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LOCALBonding by

nature: a week in the woods

PAGE 3

SPORTSCoach recaps

softball season appreciating young

players

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WEEKLY QUOTE

“Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.”

Jim Valvano

The second performance of Winchendon Winds concert band takes place Sunday, June 14 out-side the Clark Memorial YMCA Field House at 1:30 p.m. Bring a picnic and enjoy the variety of pieces performed by this professional level band under the direction of career music educator and Winchendon resident Jon Nicholson. This Sunday’s concert selections are as follows:

Procession of the Nobles: Win Winds opens with a brilliant trumpet fanfare and processional march by Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov.

Nimrod from the Enigma Variations: British composer Edward Elgar wrote this beloved and moving tribute to a dear friend and mentor. First performed in 1899, Nimrod is still enjoyed today.

Slavonic Rhapsody: Carl Friedemann’s tech-nical showpiece for woodwinds winds up to a dazzling, brassy finish.

Reflective Mood: The smooth and rich sound of trombone soloist Steve Piermarini will be heard in this soulful piece written by Sammy Nestico in 1964 and dedicated to his trombone teacher.

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot: Steve follows with a balladic, then jazzy rendition of this favorite American spiritual.

Nobles of the Mystic Shrine: “March King” John Philip Sousa composed this piece in 1923 to celebrate his membership in the Shriners’ Temple. The march has a joyful, circus-like flair.

Variations on a Shaker Melody:This popu-lar folk tune, also known as Simple Gifts, was arranged for band by American composer Aaron Copland in 1958.

La Forza del Destino: Opera maestro Giuseppe Verdi wrote this overture to his dramatic tragedy La Forza del Destino (“The Power of Fate’) which has been arranged into a powerhouse piece.

Water Music Suite: George Frideric Handel composed this celebration music in 1717 at the request King George I for a lavish barge party on the River Thames. This oft-performed work is used in commercials, weddings and numerous variations.

Just a Closer Walk: Don Gillis’ arrangement of this American gospel evokes Preservation Hall style New Orleans jazz.

Theme from Romantic Symphony #2: Win Winds closes with the beautiful theme from American composer Howard Hanson’s Symphony #2. This theme is played at the close of every con-cert at the prestigious Interlochen Center for Fine Arts in Michigan.

The concert series continues every Sunday afternoon in June and the first Sunday in July. Sponsored by the Winchendon Parks & Rec Commission with a grant from the Robinson Broadhurst Foundation.

BY KATHLEEN BENNETTCOURIER CORRESPONDENT

WINCHENDON — What bet-ter way is there to spend a pris-tine, 73-degree Sunday after-noon than at a free outdoor concert in late spring?

Sponsored by the Winchendon Parks and Recreations Department and the Wendell Clark Memorial YMCA with financial support from the Robinson Broadhurst Foundation, Winchendon Winds has formed a 40-plus orchestra under the direction of Winchendon resident Jon Nicholson. The formation of this ensemble was a labor of love for Nicholson, the conduc-tor, who called on several of his friends and colleagues to start making music for the Toy Town.

Emceed by his daughter,

Inanna Arthen, the 90-minute show began at 1:30 p.m. last Sunday behind the playground. Over the course of the concert, more and more folks set up their chairs or blankets in sun or shade. Approximately three dozen did so, with many more nearby denizens utilizing the playground, fields, and path-ways benefiting as they walked, played, biked, or enjoyed their razor scooters.

The band opened with Block M March, a lively number from the days that Nicholson attend-ed University of Michigan. Second Suite in F for Military Band followed, which consist-ed of three British folk songs featuring full band, solo bari-tone, and woodwind section. A melancholy lovers’ ballad, a blacksmith’s song, and a jolly

WINCHENDON — Interim Town Manager Bernie Lynch spent his first full day in town Tuesday, meeting with depart-ment heads and, in his own words, getting his feet wet.

“It was a very busy day. I spent a couple hours first off with the DOR, learning the financial picture, then I was complete-ly immersed until I left at 6 p.m. It’s a great town,” said Lynch.

He accepted a contract as an employee, not a consultant, because procurement laws preclude using a consultant in that capacity. His contracted pay is $1,875 per week, for 90 days; with the possibility of an extension to the contract for an

additional 90 days if necessary.Lynch has worked as town

manager in cities as large as Lowell, as financial manager, auditor and as consultant in financial areas. He currently is faculty at Suffolk University, teaching state and local finance. He laughs, saying he can use Winchendon as a great example for his classes.

He is very optimistic about Winchendon’s chances, now that he has had his first expo-sure to its people and its prob-lems.

“I’m very optimistic we can get through this. I can immedi-ately see some things that are fixable, we just have to get the town moving forward,” said Lynch.

He did say he could see some real problems with fiscal man-agement, and a lot of it has to

BY JERRY CARTONCOURIER CORRESPONDENT

WINCHENDON — Emotions ran high last Sunday as the Murdock High School class of 2015 took their final bows and graduated on a sun-splashed afternoon before a large crowd gathered at Alumni Field.

Class president Vicky Marshall’s voice broke repeatedly when she noted the day marked a “comple-tion and celebration. It’s heartbreaking for me to say goodbye,” she said quietly. Marshall acknowledged she and her classmates are leav-ing “our comfort zone” but urged them to “go after your dreams.” The four-year class president mused that senior

year was “the best year of my life,” but added she was ready to take the next step, feeling she’d been well prepared at MHS.

“I’m forever going to be grateful to have been at Murdock,” Marshall assured.

Valedictorian Brandon Jinn (4.21 gpa) was reflective when he said one of the most positive aspects of having attended Murdock was the small class size which fre-quently enabled teachers to become “more like friends. In their own way, each teach-er taught us not only their subject, but valuable life les-sons.”

“We’ve worked hard to be here,” he said, adding, “That hard work has made us grow as students and people.”

Jinn closed his remarks by imploring fellow graduates to “have fun this summer — do something you normally wouldn’t do and spend as much time with your friends as you can. Enjoy this moment of bliss because life will never be the same again.” He also took a moment to thank his own parents “for all they sac-rificed” for him.

Rachel Dickens (4.16 gpa) is headed to Northeastern in the fall. The salutation laughingly said she knows she’s going from being “a big fish in a very small pond in Winchendon to being a microscopic” one in Boston.

“I will be okay, though. We all will be okay,” she said and

WINCHENDON — Though the special education busing contract when finalized in February 2014 was definitely more than already budget-ed by the town; and there are emails available to prove Supt. Dr. Salah Khelfaoui reached out to the town to increase the amount to cover the contract; action was not taken at that time. Now the most recent pay-ments to the small company were pulled from the warrants by town accountant Donna Allard, who realized the pay-ment would put the budget into the deficit; not allowed by the state Department of Revenue

with its focus on town.It means, unfortunately, the

bus company might not make its payroll, the drivers might not pick up students for the final weeks of school.

A joint meeting of the Board of Selectmen and School Committee Monday night could not come to a viable solution to the matter. BOS Chairman Michael Barbaro did state the special education busing is mandated by federal law, and should there be a problem with getting the students to school it could result in legal recourse.

“I don’t want someone at my door with a warrant,” said

Barbaro emphatically.A few solutions, shunting

funds from in town transpor-tation to cover the shortfall until a solution can be found and perhaps using Finance Committee reserves if any still exists were considered; the FinCom was meeting on Tuesday and representatives of both BOS and SC intended to attend to present the problem. In the end, any solution will require a town meeting vote to change budget amounts, and so a special town meeting is set Tuesday, June 30 at 7 p.m. This was announced as June 29, but it was discovered new interim

town manager Bernie Lynch is unavailable Mondays, so BOS met Thursday to rescind the original vote and revote the date to June 30 to make certain Lynch could attend.

The warrant was opened Monday night and will close June 15 at 5 p.m., should any other articles be considered for the same meeting.

The actual reason for calling the joint meeting, to consider candidates for the two open seats on the school committee, welcomed three of the four to the microphone for brief intro-ductions. Andrea Suchocki, who was a member of the com-

mittee and came in third in the last election, also expressed an interest in continuing to serve on one of the open seats, but was unable to attend the meeting.

Susan Cochran, Amanda Grubb-Davidson and Janet Corbosiero were all given a chance to explain their reasons for wishing to be chosen to serve. After discussion, nom-ination and voting, Grubb-Davidson and Corbosiero were elected to occupy the two seats until next May’s’ elections; when they each will have the

Turn To GRADUATES page A6

Turn To LYNCH page A10

Turn To WIN WINDS page A10

Turn To MEETING page A10

Problem from 2014 now sends town to special meeting

Morgan St. Pierre photoThe traditional hats in the air for the 63 Murdock graduates of 2015.

Graduates readyfor next steps

Win Winds debuts its June concert series

Lynch makes first foray

Kathleen Bennett photo

Jon Nicholson directs the newly formed Winchendon Winds at its inaugural performance

Bernie Lynch

This week’s performance

FITCHBURG — The weather may have been a bit threatening, but it didn’t dampen the spirits of the 317 members of Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School’s Class of 2015, as they were all smiles marching onto the ath-letic field May 27, to receive their diplo-mas and certificates of vocational-tech-nical proficiency at the school’s 44th Commencement Exercises.

Junior class marshals led the grad-uates to their seats, while Principal Thomas R. Browne got the ceremony underway.

Members of Monty Tech’s Marine Corps JROTC Color Guard presented the flags, and Tamara A. Rotelo-Rivero of Leominster, class vice president, led the Pledge of Allegiance. Michael J. Thomason of Gardner sang the National Anthem.

Class officers, Alyanna M. Giuliano of Fitchburg, president; Tamara A. Rotelo-Rivero, vice president, and Paige D. Imprescia of Athol, secretary/treasur-er, presented the class gift, a check to purchase a new rug for the front lobby of the school building, to Eric J. Olson of Phillipston, School Committee chair-person.

Superintendent-Director Dr. Sheila M. Harrity congratulated the graduates on their accomplishments during their four years, and stressed how their edu-cation has prepared them for success in the real world.

“Our students are truly graduating career and college ready, and I am con-fident that you have been prepared to be successful in your future. Schools in the past taught the three R’s, read-ing, writing and arithmetic. This is no longer sufficient in our 21st century. Monty Tech’s mission is to properly prepare our students both academically and technically with 21st century skills to be successful and competitive in a global economy.”

She told the students that because of their accomplishments, Monty Tech continues to have one of the highest graduation rates and the lowest drop-out rate in the state. “Your MCAS scores are the envy of many school districts. We have so much to be proud of,” she said.

She thanked the students for help-ing to make her feel so welcome at the school. “You will always be a very special class to me....my first here at Monty Tech. Let me be the first to con-gratulate you and to wish you success in the future.”

Class president Giuliano told her classmates that the road to success isn’t always easy. “Graduation is a big step

in our lives, and with it comes a fear of the unknown. Let me reassure you it’s natural to be afraid of failure, to be afraid of the uncertain.”

She reminded her classmates that they are part of a bigger picture. “Although we are all individuals, it’s important to remember we’re a part of the bigger picture, and we all have something great to contribute to the world,” she said. She urged them to step out of their comfort zones and not be afraid of failing.

Class salutatorian Tiffany M. Cunningham of Gardner began her speech by reminding her classmates that she does not like to be the center of attention. “I stand before you today with the greatest urge to run away from this podium, but I can’t leave just yet. I know how easy it would be to accept my fear of failure, but I know that I can’t quit after making it this far.”

She spoke about the people in the graduates’ lives who never gave up on them, who supported them and encour-aged them to never give up on their dreams and ambitions despite the neg-ative aspects attempting to hold them down.

“It is time for all of us to accept new challenges and persevere....moving to the future of each of our lives. Life is all about choices. Every day you have the choice to stay where you are or to move forward. What you choose will determine where you will end up. Make it count!”

Class valedictorian Brian J. King of Westminster received a standing ova-tion for his moving and heartfelt speech about loss and learning to accept what you have and not let the small stuff in life get to you. “I have recently been put in the position to see the impor-tance of enjoying and appreciating each moment in life. On Dec. 10, 2014, at the age of 45, my mother lost her battle with ovarian cancer.”

He went on to say that as her illness progressed, she didn’t have the strength to do the everyday things people take for granted. “Especially toward the end of last year, catching her awake and alert enough to hold a conversation became increasingly rare. Instead of finding the obvious joy in events such as vacations and late-night conversa-tions about the future, the little things became more important. I began to understand how important it is to enjoy and appreciate the small pleasures in life,” he explained.

Following the speeches, Barbara Reynolds of Lunenburg, School Committee Vice Chairperson, assist-

ed Olson in pre-senting diplomas and certificates of vocational-techni-cal proficiency to the following local graduates:

Ashburnham: Austin Bornstein ( p l u m b -ing), Heather C h a m p a g n e ( c o s m e t o l o g y ) , Brandon Chicklis (drafting tech-nology), Jessica Cormier (cosme-tology), Theodore Dancause (infor-mation tech-nology), Julia Enright* (graph-ic communica-tions), Charles Graham (informa-tion technology), Monique Guthrie (graphic commu-nications), Noah Hebert (masonry), Michael Hildreth* (cabinetmaking), Amanda Johnson* (dental assisting), Ashley Maloney (culinary arts), Ashley Osborne (house carpen-try), Felicia Owen (graphic commu-nications), and Colton Pinard (electrical).

Baldwinville:

Dylan Burgess (masonry), Jai Clark (automotive technology), Erin Cregg* (graphic communications), Justin Dennis (masonry), Maria Diaz Santos (health occupations), Neiva LaBrecque* (business technology), Jonathan Morin (masonry), Sarah Rusch (cosmetology), and Jeffrey Spaan (plumbing).

Gardner: Scott Batchelder* (early childhood education), Casey Beaton (machine technology), Samantha Berkes (culinary arts), Eric Bourque (engineering technology), Sara Brown (culinary arts), Chelsea Caron (culi-nary arts), Owen Castonguay (industri-al technology), Tiffany Cunningham* (dental assisting), Emilee Flynn (culi-nary arts), Joseph Gallant (welding, metal fabrication), Briana Hansen (early childhood education), Hannah Koula (automotive technology), Nicholas LaBarge (culinary arts), Christopher LaBarge Jr.* (industrial technology), Brandon Landry (culinary arts), Adrienne LaRoche* (early child-hood education), Jamison LaRoche* (engineering technology), Brittney Lawrence (electrical), Jack Marabello* (engineering technology), Jessica McGrath (graphic communications), Gabriel Melendez (information tech-nology), Zachary Miller (information technology), Joshua Nguyen (house carpentry), Jared Orzel (engineering technology), Nicholas Pike (plumbing), Connor Quick* (information technolo-gy), Owasif Rahman (engineering tech-nology), Mykala Rogers (cosmetology), Shayna Rolon* (business technology), David Ross (electrical), Tyler Russell (cabinetmaking), Cristian Sanchez (business technology), Ryan Shaw (welding, metal fabrication), Kiaya Shea (early childhood education), Seann Silvia (information technology), Joshua Smith (industrial technology), Cheyanne Taft (business technology), Michael Thomason (graphic communi-cations), Samantha Vartesian (culinary arts), and Ryan Walker (electrical).

Phillipston: David Aukstikainis (masonry), Brett Grant (information technology), Noah Roy (engineering technology), Ashley Scaplen (business technology), and Bethany Valois (cabi-netmaking).

Royalston: Emily Mangum (health occupations), Ryan Sawyer (plumbing), and Sophia Zeena (cosmetology).

Templeton: Shelby Arseneau (cosme-tology), Matthew Elsevier* (machine technology), Abigail Felton (engi-neering technology), MacKenzie MacAdams* (cosmetology), Rebekah Provencher* (cabinetmaking), Joshua Shepard (machine technology), Melissa Swenson (auto body, collision repair technology), Dana Symonds* (auto-motive technology), Tashonn Tallman (cabinetmaking), Kati White (health occupations), and Nathan Winters (electrical).

