BHS 2012 graduate Kellie Powers

Text and photos by Steev Riccardo

Webster - Bartlett High School class of 2012 graduate Kellie Powers has been one busy young lady the last few years so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that she is already planning a big course load when she enters college this fall.

Powers has a very impressive resume as she prepares to attend Assumption College in Worcester this September, where she plans to major in forensic science and minor in art.

The academic wiz kid was in the top five of her class academically, a major contributor in National Honor Society community service, a sports star in all three seasons, heavily into art, and in addition to all that, also had time to work 10-14 hours a week in the local grocery store.

Powers, who grew up in Webster in a unique household of quadruplet siblings (sister Emily and brothers Dan, Sean, and Colin) whom she described as “normal,” attended Webster public schools her entire life and also goes to St. Louis church, where she is a member of the choir.

Her grades have always been exceptional throughout her school years.  She attributes a lot of that to her mother, who works as an instructional assistant at Bartlett.

“My Mom did a lot in college; she helped me with my grades. She went to college for so many years and got a teaching job and it made me want to do better than that. She has a master’s degree she was going for a doctorate but never finished.” 

Powers is also proud of her contributions to the National Honor Society where she was very active on many counts. “We do a lot of community service. We work a lot with the Middle School and have events like Family Fun Night, Winter Wonderland, we also did Community Harvest in Douglas”.  She also took part in a thirty-hour famine to raise money for hunger through St. Louis church.

When she started attending Bartlett Junior Senior High School in the seventh grade, she quickly discovered that sports were one of her immediate passions.

Cross country is her “favorite sport” and is something that she said she became progressively better in as the years went by, and found it also to be a way for her to escape.  “I don’t like the physical contact of other sports. Running relieves stress and calms me down. It’s one of those things I do after school to calm down.”

She became a captain her junior year and held that title this past year as her hard work paid off and she came in eighth in the District playoffs, something that she is very proud of.

Powers attributes a lot of her success on and off the track to her long time coach Rebecca Bergin. “Mrs. Bergin was a really big influence on my life.  She helped inside and outside of school since the seventh grade.  She was there when ever I needed to talk and she pushed me really hard in school and in cross country.  It’s going to be sad saying goodbye.”

Powers also became a captain on both her indoor and outdoor track teams her senior year and was always in the mix in both the mile and two-mile run, events that she excelled in.

One of her other passions is art and she attributes another teacher, Rebecca Osborn, for helping her interest grow. “Mrs. Osborn was a really great teacher. She taught me a lot. She is really one-on-one and she really helps you improve your art work a lot.”

She attributes this growth in art as a reason she plans to focus on it as a minor in school to go along with her forensic science major. which is one of the many reasons she picked Assumption.

“I chose Assumption because they have the Consortium, so if they don’t have all the classes for my major, I can go to the different schools. I know Anna Maria is one of the schools in the Consortium and they have a great criminal justice program so I will probably take a couple classes there as well.”

“It’s a great campus and they have a great science program and having the girls that I know there will be really great.”  These girls that she speaks of are fellow Bartlett graduates Alicia Garamy and Meghan Dwyer, who will also be attending the Worcester college.

“Assumption is also close geographically so I can stay close to home and that will make a big difference.  I’m probably going to live there for the first year and make some friends and then commute the next year to save money.”

Even though she will miss Bartlett and Webster, she knows it’s time to move on. “I think it will be good to leave and see new faces and be in a new area.”

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Webster - For years families in Webster, Dudley, Oxford and surrounding communities have celebrated the Fourth of July with a dazzling fireworks display at Memorial Beach.

There will be no fireworks this year. “We're not going to be able to pull it off,” said Donald Bourque, chairman of the board of selectmen.

To continue the tradition, the community would have had to raise $25,000 in less than two weeks. “The Town of Webster does not have the money to underwrite the fireworks, and no one person should have to bear the financial responsibility. This should be a community effort,” he said. In recent years, the Fels family had donated the funds.

“Some people think the town should just pay for the fireworks, but that means taking $25,000 away from something else, from other town services. The budget is tight,” said Mr. Bourque.

Local businessman Chris Robert began an effort to last week to rally residents to join him in donating   the necessary funds. However, the time constraints and logistics proved to be too difficult.

”This is important to the citizens of Webster,” said Mr. Bourque, “and we should move now to create a committee to raise the funds for a spectacular fireworks in 2013.”

