the Boston Post Cane Recipient Recognition, which is awarded annually to the town's oldest resident.
Article 2 asks voters to "revoke the approval of Article 3 of the Annual Town Meeting of May 15, 2023 which established an Opio[i]d Abatement Stabilization Fund and further to establish a Special Revenue Opio[i]d Fund." This relates to the distribution to municipalities of legal awards from a settlement for damage to communities from opioid addiction. Winchendon had previously agreed to pool their award money with neighboring communities to fund substance abuse and recovery services from Gardner-based GAMMHA, Inc.
"Basically the Department of Revenue gave us guidance that there was a lot of change that happened in December regarding how to spend opioid funds," Mr. McKinney said. "How do you get them and spend them, and so I think there was a vote at the last Annual Town Meeting creating a stabilization fund for opioid settlement, which was how they were going to be treated at the time." But from 2024 going forward, he said, "They just need to be put into a special revenue fund. So we'll probably have to create a special revenue fund and then they can just put the deposit into that and no further appropriations required as long as the funds are spent on opioid related issues." At some point, opioid monies that had been put into Free Cash will have to be moved to the new fund, "which means less Free Cash for for other things."
Article 3 is the usual article setting the spending limits for the various revolving funds used by Town departments. All of these are the same as FY24.
Article 4 sets the funding for the Senior Tax Work-Off (a program in which senior citizens can work in odd jobs for the town in exchange for an offset in their property tax) at $7,700, which is the same as FY24.
Article 5 sets the amount granted by the Town to the Winchendon Community Action Committee (CAC), which is a private non-profit organization, at $27,500, which is the same as FY24.
Article 6 asks voters to approve the Town's operating budget for FY25 at $17,712,045. Mr. McKinney explained that he had grouped the amounts together instead of having all the individual line items printed in the Warrant.
Article 7 sets the amount appropriated for the Water Department Enterprise Fund at $1,072,078.
Article 8 sets the amount appropriated for the Wastewater (Sewer) Department Enterprise Fund at $1,271,179.
Article 9 sets the amount appropriated for the Transfer Station Department Enterprise Fund at $259,810 for direct costs and $23,474 for indirect costs.
Article 10 sets the amount appropriated for direct costs to operate the Public, Education and Governmental Access Media enterprise at $125,894, and indirect costs of $5,106 to be funded by PEG Access receipts.
Article 11 asks voters to approve the Winchendon Public Schools School Department operating budget at $17,432,926.
Article 12 asks voters to approve the Town's assessment for Montachusett Regional Vocational School at $622,230.
Article 13 asks voters to approve using a $42,982.31 surplus from Article 13 of the 2022 Annual Town Meeting to fund other DPW capital improvements. Mr. McKinney explained, "there was a borrowing authorization to replace the DPW roof down at that building and there were some extra funds. But because of the way it was narrowly worded, there's actually other repairs that need to be done to the building. But the wording of the borrowings only mentioned the roof. So this is to repurpose the leftover funds from that project to other capital projects at that same building."
Article 14 asks voters to approve appropriating retained earnings from the Transfer Station Enterprise Fund to cover additional expenses for FY24 (the current fiscal year), including trash compactors. It does not yet have a dollar amount in the article. Mr. McKinney explained, "There's been a lot more activity at the Transfer Station, a lot more people are throwing things out down there, and we're getting the funds for it. The problem is that the amount that could be spent was set. Even though we're getting the additional funds to cover those additional expenses, we need to increase the expense amount to be able to get through the end of the year. So the funds are there to cover it" from anticipated fees, sticker sales and so on through June. He said that they will have a final number before the public hearing on the Warrant on April 23.
Article 15 and Article 16 both relate to the purchase of a 6 wheel dump truck for use by the Water and Wastewater departments, which will split the cost between them. The Wastewater Enterprise Fund has enough retained earnings for its share of $110,445. The Water Enterprise Fund does not have enough, so Article 16 asks voter to approve borrowing the balance in a five-year bond beginning in August.
Article 17 represents the only capital expenses paid from Free Cash approved by the Capital Committee: $62,000 for a DPW vehicle, and $15,000 for repairs to the exterior of the Beals Memorial Library. This comes to a total of $77,000 from Free Cash.
Article 18 asks voters to approve the purchase of a new police cruiser, which will be funded by the 911 grant, in the amount of $71,200.