Winchendon: Devin Abramo (health occupations), Nico Amenta (masonry), Ashley Arsenault* (early childhood edu-cation), Kayla Beauvais (health occupa-tions), Adam Becotte* (culinary arts), Andrea Bickford* (machine technolo-gy), Hollie Bilodeau-Stacy (health occu-pations), Cody Caley (automotive tech-nology), Alex Cantin (electrical), Logan Common (welding, metal fabrication), Raymond Dexter (plumbing), Elizabeth Duval (health occupations), Brandon Ellis (electrical), Kailey French (busi-ness technology), Zachary Hachey (auto body, collision repair technolo-

gy), Rachel Haley* (house carpen-try), Joshua Helie (graphic commu-nications), Toby Helie (graphic communications), Sarah Hosnander (machine tech-nology), Cody Husselbee (auto body, collision repair technol-ogy), Joseph LeBlanc (elec-trical), Zachary Lee (welding, metal fabrica-tion), Olivia Lore* (graphic

communications), Danielle Martin (electrical), Michaela Mitchell (dental assisting), Joshua Monette (plumbing), Isaac Peckham (machine technology), Jordan Richard (graphic communi-cations), Clarissa Scott (cosmetolo-gy), Isabella Smith* (dental assisting), Carley Treshinsky (culinary arts), Christopher Willett (electrical), and Kayla Woodward (health occupations).

*National Honors SocietyMembers of the 2015 graduating class

at Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School were honored recent-ly for their accomplishments the last four years in the areas of academics, vocational-technical studies, communi-ty service, and athletics.

Due to the large number of awards and scholarships presented, two award ceremonies were held. One ceremony was held during the day and another in the evening. Both ceremonies were held in the school’s Performing Arts Center.

The Monty Tech Foundation, which sponsors the school’s two major annu-al fundraisers, the Superintendent’s Dinner and fall golf tournament, award-ed a total of $34,000 in scholarships to the graduates. Another $6,000 from the foundation is going to graduates of Monty Tech’s Practical Nursing Program.

The following is a listing of local recipients and their awards:

Cody Caley of Winchendon was named most outstanding student in automotive technology, Monty Tech Foundation.

Amanda Johnson of Ashburnham was named most conscientious student in dental assisting; Gerry Flynn memo-rial scholarship; Bemis Associates scholarship;

Erin Cregg of Baldwinville was named most outstanding student in graphic communications, Monty Tech Foundation award.

Matthew Elsevier of Templeton was named most outstanding student in machine technology; Class of 1991 award; Peter W. MacDonald memorial award;

Sarah Hosnander of Winchendon was named most improved student in machine technology.

David Aukstikalnis of Phillipston was named most outstanding student in masonry; Massachusetts Trowel Trades scholarship; Ladies Benevolent Society of Phillipston Congregational Church; Monty Tech Foundation;

Austin Bornstein of Ashburnham was named most improved in plumb-ing; Monty Tech Foundation.

Zachary Lee of Winchendon was named most dependable in welding-met-al fabrication.

Academic awards included the fol-lowing local students:

Ashburnham: Julia Enright (graph-ic communications) in mathematics; Jessica Cormier (cosmetology): Monty Tech Foundation; Michael Hildreth (cabinetmaking) JROTC honor gradu-ate and Ryan Patrick Jones Heart of a Hero award.

Baldwinville: Erin Cregg (graph-ic communications) in Spanish and English;

Phillipston: Noah Roy (engineering) in business; Bethany Valois (cabinet-making): Monty Tech Foundation;

Templeton: Dana Symonds (auto-motive) in physical education; Mark J.Haven Jr. memorial scholarship; MacKenzie MacAdams (cosmetolo-gy) Monty Tech Foundation; Shelby Arseneau (cosmetology) Monty Tech Foundation;

Winchendon: Cody Husselbee (auto body) Jake Bratkon memorial award and Monty Tech Foundation; Adrienne LaRoche (early childhood education): Cliff Beebe memorial outstanding female award; Jordan Richard (graph-ic communications) 2015 yearbook scholarship; Ashley Arsenault (early childhood education) Monty Tech Foundation; Olivia Lore (graphic com-munications) Monty Tech Foundation; Rachel Haley (house carpentry) Monty Tech Foundation; Carly Treshinsky (culinary arts) Monty Tech Foundation; Adam Becotte (culinary arts) Monty Tech Foundation; Joseph LeBlanc (elec-trical) Monty Tech Foundation.

Monty Tech holds 44th commencement on school grounds

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Members of Monty Tech’s Class of 2015 celebrate receiving their diplomas.

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Gearing up for this year’s Solstice event

BY JERRY CARTONCOURIER CORRESPONDENT

WINCHENDON — It may not have had the buildup as did last year’s 250th celebra-tion, but the Summer Solstice remains an annual staple in Winchendon and the 2015 edition is scheduled for next Saturday, June 20 when, as usual, the Morin 5K road race will launch the festivities.

Throughout the day, there will be the traditional array of activities and of course there will be food — all kinds of food because, after all, you can’t have a big festival with-out lots of food.

That, at least, is the con-tention of Clark Memorial YMCA sports director Lisa Crossman, who organized the food vendors for the event.

“Kiwanis will be here, of course, and so will Pop Warner, like they always are,” she said, “and we have other interesting vendors too.”

Those would include Dough Boys from Fitzwilliam, Split my Banana from Leominster (frozen dipped banan-as), Five Buck Truck from Gardner, the Away Café from Weymouth, which will fea-ture pulled pork, and others. “Bottom line, there will be lots of food choices.”

The food vendors will set up shop on the grass on the Clark’s front lawn on Central Street.

Once again, the 5K will kickoff the day with registra-tion at 8 a.m. and the race, which tends to draw several

hundred runners, to follow. In addition, there will also be the usual McDonalds-sponsored Mile McFun run and the 1/3 mile McFun run for kids starting at 9:30.

And that’s not all, explained Clark business manager Kelli Pixa.

“This year we’re going to have a train for the little kids to ride. That will be fun for them. We’re bringing back the face-painting and petting zoo too.”

“Last year things were a little different because we collaborated with the 250th committee, but this year we’re adding things like the train and having traditional things that are popular,” she said.

There will be a couple of bands playing: Deacon Express, which is a veteran of previous Solstice, and Ear Meds, fronted by Carolyn Salls.

The parade will kick off at 11 a.m. and while it might not quite match last summer’s extravaganza, “it’s going to be fun to watch,” said Pixa.

A blow-up obstacle course is also expected to garner lots of attention as well.

“Hopefully the weather will be nice,” mused Pixa.

A group of students, with their counselor, take the voyager canoes across the pond on the way to the bog for ecology study.

Thumbs WAY up by Owen Benedict after completing the challenge of riding the zip line across the pond.

Courtesy photos

Emily Burns is just relieved to be back on solid groundIt requires real team work to move smoothly in this game.

Bonding by nature: a week in the woodsWINCHENDON — Remember the monthly can and bottle collections on Central Street the past few months? There was

a goal for the funds raised; and the students have tales to tell of the adventure.The seventh grade at Murdock Middle School recently returned from a four day-three night trip to YMCA Camp

Takodah in Richmond, NH. This is the second year the students have attended camp and this event has quickly become a popular, annual event. 63

students participated in the trip. While at camp, the students participated in a variety of activities as part of the outdoor education program provided.

The goal of the camp programs is to help develop a sense of community and cooperation for students that supports the same efforts in the classroom. Students were invited to participate in a number of different and challenging activities, including nature hikes, a zip line, ecology, team building activities, low and high challenge courses and athletics. The program works on the concept of “challenge by choice,” which encourages students to participate in as many of the activities with which they are comfortable.

The camp also asks students to experience camp unplugged – leaving their cell phone and other electronics at home. Needless to say, this was not welcomed at first, but the students were so busy, the electronics weren’t even missed.

New friendships were made, face to face and one on one. Plans for next year’s class trip to Camp Takodah will begin in September and will launch in the late fall.And watch for that recycling truck in the future, every penny helps.

Courtesy photo

REPRESENTING STUDENTS Emily Repaal of Ashby, a soon-to-be-senior in the cabi-

netmaking program at Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School, has been appointed the student repre-sentative to the School Committee for the 2015-16 school year. A cabinetmaking major, she is a member of the National Honor Society, Marine Corps JROTC program, Drama Club, and is a SkillsUSA medalist. She is replac-ing Jack R. Marabello of Gardner (left), who recently graduated and will be attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the fall. With them is Mark Haschig, school counselor and advisor to Monty Tech’s Student Advisory Committee.

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We know, because even at this age we remember. All those intense, involved speeches delivered with such heart at all those graduations?

No one you intended to really hear your words is going to remember them. No one was listening.

The parents, friends and family were busy trying to find their loved one in the crowd of robed figures seated in front of them. They were planning the parties or the dinners; wondering if the people expected for the next phase of celebration were going to be on time; checking the game scores; playing Angry Birds when mom wasn’t watching; texting the BFF.

The teachers, administrators and school officials were thinking about their next steps too. Dinners, lives outside their jobs, how many of these they’ve attended, though to be fair they probably were also focused on the students because they knew these kids and liked them. Recognized the ones they either were proud of, or were glad had made it; pleased to see some had gotten to this milestone in their lives.

The students. At least the ones at Murdock, have had two days of parties already. Prom on Friday, alumni dinner and probably parties with friends on Saturday. Sunday afternoon, in the sun, is not an attention grabbing time. Behind some of those sunglasses may well have been sleepy eyes. Classmates have kept their attention, but adult speeches...not so much.

As for college graduations, even big name speakers can’t hold the attention of a graduate for long. And when colleges are paying enormous fees for some of these people we have to ask...why? Who are you trying to impress? Certainly not the students, who trust us, are not listening. The alumni you hope will dish out some big bucks? Why, if they know the money is going into a speaker’s pocket? One another? Most likely. Educators, especially at that level, have a tenden-cy to do that.

It’s a little like showing of the size of your bass.My speaker is more important than yours.Who cares?The students, trust us, don’t.Before colleges and universities start down

that path planning next year’s commencement exercises, we suggest those who donate to Ol’ Alma Maters they designate none of the funds be used to bloat the pockets of speakers or speaker bureaus for clueless commencements. If your school is any good at all, it should be good enough to attract a speaker willing to donate an hour or two of their time (ok, you might have to put them up for the night) to impress grad-uating students.

Who won’t remember what they say anyway.

Winchendon courier 4 Friday, June 12, 2015

The sport of PharoahsHorse racing has long been

called the Sport of Kings. I looked for a king for a long time at Belmont but could only find a Pharaoh. So perhaps as in all things we may have arrived at a new designation for horse racing.

Seriously there are few things more beautiful than watching undulating muscles of race horses traveling that fast and look both beautiful and dignified.

I hate horses.Well, not really hate them in

the common sense of the word. I love looking at them, I hesi-tantly pet one now and then, I never mucked out a stall and it is not on my bucket list.

My extended family pur-chased some land in the coun-try and we all went there every weekend to picnic, play and enjoy one another. I met a neighbor lad there, his name was Wayne, and his fami-ly actually owned a farm. In addition to other animals they raised goats and they drank the

milk of those goats. So I got an early lesson in milking goats. Because he and I were under 12 we each selected a goat to be our “horse.” His was a large white goat named Lightening. My goat was was called Chocolate and was about the size of a Great Dane. I remember we did not have saddles but we did have reins to guide the goats. I also remember when you want your goat to move forward you had to pull its tail.

Those were fun, carefree days and falling off a goat was hardly possible. Pretty social creatures.

I came close to a horse for the first time when dating my wife, Pam. She liked to ride and had a friend with horses so up onto the back of this horse I climbed. Pam got onto her horse and explained we would just ride slowly around the pas-ture.

Horses don’t speak English and mine definitely did not hear the suggestion of a slow ride round the pasture because

he took off at high speed with me holding on while looking for a brake pedal. I was terri-fied. When they tell you just to pull on the reins to stop a horse: do not believe them. I could have pulled the reins on my steed from between his teeth clear back to his tail and he wasn’t stopping.

I did not fall off. The horse finally slowed. I dismount-ed promising myself I would never again mount a horse, or anything without a brake pedal or handbrake.

Fast forward to after our wed-ding. We both had positions at Culver Military Academy which had, to the great hap-

piness of my wife, a School of Horsemanship. So she had lots of opportunity to ride. One night I got a call that her horse had taken a jump, Pam was thrown, and taken to the hos-pital by ambulance. I raced to the hospital and found she had been transferred to a larger facility in another city because of concerns for her spleen.

I reminded myself I would never mount a horse and I prayed she wouldn’t either.

Fat chance where she was concerned. She continued to ride throughout the summer. On weak moment she suggest-ed I try it again as the evening riding was going to take place indoors, at a large riding rink, and would consist of a column of two, horse and rider, simply circling the arena. I admit it was a weak moment but I said OK.

All of us were assigned a mount, paired off in twos, and a column of horses and riders began to encircle the arena.

I suppose I should have

assumed something could go wrong. Seems they paired me with a horse who really hated the horse riding along side us. They spoke a few profane horse words then began to fight. Enough instructors around to get me safely off the horse that was now definitely the last horse I would ever ride.

My wife’s sister also liked horses. She resided on a farm in Ohio and loved to ride. We got a call one night that some-thing had scared her horse, it reared up and toppled over backwards and landed with full weight between her legs. Hospital again.

Now my wife still likes hors-es and I know she would accept an offer to ride anytime. My sister-in-law gave up horses for cats.

It might be possible if my sister in law were to saddle up one of those cats I would give it a try. But as for horses, I bet on them. I don’t ride them.

The courage of convictions: making a difference

Wow! That was my reaction to the response which followed the publica-tion of last week’s story on Brittany LaPointe and her efforts to fight the stigma of mental illness. Over the last 13 years, I’ve written some 2,400 stories and columns for this weekly paper and none of them generated or inspired the level of immediate response as did this piece. A few, like the 2011 column when Courtney graduated high school and a 2013 article on how civic participation can make a difference, those ignited quick reaction too, but not to the degree this one has. That, of course, is a tribute to her, not me, and it’s been heartwarm-ing to see the level of thought and car-ing that is already pouring in. Some of those responses, though, cited the scar-city of help available and the too-often insurmountable cost when treatment is found. In the second decade of the 21st century, we should be horrified this is still the case. It’s unconscionable, but it’s not inexplicable. Sadly, we seem to live in another so-called Gilded Age and

the human costs are enormous. Tell me again about supposed “American exceptionalism”?

Speaking of responses, on a whim I checked out some left-wing social media sites after Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, a self-described, “socialist Democrat” announced his intention to seek the Democratic presidential nomi-nation. What I found, in a word, appalled me. I often sharply and, I think, justifi-ably, criticize the far right sites and pundits and correspondents for their hate-filled unrelenting and often abu-sive personal and character attacks on people with whom they have ideological differences.

I found the same on some of these alleged progressive sites. The despi-cable lack of civility extends to both extremes. You don’t have to like or buy into what Jeb Bush or Scott Walker or Marco Rubio say or believe, and I cer-tainly don’t, but to resort to name-call-ing and hurling insults like you’re stuck in a third-grade sandbox makes you look petty and childish and igno-rant. You should be ashamed.

There were also those on those sites who seem to really believe Sanders is our next President. I suppose these wide-eyed idealists are 2016’s equivalent of the “Clean for Gene” McCarthy student brigade which stormed the Democratic

Party in 1967 and 1968. McCarthy, of course, was a vehicle through which primary voters could express their dis-pleasure with LBJ and Vietnam, but he was never going to be nominated. That ‘68 nomination was always going to be won by Hubert Humphrey or, had he lived, possibly Bobby Kennedy. McCarthy’s naïve supporters deserved respect for their energy, enthusiasm and commitment, but winning was never in the cards.

Same goes for Sanders. He has a lot of interesting ideas which, in a per-fect world, ought to be implemented. Unfortunately, we live in a world in which, come January 2017, conser-vative, often Neanderthal-thinking Republicans will dictate the action in the House, frequently to the conster-nation of some other Republicans. So unless there’s some beyond-belief, com-pletely unforeseeable political tsunami that somehow sweeps Sanders to the White House and enables the D’s to steal 40+ seats, his ideas aren’t going to translate into actual policy. Remember, while McCarthy’s movement did launch a civil war within the party, that campaign season ended with the election of Richard Nixon, and no, I’m obviously not linking Hillary Clinton to Nixon, even though there are occa-sional moments when she sure seems

equally duplicitous and shady. Hell, she might even have, no, she probably does have, her own enemies list, though to her “credit” I’m assuming membership on that list isn’t automatic based on religion as was Nixon’s. Presumably it can’t be, not with Sidney Blumenthal running interference for her every time yet another questionable Clinton “scan-dal” pops up.