Mr. Robert said he would spearhead the effort to get that done.

By Thomas D’Agostino
Patriot Correspondent

The Webster Board of Selectmen put a chill on liquor licenses as well as an increase to the utility rates for fiscal year 2012-2013.

Town Administrator John McAuliffe presented three options during the Monday June 4 meeting for the board to decide on. The first option was for the water rate to remain the same at $45.97 per one thousand cubic square feet and the sewer rate to increase by 7%. The present rate is $72.87 per one thousand cubic square feet. This would have raised the rate to $77.97 per one thousand cubic square feet.

Another option was a 3.5% increase, which would have brought the sewer rate to $75.40 per one thousand cubic square feet. The increase would reflect a $215,000 debt shift to the taxpayers.

The final and approved option was for no increase in either sewer or water with the $215,000 debt shift. It was not made clear where the money for the debt shift would come from at this time

In regard to liquor licenses, The Cellar Pub requested a transfer of liquor license to Mr. Robert M. Zalewski. Zalewski owns Snow’s Clam Box in Glocester, Rhode Island and wishes to operate a similar restaurant and pub in Webster. The present license is an inn holder’s license. Vice-chairman Deborah Keefe had concerns over the scope of the license in contrast to the business plans for the establishment. The matter was tabled until the June 11 meeting, pending an exact seating plan, capacity count, as well as a review and approval of the ABCC in regard to that specific license.

The Webster Hydroplane Racing Association will hold its second annual race day on Webster Lake this year.  Mike Grendell and Janet Hoosick of the association came before the board for a one-day liquor license for the event. Board treasurer Jeffrey Duggan asked  why they needed to bring liquor to the event. Hoosick answered, “In a nutshell, to help pay for the event.”

Webster Police Chief Timothy Bent was against the idea of having alcohol at a family event. “Are you going there to drink or are you going there to watch a boat race?” Chief Bent asked.

Grendell stated that Webster was the only place in New England where they hold the event and pay for the use of fire, rescue and police detail. The association paid $8,255 to the town for its services last year.

The board was not against the idea, as other events in town also serve beer.

The matter was tabled until June 11 so the association can draw up a specific plan on where they may have the beer garden with police detail and certified bartenders.

Killdeer Island Club received its approval for a one-day liquor license.

Tina Gorski-Strong was appointed as a member of the School Committee following the resignation of Mr. Ted Geotis. Ms. Gorski-Strong served on the committee from 2001 to 2011.

By Steev Riccardo

WEBSTER - The Webster School Committee met last Tuesday evening and announced that in an executive session the contract for the new Superintendent of Schools Barbara Malkas had been approved.

School committee chairman Michael Makara addressed the committee moments before Dr. Malkas signed her contract. “It was our hope all along that we would attract qualified people to come to Webster. Barbara Malkas definitely impressed everyone and we felt that she was a perfect fit. We are very excited to have Barbara join us.”

Dr. Malkas, who will replace Gregory M. Ciardi, addressed the committee following the signing. “I feel like I am coming to a place that I can call home.”

“There is a lot that is coming at school districts throughout the Commonwealth,” she said. “There will be a new evaluation system and the requirements for training both the evaluators and the evaluated. There will be further alignments of the common core, changes in our assessment system under the No Child Left Behind waiver.”

She went on to say, “It’s an exciting time to be in education, but it can also be very stressful and overwhelming.  There is a need for opportunities for reflection, collaboration, and a sense of community. This work is not done in isolation, and although you appoint me as the superintendent, I would not be an effective school leader if I didn’t have the great human capacity that is available to me in this district, so I willingly and without hesitation or reservation accept this appointment. Thank you.”

Dr. Malkas was previously the Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction for the Pittsfield Public Schools. She will take the position over full time in June.

In other business, Assistant Superintendent oOf Schools Ted Avlas updated the school committee on the final budget for the Park Avenue Building Project.  Avlas said he met with the MSBA and had an “excellent meeting” with them.

The next step in the Park Avenue Building Project is a town vote on June 11.

The committee also briefly discussed a vacancy in the school committee left by the departure of Ted Geotis.  There will be a posting for this position immediately and applicants are encouraged to apply.

The committee also approved a request by Bartlett High School French teacher Rachel Morandi for a school trip to France and Spain next April 11-20.

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WEBSTER - “I've never given anyone an A+ before,” said Health Agent Cathleen Liberty after this week's inspection of the Empire Wok restaurant on Worcester Road.