Article 19 asks voters to approve transferring $200,000 from Free Cash to the Stabilization Fund. This is to cover the expenditure of around $200,000 for a delayed insurance bill which was taken from the Stabilization Fund last year.
Article 20 has no dollar amount as yet. It will ask voters to approve transferring money from Free Cash into the Opio[i]d Special Revenue Fund, as discussed for Article 2. Mr. McKinney said they were talking to the state Department of Revenue to determine what that amount will be.
Between 20 and 21, the draft Warrant has an unnumbered "placeholder" article to be finalized, asking voters "to amend the time limit on borrowings from five years up to ten years." Mr. McKinney explained that he was concerned about the debt burden of "the three and a half million dollars worth of borrowings that the town had authorized over the last couple of years" on which principal payments will start being due in FY26. With a five year term, the principal payments will be $700,000 a year, but in a ten-year term they would be $350,000. "I don't know if that's something that we can change at this point," he said. "We have, like I said, we borrowed, we haven't bonded, we're going to be doing that in August. I'd have to do some research, but I want to throw something in there in case it's something that we could ask Town Meeting--if they would be willing to change the borrowing term from five years to something longer, to be able to spread those payments out going into future years."
Article 21 asks voters to approve establishing a Youth Commission for the town, pursuant to Mass General Laws Chapter 40, Section 8E.
Article 22 asks voters to approve establishing a Commission on Disability for the town, pursuant to Mass General Laws Chapter 40 Section 8J.
Article 23 asks voters to approve a new PILOT (tax agreement for Payments-In-Lieu-Of-Taxes) for a new solar energy installation at 875 Spring Street.
Article 24 asks voters to approve increasing the Demand Fees in the Collector Treasurer's office to $15 from the current $5. $5 is "very, very low," Mr. McKinney said. "State law allows us to go up to $30 for a demand fee for someone who hasn't paid the bill...I think it's not appropriate to go all the way up to $30. But $5 really doesn't cover much with all the expenses of generating the demand. So we'd like to be able to go up to $15."
Article 25 asks voters to approve conveying a parcel of town-owned land on Lincoln Avenue to the Winchendon Redevelopment Authority. This is a carry-over from last year's Fall Town Meeting which could not be voted on because the article had the incorrect map and parcel numbers for the parcel. They have been corrected.
Article 26 asks voters to approve a change in the Winchendon Flood Zoning Bylaw Section 4.1 Flood Plain Conservancy Districts, to be FEMA compliant by incorporating the MA Model Flood Zoning Bylaw.
The next four articles were all placed by citizen petitions which had just arrived that day, Mr. McKinney said.
Article 27 states, "We the Citizens petition that the Town of Winchendon does not allow any permits or projects with Comm-97 or other contaminated soil to be brought, stored or dumped in Winchendon. As a town endowed with water resources including rivers, aquifers and wetlands, concerns of water contamination for residents and wildlife exceed any short-term economic benefit."
Article 28 states, "That the Town of Winchendon refuse any and all permit requests or renewals for earth removal operations due to concerns of degrading air quality and increasing the risks for respiratory disease, noise pollution and traffic."
Article 29 states, "To see if the Town will vote to assign the fiscal responsibility of the new water pipe, to those, who solely rely on these public services. Residents who have wells and septic syustems, pay to maintain those independently, and should not be given the extra financial burden, of paying for a similar service, that will not directly benefit them. In addition, these residents also financially contribute, to the town's shared community spaces. Lastly, securing additional grants, and ensuring a fiscally responsible contract with Ashburnham, will be helpful in reducing our residents final cost."
Article 30 is "Resolution in Support of Changing the Commonwealth Flag and Seal of Massachusetts." This is part of an ongoing state-wide movement to remove imagery from the Massachusetts state flag and seal depicting the conquest of indigenous peoples by colonial Europeans, in favor of a new design that does not include such imagery. (For more information about this movement, see https://changethemassflag.com/.)
Following Mr. McKinney's presentation, Board Chair Audrey LaBrie (joining the meeting via Zoom) asked if the citizen's petitions were non-binding resolutions. Mr. McKinney said, "typically, they would be," but since they all arrived that day, the staff had not had a chance to review them with town counsel and determine that for certain.
The Board planned to finalize the Warrant at their meeting on Monday, April 22. The Finance Committee will hold their public hearing on the Warrant articles on Tuesday, April 23 and the Board of Selectmen will vote on their recommendations on Wednesday, April 24.