Snarkiness aside, it is, however, rea-sonable to ask about the connection between the Clinton Foundation, some of its more-than-generous donors, and policy decisions. The other day, Dana Milbank noted in his Washington Post column the chronology of how Boeing got the contract to build airlines for the Russians. Bidness is bidness, as they say in the great state of Texas, but it all feels and smells unseemly to me. Then again, I’ve never been a Hillary fan any-way, but I just don’t see how Sanders or Martin O’Malley or Lincoln Chaffee can pose a serious threat to the inevitability of her nomination next summer. Bah.

On a better note, congrats to last Sunday’s grads. Your energy and opti-mism are encouraging to see in a cul-tural and political climate all too often bleak and disheartening. Go out there and make a difference!

VIEWSOpinion and commentary from Winchendon and beyond

Editorial lEttErs to thE Editor

New lives, no clue

WinchEndon couriErPresident/Publisher: Frank Chilinski

editor: ruth deamiCis

To the Editor:On behalf of the Winchendon Board

of Health, I am pleased to invite you to participate in a one day public hearing and meeting to assess our current state of homelessness in Winchendon. The meeting will be held at Old Murdock Senior Center, 52 Murdock Ave. on June 24 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

The Board of Health is interested in gathering information from agen-cies that deal with the homeless in Massachusetts. The BOH would like to complete this public hearing with the goal of creating a local task force to help identify ways to help reduce the home-lessness rate before the winter season arrives.

All of our invited partners will play an important role in identifying, pro-moting, and preserving the homeless’ health and safety of the themselves and the town.

The issue was raised by the commu-nity and after a board’s unanimous vote; this is one issue that needs to be addressed. Currently, Winchendon has no funding to support building or main-taining a homeless shelter, however we are interested in finding alternative ways to cut down on the rate of home-lessness. Your experience and expertise in this area will be helpful to our small town.

Old Murdock Senior Center has park-ing onsite.

Please email Jason Moury at jason-moury@gmail.com by June 22 or by calling (978) 514-7558. We look forward to having you join other community partners to talk about homelessness issues in Winchendon.

lionel Cloutier, ChairmanWinChendon board oF health

BOH: hearing on homelessness

Morrison: why no vaulters?To the Editor:I had the opportunity to attend the

Murdock Alumni banquet this past weekend. Although it was a thorough-ly enjoyable evening, there was one note that I found disappointing. I was talking to a relatively recent graduate (the son of a classmate), and we started discussing the track team. I told him that I’d been at best a mediocre athlete in my day, but that I had been one of the “crazy pole vaulters.” He indicated that nobody was interested in pole vaulting, and the current team did not have any vaulters.

Living in another state, I’d already

discovered that my local area track teams also had few (if any) pole vault-ers. I find it sad to know that an event that I so enjoyed has apparently fallen by the wayside. So I’d like to encourage the students of Murdock to think about getting involved in track and field. It’s a sport where you don’t have to be a jock to participate (I certainly wasn’t), and it allows both individual and team successes. And if you like being a little different, try pole vaulting!

Wayne (“GrasshoPPer”) morrison

Class oF 1971

JACK BLAIR

notEs of concErn

JERRY CARTON

JournEy of thE hEart

Winchendon courier 5 Friday, June 12, 2015

Letters to the editor

Ward: learn the right OM proceduresTo The Editor:Campaign promises of inclusive

governance are silent. ThecChair of the newly elected Selectmen contin-ues to limit public input at meetings. Massachusetts open meeting law states:

The list of topics must be sufficiently specific to reasonably inform the pub-lic of the issues to be discussed at the meeting.

It even goes on to say that should a subject come up AFTER the meeting agenda is posted, although it may be discussed, the AG STRONGLY encour-ages public bodies to postpone discus-sion AND action on topics that may be of particular interest to the public, if the topic was not listed in the meeting notice.

The agenda for the Selectmen (and School Committee) post public com-ments at the very beginning of the meet-ing. Reports by different departments: DPW, superintendent, finance, etc are all done orally with no detail as to what is going to be presented OR if any action will be required by the governing body detailed on the agenda.

An example of this is the last regu-lar meeting of the BOS where interim DPW director discussed the possibility of road closures and/or repairs and requested that the BOS vote that eve-ning on their preference. Road closures and/or disruptions definitely affect those residents using the selected roads, yet no notice was given prior to board action. The public comment window of opportunity was closed by the time the report was given and the chair refused any questions or comments from the audience prior to board action.

At the last meeting the chair read the agenda to the public. Of course, he did not include any detail as he had no idea what details would be brought up during presentations or discussions.

Each member of the newly elected boards ran on a campaign of providing open, transparent, and inclusive gover-nance. Continuing to have public com-ment BEFORE oral reports is counter to that campaign promise. It does make the meetings go faster but that should NOT be the purpose of either of these elected bodies.

Two possible solutions: ALL reports must be written and posted with the agenda so all residents have an opportu-nity to research issues before the board, OR move the public comment section of the agenda to AFTER all oral presen-tations have been given but BEFORE any discussion or action is taken by the respective boards.

This last solution would clearly demonstrate that both boards do, in fact, respect and encourage public par-ticipation as stated in their election campaigns. It is a simple change that would reflect the intent of the board to not just let the public speak but would also indicate that public comments are valued and HEARD by each board and their respective members.

I ask that both the Selectmen and School Committee find a way to engage the public in authentic participation. Current agenda format pays lip service to inclusion.

Maureen WardWinchendon

Tues-Fri 6:30am-6pm; Sat-Sun 8am-5pm268 Baldwinville Rd., Templeton, MA 01468

978-939-8558 • www.kitchgarden.com

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Classes, workshops, meetings, training sessions, retreats

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82 Healdville Rd., Hubbardston, MA 01452

978-820-1139 • www.truenorthholisticcenter.org

OWC: always manage!

To the Editor:In spite of the fact that my contact

list was wiped out, there was hardly any advertising and it was a holiday weekend, we managed to send out two packages to each of our military person-nel stationed overseas and one package to all of those stateside.

As usual we need to say a huge “thank you” to the American Legion Post 193 for allowing us to use the hall and covering the postage for our overseas troops; Will Brown for providing our website and Sweet Treat Bakery for the 76 dozen cookies.

“Thank you” for the donations that came in after our last mailing had been published in the Courier: Tom & Paula Crager, Jean Olsen and Michele Comeau.

“Thank you” to our crew that sorted donations, packaged them up and load-ed them into the van for transport to the Post Office: Marcus Allen, Stephen

Ashmore, Joni Gorecki, Lisa & Abigail Field, Aidan Provost and Ann Marie Slomcheck.

A special thanks to Ann Marie who brought this project to her principal and we saw some amazing projects by the local school children.

Thanks to all of our donators: Betty Allaire; Marcus Allen; Anonymous Woman; Steve Ashmore; Lisa & Abby Field; Bud & Carla Fletcher; Ida May George; Joni Gorecki; Kayla Maine and boys; Mary Ellen Mansfield & Betty Tarpey & Helen Dockum & all the Broadview residents; Memorial School Classes: Mrs. DelBono’s Library/Technology Classes, Mrs. Leroy’s Art Classes/After School Group, Mrs. Madison’s OT Classes, Kindergartens - Mrs. Boucher & Ms. Paige & Mrs. Keney, 1st Grades - Mrs. Fleming & Ms. Lyon & Mrs. Johnson, 2nd Grades - Mrs. Robichaud & Mrs. Dupery & Mrs. Smith & Miss Smith; Aidan Provost; Mark & Elaine Robichaud; Saint Anthony School: Mrs. Terho’s 1st Grade, Mrs. Crawley’s 3rd Grade, Mrs. Russo’s 6th Grade and Mr. Gauvin’s 8th Grade and Ann Marie Slomcheck.

Our next mailing will be in August and then again in November. Please check our Operation Winchendon Cares Facebook page or our website www.winchendoncares.com for final-ized dates.

As always, we are looking for names of any military members with ties to Winchendon to add to our list. Give us a call if you know of any.

Thank you.

Larry & Linda SordoniWinchendon

Photo: Some of the work created by school children to include in packages to service men and women by Operation Winchendon Cares. The next mailing will happen in the fall. Plan now to be part of the hometown pride in our own people serving.

Pet of the WeekMeet Bella: she is 8 years old and a big round ball of

love:) She is THE ultimate lap kitty, she will literally take up your whole lap and be happy to sit there all day being worshipped:)

She is very pretty with gorgeous calico markings. Sadly, she was surrendered through no fault of her own, .her family decided they no longer had time for her as they want to go camping more this summer. Meet her at Petsmart! While we think she would do great in any home, she also happens to be available for our Senior to Senior Program in which she is available for no adoption fee to a senior citizen (over 60). Application process and co-signer required. Her regular adoption fee is $100.

All Ahimsa Haven Animal Rescue pets are spayed/neutered, micro-chipped and have appropriate shots. Applications can be downloaded at our website and emailed in. Check us out on Facebook; our website: www.ahimsahaven.org and Petfinder. Address: 381R Baldwinville Road, Templeton. Phone: )(978) 297-2673. Hours: Friday 6-8 p.m., Sunday 2-4 p.m. or by appointment.

Photo & text by April Clow.

Courtesy photo

From left are Paul Richard and Makaylah Vaillancourt of Ashburnham (who also submitted a video), Chelsea Deveneau of Athol, Isabella Marinelli of Hubbardston, Emily Celona of Fitchburg, Ben Berkes of Gardner and Ethan Graham of Harvard with teacher Kimberly Lecuyer. The students were recognized for their efforts raising awareness on behalf of mental health.

Students take top honors in awareness campaignREGION — As part of National Mental Health Awareness month, Paul Richard,

executive director of the SHINE Initiative, contacted high schools in the area about participating in a poster campaign the organization was sponsoring to help raise awareness about mental health.

A total of 46 posters were submitted. Top winners were posters, and a video, submitted by Monty Tech graphic communications students. The work was done under direction of teacher Kim Lecuyer.

Richard visited the school recently to thank the students “for their outstanding work,” and to present checks, totaling $800. He recognized Monty Tech adminis-trators, particularly student support services director Victoria Zarozinski, for the school’s on-going efforts in support of SHINE’S mission to promote mental health awareness among students and adults.

He added that all the posters done by Monty Tech students would be included in an upcoming marketing campaign the agency is planning for the fall.

Across1. Admission7. Diagonal-moving chess piece13. Fitting a metal plate to a horse’s hoof15. Dry gulches16. In a hypocritically righteous manner18. Appear19. Austere20. Order to attack, with “on”21. Achy23. “Come in!”24. “Portnoy’s Complaint” author25. Animal catcher27. Manages28. Impossible to figure34. After expenses35. Chapel at entrance to medieval English church36. Death on the Nile cause, perhaps39. Unconditional authority (2 wds)41. Head of city gov-ernment44. Hyperion, for one45. Microwave, e.g.46. Larceny51. Gentle52. Oolong, for one53. Atomic no. 9255. Formerly known as56. Arrangement of music for an orchestra59. Power failures60. Wandering61. Fit together62. Hardly ever

Down1. Murderer2. Old dance in Spain3. Agreement between two parties4. Common Market inits.5. Takes a seat

6. Marsh bird7. Pipe material8. “Pumping ___”9. Former French coin10. European mint used in perfume11. Sedimentary rock consisting of tiny spherical grains12. Puts into right frame of mind14. Fed (hyphenated)15. A chip, maybe17. Crumb22. Victorian, for one24. ___ v. Wade26. “Enigma Variations” composer27. Traction aid29. “Wheels”30. Final: Abbr.31. Deception32. Priestly garb33. ___ canto

36. Any of a series of radioactive elements37. Kerogen oil (2 wds)38. Condition of await-ing a decision39. Voting “nay”40. Game with match-sticks41. Formal proposal put to a vote42. Park, for one43. Leavening agents

46. Aligned47. Radio operators48. Charlotte-to-Raleigh dir.49. Certain Scandinavian50. Coach53. Advocate54. Mother (informal)57. Sylvester, to Tweety58. Toni Morrison’s “___ Baby”

Weekly CrosswordJune 12, 2015

Winchendon courier 6 Friday, June 12, 2015

Murdock Class of 2015

Dominic Allard Marcus Allen Dylan Austin Mikayla Bailey Taylor Barrows Torianna Belko

Gage Benson Myranda Bishop Chelsea Bitter Juliana Bollick Kate Bordin Zachary Burchfield

Chelsea Bussiere Keisha Casey-Black Frances Castro-Cintron Jocelyn Cormier Melanie Cranfill Tristan Cutting

Bethany Desilets Rachel Dickens Amber Dignan Evan Drake Dmitri Eddy Nicole Eliason

Genis Flores Michael Flynn Anthony Galiano Leo Gallant Samantha Gordon Dallas Hamel

thanked teachers “for pushing me on my lazy days.”

Principal Josh Romano pointed out, “I have the greatest job in the world working with these incredible stu-dents.” Recalling “my 15 minutes of fame” earlier this year when Romano’s strong stand against bullying earned him national attention, he said, “that convinced me this is where I want to be.”

Outgoing superintendent Dr. Salah Khelfaoui told the graduates, “four years ago, you all walked into Murdock very nervous. Today you leave confi-dently. There will be fears ahead, but you can push through them. You must find your purpose in life and define your own success. Be a first-rate ver-sion of yourself.”

School Committee Chair Dawn Harris acknowledged she hasn’t held that post long and she didn’t know all the grad-uates but, “I certainly know of you all and am proud of you.” Harris was also the parent of a graduate as son Jacob was among those receiving his diploma.

Graduation week festivities kicked off with Thursday’s traditional Class Day, where, in addition to a slew of scholarships being awarded, each class lampooned the one behind or ahead of it with cutting humor, all performed to the good-natured cheers of the crowd in the bleachers, including parents, as well as the graduates seated on folding chairs in the school gym.

There were serious moments as well. Myranda Bishop had been honored as Massachusetts National Honor Society Student of the Year and she told the

Courier she was both “surprised and grateful” to have received that accolade, and noted the MHS Honor Society “has worked hard to increase involvement in the community,” with over 1,500 service hours. Bishop thanked honor society advisor Sherry Fairbanks “for keeping us on track.”

Class advisor Bridget Marinelli told the outgoing seniors, “you kids have shined,” and urged them, “don’t ever assume you can’t do something.”

Friday saw the promenade and senior prom and by Sunday, anticipation was keen. Ceremonies were slated to begin at 2 p.m. but by 1:15, bleachers erected on both sides of the stage were filled and people were setting up folding chairs or

sprawling on the grass under a warm sun punctuated by an occasional cool-ing breeze. Sue Polcari of the Murdock Boosters was distributing water bottles as guests began the trek up Antonellis Way from the parking lot to the field.

Almost on cue at exactly 2:00, one of those breezes stirred up as applause started to build when the gradu-ates-to-be marched onto the field to the strains of “Pomp and Circumstance” played by the school band. The chorus, directed by Aly Galipeau delivered its rendition of the National Anthem and Graduation Day, 2015 was underway.

Little more than an hour later it was over and some 60-plus caps were air-borne, signaling the end of a four-year journey and the start of new ones.

“Another great day,” concluded Romano.

