Spring has arrived on Webster Lake

Due to the vagaries of Mother Nature this year, Einstein never made it to the Ice. Contest rules stipulated that we conduct a drawing, which was done on February 25, 2012, at Point Breeze Restaurant. We want to congratulate the winners below:

Winners:

1st Place $2,000

Cathy Lanza, Leominster Ma

2nd Place $1,000

Anne Magerowski, Holbrook Ma

3rd Place $500

Donald Hoogasian, Auburn Ma

4th Place $250

Linda Littleton, Webster Ma

5th Place $250

Maureen Garvey, Foster RI.

The Fifth annual Ice-Out Einstein was a great success despite the weather, and we want to thank everyone for their support. We are pleased to report that we sold 1030 tickets and collected $12,250 including sponsorships. We received $1,000 from our main sponsor, Point Breeze Restaurant and Marina, and $6,000 from our Key Contributors: Park n Shop, Barry Equipment, Bonardi’s Tuxedo, Bistro Eighty Ates, Cam’s Oil, Carl’s Oxford Diner,Joe’s Diner Century 21 Lake Realty, Chuck’s Steakhouse, Colonial Restaurant & Pub,Furniture Plus, Hank’s Liquors, Hazard Marine, Hometown Bank, Lake Pizza, LKQ, Michael’s Place, Oxford’s Casual Dining, Place Motors, Pratt Trucking Co., The Citadel Company., The Property Shop/Tax Tyme, Rampco Construction, Robinson & Jalbert, Rose Construction, Smart Shopper, Inc.,Southbridge Savings Bank, Standard Source, Inc., Waterfront Mary’s and Yong Shing restaurant.

Once again it has been a pleasure to be associated with the Webster Education Foundation and we will be presenting a check to them for $2,000.

Despite the weather, this year’s contest exceeded everyone’s expectations. The WLA membership purchased approximately 43% of the total tickets sold. Once again, it was very rewarding to witness the involvement from not only the WLA, but also the cooperation and excitement from the community.

We wish to give a special thanks to Jules Lusignan of Century 21 Lake Realty, who made a generous donation of $500 to the Webster Lake Organization and $500 to the Webster Education Foundation.

Patrick Riley, Jim Winslow, Brian Houlihan, Paul Trombley, Tim Hill, Steve Washburn, Robin Brodeur , John Real and Herman Asamiii, the Ice-Out Committee members, wish to thank everyone for their support.

More photos:

Webster Campground
Rt. 16, Webster

Patriot staff photos

Particulars:   One man was injured shortly after 1 p.m. on Tuesday February 28^th as a result of a camper trailer fire at the Webster Campground on Route 16.  Details are sketchy at this time, but one individual was treated at the scene for burns by Webster EMS paramedics, then transported to a Worcester hospital for further assessment and treatment of his injuries.  His condition was not immediately known.

Firefighters and Rescue personnel from Webster attacked the fully involved trailer upon their arrival.  Because there were no hydrants in the area, and there was no substantial water supply nearby, the neighboring Douglas Fire Department had to be called in to the scene with a tanker to supplement the Webster FD’s “water on wheels”.  The volume of fire produced by the trailer did spawn a few small brush fires in the immediate area, which were quickly handled by firefighters on the scene.

            The fire is under investigation by the Webster Fire and Police Departments.  They are being assisted by Troopers from the State Fire Marshals Office.     

Photos:

By Steev Riccardo

Webster - When you first hear that there is a police officer stationed at Bartlett High School, the immediate response usually is, “Oh, they must have a lot of trouble over there.” In actuality, having a police officer at the high school prevents trouble and gives kids a whole new way of looking at police and the benefits of having them around.

After the shooting at Columbine in April 1999, many schools decided that it would be better to have more security around, and Bartlett High School was one of those.

The Town of Webster received a three-year grant from the state’s Department of Criminal Justice in 2001 to help kick off the program, and it has been immensely successful ever since. 
Officer Brian Barnes, who has since moved to Seattle, Washington, where he still serves, was the first police officer assigned to the school system and seeing that the idea was a good one, Chief of Police Timothy Bent became a big proponent of the program.
 
“When the job opened up six years ago Chief Bent interviewed several officers and eventually I was given the job,” said Officer Cindy Johnson, who grew up in Webster and has been with the department for ten years, and now serves as the school’s resource officer.

“Chief Bent believes wholeheartedly in the program because it has bridged a gap between the kids and law enforcement and it allows them to see police in a different light and they now know that they can trust the police.”