“It was like a brand new facility, I couldn't find a single violation,” she reported to the Board of Health at its meeting on Monday.

“The kitchen was immaculate,” echoed board member Nancie Zecco, who accompanied Ms. Liberty on the official inspection.

The board had shut down the restaurant portion of the establishment on March 19 after Ms. Liberty found numerous critical violations relating to food-borne illnesses at a routine inspection. The restaurant was allowed to reopen a week later after the violations had been corrected.

At the time, Ms. Liberty provided restaurant owner Dong Yeo Ying with a list of resources to help him meet the requirements to reopen and address the violations on an ongoing basis. Since then, the owner has gone the extra mile to get the highest grade possible, she noted.

“They lost a lot of business,” said Ms. Liberty. “I hope people will visit them again now.”

As for Ms. Zecco, she's already checked it out herself this week. “It was excellent,” she reported.

On May 23, 2012 the Webster Police and Fire Department received reports of telemarketers soliciting on their behalf. Webster Public Safety Departments (Police, Fire, or EMS) are NOT soliciting for donations at this time.

Webster Police conducted an investigation into the nature of the solicitations and it was discovered that a company known as the "Association for Firefighters and Paramedics" of Santa Ana, CA had been placing telephone calls in furtherance of soliciting donations for burn victims. They are in no way associated or affiliated with any Webster Public Safety Departments.

Furthermore, it was discovered through the investigation that the "Association for Firefighters and Paramedics" appeared to be genuine 501(c) 3 non-profit organization, however they had been accused of using "deceptive fundraising tactics" in the past. This organization claims to donate 80-100% of the donation to the charity, when in fact, an investigation conducted by the State of California Attorney General’s Office revealed that "less than 15%" of the monies collected were being given to the charity, while the remaining monies collected were used only to raise money. In a press release dated 09/28/10, the California Attorney General’s Office stated: "The trustees of this charity grossly abused their responsibilities as guardians of charitable assets...They betrayed the trust of donors by squandering donations on such things as an expensive Caribbean cruise and trips to posh resorts." The State of California and the Association for Firefighters and Paramedics did come to a settlement agreement over the use of deceptive fundraising tactics. That settlement agreement can be found on the internet.

Again, The Webster Public Safety Departments are not currently soliciting for donations. Residents are reminded to be cautious when providing personal identifying information over the telephone. They are further reminded to refrain from inviting potential scammers to their homes to collect money. Although the Association for Firefighters and Paramedics appears to be a legitimate non-profit organization, they are NOT soliciting on behalf of any Webster Public Safety Department.

By Thomas D’Agostino
Patriot Correspondent.

WEBSTER - Monday night’s Board of Selectmen Meeting was short and calm except for one item on the agenda that made a big splash with residents along Webster Lake. Articles 9 and 10 from the December 5 Town Meeting were passed, but the regulations are not binding, as the lake is state property and therefore governed by Massachusetts Department of Environmental Police rules and regulations.

The Massachusetts Attorney General sent a report to the town with a recommendation that if the town wishes to amend the rules and regulations for Webster Lake, they must petition the Department of Environmental Police.

Article 9: To see if the town will vote to amend Article 3 of the Webster Lake Rules and Regulations to add boat size restrictions to read, “Boat size restrictions for any vessel: No vessel shall operate on the lake which exceeds 40 feet in length.”

Article 10 was to rescind Article 16 of the October 16, 2011 meeting and replace it with, “No person shall operate a commercial vessel between sunset and sunrise…”

The Attorney General disapproved both of these articles.

Judy Keegan and Antoinette Dobosz, representing the Concerned Citizens for Webster, addressed the board with a request to move forward with the DEP to amend the rules and regulations. There was a group of citizens on hand for moral support on the issue. The board voted unanimously to begin the process.

The board also voted to restrict the size of boats entering Memorial Beach property to 40 feet or less. The beach is town property and therefore subject to town regulations.

The school committee came before the board to formally post a vacancy in the committee. The vacancy will be posted and applicants have until May 31, 4 p.m. to apply.

A request for outdoor seating by Coney Island 1950 hot dog stand was also granted, pending approval by the building inspector and the Board of Health. The plan calls for four 24-inch tables with eight single seats in front and two along Davis Street. The hours of operation are from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The tables would be brought back into the establishment or secured.

The Garg property will be coming down soon according to Town Administrator, John McAuliffe.