Those who won scholarships includ-ed:

Torianna Belko: Winchendon Firefighters Relief; Myranda Bishop: Arthur Bastille memorial Elliot & Hattie Tucker memorial; Chelsea Bitter: Anthony Lapointe Memorial Lions Club, Elliot & Hattie Tucker memorial, John S. Lafortune, Murdock Student Council, Winchendon Secretaries Association, Winchendon Support Personnel Association, Winchendon Women’s Club, Sound of Murdock; Chelsea Bussiere: Irene & Zigmund Maliska memorial, Sons of American Legion Squadron 193, Winchendon Teacher’s Association; Frances Castro-Cintron: Abbott memorial; Arthur Bastille memori-al, Ernest H. Trombly memorial, Fire & Iron Station 857, Lawrence ‘Pepe’ Chagnon memorial; Melanie Cranfill: John S. Lafortune, Murdock Alumni Life, Murdock Alumni, Taylor Barrows

Achievement; Bethany Desilets: Elliot & Hattie Tucker memorial, Murdock Alumni; Rachel Dickens: Elliot & Hattie Tucker memorial, Kiwanis Club, Murdock Alumni, Winchendon Historical Society; Amber Dignan: Elliot & Hattie Tucker memorial; Nicole Eliason: Arthur Bastille memorial, Carl Wennerberg, E. Belle Robinson memo-rial, John S. Lafortune, Kiwanis Club, Murdock Sports Boosters, Winchendon Firefighters Relief; Olivia Heim: Arthur Bastille memorial, Elliot & Hattie Tucker memorial, Helen Skorko Fund, Patricia E. Kirsh memorial; Daniel Huff: Elliot & Hattie Tucker memorial; Breanna Jackson: Winchendon Garden Club; Brandon Jinn: Murdock Alumni, Winchendon Historical Society; Holly Johnson: Arthur Bastille memori-al; Austin Landress: Arthur Bastille memorial, Murdock Sports Boosters; Sabrina Leahey: Elliot & Hattie Tucker memorial, Murdock Alumni, Sons of American Legion Squadron 193; Victoria Marshall: Arthur Bastille memorial, Elliot & Hattie Tucker memorial, Frank A. Rhuland Science, Gardner Rotary Club, Lawrence ‘Pepe’ Chagnon memorial, Murdock Alumni, Murdock Student Council, Winchendon Historical Society, Winchendon Support Personnel Association, Winchendon Teacher’s Association, Sound of Murdock; Andrew Pelkey: Irene & Zigmund Maliska memorial, Murdock Sports Boosters; Robert Pesce: Winchendon Secretaries Association; Renee Rogers: Anthony Lapointe Memorial Lions Club, Elliot & Hattie Tucker memorial, Kiwanis Club, Murdock Alumni, Taylor Barrows Achievement; Meghan Williams: Ralph

GRADUATEScontinued from page A1

Turn To GRADUATES page A7

Ruth DeAmicis photo

The Barrows family gave two scholarships in appreciation for the years of dedication in daughter Taylor’s education. Both Renee Rogers and Melanie Cranfill are planning to work in special education and early childhood education as career goals.

Winchendon courier 7 Friday, June 12, 2015

235 Spring Street978 297-3528

McDonald’s of Winchendon Congratulates

Tristan Cutting, Dmitri Eddy and all the class of 2015 Graduates.

Best Of Luck!

Evan DrakeWe are so proud

of you

LoveMom, Dad,

Sam and Maia

Congratulations!

Murdock Class of 2015

Jacob Harris Olivia Heim Daniel Huff Breanna Jackson Brandon Jinn Shannon Lachance

Austin Landress Sabrina Leahey Devin LeBlanc John Lindfors Douglas MacArthur Zaskia Makarim

Victoria Marshall Alexis Mikels Robert Montville Brennan Mulligan Andrew Pelkey Robert Pesce

Jordan Provencial Renee Rogers Hunter Russell Samantha Strong Nicholas Swift Caitie Thayer

Jordan Whelpley Meghan Williams Ryen Wood Rachel Woodman Lianglingjia Zheng

E. Mathieu memorial; Rachel Woodman: Barbara Ladeau memorial; Lianglinglia Zheng: Elliot & Hattie Tucker memo-rial, Kathleen L. Murphy memorial, Murdock Alumni.

Recognizing the academic efforts of the graduating seniors, the Salutatorian was Rachel Dickens and Valedictorian was Brandon Jinn

MSSAA Principal’s award for outstanding community ser-vice was given to Myranda Bishop

Academic Awards: English: Renee Rogers; French: John Ramsay; Spanish, calculus and topics in biology: Rachel Dickens; calculus: Brandon Jinn; technology and engineer-ing: Brennan Mulligan; AP physics: Victoria Marshall; anat-omy: Marcus Allen; art: Holly Johnson; chorus: Rachel Woodman; child development: Chelsea Bussiere; culinary arts: Genis Flores; and small business management: Hunter Russell

Murdock Scholars: The following students have complet-ed their high school career with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above: Marcus Allen, Myranda Bishop, Chelsea Bitter, Chelsea Bussiere, Frances Castro-Cintron, Melanie Cranfill, Bethany Desilets, Rachel Dickens, Nicole Eliason, Olivia Heim, Brandon Jinn, Sabrina Leahey, Victoria Marshall, John Ramsay, Renee Rogers, Meghan Williams, Rachel Woodman, and Lianglingjia Zheng.

Photo RePRints AvAilAbleCall for details 508-764-4325

Winchendon courier 8 Friday, June 12, 2015

SPORTSSPORTSCoach recaps softball season appreciating young players

BY JERRY CARTONCOURIER CORRESPONDENT

WINCHENDON — Pitching and defense. Whether at Fenway Park or in high school softball, teams without those aren’t going very far — it’s just the nature of the games.

This spring, the Murdock Lady Devils missed qualify-ing for the softball playoffs for the first time since 2007, and it wasn’t exactly a shock.

“Other teams were better prepared, had better pitching and a back-up pitcher when they needed one to finish games,” recalled Coach Mike Fontaine, who in his first sea-

son at the helm, had taken over the program at a time when there was no dominant starter for the first time in eight years. Deanna Polcari began the cam-paign as the Lady Devils’ first starting pitcher, but Fontaine acknowledged Polcari was stepping up essentially because there was no one else.

“I give Deanna credit,” he said late in the season. “And I was impressed when they stepped up when they realized Deanna couldn’t pitch every game and started to practice to pitch to help out the team.”

“They” were freshman Molly Murphy and sophomore Sydnie St. Pierre Their emer-

gence enabled Polcari to return to center field where her range and arm strength were keys to Murdock’s success. Murphy, in her initial varsity season, even took a pre-game pitching les-son one afternoon from noted area coach Phil Lefevre, who has guided almost all the Lady Devils successful hurlers over much of the last decade. St. Pierre had spent her freshman year playing shortstop and moved to second this year when Tatum Mahoney returned from Monty Tech to play short.

Inexperienced pitching, though, wasn’t the only issue that led to a 5-15 season.

“We were in a lot of games,

we were down by only a few going into the fifth or sixth inning and then a number of things would happen and we’d just let the game get away from us,” Fontaine lamented.

And when “things would happen” Murdock didn’t mus-ter enough offense to keep up. Polcari had another strong season at the plate and so did Mahoney, but it didn’t help matters when Haley Jandris missed much of the second half of the year, though freshman Vickie St. Hilaire did a credi-ble job behind the plate in her absence.

Weather woes impacted a young team as well.

“We needed to work on specific areas, mostly live play situations, but we didn’t have much time because all the games were pushed back and we only had limited time outside to practice,” Fontaine pointed out.

But, “we finished strong. In our last four games, we won two and everyone played very well in those games. I was impressed with the work effort and thought it was a good way to finish the season. I’m look-ing forward to next year,” he said.

Laid back summer league mixes agesBY JERRY CARTON

COURIER CORRESPONDENT

GARDNER — Summer basketball is a pretty casual affair and so it was no big deal Monday when 2014 Murdock graduates Amber and Autumn Brown joined a trio of current players in a fast-paced 41-39 loss to Narragansett at Gardner high school.

Anyone so inclined can show up for summer games and Monday, the Browns were joined by Becca Graves,

who’s still in middle school, incoming freshman Julia Shelly and rising senior Deanna Polcari for the contest against the Lady Warriors, who brought 11 players of varying ages.

Still, summer league or not, the turn-out was barely enough to field a team Monday and MHS coach Jim Abare, watching from the bleachers, noted, “you can never get better until you try to get better.”

Abare did point out numerous nice plays from the younger players, though

the Browns, particularly Amber, did most of the scoring.

“I had fun,” she laughed.Last Thursday, the turnout was bet-

ter and the Lady Devils scored 24 points against a very tough Conant, NH squad which comes down every summer. Molly Murphy was the leading scorer for whatever that matters in June but what impressed Abare most was the hustle displayed by Murphy, her sister Kelly, and Jess Niedjalik, all of whom are expected to play significant roles

as Abare works to build a competitive program.

“It’s fine” for alumni to play, he said, noting the relaxed atmosphere during summer league, but stressed, “we want to see who’s committed.” Not everyone will make every game, but the coach is hoping to see a steady stream of return-ees for the twice-weekly campaign that will run through early July.

Murdock had a bye last night and faces Athol at 4 p.m. Monday and a Monadnock squad 7 p.m. next Thursday.

BY CHRIS MARTINCOURIER CORRESPONDENT

WINCHENDON — After Murdock managed their first win on Senior Day a few weeks ago, they traveled to Athol hoping to continue the momentum. It wasn’t to be, losing 12-8.

They traveled on to North Brookfield, and the stars aligned, winning the final game 18-5 over the Indians.

Murdock finished the season 2-17.

Sean Sutton started the game pitching against Athol, but struggled in the fourth. Murdock was ahead 5-2 for three innings until the pitching began to struggle. It was six walks in the fourth that allowed Athol to score five runs without a hit. Athol would score an additional five runs in the fifth inning. Murdock had nine hits in the game, with both Calvin

Clinkscale and Jared Nelson each getting two.

In the North Brookfield game, Ryan Kaminsky gave Murdock four solid inning pitched after shaking off a slow start, allowing two runs in the first inning.

Dom Allard and Will Iannacone were both four for five to pace the offense.

Connor Clinkscale, Calvin Clinkscale and Nelson each had two hits.

This was by far Murdock’s best hitting game of the year, collect-ing 17 hits in the game including doubles by Hunter Russell, Allard, and two by Iannacone; a triple by Calvin Clinkscale and an in the park homer by Evan Drake.

Coach Polcari said, “We certainly played our best and most consistent baseball of the season. We won two and had the opportunity to win two

other games, but couldn’t get the timely hits we needed. We should be a much improved team going into the 2016 sea-son; we have most of our players returning.”

He is pleased with the players returning, know-ing he has a good lineup.

“Our pitching staff looks solid with three starters and several relievers returning. The majority of our infielders and outfielders will also be returning. Offensively, we bring back three who hit .300 and above this season.”

Though, he admits there will always be work.

“Defensively, our num-ber one area for work will be at the catcher position, as we still have work to do to build depth at catch-er. Offensively, we need to work on hitting in the clutch and improving our team speed.”

Consistency marks final game

Hello parents: it’s time for campBY JERRY CARTON

COURIER CORRESPONDENT

WINCHENDON — A long, cold mis-erable winter has made the school year seem interminable as well for lots of kids, but it is June and that means sum-mer camp at the Clark Memorial YMCA is just around the corner.

Both the “regular” and sports camps will host eight sessions, each last-ing a week starting June 29. There is also a four-session CIT (Counselor-in-Training) program.

“The Y,” asserts the Clark camp bro-chure, “has been a leading provider of summer camp for over 125 years and continues to provide children and teens with an enriching experience.”

Camp Clark is open to youngsters between 5 and 12 years old while the sports camp is for kids between 7 and 13. The CIT program age eligibility is 13-15.

The first week of sports camp, run-ning from June 29-July 3, will feature boys basketball. Subsequent sessions will include multi sport gymnastics, girls basketball, karate, multi-sports and dance, flag football, multi-sports and finally soccer.

“It’s a wide range of options,” noted Clark sports director Lisa Crossman.

While Camp Clark and Sports camp are week-long sessions, the CIT pro-grams each run for two weeks. The first goes from June 29-July 10, then July 13-24; then July 27-Aug. 7, and Aug. 10-21.

Camp Clark runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and costs $60 for members per session and $85 for non-members. A $10 fee will be assessed for extended morning (7-9

a.m.) or afternoon (4-5:30) stays.Sports camp offers multiple options.

One would allow youngsters to attend sports camp in the morning and day camp after lunch. That costs $85 for members and $110 for non-members.

The second option is to register for sports camp only, which runs from 9 a.m. to noon during weeks 1, 3, 4, and 8 and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. weeks 2, 5, and 7. and will cost $60 for members and $85 for non Clark members.

“Either way, these are great values,” said Crossman.

The CIT program costs $120 for mem-bers and $170 for non-members.

Crossman is also planning a grades 1 through 8 basketball program, which will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays between 6 and 7 p.m. beginning July 6. Games will be played on the outdoor courts and will cost $25 for members and $50 for non-Clark members.

“We’re looking for coaches, we’re des-perately looking,” implored Crossman.

A non-refundable nor transferable 50 percent deposit per camper per session is required when campers register. The Clark brochure says “the remaining balance of each session is due no later than three weeks prior to that session’s start date.”

Registration forms can be download-ed at theclarkymca.org, picked up at the front desk, or be mailed to prospective applicants.

More information is also available by calling (978) 297-9622.

Hail the conquering PharoahSeventeen springs ago,

when Real Quiet spurt-ed away to a four length lead turning for home in the 1998 Belmont Stakes, immortality looming less than a quarter-mile away, I was standing in the clubhouse at Pimlico in Baltimore, silently lamenting a blistering 95º already mis-erable because of a power outage at the track earlier that afternoon...was about to get even worse.

A horse who had lost twice at bush league tracks in New Mexico was moments from winning the Triple Crown and having his name etched in history alongside Secretariat and Citation and Seattle Slew and Affirmed and the others.

Since Affirmed had become the last horse to sweep the classics in 1978, I had rooted against several potential succes-sors. I rooted against the Maryland colt, Spectacular Bid, in 1979 for reasons I still can’t articulate and I had rooted fer-vently and emotionally against Sunday Silence a decade later because I was a fervent and passionate fan of his great rival, Easy Goer. In 1989, there was no middle ground. You were either 100-per-cent for Sunday Silence or you were 100-percent for Easy Goer and you root-ed against the one you didn’t support with an intensity perhaps matched only in Durham and Chapel Hill, NC.

Easy Goer thwarted Sunday in that Belmont, which delighted me, and while I had been indifferent to Pleasant Colony in 1981, I had rooted hard for Alysheba in 1987 and Silver Charm ten years later. They had failed and now, horrors, it looked like Real Quiet was going to accomplish what they hadn’t. Big-time bummer. The Triple Crown was about to be tarnished, probably for eternity.

But fortunately, Victory Gallop came roaring down the stretch and caught RQ at the wire, winning by a nose and sav-ing the day. I was beyond relieved. The Triple Crown, I judged, should be won only by worthy champions.

And so it was last Saturday, the best two-year old of 2014 proved he was no fluke nor left any doubt regard-ing his place in history. American Pharoah’s Kentucky Derby and Preakness weren’t won in fast times, but won

they were and AP saved the best for cor-onation day. Under a brilliant tactical ride from jockey Victor Espinoza, the pair put the Belmont away in the first quarter-mile, slowed the pace to a near-crawl, and then dashed home in a rapid last quarter-mile to coast under the wire amidst the bedlam of the 90,000 in atten-dance (Belmont had capped the crowd at the 90,000 mark) to end that much-dis-cussed 37-year drought and become rac-ing’s 12th Triple Crown winner and, not unimportantly, the fifth straight TC winner who had already been hailed as champion of his generation at two.

For the moment it didn’t matter that American Pharoah will be retired at season’s end and it didn’t matter that there are a zillion questions about his owner’s business practices. The only thing that mattered around 7:00 last Saturday was that a genuinely gifted racehorse became a deserving member of one of sport’s most elite clubs. I’ve often written a Triple Crown winner isn’t going to return racing to its once exalted status on the sports landscape and it’s true — those days are gone for-ever, but for that moment frozen in time last weekend, thoroughbred racing was the only sport that mattered. It hasn’t lasted — the NBA and NHL Finals are in full swing and the US Open begins on Thursday and Wimbledon looms just over the horizon, but in the glow of a warm spring evening on Long Island, American Pharoah became a legend and racing counted once again. For those of us who have spent so much of our lives loitering around barns and farms and backstretches, it was a sight to behold. Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. Pretty cool indeed.

JERRY CARTON

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FRIDAY, JUNE 12HORSESHOE LEAGUE: The Snowbound Club

holds its horseshoe league meeting every Friday night with games starting at 6:30 p.m. and check in at 6:15 p.m. If interested email Wayne at gawk@com-cast.net. Or Snowbound Club number (978) 297 0124

SATURDAY, JUNE 13ITALIAN NIGHT: Immaculate Heart of Mary hosts

an Italian dinner featuring stuffed shells, manicotti, lasagna or penne with sauce, bread, salad, dessert and drink. $10 for adults, $5 for children younger than 10 in the church hall 5-7 p.m.

SUNDAY, JUNE 14WINCHENDON WINDS: free concert with 40+ piece

orchestra in the area behind the Clark Memorial YMCA fieldhouse. Bring a lawn chair, a blanket, a picnic or drinks and enjoy an afternoon of amazing music. Concert begins at 1:30 p.m. and lasts about and hour and a half. A gift to the area. Directed by Dr. Jon Nicholson, includes professional musicians.