Although there are similarities between wearing a police uniform in a high school and on the streets, it is still a much different type of assignment for Johnson
.
“It’s a multi-faceted position. We do hall checks; we have a fantastic video surveillance system that I monitor. I deal with different incidents that come up, like bullying if it gets to police level, any kind of assault and battery, fights, and threats of fights. It’s different every day.”
The officer also deals with truancy issues that sometimes involve going to a student’s house and picking kids up and bringing them to the school.

She also works with CHINS (Child in Need of Services), which is for students who are habitual offenders. “When we have a CHINS, it goes to the courts and a probation officer becomes involved, so we have to have good communications with the courts as well,” she said.
Johnson is also a sexual assault investigator “Because I am in the school, the kids feel comfortable because I am a female and they see me every day. I get quite a few disclosures and work closely with guidance. We work well together.”
 
There was a time when a child would be neglected or abused at home and had no place to turn. Johnson offers kids an outlet that they can go to for help.

“If I hear about abuse taking place at home I immediately call DCF (Department of Children and Families) and have them come over. There have been situations where students are afraid to go home and once they report it they become even more afraid to go home because they know there are going to be consequences.”
 
DCF initially makes sure that the child is going to be safe by being moved to a relative’s home or emergency foster placement. Then there will be charges. Officer Johnson has charged parents in the past for assault and battery and neglect. This is something that is addressed immediately.
 
“Because we have a good rapport with the school guidance counselors, when they hear about it, they usually bring me into it, and on the other hand, if a student comes to me all upset, I will bring the guidance counselor in with the child’s permission. We try to keep everything as confidential as possible.”

While interviewing Johnson, a situation came up where a parent called the school looking for her child who hadn’t come home the night before, and it turned out that the child was in school.
 
Having Officer Johnson at the school every day has helped nearly eliminate what used to be a big problem: drugs on campus.

“The kids know that school property is subject to search and that includes the school parking lot. Kids have told me that no one is stupid enough to bring drugs on campus. There may be some, but it is not rampant,” she said.
 
Once a year the K-9’s are brought into the school and they do searches of the building.  “Only one time in the last few years have they found any drugs in the building and it was a small bag of marijuana, so that is a positive.”

Of course, it is impossible to stop kids from using drugs outside of school. “We have kids come to school stoned. Just yesterday we had somebody, and he was suspended for ten days because of it. I know kids who go to school here are using drugs, but that is after school or on the weekends. Prescription meds are also an issue.”

“The kids who I know to have had drug interactions outside the school, I have had discussions with them one on one to let them know not to dare bring them into the school, so we have established that,” she said.

Teacher Ryan Renauld, who also serves as Assistant Principal at times, thinks the program is working. “I think it helps us in those certain special situations where legal matters need to be addressed. Having that influence here is great.” said Renault.

“I work quite closely with Officer Johnson.  She is a very positive influence in the building for the kids and the staff,” he said.

This is a great program and gives kids a whole new way to see the police and work with them. And Officer Cindy Johnson has proved to be the perfect woman for the job. 
Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

NEWS SHORT

Date:  Monday February 27, 2012

WEBSTER, MA – At about 3:30 PM on Monday afternoon February 27^th, two vehicles collided at one of Webster’s more dangerous intersections.

The head on collision, which occurred on Route 16 at the intersection with Lower Gore Road, involved a sports utility vehicle and a small pick up truck, and trapped one of the drivers behind the wheel.

Webster fire, police, rescue and paramedical personnel responded to the accident to extricate the trapped individual from the wrecked vehicle, as well as treat and transport the injured parties to the hospital.  The accident completely shut down a very busy Route 16, as many employees and students tried to get home from school and work.  The traffic was backed up from the accident scene to the intersection with Interstate 395.  The accident was being investigated by members of the Webster Police Department.

More photos:

Saturday March 17, 2012
8 am to 5 pm
Webster Fire Department Classroom
Thompson Road Webster, MA

Our local United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Tri-State Flotilla 1002 will be instructing a one day ABOUT BOATING SAFELY course developed to provide the skills and confidence needed to explore the coast and inland waters by boat. Basic knowledge and skills are needed to have safe and enjoyable boating experiences.

This course is perfect for families that have just purchased a boat or are planning to in the future, and also for the boater keeping up with changes to boating regulations and laws.

Successful completion of the course will also certify a minor, from 12 to 16 years of age, to operate a powerboat, including a Personal Water Craft / Jet Ski for 16 & 17 year old operators, on Massachusetts waters. Certification is in conjunction with the Mass. Environmental Police.

It will also cover the requirements to operate a vessel in many other states and most countries where boating safety education is mandatory.  Several of the boating insurance companies offer a discount on premiums on successful completion of this course.