BOS Hears Details About Proposed Town Commission on Disability
At the Board of Selectmen's meeting on Monday, April 8, the Board heard a presentation from three citizens--Kristina Seaverns, Miranda Jennings and Susan Kuchta--who are part of a group working to establish a town Commission on Disability (COD) in Winchendon. They were requesting formal sponsorship from the Board for their proposal to create this official new town commission. The proposal will be placed before voters at the 2024 Annual Town Meeting on May 20.
Ms. Jennings began by explaining, "The three of us started meeting about two years ago, when the town received a grant through the Department of Public Health called the CHII grant, which is the Community Health Inclusion Index grant, and it called for a group of people that cared about people's abilities and disabilities and access to everything in the town to do an assessment of how our town was doing, in terms of the buildings and so on. So we did up surveys of the [Clark YMCA] and the CAC and the Town Hall and the Beals [Memorial Library] and other organizations. And after doing all these assessments there were issues about crosswalks and some of the infrastructure which we are addressing. But the biggest thing was that whatever issue comes up, the most important thing is to have a group of residents that are affected by these issues directly, that have different abilities, to be the ones with voices to give advice, and to give recommendations to the town in a permanent sustainable manner. So it's not just when a problem comes up, but it can be more preventative."
Ms. Jennings said that they did research into other towns in the state that have Commissions on Disability, and a Disability Coordinator. A Commission would "embed a space" for the voices of people with disabilities.
Ms. Kuchner then spoke personally about why she was invested in this issue. "I grew up in Winchendon," she began. "I got married, moved to New Hampshire, lived there two years, moved back to Winchendon, bought a house on High Street, beautiful house. But then I got diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. And you know what happens when you lose your health? You lose everything. So I am very happy to be working here with Miranda and everybody else on the committee, because this gives us a chance to help everyone in the town no matter what their abilities or disabilities are. It's really good to work as the liaison with the whole community, with the town, with the people that need it, and that's the reason I'm here."
Ms. Seaverns then spoke, saying, "I have twins that are 11. I have type one diabetes. And I have several complications with it. I'm legally blind. My kidneys are failing. I have severe neuropathy, just to begin. But with that said, I don't want anyone else to go through the things that I've had to go through to find what I needed to find to get help, to get rides, things of that nature. So I'm here because I want to help other people easily get to what is available to them. So I enjoy going to the meetings and I enjoy working with my peers and trying to help people navigate. That is why I'm here."
Ms. Jennings said she hadn't realized the kinds of challenges some people in town faced. As a town employee, she can be the liaison for the town on the Commission, which is one of the requirements. "I love the motto of our town, 'working together', and this will help us do it even better."
Ms. Kuchner then explained more details about the COD. "The COD is a small group of 5 to 13 people that is chosen by the Board of Selectmen to work together as a liaison, to work with the town, to work with people in the community, to work with businesses in the community. Some of the membership requirements are, the majority of members must be people with disabilities. One member must be an elected or appointed municipal official. And one member must be an immediate family member to a person with a disability." Commission members would have three year terms, and would start out as a combination of one, two and three years to stagger their terms. The group was looking for a Youth representative for the Commission although that is not a state requirement.
The COD must meet at least 10 times a year, keep written records of their meetings, and file an annual report. The first formal meeting was held in February, Ms. Kuchner said.
Ms. Jennings went on to explain that the function of the COD is "to give advice or recommendations to the town--if you're doing projects or if there are certain infrastructure, for example, improvements that could be made. It's also to be a sounding board for people with disabilities if there is an issue, not issues such as any closed captioning for a meeting or things like that, for that they should be contacting the disabilities coordinator, that's the employee of the town. But more of these bigger systemic project issues that are happening." The COD can also initiate its own projects, such as awareness events, trainings, or projects to benefit people with disabilities.
The first step, Ms. Jennings said, is to identify a sponsor, which would be the Board of Selectmen, to adopt the state law about forming a Commission on Disabilities in Massachusetts. Once the Commission has been approved in a vote by Town Meeting, it can recruit more members, and then start developing its bylaws, mission statement, goals and so on.