MUSEUM OPEN: the Murdock Whitney House Museum open for tours Sunday beginning at 1 p.m. $5, free for members. For information call the muse-um at (978) 297-2142.

FRIDAY, JUNE 19STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL: Immaculate Heart of

Mary annual festivities begin 5-9 p.m. with games, music and family activities. 52 Spruce St.

SATURDAY, JUNE 20SUMMER SOLSTICE: the annual festivities in

down town Winchendon include the 5k Morin road race, with the children’s McFun Run; the events at the Clark Memorial YMCA, the Roaming Railroad sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Church, live

music, food, fun, and activities at several sites.STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL: the Immaculate Heart

of Mary annual festivities continue featuring the country auction at 6 p.m. (preview begins at 4:30) and events all day, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.

ART IN THE PARK: Cornerstone Christian Artist Day Apart will be hosting its second annual Art in the Park Saturday, June 20 at Monument Park in Winchendon on Murdock Avenue. The art portion of the event will run from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. with a time of praise, prayer and dedication for the first hour and live music from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Entries will include traditional art work, photography, knitted items, Christmas in July ornaments, and other craft works. There is no charge to enter and artists may enter as many pieces as they wish. There is no age limitation. Contact Ken Knowlton at artistdayapart@gmail.com or Wendy Brouillet or Pastor Jay Lillie at (978) 297-3125 to enter pieces or for questions. Visit us at artist-dayapart.com for more detailed information.

SUNDAY, JUNE 21STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL: Immaculate Heart of

Mary annual festivities conclude with the draw-ing of all prize winners at 11 a.m. Father’s Day

Breakfast 9-11 a.m.SATURDAY, JUNE 27PIG ROAST: the Winchendon Historical Society

hosts a pig roast on the grounds of the Murdock Whitney Museum beginning at 1 p.m. Live music and good food for $10 per person. Call the museum at (978) 297-2142 for reservations.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 1FAMILY FUN DAY: annual Massachusetts state

chili cook off and family fun day sponsored by the Kiwanis of Winchendon is scheduled 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at Bentley Field, Grove Street.

WHISKEY JOHNSON: Join the band Whiskey Johnson for a night of good time rock and roll and help make a child’s wish come true, 8 p.m. to mid-night at Winchendon American Legion #193, 295 School St. $5 donation per person. Proceeds benefit Make A Wish.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4PLAN AHEAD: nothing like making sure you plan

ahead! The Winchendon American Legion Post 193 Ladies Auxiliary is planning a meat shoot at 2 p.m. at the post, 295 School St. Proceeds will be used to help defray costs for the annual veterans Christmas party.

Winchendon courier 9 Friday, June 12, 2015

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Learn Winchendon’s role in the RevolutionWould you like to learn

how the real people of your town shaped events in the decade leading up to April 19, 1775? During the past two years, 15 Freedom’s Way commu-nities have done just that, and now we are pleased to invite 10 new communi-ties to participate in this scholar-guided program that recovers the untold stories of how their

townsfolk participated in making history imme-diately before, during, and in the wake of the American Revolution. As a Patriot’s Path member, a volunteer from your town will work one-on-one with historian Mary Fuhrer to interpret local records to discover your town’s stories. All you’ll need are your town meet-ing records (transcript

or manuscript) from 1765 to 1775. Fuhrer will act as an interpretive guide to help you understand these records in light of revolutionary events and will help you broaden your story by bringing in resources from state and local archives, courts, and historical societies. From these resources, your town’s story will emerge! Participating

communities have dis-covered the tales of ordinary people making choices, taking actions, and changing history. As part of the team you will share your stories with other Patriot’s Path towns and identify com-mon themes within a regional, broad-reaching narrative that will form the basis for programs, exhibits, curricula, video

and other media presen-tations that will make our local history broad-ly accessible and mean-ingful. As a multistage project we also plan to expand the study of local records to tell our towns’ stories for April 19th, the Revolution, and the early years of nation building. This is a vibrant, excit-ing period in our history, and your town played a

role. Join us in finding that story! Please con-tact Freedom’s Way by emailing patriotspaths@freedomsway.org if you’d like to participate in this exciting and important project. We are able to provide the support you need to discover the sto-ries unique to your com-munity.

Smith’s Country Cheese celebrating significant anniversary

BY TRACY GAMBILLCOURIER CORRESPONDENT

WINCHENDON — Over 45 years ago David and Carol Smith began their life together living in a barn with 20 calves at 20 Otter River Road. Two years later they moved into their home and now they have three children, four grand-children, and a successful cheese busi-ness.

Though Smith began as a dairy farm-er, it can be tough to sell milk because prices are set by the government, there are many regulations, and it is a large volume product. Smith felt he would have better control over a cheese mak-ing business and he saw it as a chal-lenge. He also points out that cheese gets better with age whereas milk is so perishable that, “If you don’t sell it, you smell it.”

Smith first became intrigued with cheese making when he read an article about it and flew to Minnesota to visit such a farm. He ended up buying the business, including recipes and equip-ment, which he then drove back to Massachusetts.

“My goal is to produce value for

the customer,” Smith explained as he shared his journey into cheese making. “I’m a simple guy, a meat and potato guy.”

He wants to offer a farmstead cheese at a fair price. He also believes it’s important for people to know their food source. Customers can visit the store, see the cows, and know exactly where their cheese comes from.

Gouda is the signature cheese for the Smiths but they also make Havarti and Cheddar. The cheeses come in a wide variety of flavors, with smoked Gouda as the most popular. They also make cheese spreads and the store, managed by their daughter Jennifer, sells ham-burger, specialty foods, and cheeses from other small farms in the area.

Smith’s cheeses are sold along the East Coast, from Florida to Maine, to supermarkets through distributors and to small wholesalers directly. They are also sold at farmers’ markets and spe-cial events. Though they have an online presence and send packages throughout the country, it is only a small part of their retail sales. Their busiest time is from Labor Day through Christmas.

The farm uses half of its milk produc-tion for making cheese and half is sold to companies like Garelick. Recently a pharmaceutical company purchased milk from the farm to research milk enzymes for possible uses in the future.

The farm outgrew its cheese making room and added on to the building about 15 years ago. Solar panels were installed on the roof in 2008 and now provide 33 percent of the power. The next project is a thermal hot water system.

A herd of 170 cows is milked three times each day – at 4 a.m., 12 p.m., and 8 p.m. A cow produces between 75 – 165 pounds of milk per day and it takes 10 pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese. One gallon of milk weighs 8.6 pounds.

Windows of the cheese making room offer visitors a view of the process. Milk is pumped into large vats and heated. Culture (good bacteria) and enzymes (help in clumping) are added and the warm milk slowly separates into solids, called curds, and liquid, called whey. This step produces about 90 percent whey, which is drained off and given back to the cows to drink. The curd

becomes the cheese and will either be pressed into blocks or round forms. It will age on a shelf for a minimum of 60 days, and up to two years, before it is available to customers.

The big seller in the spring isn’t cheese, however, it is compost. Sometimes referred to as “black gold”, consultants are hired to help fine tune the recipe for this treasured fertilizer as it is more complicated than one may imagine. For example, it is important that it reach 132˚F to kill pathogens and cut down on weed seeds.

The farm is currently up for sale and the Smiths are in the process of build-ing their retirement home.

“It would be ideal for a young couple looking for a challenge,” he said.

“It’s a passion for me, it’s not work,” assured Smith with a smile.

Smith’s Country Cheese will cele-brate 30 years in business on Sunday, June 14, from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tours will be offered between 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. and prices will revert to what they were in 1985. The first 30 customers will receive a t-shirt and the first 30 children will receive a backpack.

Tracy Gambill photos

Carol and David Smith have enjoyed their time as proprietors of the family business on Otter River Road. The store has expanded over the years and now includes a variety of giftware as well as deli-

cious food.

OngOing Calendar

TOUGH BACON!

CHECK OUT THE SPORTS ACTION!

Winchendon courier 10 Friday, June 12, 2015

choice to run for their positions.

In other business, the BOS approved permits for the Immaculate Heart of Mary strawberry fes-tival June 19, 20 and 21; and the Clark Memorial YMCA Summer Solstice June 20.

The town has learned it is eligible for up to $37.5 thousand in reim-bursement funding from

the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This could be applied to the $221,000 current defi-cit in snow & ice removal.

Appointments were made as follows: state appointment to the Winchendon R e d e v e l o p m e n t Authority, David Connor who currently serves as a locally appointed member; Montachusett Joint Transportation Committee, Selectman Austin Cyganiewicz; Montachusett Regional

Transit Authority Advisory Board, Selectman Michael Barbaro.

R e s i g n a t i o n s were accepted from Cyganiewicz from the Cultural Council and from Fedor Berndt from the MJTC and the Planning Board.

Planning agent Tracy Murphy asked the board to gives its approval to a district local technical assistance grant through MRPC to look at crite-ria to make the Central

Street area its own zon-ing district. Murphy explained in her opinion the town needs to present the area as more “busi-ness friendly.”

There are some zoning requirements that make the process to come into downtown and set up shop difficult. Including special permit require-ments, etc. Other moti-vations include develop-ing design standards for the area that preserve what historic resourc-es exist, improve walk-

ability, re-establish the downtown “Winchendon Village” aesthetic, and to devise a realistic plan to accommodate parking needs. All in the hopes of reestablishing the area as a downtown business district to distinguish it from the rest of the com-munity.

It is also important that the town recognize the role Central Street plays at the terminus of a highly popular bike path and as a possible hub to New Hampshire connec-

tors, and to the proposed Ingleside project.

The grant will pay for Montachusett Regional Planning to do the nec-essary work for the pro-posal.

The BOS will meet again next Monday, June 15 at 5 p.m. with the Department of Revenue for an in house budget meeting. It’s next regu-larly scheduled open meeting is June 22 at 6:30 p.m.

MEETINGcontinued from page A1

do with the Munis software. He intends to bring on board a consultant with whom he works to address the software problems and implement changes.

“We also need to make policy changes, decision making changes and do some long range forecasting. We need to make good municipal decisions,” said Lynch.

His schedule, because of commit-ments continuing at Suffolk most-ly, will include definite office hours in Winchendon on Tuesdays and Thursdays, for now.

“People should be optimistic. This is a good beginning. It is a good start, and I am impressed with the people I met. It will get better,” he said.

LYNCHcontinued from page A1

country dance tune completed the move-ments of the Second Suite.

Win Winds, the start-up orchestra, as if on cue, was christened with a trouble-some wind in the air during that jolly country dance, sheet music dancing off their easels if not secured with large enough clips. But the show went on, musicians and emcee picking up papers as time allowed.

Other music performed included Thin Red Line March, Italian Girl in Algiers, Phantom of the Opera, Sea Songs March, Romantic Symphony #2, and highlight-ed that afternoon was an alto saxophone soloist. Mark Stanaford, a retired Air Force musician who performed all over Europe, the Pacific and New England, played solo or complemented for a cou-ple songs.

Stanaford performed a fast-paced rhythmic Latin piece, Rumba followed by a sultry sax on Harlem Nocturne. He gave a bluesy wind to the band’s good swing beat, his sax answering authori-tatively with all the runs calling for his sassy notes.

Winchendon Winds was recently put together by Nicholson, consisting of Winchendon and surrounding town res-idents in ages from 16 to 85. Orchestra talent boasts trumpet, French horn, trombone, baritone horn, tuba, flute, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, bass clarinet, alto- tenor- and baritone saxophones, plus percussion (although the percus-sionist was at home with an illness on opening day.)

Nicholson has a notable musical career: PhD in musical education from University of Michigan, he has spent many years as a music director for pub-lic high schools, as well as a college in Spokane, WA. He has played bari-tone and trombone, and retired just last year after 25 years with the Townsend Military Band.

“Putting this all together is a lot of work. We are now looking to build an audience,” he said, noting that his band positions are full. “Our ensemble is com-posed of eight band directors, seven music teachers, and everyone is dedicat-ed to their music.”

Trumpeter and author, Jeanne Pocius, said of Jon, “It is a great honor to work under ‘Doc’.”

The June 14 performance at 1:30 p.m. will feature trombonist, first chair, Steve Piermarini, who directs the Leominster band.

WIN WINDScontinued from page A1

Courtesy photos

Exploring nature and hands on science is a great way to spend summer

Spend the summer exploring with Village School

ROYALSTON — The Village School in Royalston offers week-long summer programs in July for children ages 7 to 12.

For more information, go to www.villageschoolma.org to download the brochure and registration form.

Science and Art in Nature is from July 13-17, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily. Artist and art teacher Kerry Stone joins forces with fresh water biologist and art teacher Cathy Szal to pres-ent science, nature and art as a single creative experience for children. Children explore lakes and streams, use micro-scopes, make nature prints and work in clay.

Woodworking with Kids is from July 20 -24, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Teacher Leanne Limoges and woodworker Tim

Cox team up to teach tool skills, guide projects and help chil-dren design their own creations.

Summer programs have time for free play, water play and more.

Flute, recorder, guitar, cello, piano and ukelele lessons are also available throughout the summer.

The programs are supported in part by a grant from New Salem Academy. Royalston children receive a discount, cour-tesy of Royalston Academy.

The Village School summer programs are designed to enrich and expand knowledge of the natural world through hands-on exploration in art, science and woodworking, while providing opportunities for plenty of physical activity, and making new friends. Local scientists, artists, craftsmen, teachers and musicians lead the programs, with assistance from Village School alumni. The programs are fun and engag-ing, with time for water play.

The woodworking program is a chance to safely learn to use tools.

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Newspaper”TheHeartOf

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Winchendon courier 11 Friday, June 12, 2015

OBITUARIES

Judith A. (Epps) Clement, 84W I N C H E N D O N

— Judith A. (Epps) Clement, age 84, of 109 Hale St., died peace-fully Thursday, June 4 in Keystone Center, Leominster.

She was born in Auburn, ME on July 25, 1930, daughter of

the late Dr. Franklin S. and Dorothy (Furber) Epps Sr. and had lived in Winchendon since 1966.

Judy graduated from Dupont High School in West Virginia and graduated from Maine Medical Center School of Nursing in its first graduating class. Judy worked as a registered nurse for many years at Heywood Hospital, Gardner and then for three years while living in Minnesota. She returned to

this area and worked for six years at Burbank Hospital until her retirement. She was a member of Bethany Bible Chapel and enjoyed traveling.

Her husband, Walter F. Clement, died in 2008. She leaves two brothers, Franklin S. Epps Jr and his wife Carol of Rindge and William B. Epps and his wife Barbara of Charlotte, NC as well as several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services were held Tuesday, June 9 in Bethany Bible Chapel, 727 Spring Street, Winchendon, MA 01475. Burial was in Massachusetts Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to Bethany Bible Chapel, PO Box 397, Winchendon, MA 01475.

Stone-Ladeau Funeral Home, 343 Central Street, Winchendon was entrusted with arrangements.

Jean M. (Maliska) Woodard, 75W I N C H E N D O N

— Jean M. (Maliska) Woodard, age 75, of 269 West St., died peace-fully Sunday morning, June 7, at the home of her son in Gardner.

She was born in Winchendon on April 9, 1940, daughter of the

late Anthony and Florence (Gauthier) Maliska and was a 1958 graduate of Murdock High School.

Jean worked for many years at the former Winchendon Hospital and Heywood Hospital in accounts payable. She was an avid bowler and fan of the Boston Red Sox. Her greatest enjoy-ment was spending time with her fam-ily.

She leaves her husband of 54 years, Charles M. Woodard; two sons, Barry C.

Woodard and his wife Marie of Gardner and Jeffrey D. Woodard and his wife Rhoda of Campobello, SC; three sisters, Arline Tenney of Winchendon, Marilyn Parks of Winchendon and Jackie Gilliam of Gardner; 13 grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. A son, Michael S. Woodard, died in 2001. She was also predeceased by three brothers, Anthony Maliska, William Maliska and Joseph Maliska and a sister, Phyllis Demaura.

Private graveside services will be held in Calvary Cemetery, Winchendon.

There are no calling hours.Memorial donations may be made to

American Cancer Society, 30 Speen St., Framingham, MA 01701 or to charity of one’s choice.

Stone-Ladeau Funeral Home, 343 Central St., Winchendon is directing arrangements.