The Memorial Day Parade is May 28 at 11 a.m. and will run from Mt. Zion and St. Anthony’s Cemetery to the Town Hall. See town website, www.webster-ma.gov/ for more details.

The issue of a peddlers and hawker’s license came up again. Selectman Deborah Keefe reviewed several local town laws and found Sturbridge to have a simple no-frills set of regulations in regard to their permits. The board will read all of the regulations and come up with a viable set of rules and regulations in regard to a town license. This would be a bylaw change, as the town has no present bylaw for governing such activities. For now, a state license must be obtained to peddle or hawk on the streets of Webster.

Board Secretary Jeffrey Duggan was appointed as the Board of Selectmen Appointee to the School Committee.

The Town Clerk contract was ratified and approved by the board.

The board and Town Administrator also asked for feedback on the new audio setup for the meetings. You may post your comments on facebook or go to the website.

The Massachusetts Historical Commission sent a certificate recognizing that Webster Municipal buildings are in the Historic District. They were accepted on March 27, 2012, and are now in the National Register of Historic Places.

There will be a special election on Monday, June 25, 2012 at 7 p.m. to vote on the payment of bonds issued in order to cover costs for the Park Avenue Elementary School. The election will be held in the auditorium at 350 Main Street. All polls close at 8 p.m.

WEBSTER – The Board of Health’s decision last month to lower the legal age for tattooing from 18 to 14 caused a national media conversation on the topic, with strong positions pro and con.

The board discussed that decision at its meeting Monday evening because it had received “verbal abuse regarding our vote,” said Chairman David J. Zalewski, “We were getting a lot of flak, and there was rumor of a petition circulating.” He said that unless someone brings it up as a motion, however, “I’m going to consider the matter closed.”

Board member Michael A. Stelmach, who had initiated the age-14 minimum, asked to make a statement as to why he had made that proposal. “I did the best I could for the people of Webster,” he said. “Our concern is health. The morality of it is up to the parents and the children.”

Mr. Stelmach said he had interviewed ten people about the decision. “Six people said we hit the nail on the head, and four said that’s too young and we should take a step back.

“People are fed up with government,” he added. “Let’s get away from big government, have smaller government, let people make a choice.

“That’s why I went to 14. If we’re concerned with health, that concern is taken care of.” It’s now up to parents and legal guardians to give their consent, he said. And if they do, kids can now get that “butterfly” tattoo from a clean establishment.

The ruling requires that teens 14 to 17 must have the consent of and be accompanied by an adult guardian to obtain a tattoo in a licensed establishment. The measure was precipitated by the number of young people in town obtaining illegal “kitchen tattoos,” which can result in scarring, infection, and various diseases.

Following Mr. Stelmach’s comments, Chairman Zalewski did make a motion to bring the age back to 18. The motion was not seconded and Health Agent Cathleen Liberty noted that a change would require another public hearing. Mr Zalewski, who had voted to retain the 18-year age limit, explained he made the motion because he wanted to “show the press and the board that when my board makes a decision I don’t agree with I don’t hold it against them. He said he supports the board, and wants the public to know the board is solid, and there are no hard feelings. He subsequently rescinded the motion.

Board member Nancie Zecco reiterated Mr. Stelmach’s position that last month’s decision was a public health matter. Ms. Zecco had voted in favor of reducing the legal tattooing age, but not necessarily to as low as 14. “We did our jobs,” she said, “and we brought public awareness to the issue. People now have a better understanding of the safely issues that come with illegal tattooing done in someone’s kitchen.”

And so, the board’s decision stands.

UPDATE: The family members mentioned in this posting have been located and are fine.

By Thomas D’Agostino
Patriot Correspondent

After meetings and amendments to the Webster/Oxford Inter-Municipal Agreement in regard to water and sewer hookups, the Board of Selectmen signed the final contract. The only concern was the flow meter. Engineers were at odds as to whether the meter was sufficient to handle the wastewater from Oxford as well as Webster. DPW Director J.T. Gaucher stated that a reputable vendor of the equipment assured him that the meter was sufficient to handle the task as per agreement. Mr. Gaucher requested a letter be sent to the Town from the manufacturer stating that the flow meter will work as stipulated.

The board also awarded RM Technologies, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, a $376,648.29 contract for the hazard material removal at the A.J. Sitkowski School builiding.

The approval of the June 11, 2012 Town Meeting warrant was tabled until next meeting, scheduled for Monday, May 21.