Board Vice Chair Rick Ward said he was "totally for this," but he wanted the public to understand that the COD is an advisory committee. The procedure for forming it takes several steps. First, the voters of the town need to accept the provisions of the law, Chapter 40 Section 8J, at Town Meeting. Then a new section of the town Bylaws would need to be written defining the exact parameters of the COD, and Town Meeting would need to approve amending the town Bylaws to add it.
The Warrant for the 2024 Annual Town meeting includes an article to accept the state law. Mr. Ward asked if the article could also include the definition of the Winchendon COD, or would they have to wait until Fall Town Meeting for that step. He also raised some points about the number of members on the Commission--the law says 13, but that might be a large number to try to find. Because Winchendon has a Town Manager and Board of Selectmen, members would be appointed by the Town Manager and approved by the BOS. He also noted that the requirements don't say that members of the COD must be residents of the town, which he felt was a good idea.
The Board voted to approve sponsoring the creation of a Commission on Disability for the town of Winchendon.
Ireland's Neil Byrne in Concert at WHCC on April 22
Neil Byrne
Photo courtesy of Valerie Porter
Neil Byrne is a man of many musical talents--singer, songwriter, music producer, master of the guitar and other instruments. He'll be featuring those talents in the second leg of his solo tour of the U.S. in August and September, traveling from his home in County Wexford, Ireland.
Byrne's interest in music began at the age of 6, as he watched his musician dad perform with his band in Ireland. Eventually, Byrne recorded his first album, Pale Blue Jak, and was a member of several bands. When he was a performer with famed Irish musician Phil Coulter, he was asked by Coulter to join what has become a highly popular singing group, Celtic Thunder. Byrne has been with Celtic Thunder since the beginning, earning top spots for their recordings on the Billboard charts.
His U.S. tour, titled Eyes of Eire, indeed turns eyes towards Ireland, focusing on Irish and folk tunes. His delightful Irish wit and gift for storytelling shines through in his concerts.
He will appear in concert in Winchendon, on April 22, at the Winchendon History and Cultural Center. The location is 151 Front Street. Tickets are necessary in advance--either $45 General Admission or $75 VIP, which includes the concert and a Meet & Greet photo opportunity with Neil Byrne. Details and tickets are available at www.neilbyrnemusic.com. Meet & Greet is at 6:30 p.m.; the concert is at 7:30 p.m.
Winchendon American Legion Auxiliary Gives "Good Deed Award" to Josh Sowdon
Members of the Winchendon and Vernon Hill American Legion Units with Josh Sowden, holding his award.
Photo copyright © American Legion Vernon Hill Post 435
The Winchendon American Legion Auxiliary Unit 193 bestowed its annual "Youth Hero / Good Deed Award" on 12-year-old Josh Sowdon of Worcester, in a ceremony held at the American Legion Vernon Hill, Worcester on Tuesday, April 9. The award is presented to young person who donates their time or money to a worthy cause.
Four years ago, Josh started "Josh's Easter Baskets for the Homeless," after visiting a shelter and learning that the children living there didn't get Easter baskets unless they were donated. Josh was determined to help out, and began giving Easter baskets to homeless kids, from babies to 12-year-olds, in his area. His campaign has kept on growing, and in 2024 Josh gave out 310 baskets. A young friend has begun helping the family with the campaign, and the baskets were distributed to homeless kids in two different shelters and a hotel.
Along with a certificate, Josh received a check for over $400 to help fund next year's baskets.
Otter River State Forest Closed Due to Storm Damage
The campground registration and check-in building at Otter River State Forest.
This 75-foot-tall evergreen tree toppled in last Thursday's snow, ice and wind storm, bringing down utility lines and crushing an information kiosk at Otter River State Forest.
The information kiosk will need to be completely replaced.
By Wednesday, April 10, the tree had been removed and utility lines restored by utility crews.
On Monday, April 8, the Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), which manages several local state parks, announced that Otter River State Forest day use and campground areas were closed until further notice due to storm damage still being assessed. High winds during last Thursday's winter storm reportedly brought down several trees and a utility pole, which disrupted power lines and crushed an informational kiosk.
DCR officials will be surveying the park at a later date to assess whether more repairs or cleanup are required. The estimated opening date for the park, which normally opens for camping in mid-May, will be announced when known.
Lake Dennison State Park remains closed due to high water levels and flooding of many roadways, beaches and public areas near the water, due partly to the high amount of rainfall and partly to Birch Hill Dam holding water to reduce flooding elsewhere. Its opening date will also be announced when known.
Photos provided by local resident