Emily M. Hilow, 71WINCHENDON — Emily M Hilow,

age 71, of Winchendon, died peacefully Saturday morning June 6, 2015 after an illness.

Emily was born in Winchendon, Aug. 5, 1943, daughter of the late Said M and Shefake A. (Aziz) Hilow, and lived in Winchendon most of her life.

Emily worked for the city of Gardner for many years. She is a 1962 graduate of Murdock High School and a long time member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church.

Emily is survived by her sister Marion Hilow of Winchendon; two brothers;

John S. Hilow and his wife Louise of Keene, NH and David J. Hilow and his wife Pauline of Leominster, and many nieces and nephews. Emily was prede-ceased by two sisters; Theresa Hilow in 2004 and Gemili Hilow in 2012.

At the family’s request funeral ser-vices will be private.

In lieu of flowers donations in Emily’s memory may be made to a charity of one’s choice.

The Fletcher-Hebert Funeral Home (fletcherfuneral.com), 70 Pleasant St., Winchendon is directing the arrange-ments.

Calvin Samuel Kahn, 55LEOMINSTER — Calvin Samuel

Kahn, age 55, formerly of Leominster, died suddenly on June 5, 2015, at home in Portsmouth, RI.

He leaves his parents, Herbert J. and Yetta (Ungar) Kahn of Leominster; a brother Mark Kahn of Leominster; and several aunts, uncles, and cousins.

He was born in Miami, FL and was raised in Leominster.

He graduated the Winchendon School and from Holyoke Community College, where he studied art.

He was an accomplished artist, paint-ing in numerous medium.

Graveside funeral services were held Wednesday, June 10 at Agudas Achim Cemetery on Rollstone Road in Fitchburg.

Memorial contributions may be made to Fitchburg Art Museum, 185 Elm Street, Fitchbrug, MA 01420.

Miles Funeral Home of Holden was entrusted with arrangements.

Dorothy M. Houle, 67PELION, SC –

Dorothy M. Houle, age 67, of 1385 Track Road, formerly of Rindge, died peacefully at her residence Friday morning, June 5th, with her family at her side.

She was born in Wareham, on Aug. 19, 1947, daughter of Dolores M. (Anderson) Nauman of Townsend, and the late Albert J. Gallant. She lived in Rindge for many years and moved to South Carolina two years ago.

Dorothy had worked as a police dis-patcher for the town of Rindge for sev-eral years. At one time, she operated Cinderalla Cleaning Business in Rindge. She was an avid swimmer. Her greatest enjoyment was spending time with her family. Her grandchildren fondly called

her “Gramma 10.”Her husband, Ernest A. Houle, died

in 1990. She leaves two sons, Daniel M. Houle and his wife Laura of Pelion, SC and William A. Houle of Keene, NH; her siblings, Linda M. Nauman of Ayer, Ann M. Wilson of Townsend, Larry D. Nauman of Townsend, and Celeste M. Gallagher of Townsend; six grandchil-dren and several nieces and nephews. A brother, Herbert Nauman Jr., prede-ceased her.

Funeral services were held Wednesday, June 10 in Stone-Ladeau Funeral Home, 343 Central Street, Winchendon. The Rev. Joseph Mabe officiated.

Burial followed in Hillside Cemetery, Rindge.

Memorial donations may be made to Lutheran Hospice of S.C., 102 Fortress Drive, Chapin, S.C. 29036.

Edward J. Courtemanche, 88J A F F R E Y

— Edward J. Courtemanche, age 88, of Jaffrey, formerly of East Templeton, died peacefully Tuesday June 9, 2015 in Good Shepard Nursing Home, Jaffrey, with

his daughter by his side.

Edward was born in Fitchburg, Dec. 6, 1926, and resided in East Templeton most of his life before moving to New Hampshire. His beloved wife Ruth L. (Alie) Courtemanche died Sept. 6, 2010.

Edward proudly served his country with the United States Navy World War II. He served in the Pacific Theater in the Philippines and Iwo Jima. Edward retired from MH Parks Company of Winchendon as plant superintendent. He was a member of the Ovila Case Past 905 VFW of Gardner and enjoyed wood-working and gardening.

Edward will be missed by his daugh-ter Betty Roberts and her husband Paul of Edgmere MD, two grandchildren, Craig Gobin and Dawn Banting and her

husband Andy, three great-granddaugh-ters; Kristyna Roberts Banting, Emily Banting, and Amanda Banting, his in-laws, James and Ruth Alie of Otter River and Robert Minns of Gardner, and nieces and nephews. Edward was predeceased by his sisters; Cecile and her husband Roland Leberge, and Theresa Hamilton, brothers; Albert Courtemanche and Phillip Courtemanche and his wife Emiline, and his sister in law Betty Minns.

At the family’s request burial with military honors will be private. The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the entire staff at Good Shepard Nursing Home for their excel-lent, kind and compassionate care of Edward.

The Fletcher-Hebert Funeral Home (fletchercares.com), 70 Pleasant St. Winchendon, is assisting the family with the arrangements.

Arlene M. (Fontaine) Morin, 79WINCHENDON —

Arlene M. (Fontaine) Morin, age 79, of 133 Ipswich Drive, died peacefully Sunday morning, May 31 at her residence, with her family at her side.

She was born in New Boston, NH on March

13, 1936, daughter of the late John and Clara (Reed) Fontaine and was a 1954 graduate of Keene High School. She had been a resident of Winchendon for many years.

Arlene worked at the former Temple Stuart Furniture Company and later worked in the Workers Assistance Program at Mt. Wachusett Community College in Gardner. She was a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Ipswich Community Drive Tenants Council and M.A.D.D. Arlene enjoyed playing cards, bingo, reading, camping, crossword puzzles and taking trips to Foxwoods. Her greatest enjoyment was

spending time with her family.She leaves her husband of 60 years,

Delano A. “Del” Morin; two daughters, Renee D. Robinson and her husband Mark of Kennebunk, ME and Tyna M. Morin of Ashburnham; a daughter-in-law, Sally-Jo E. Morin of Winchendon; a brother Edward Fontaine of Keene, NH; a sister Priscilla Purrington of Troy, NH; four grandchildren, Michael Del Morin Jr, Alexandra Morin, Benjamin Robinson and Max Robinson; a great grandson Jackson Morin and several nieces and nephews. A son, Michael Del Morin, a sister, Edna Miller and a brother Donald Fontaine, preceded her in death.

Funeral services were held Wednesday, June 3 in Stone-Ladeau Funeral Home, 343 Central St. Burial followed in Calvary Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to Winchendon Fire Department, 405 Central St., Winchendon, MA 01475 or to American Heart Association, 300 5th Ave., Waltham, MA 01701.

George J. Tavares, 96FALMOUTH –

George J. Tavares of Falmouth, passed away peacefully at his home on Patriots Day, April 20th at his resi-dence, after a long ill-ness. He was 96.

He was born in Taunton, on Sept. 5,

1918, son of Julio and Flora (Ingargiola) Tavares.

George was preceded in death by his wife Shirley E. (White) Tavares and a son, Richard E. Tavares of Winchendon.

George was a veteran of World War II proudly serving in North Africa and Italy. He was the owner of several restau-rants in the New Bedford area early in his career as a chef. He later worked as executive chef for the Foxboro Co, in Foxboro. Upon his retirement from the Foxboro Co, George and his wife moved to Falmouth and established Great Bay Associates Realty Co. and continued to work into his late eighties. He loved his family, the ocean, traveling, and enter-

taining his family and many friends in his home on Great Bay. They, in turn, greatly enjoyed his gourmet meals.

He is survived by three sons, David G. Tavares, James R. Tavares and his wife Anna, Paul S. Tavares and his wife Laurel, all of Winchendon; daughter, Gaynor M. Tavares and her husband George Ouellette of Fitzwilliam, and stepson, Scott E. Garland of Dover, VT. He also leaves 14 grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren and sixteen great great grandchildren.

The family would like to express their gratitude for the time, care and love given to George by Ann and Charlie Hall, Colleen Garland and Hope Hospice.

Per George’s wishes, there will be no calling hours.

Private military funeral services will be held in the Massachusetts Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery, Winchendon.

William W. Wirtanen, 52WINCHENDON —

William W. Wirtanen, age 52 of 134 Pearl St., died peacefully Tuesday evening, May 26th, at the home of his daughter, with his family at his side.

He was born in Gardner on July

24, 1962, son of Jeannine (Desrosiers) Wirtanen of Rindge, NH and the late Edwin Wirtanen and attended Oakmont Regional High school. He had lived in Winchendon seven years and previous-ly lived in Hubbardston.

Bill owned and operated Bee Pallets of Gardner, worked in maintenance at Wachusett Village Inn and Van Emden Management Properties, and most recently, as a technician at Superior Communication Services while also spending his weekends at his antique store in Hubbardston. Bill was a mem-ber of Eugene M. Connor Post 193 Sons of the American Legion and Higher Ground Ministries in Gardner. His hobbies included playing the guitar, camping, and horseshoes, watching the Oakmont Spartans Football, and had a love of the outdoors.

In addition to his mother, he leaves

two daughters, Angie Ward and her husband Jason of Westminster and Sonya Wirtanen and her fiancé Ethan Bigelow of Winchendon; a stepdaugh-ter Sara Mitchell of Ashburnham; his brothers, John Wirtanen and signif-icant other Linda of Clinton, Edwin Wirtanen Jr and his wife Tia of Garland TX, Robert Wirtanen and his wife Christine of Westminster; his sister, Anna Green and her husband Donny of Gray, ME, Kathy Murphy of Gardner, Lisa Savard and her husband Shaun of Rindge, NH; A granddaughter Jordan, five step grandchildren and many niec-es and nephews. Two brothers, Daniel Wirtanen and Michael Wirtanen, pre-ceded him in death.

Whether he was Bill, Billy, Will, or Bee, he was of many names and many talents. In his 52 years he created a lifetime of adventures and experiences that were reflected in the many stories he told. Bill was hardworking, loving, energetic and made everyone laugh. But above all, he was a good man with a kind heart who will be dearly missed by his many friends and family members whom he held so close.

Graveside services were held in Woodside Cemetery, Narrows Road Westminster on Saturday May 30.

SEND OBITUARIES at no charge to Editor Ruth DeAmicis, by faxing (978) 297-2177, or by e-mailing the editor at ruth@stonebridgepress.com.

We also invite funeral directors and families to e-mail us a JPEG photo-graph to print, at no cost, alongside the obituary.

HELP WANTEDGENERAL LABORERS

White’s Mill Farms is hiring 2 General Laborers. 40 hour work week — Wednesday through Sunday 8 to 430 p.m. Contact us for application at whitesmillevents@gmail.com and for more informationMECHANIC/COUNTER HELPMust have valid driver’s license. Tri-City Marine, Winchendon. (978) 855-2509.

EXPERIENCED WAITSTAFFThe Southside Grille is looking for experienced full-time waitstaff who work hard and have a cheerful personality. Fill out an application at our restaurant located at 242 W. Broadway, Gardner.

FITNESS STAFF Do you enjoy leading groups through a fun, safe, and engaging workout? Do you enjoy social interaction through exercise? The Wendell P. Clark Memorial YMCA in Winchendon is seeking certified

instructors to provide members with a great group exercise experience. If this interests you, we would love to hear from you. Applications are being accepted for multiple group exercise positions. Stop by the Y and fill out an application today!

SEASONED LINE COOKThe Southside Grille is looking for seasoned line cooks who are capable of working fast under pressure. Fill out an application at our restaurant located at 242 W. Broadway, Gardner.

BOOTH RENTALHair dresser: new shop in Winchendon. Call for particulars. (978) 297-1200. TFN

EMPLOYERSThese help wanted ads are FREE! Contact the Courier to find out how to get help for your business by calling (978) 297-0050 x 100 or email ruth@stonebridgepress.com.

FOR RENTROOMS

Rooms for rent: second & third floor. Shared kitchen, private laundry and bath facilities. $125 a week. Security deposit of three weeks required. Call (978) 297-7144. 11.21

ROOMS FOR RENTDowntown Winchendon, immediate occupancy: located on second floor in secured, peaceful, friendly, well maintained, quiet & drug free building. Independent group of older gentlemen to co-habitat, hallway & bath facilities are shared. 1 parking space, dumpster use, heat/HW included, electric included (except AC in summer). $450 per month. References, income verification, first & last to move in. Applications available: Dick’s Place Barbershop, 298 Central St. (978) 297-0005.

GOODRICH APARTMENTSNow taking applications. Call for guidelines. (978) 297-0231. TFN

SERVICES All in One Painting: interior, exterior, power washing, decks. More than 25 years experience, fully insured, free estimates. (603) 305-4974 or leo@allinonepainting.net TFNWANTEDWANTEDMotorcycles, ATVs, scooters. Cash paid for good deals. (978) 297-1800. 8.1.15

WE BUY GOLDPattie’s Jewelry, open 10 a.m.-5 p.m.: best prices. Behind Dunkin’ Donuts. (978) 297-3536.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTSDrum teacher Leon LaPlante seeks used instruments and drum stands to help out high school students. (978) 297-1250.

YARD SALESRINDGE

Saturday, June 13 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at 376 East Monomonac Road. On the lake so lots of boating accessories, a sailboat, bikes, electronics and much more.

Winchendon courier 12 Friday, June 12, 2015

A1 HANDYMAN SERVICES(978)297-4670

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ruth@stonebridgepress.com or leave a voice mail @ 978.297.0050 x100

with dates, time and address.(Print deadline for Friday’s paper is Tuesday.)

Serving the communities of Winchendon, Ashburnham, Athol, Gardner, Fitchburg, Leominster, Westminster, Templeton, Phillipston and southern N.H.

Winchendon CourierClassifiedsClassifieds • a S t o n e b r i d g e P r e S S P u b l i c a t i o n •

Winchendon Police DepartmentEditor’s Note: The information con-

tained in this police log was obtained through public documents kept by the police department, and is considered to be the account of the police. All subjects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

MONDAY, JUNE 11:55-2:08 a.m.: building checks, secure;

5:16 a.m.: tree down on wires (River Street) refer to other agency; 6:13 a.m.: DPW call (Front Street) referred; 7 a.m.: DPW call (West Street) referred; 7 a.m.: DPW call (Sibley Road) referred; 10:21 a.m.: summons service (Mill Street) served; 10:22 a.m.: summons service (Lincoln Avenue) served; 10:24 a.m.: sum-mons service (Mechanic Street) served; 10:25 a.m.: summons service (Melanson Drive) unable to serve; 11:32 a.m.: van-dalism (Mill Circle) report taken; 11:50 a.m.: animal complaint (River Street) refer to ACO; 11:51 a.m.: assist citizen (phone) assisted; 12:02 p.m.: suspicious other (West Street) no cause for com-plaint; 12:37 p.m.: MV operating errat-ically (Main Street) advised officer; 12:54 p.m.: suspicious other (Woodlawn Avenue) checked, secure; 1 p.m.: vandal-ism (Lincoln Avenue Extension) report taken; 1:41 p.m.: abandoned 911 call (Irwin Court) no PD service required; 1:45 p.m.: animal complaint (Lincoln Avenue) returned to home or family; 2:17 p.m.: officer wanted (Front Street) spoken to; 5:08 p.m.: suspicious person (Banner Place) spoken to; 5:14 p.m.: offi-cer wanted (South Ashburnham Road) refer to other PD; 5:23 p.m.: traffic hazard (Spring Street) assisted; 5:54 p.m.: deliv-er message (Brown Street) delivered; 6:15 p.m.: suspicious person (Central Street) gone on arrival; 6:30 p.m.: gener-al info (Royalston Road South) spoken to; 6:34 p.m.: MV stop (Central Street) verbal warning; 7:11 p.m.: warrant check (Central Street) info given; 7:42 p.m.: abandoned MV (Gardner Road) spoken to; 8:06 p.m.: ambulance (West Street) transport; 8:19 p.m.: summons service (Bosworth Road) unable to serve.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 31:19 a.m.: building check, secure;

1:23 a.m.: intoxicated person (Spring Street) arrest: Wesley E. Price, age 66

of 11 Massasoit Drive, Ashburnham: OUI liquor second offense and negli-gent operation of MV; 7:51 a.m.: acci-dent (Baldwinville State Road) report taken; 8:01 a.m.: animal complaint (Maple Street) refer to ACO; 8:59 a.m.: fire alarm (Central Street) false alarm; 9:51 a.m.: lift assist (Brown Street) ser-vices rendered; 10:41 a.m.: summons service (Willoughby Avenue) unable to serve; 10:46 a.m.: summons service (Central Street) served; 10:49 a.m.: MV stop (Spring Street) traffic citation; 10:52 a.m.: summons service (Sunset Court) unable to serve; 10:53 a.m.: summons ser-vice (Sibley Road) unable to serve; 11:17 a.m.: ambulance (Elmwood Road) trans-port; 11:19 a.m.: ambulance (Bemis Road) transport; 12:01 p.m.: animal complaint (Lincoln Avenue) refer to ACO; 1:19 p.m.: fraud (River Street) report taken; 1:41 p.m.: ambulance (Damon Road) trans-port; 3:40 p.m.: burglary B&E (Chestnut Street) report taken; 4:15 p.m.: animal complaint (Pearl Street) refer to ACO; 5 p.m.: extra patrols (Teel Road) services rendered; 5:18 p.m.: suspicious person (Spring Street) unable to locate; 5:31 p.m.: dog bite (Brown Court) report taken; 6:24 p.m.: MV stop (West Street) verbal warn-ing; 6:30 p.m.: be on the look out (School Street) unable to locate; 7:28 p.m.: ani-mal complaint (Brown Avenue) spoken to; 7:51 p.m.: assist other agency (Maple Street) unable to locate; 9:13 p.m.: ani-mal complaint (Brown Court) unable to locate; 11 p.m.: burglary B&E (Goodrich Drive) report taken; 11:27 p.m.: extra patrols (Ipswich Drive) checked, secure; 11:56 p.m.: abandoned 911 call (Mechanic Street) checked, secure.

THURSDAY, JUNE 412:23 a.m.: suspicious person (Central

Street) spoken to; 1:17-3:13 a.m.: building checks, secure; 3:33 a.m.: repossession of MV (River Street) property seized; 8 a.m.: DPW call (Central Street) referred; 8:22 a.m.: MV stop (School Square) ver-bal warning; 8:47 a.m.: general juvenile (Kemp Street) spoken to; 9:12 a.m.: ani-mal complaint (Glenallan Street) refer to other agency; 12:07 p.m.: MV stop (Front Street) written warning; 12:27 p.m.: sus-picious MV (Ingleside Drive) dispersed gathering; 12:41 p.m.: investigation (Maple Street) spoken to; 3:32 p.m.: extra

patrols (Teel Road) services rendered; 4:49 p.m.: accident (High Street) report taken; 5:24 p.m.: harassment (Cedar Terrace) services rendered; 7:05 p.m.: abandoned MV (School Square) spoken to; 7:41 p.m.: warrant arrest (Ash Street) unable to locate; 8:15 p.m.: warrant arrest (Spring Street) unable to locate; 8:31 p.m.: stolen MV (Alger Street) spoken to; 10:28 p.m.: MV operating erratically (Brooks Road) gone on arrival; 11:31-11:55 p.m.: building checks, secure.

FRIDAY, JUNE 512:06-3:48 a.m.: building checks,

secure; 12:47 a.m.: registration check (School Street) info given; 3:45 a.m.: general info (Alger Street) info taken; 6:08 a.m.: disturbance (Juniper Street) arrest: Tasha D. Emerald, age 24 of 41 Juniper St., Winchendon: based on war-rant; 9:39 a.m.: summons service (Spring Street) served; 9:57 a.m.: summons ser-vice (Sunset Court) served; 10:03 a.m.: summons service (Sibley Road) unable to serve; 10:30 a.m.: assist citizen (Elm Street) spoken to; 11:20 a.m.: assist cit-izen (West Street) assisted; 12:27 p.m.: accident (Pinewood Drive) spoken to; 1:34 p.m.: suspicious person (School Street) spoken to; 2:10 p.m.: threats (Front Street) report taken; 2:13 p.m.: dis-turbance (Cedar Terrace) spoken to; 2:15 p.m.: ambulance (Mechanic Street) trans-port; 3:31 p.m.: intoxicated person (River Street) spoken to; 4:02 p.m.: sex offender registration (Spring Street) assisted; 5:33 p.m.: MV operating erratically (Gardner Road) advised officer; 5:49 p.m.: MV stop (Spring Street) verbal warning; 5:57 p.m.: MV stop (Maple Street) verbal warning; 6:27 p.m.: keep the peace (River Street) assisted; 6:41 p.m.: smoke (Elmwood Road) no FD service required; 7:18 p.m.: MV stop (Gardner Road) traffic citation; 7:52 p.m.: suspicious MV (School Street) no PD service required; 8:56 p.m.: sus-picious MV (Glenallan Street) no PD service required; 9:03 p.m.: brush fire (Mason Street) no FD service required; 9:13 p.m.: suspicious MV (Cardinal Lane) unable to locate.

SATURDAY, JUNE 61:17 a.m.: suspicious MV (East Street)

gone on arrival; 1:18 a.m.: intoxicated person (Pleasant Street) services ren-dered; 3:01-3:03 building checks, secure;

6:06 a.m.: burglary B&E (Mill Street) report taken; 6:19 a.m.: MV stop (Gardner Road) verbal warning; 7:08 a.m.: animal complaint (Hyde Park Drive) refer to ACO; 8:35 a.m.: noise complaint (Second Street) info taken; 8:41 a.m.: investiga-tion (Krantz Road) spoken to; 9:25 a.m.: transport (Central Street); 9:53 a.m.: MV operating erratically (Gardner Road) advised officer; 11:13 a.m.: summons ser-vice (Sibley Road) served; 12:07 p.m.: burglar alarm (School Square) checked, secure; 1:37 p.m.: open door (Jameson Way) refer to other agency; 6:58 p.m.: bur-glar alarm (Hospital Drive) false alarm; 7:03 p.m.: MV stop (Central Street) verbal warning; 7:19 p.m.: general juvenile (Teel Road) removed to hospital; 8:28 p.m.: MV stop (Gardner Road) verbal warning; 9:21 p.m.: MV stop (Summer Street) ver-bal warning; 9:31 p.m.: unwanted party (Juniper Street) services rendered; 10:59 p.m.: suspicious MV (Central Street) checked, secure.

SUNDAY, JUNE 712:33-1:02 a.m.: building checks, secure;

12:50 a.m.: MV stop (Spring Street) writ-ten warning; 1:56 a.m.: unwanted party (Brown Street) report taken; 7:04 a.m.: 911 hang up (Glenallan Street) no PD service required; 7:56 a.m.: property lost (Juniper Street) report taken; 8:53 a.m.: threats (Brown Street) assisted; 11:27 a.m.: fire alarm (Central Street) false alarm; 12:20 p.m.: fire alarm (Central Street) false alarm; 12:24 p.m.: suspicious person (Spring Street) spoken to; 12:27 p.m.: harassment (Front Street) spoken to; 1:56 p.m.: officer wanted (Central Street) spoken to; 2:13 p.m.: investiga-tion (Juniper Street) spoken to; 2:47 p.m.: ambulance (Central Street) trans-port; 3:02 p.m.: accident (River Street) report taken; 3:37 p.m.: officer wanted (Elmwood Road) spoken to; 4:59 p.m.: MV stop (Baldwinville State Road) written warning; 6:35 p.m.: disabled MV (Central Street) spoken to; 7:38 p.m.: ATV com-plaint (Maple Street) spoken to; 8:16 p.m.: accident (Mill Street) spoken to; 9:04 p.m.: ambulance (Elmwood Road) trans-port; 9:40 p.m.: general info (Mechanic Street) info taken; 9:54 p.m.: officer want-ed (walk in) spoken to; 11:46 p.m.: noise complaint (Central Street) spoken to.

Police log

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Winchendon Water Department Public Water System #2343000

2014 Water Quality Report

Dear Water Customer, We  are  pleased  to  present  you  with  the  2014  Winchendon  Water  Quality  Report.    The  Safe  Drinking  Water  Act  (SDWA)  requires  that  utilities  issue  an  annual  Consumer  Confidence  Report  (CCR)  to  customers  in  addition  to  other  notices  that  may  be  required  by  law.  Contained  in  this  report  is  information  about  where  your  water  is  drawn  from,  how  it  is  treated/filtered,  how  to  protect  it,  levels  of  any  contaminant  detected,  compliance  with  the  Massachusetts  Department  of  Environmental  Protection  (MA  DEP)  regulations,  residential  cross  connections,  and  helpful  definitions.  The  Winchendon  Water  Department  is  committed  to  providing  you  with  the  safest  drinking  water  and  enough  capacity  to  meet  your  demands.      

Where? How?

Winchendon‘s  drinking  water  comes  from  Upper  Naukeag  Lake  in  Ashburnham.    Upper  Naukeag  Lake  is  a  shared  water  source  that  provides  water  to  both  the  Town  of  Ashburnham  and  the  Town  of  Winchendon.  Water  is  pumped  from  the  lake  to  the  Ashburnham-­‐Winchendon  Joint  Water  Filtration  Plant,  which  is  located  on  Lake  Road  in  Ashburnham.  Here  the  water  is  treated  and  filtered.    Chemicals  are  added  to  aid  in  the  clarification/filtration  process  and  to  disinfect  the  water.    The  pH  of  the  water  is  controlled  to  prevent  corrosion  to  the  plumbing  systems  of  homes  and  businesses,  which  can  cause  lead,  copper,  and  other  metals  to  enter  your  water  through  the  deterioration  of  plumbing  pipes.  Phosphates  (corrosion  inhibitors)  are  added  to  aid  in  plumbing  and  water  main  corrosion  prevention  as  well.    Water  from  the  filtration  plant  is  then  pumped  into  the  70  miles  of  water  transmission/distribution  mains  and  two,  one-­‐million  gallon  water  storage  tanks.    The  total  

combined  storage  of  the  two  tanks  of  2  million  gallons  provides  almost  3  days  reserve  based  on  average  water  usage.    One  storage  tank  is  located  on  the  High  Street  area  and  the  other  is  on  Elmwood  Road.  In  addition,  the  system  has  two  water  booster  pump  stations  that  increase  water  pressure  in  the  system.    A  third  water  booster  station  on  Route  140  provides  emergency  fire  supply  protection  in  that  area  of  town.    There  are  more  than  2,100  connections  to  the  water  system  which  supply  homes  and  businesses  with  clean,  safe  drinking  water.    The  water  filtration  plant  produced  an  average  of  608,082  gallons  per  day  (GPD)  for  Winchendon,  for  a  total  of  221.95  million  gallons  for  2014.  The  statistics  for  2013  were  627,945  GPD  and  229.2  million  gallons  total  –  so  the  average  usage  in  2014  was  approximately  3.2%  less  than  2013.  

Protection and Conservation

Protecting  our  drinking  water  is  crucial,  whether  it’s  from  pollution  (rain  run-­‐off,  improper  disposal  of  hazardous  materials  or  cross  connection)  or  waste  due  to  leaks  from  plumbing  fixtures  or  corroded  pipes.  Massachusetts  DEP  has  written  a  Source  Water  Assessment  and  Protection  (SWAP)  Report  for  Winchendon’s  water  system.  This  includes  potential  contamination  sources  near  Upper  Naukeag  Lake.  This  report  assesses  the  susceptibility  of  the  water  system.  Winchendon  was  given  a  rating  of  “high”  susceptibility  due  to  land  use  in  the  area.  It  is  important  to  understand  that  a  release  may  never  occur  from  a  potential  source  of  contamination  provided  facilities  are  using  best  management  practices  (BMPs).  If  BMPs  are  in  place,  the  actual  risk  may  be  lower  than  the  threat  ranking.  Many  potential  sources  of  contamination  are  regulated  at  the  federal,  state  and/or  local  levels  to  further  reduce  the  risk.  This  SWAP  report  can  be  obtained  at  the  Winchendon  DPW  Office.    For  more  information,  call  the  Winchendon  Water  Dept.  at  (978)  297-­‐0170  or  go  to  http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/drinking/2343000pd  and  download  it  to  your  computer.      Water  conservation  is  another  way  to  protect  our  drinking  water  by  ensuring  that  we  don’t  diminish  our  resource.  As  much  as  97%  of  the  world’s  water  is  saltwater,  leaving  3%  freshwater,  two-­‐thirds  of  which  is  stored  as  icecaps  or  glaciers.  This  leaves  us  1%  of  the  world’s  water  for  drinking.  Needless  to  say,  water  conservation  will  help  us  sustain  our  precious  1%.  Here  are  a  few  ways  to  help  out:  

-­‐  Water  your  lawn  only  when  it  needs  it.  Step  on  your  grass.  If  it  springs  back  when  you  lift  your  foot,  it  doesn't  need  water.  This  can  save  750-­‐1,500  gallons  per  month.    

-­‐Turn  off  the  water  while  brushing  your  teeth.  This  can  save  three  gallons  each  day.    

-­‐Set  lawn  mower  blades  one  notch  higher.  Longer  grass  means  less  evaporation.  This  can  save  500  to  1,500  gallons  each  month.    

-­‐Put  a  layer  of  mulch  around  trees  and  plants.  This  can  save  750  to  1,500  gallons  per  month.    

Backflow and Cross-Connections  Massachusetts  drinking  water  regulations  state  that  an  approved  public  water  supply  may  not  be  connected  to  an  unapproved  supply,  such  as  a  private  well.    Such  a  connection  is  considered  an  illegal  cross  connection.    A  cross  connection  is  any  connection  between  piping  that  carries  drinking  water  (also  known  as  potable)  and  the  piping  or  fixtures  that  carry  other  types  of  water  or  substances  that  are  not  safe  to  drink  (also  known  as  non-­‐potable).    Ideally,  it  is  best  to  not  have  any  cross-­‐connections,  but  in  certain  situations  they  are  unavoidable.    Examples  include  residential  and  commercial  fire  sprinkler  systems,  wells  or  auxiliary  water  systems,  lawn  irrigation  systems,  boilers,  swimming  pools  and  hot  tubs  that  are  hard  piped  for  filling  purposes,  and  even  garden  hoses.    When  an  installation  requires  a  cross-­‐connection,  it  must  be  properly  protected  with  an  acceptable  backflow  prevention  assembly  or  device  to  eliminate  any  potential  for  a  reverse  flow  back  into  the  potable  water  supply.    The  vacuum  breaker  shown  is  a  device  that  attaches  to  any  garden  hose  connection  and  allows  water  to  flow  in  only  one  direction.    A  garden  hose  placed  into  a  bucket  to  fill  without  a  device  like  this  could  pose  a  backflow  risk  if  a  fire  hydrant  was  operated  in  the  water  system.    The  drop  in  water  pressure  could  cause  the  contents  of  the  bucket  to  be  drawn  into  the  water  system  and  possibly  contaminate  the  drinking  water.    An  unprotected  cross-­‐connection  threatens  the  health  and  safety  of  individuals  and  may  contaminate  food  or  beverage  products  utilizing  water  from  that  system.  For  more  information,  please  review  the  Cross-­‐connection  Control  Manual  from  the  U.S.  EPA’s  website  at  http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/drinkingwater/pws/crossconnectioncontrol/index.cfm.  You  can  also  call  the  Safe  Drinking  Water  Hotline  at  (800)  426-­‐4791.      

2014 Drinking Water Quality Test Results

In  2014  your  water  was  tested  for  total  coliform  bacteria,  chlorine  residual,  alkalinity,  inorganics,  nitrate,  perchlorate,  turbidity  (clarity),  trihalomethanes,  haloacetic  acids,  volatile  organic  compounds  (VOC’s)  and  pH  (Treatment  Plant  Sampling  Plan).  The  results  provided  in  this  report  are  from  2014  or  the  most  recent  monitoring  period  for  each  contaminant  group.  Even  though  contaminants  were  detected,  the  presence  of  contaminants  in  drinking  water  does  not  necessarily  indicate  that  the  water  poses  a  health  risk.  Drinking  water,  including  bottled  water,  may  reasonably  be  expected  to  contain  at  least  low  levels  of  some  contaminants.    Some  people  may  be  more  vulnerable  to  contaminants  in  drinking  water  than  the  general  population.  Immuno-­‐compromised  persons  such  as  persons  with  cancer  undergoing  chemotherapy,  persons  who  have  undergone  organ  transplants,  people  with  HIV/AIDS  or  other  immune  system  disorders,  some  elderly,  and  infants  can  be  particularly  at  risk  from  infections.  These  people  should  seek  advice  from  their  health  care  providers.  More  information  about  contaminants  and  potential  health  effects  can  be  obtained  by  calling  the  EPA’s  Safe  Drinking  Water  Hotline  (1-­‐800-­‐426-­‐4791).    EPA/CDC  guidelines  on  appropriate  means  to  lessen  the  risk  of  infection  by  Cryptosporidium  and  other  microbial  contaminants  are  also  available  from  the  Safe  Drinking  Water  Hotline  (1-­‐800-­‐426-­‐4791).  

Regulated Contaminants

Contaminant (unit of measure)  

Date(s) or Frequency Collected

Highest Amount Detected or

Highest RAA*

Range Detected

MCL or MRDL

MCLG or

MRDLG

Violation (Y/N)

Possible Sources

Arsenic (ppm) 5/15/14 ND -- 0.01 0 N Erosion of natural deposits, runoff from fruit orchards,

Chlorine (ppm) Monthly 0.43* 0.02-1.38 4 4 N Water additive used to control microbes

Total Coliform Bacteria (# of positive samples)

Monthly 0 0 – 1 >1 positive sample per

month 0 N Naturally present in the environment

Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs) (ppb)

Quarterly 51.2* 26.4-78.6 80 -- N Byproduct of drinking water disinfection

Haloacetic Acids (HAA5s) (ppb)

Quarterly 22.8* 8.20-31.4 60 -- N Byproduct of drinking water disinfection

 *The  running  annual  average  (RAA)  is  the  highest  average  of  four  consecutive  quarters  

Vacuum Breaker for hose bib.

Turbidity Turbidity  is  a  measure  of  the  cloudiness  of  the  water.  We  monitor  it  because  it  is  a  good  indicator  of  the  effectiveness  of  our  filtration  system.  We  begin  by  monitoring  raw  water  turbidity,  then  we  monitor  turbidity  after  the  filtration  process  and,  finally,  we  take  a  finished  water  sample.  This  tells  us  how  much  turbidity  we  are  removing.    At  the  treatment  plant,  these  turbidity  levels  are  monitored  continuously  in  addition  to  manual  sampling  each  day  to  confirm  that  the  in-­‐line  analyzers  are  accurate  and  functioning  correctly.  The  average  turbidity  in  the  water  leaving  the  plant  for  the  year  (2014)  was  0.09  NTU  (see  Important  Definitions  below).    

Turbidity is a measure of the “cloudiness” of the water. It is monitored because it is a good indicator of water quality.

AWJWA Water Treatment Facility TT Lowest Monthly %

of Samples Highest Detected

Daily Value Violation (Y/N) Possible Source of Contamination

Daily Turbidity Compliance (NTU) 1 ---- 0.27 N

Soil runoff Monthly Compliance*

At least 95% <0.3 NTU 100 ---- N

*Monthly turbidity compliance is related to a specific treatment technique (TT). This treatment facility filters the water so that at least 95% of our samples each month must be below the turbidity limits specified in the regulations.

Lead and Copper

If  present,  elevated  levels  of  lead  can  cause  serious  health  problems,  especially  for  pregnant  women  and  young  children.  Lead  in  drinking  water  is  primarily  from  materials  and  components  associated  with  the  individual  service  lines  to  your  home/business  and  also  building  plumbing  systems.  The  Winchendon  Water  Department  is  responsible  for  providing  high  quality  drinking  water,  but  cannot  control  the  variety  of  materials  used  in  plumbing  components.  When  your  water  has  been  sitting  for  several  hours,  you  can  minimize  the  potential  for  lead  exposure  by  flushing  your  tap  for  30  seconds  to  2  minutes  before  using  water  for  drinking  or  cooking.  If  you  are  concerned  about  lead  in  your  water,  you  may  wish  to  have  your  water  tested.  Information  on  lead  in  drinking  water,  testing  methods,  and  steps  you  can  take  to  minimize  exposure  is  available  from  the  Safe  Drinking  Water  

Hotline  (800-­‐426-­‐4791)  or  at  http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead  

Lead and Copper Testing Your  drinking  water  was  tested  for  lead  and  copper  in  2013.    Winchendon  has  a  waiver  for  lead  and  copper  testing  due  to  historically  favorable  test  results  and  is  only  required  by  MA  DEP  to  complete  this  testing  every  third  year,  sampling  will  be  conducted  again  in  2016.    Testing  was  last  completed  in  2010.  Below  are  the  results  from  the  2013  sampling:

Lead and Copper Date Collected

90th Percentile*

Action Level (AL)

MCLG # of sites sampled

Exceeds AL

(Y/N)

# of sites above

AL Possible Sources

Lead (ppb) September 2013 0.002 15 0 20 N 0 Corrosion of

household plumbing

Copper (ppm) September 2013 0.16 1.3 1.3 20 N 0 Corrosion of

household plumbing

*Lead  and  copper  compliance  is  based  on  the  90th  percentile  value,  which  is  the  highest  level  found  in  9  out  of  10  homes  sampled.  

This  number  is  compared  to  the  action  level  for  each  contaminant.    

Turbidity Turbidity  is  a  measure  of  the  cloudiness  of  the  water.  We  monitor  it  because  it  is  a  good  indicator  of  the  effectiveness  of  our  filtration  system.  We  begin  by  monitoring  raw  water  turbidity,  then  we  monitor  turbidity  after  the  filtration  process  and,  finally,  we  take  a  finished  water  sample.  This  tells  us  how  much  turbidity  we  are  removing.    At  the  treatment  plant,  these  turbidity  levels  are  monitored  continuously  in  addition  to  manual  sampling  each  day  to  confirm  that  the  in-­‐line  analyzers  are  accurate  and  functioning  correctly.  The  average  turbidity  in  the  water  leaving  the  plant  for  the  year  (2014)  was  0.09  NTU  (see  Important  Definitions  below).    

Turbidity is a measure of the “cloudiness” of the water. It is monitored because it is a good indicator of water quality.

AWJWA Water Treatment Facility TT Lowest Monthly %

of Samples Highest Detected

Daily Value Violation (Y/N) Possible Source of Contamination

Daily Turbidity Compliance (NTU) 1 ---- 0.27 N

Soil runoff Monthly Compliance*

At least 95% <0.3 NTU 100 ---- N

*Monthly turbidity compliance is related to a specific treatment technique (TT). This treatment facility filters the water so that at least 95% of our samples each month must be below the turbidity limits specified in the regulations.

Lead and Copper

If  present,  elevated  levels  of  lead  can  cause  serious  health  problems,  especially  for  pregnant  women  and  young  children.  Lead  in  drinking  water  is  primarily  from  materials  and  components  associated  with  the  individual  service  lines  to  your  home/business  and  also  building  plumbing  systems.  The  Winchendon  Water  Department  is  responsible  for  providing  high  quality  drinking  water,  but  cannot  control  the  variety  of  materials  used  in  plumbing  components.  When  your  water  has  been  sitting  for  several  hours,  you  can  minimize  the  potential  for  lead  exposure  by  flushing  your  tap  for  30  seconds  to  2  minutes  before  using  water  for  drinking  or  cooking.  If  you  are  concerned  about  lead  in  your  water,  you  may  wish  to  have  your  water  tested.  Information  on  lead  in  drinking  water,  testing  methods,  and  steps  you  can  take  to  minimize  exposure  is  available  from  the  Safe  Drinking  Water  

Hotline  (800-­‐426-­‐4791)  or  at  http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead  

Lead and Copper Testing Your  drinking  water  was  tested  for  lead  and  copper  in  2013.    Winchendon  has  a  waiver  for  lead  and  copper  testing  due  to  historically  favorable  test  results  and  is  only  required  by  MA  DEP  to  complete  this  testing  every  third  year,  sampling  will  be  conducted  again  in  2016.    Testing  was  last  completed  in  2010.  Below  are  the  results  from  the  2013  sampling:

Lead and Copper Date Collected

90th Percentile*

Action Level (AL)

MCLG # of sites sampled

Exceeds AL

(Y/N)

# of sites above

AL Possible Sources

Lead (ppb) September 2013 0.002 15 0 20 N 0 Corrosion of

household plumbing

Copper (ppm) September 2013 0.16 1.3 1.3 20 N 0 Corrosion of

household plumbing

*Lead  and  copper  compliance  is  based  on  the  90th  percentile  value,  which  is  the  highest  level  found  in  9  out  of  10  homes  sampled.  

This  number  is  compared  to  the  action  level  for  each  contaminant.    

Unregulated and Secondary Contaminants Unregulated  contaminants  are  those  for  which  the  EPA  has  not  established  drinking  water  standards.  The  purpose  of  unregulated  contaminant  monitoring  is  to  assist  the  EPA  in  determining  their  occurrence  in  drinking  water  and  whether  future  regulation  is  warranted.    The  Winchendon  Water  Department  tested  for  unregulated/secondary  contaminants  in  2014  -­‐  these  results  are  shown  in  the  following  table.    Winchendon  was  last  required  to  test  for  these  contaminants  in  2013.    Please  note  that  only  those  substances  that  were  detected  in  samples  have  been  shown.    All  detected  substances  did  not  exceed  any  MCL,  SMCL,  or  Action  level.  More  information  about  contaminants  and  potential  health  effects  can  be  obtained  by  calling  the  EPA’s  Safe  Drinking  Water  Hotline  (800-­‐426-­‐4791).    

Unregulated Contaminants Date Collected Highest Amount Detected Possible Sources

Bromodichloromethane (ppb) 5/15/14 1.3 Byproduct of drinking water disinfection

Chloroform (ppb) 5/15/14 7.9 Byproduct of drinking water disinfection

Sodium (ppm) 5/15/14 9.6 Natural sources; runoff from road salt

Secondary Substances Date Collected Amount Detected SMCL ORSG Possible Sources

Manganese (ppm) 5/15/14 0.001 0.05 -- Leaching from natural deposits

 

Sources of Drinking Water and Drinking Water Contaminants

Sources  of  drinking  water  (both  tap  water  and  bottled  water)  include  rivers,  lakes,  streams,  ponds,  reservoirs,  springs  and  wells.  As  water  travels  over  the  surface  of  the  land  or  through  the  ground,  it  dissolves  naturally-­‐occurring  minerals  and,  in  some  cases,  radioactive  material,  and  can  pick  up  substances  resulting  from  the  presence  of  animals  or  from  human  activity.  Contaminants  that  may  be  present  include:    Microbial  contaminants,  such  as  viruses  and  bacteria,  may  come  from  sewage  treatment  plants,  septic  systems,  agricultural  livestock  operations,  and  wildlife.  

Inorganic  contaminants,  such  as  salts  and  metals,  can  be  naturally-­‐occurring  or  result  from  urban  storm  water  runoff,  and  residential  uses.  

Organic  chemical  contaminants  include  synthetic  and  volatile  organic  contaminants  that  are  by-­‐products  of  industrial  processes  and  petroleum  production,  and  can  also  come  from  gas  stations,  urban  storm  water  runoff,  and  septic  systems.  

Radioactive  contaminants  can  be  naturally  occurring  or  be  the  result  of  oil  and  gas  production,  and  mining  activities.     Important Definitions Maximum  Contaminant  Level  or  MCL:  The  highest  level  of  a  contaminant  in  drinking  water.  MCLs  are  set  as  close  to  the  MCLGs  as  feasible  using  the  best  available  treatment  technology.    

Maximum  Contaminant  Level  Goal  or  MCLG:  The  level  of  a  contaminant  in  drinking  water  below  which  there  is  no  known  or  expected  risk  to  health.  MCLGs  allow  for  a  margin  of  safety.  

Unregulated  Contaminants:  Unregulated  contaminants  are  those  for  which  the  EPA  has  not  established  drinking  water  standards.  

Action  Level  (AL):  The  concentration  of  a  contaminant  that,  if  exceeded,  triggers  treatment  or  other  requirements,  which  a  water  system  must  follow.    

90th  Percentile:  Out  of  every  10  homes,  9  were  at  or  below  this  level.    

Treatment  Technique  (TT):  A  required  process  intended  to  reduce  the  level  of  a  contaminant  in  drinking  water.    

Maximum  Residual  Disinfectant  Level  (MRDL):  The  highest  level  of  a  disinfectant  allowed  in  drinking  water.  There  is  convincing  evidence  that  addition  of  a  disinfectant  is  necessary  for  control  of  microbial  contaminants.    

Maximum  Residual  Disinfectant  Level  Goal  (MRDLG):  The  level  of  a  drinking  water  disinfectant  below  which  there  is  no  known  expected  risk  to  health.  MRDLGs  do  not  reflect  the  benefits  of  the  use  of  disinfectants  to  control  microbial  contaminants.  

Secondary  Maximum  Contaminant  Level  (SMCL):  These  standards  are  developed  to  protect  the  aesthetic  quality  of  drinking  water  and  are  not  health  based.  

ORSG:  Office  of  Research  and  Standards  Guideline.  

NTU:  Nephelometric  Turbidity  Units.  

PPM:  One  part  per  million  parts,  1  milligram  per  liter,  equivalent  to  one  drop  in  10  gallons.  

PPB:  One  part  per  billion  parts,  1  microgram  per  liter,  equivalent  to  one  penny  in  $10  million  dollars.    

Health  Information  In  order  to  ensure  that  tap  water  is  safe  to  drink,  the  EPA  and  MA  DEP  prescribe  regulations  that  limit  the  amount  of  certain  contaminants  in  water  provided  by  public  water  systems.  Food  and  Drug  Administration  (FDA)  and  Massachusetts  Department  of  Public  Health  (DPH)  regulations  establish  limits  for  contaminants  in  bottled  water  that  must  provide  the  same  protection  for  public  health.      Drinking  water,  including  bottled  water,  may  reasonably  be  expected  to  contain  at  least  small  amounts  of  some  contaminants.  The  presence  of  contaminants  does  not  necessarily  indicate  that  water  poses  a  health  risk.  More  information  about  contaminants  and  potential  health  effects  can  be  obtained  by  calling  the  EPA’s  Safe  Drinking  Water  Hotline  (1-­‐800-­‐426-­‐4791).    ***For  any  additional  information  about  your  water  system  and  information  about  public  participation  opportunities  please  contact  the  Winchendon  Water  Department,  at  978-­‐297-­‐0170.    The  DPW’s  administrative  office  is  located  on  the  first  floor  of  the  Winchendon  Town  Hall  at  109  Front  Street.    Copies  of  the  “Winchendon  Water  Department  -­‐  2014  Water  Quality  Report”  are  available  at  the  DPW  office  upon  request.  

 

Current  Town  Hall  hours  of  operation  Monday:  8:00am  -­‐6:00pm    

Tuesday  through  Thursday:  8:00am  -­‐5:00pm  Friday:  CLOSED  

   

Summary  of  Violation(s)  that  occurred  in  2014  

We  are  extremely  proud  to  report  that  not  a  single  violation  of  drinking  water  quality  standards  occurred  during  2014.    Your  drinking  water  met  or  exceeded  all  US  EPA  and  MA  DEP  drinking  water  standards.  

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Each depositor insured to at least $250,000

Each is insured by the FDIC to at least $250,000. All deposits above the FDIC insurance amount are insured by the Depositors Insurance Fund (DIF).

Each depositor insured to at least $250,000

Each is insured by the FDIC to at least $250,000. All deposits above the FDIC insurance amount are insured by the Depositors Insurance Fund (DIF).

Each depositor insured to at least $250,000

Each is insured by the FDIC to at least $250,000. All deposits above the FDIC insurance amount are insured by the Depositors Insurance Fund (DIF).

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TRADITIONS HAVE THEIR PLACE

The origins of proms are lost in many places. To most, it is the first real dress up occasion for young men and women, a dinner, a dance, and maybe an after party. The origins of it are lost. But Murdock remembers the true meaning behind “promenade” and the young people are expected to indeed strut their stuff before the town before heading out for the evening. At 5 p.m. before the dinner is scheduled, the young men and women, decked in their finery, are at the Murdock High School gym as they have been expected to be since there has been a high school in Winchendon. In a choreographed display, first by twos, then fours, sixes, eights and sixteens; they promenade to show their parents, friends and the town not only their clothing, but their right of passage. It is a major part of graduation week, looked forward to not only by the adults who enjoy it, but the students themselves. Peacocks and proud princesses alike in their gowns. (And the one with the more casual guys? The next night at alumni banquet, a little the worse for wear, having a bit of fun as they “promenade” in for another dinner with generous alums and scholarship donors.)