Attention Webster Lake Residents & Boaters…This location and one day format is an effort to reach more of the local boating community with regards to recent lake boating safety issues in the news.  Knowledge of laws, regulations, requirements on both the federal and state level and some level of technology are necessary to operate on all waterways.

Please come and find out how much more there is to know and the reality of operating a vessel safely on Webster Lake.

  
The USCGAux. offers Public Education Courses at no charge however there is a $40 fee for the cost of materials including the ABS textbook, study guide, and certification(s) to the Tri-State Flotilla Additional ABS course information at:

http://www.cgaux.org/boatinged/classes/2011/abs.phpRegister soon as space is limited at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (508) 478-3778.  

By Steev Riccardo

Bartlett High School senior Megan Baker wants to be a journalist and hopes to someday travel all over the world.

These days she is staying quite busy and doing about as much as a high school senior can do.

The Webster School’s Superintendent Award winner is currently dually enrolled in Bartlett High School and Quisigamond Community College in Worcester, where she hopes to amass 30 college credits-- while at the same time earning a high school diploma.

“It’s two very different environments,” said Baker, “I like going to Quinsig and taking all my classes there and meeting new people and having a change of pace. It gets a little dull being in the same school for six years. Going to Quinsig has made everything new and different and more interesting.”

In October, Baker was named the Webster School’s Superintendent Award winner and was honored to receive the award. “It was a really good thing,” she said.

She attended a district wide banquet and sat and met with the other area superintendent winners including Jaclyn Rambarran and Samuel Flibbert, the co- superintendent winners from Shepherd Hill. “It was a really nice banquet and it was incredible to hear about what some of these kids were doing. It was really nice to have all that company around.”

Webster Superintendent of School George Chiardi has been very impressed with Baker for some time and raves about her. “We were really honored to accompany Megan to the Superintendents Scholar dinner because in many ways she represents the best in Bartlett students.”

“She is at the top of her class, taking a demanding schedule which includes courses at Quinsigamond Community College, and she stays connected to the school here with her extracurricular activities and her interest in journalism. It was a pleasure to select her.”

Baker has been a high honor student since she was in third grade and has had no trouble balancing a hectic schedule.

Along with maintaining a very high grade point average and being an elected member of the Student Council, Baker has been involved with the school choir group Impressions as well as the school band since her freshmen year.

When she is not playing the alto saxophone in the jazz band, she is dancing competitively with the Canty Dance Center which “takes up a lot” of her time. She takes classes at the center three times a week.

It’s hard to imagine a schedule like this, but Baker takes it all in stride with a smile on her face and has always been very active throughout her school years.

She played soccer and tennis while in the eighth grade before getting more involved in the choir and music. She was also class vice-president in her freshman and sophomore years and started up with the National Honor Society in her junior year.

She looks up to her sister Katy, who went to Mass Academy where she spent her junior year before spending her senior year at WPI. “School has always come easy to both me and my sister.”

She also credits both of her parents Leslie and Jeffery Baker also as being great role models for her as well as “all her teachers.”

She and her mom have also done some community service work together such as volunteering at The Habitat for Humanity Restore in Worcester.

Baker has her eyes set on a communications degree from Boston University, where she hopes to get accepted. She has already been accepted at the University of Vermont, University of Massachusetts, and Simmons College, but BU is her “first choice.”

Once in school, she will begin to pursue an internship at a newspaper; when she gets her degree(s) she'll pursue a journalism career during which she hopes “to talk to different people in communities and bring out great stories, bringing notice to different issues that need attention.”

Megan Baker has a bright future, and it's hard to imagine that she won’t be successful in everything she does.

Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Voters OK land for solar projects

By Thomas D’Agostino
Patriot Correspondent

WEBSTER - It is Monday, February 13, 7:00 p.m., the meeting is slated to begin, yet a quorum has not been met. 7:12, three more voting residents needed for a quorum. 7:18, one shy. 7:20, a quorum of the necessary sixty residents is finally met and the Webster Special Town Meeting is called to order.

The special meeting was held for the town to pass four articles sponsored by Town Administrator John McAuliffe and recommended by the Board of selectmen and Finance Committee for approval. Article 1 was a request to transfer $225,000 from Free Cash to the Stabilization Fund. This article unanimously passed.

Article 2, a vote to transfer $34,887.19 from Free Cash to fund the current fiscal year’s incremental cost items contained in the Memorandum of Agreement between the town and IBPO Local 428 for the period from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2012. $31, 887.19 of this sum was for the Police Patrolmen/Sergeant’s Salaries Account and $3,000 for the Police Clothing Allowance Account. A majority vote was needed and met with but one nay.

The residents, with one nay, also passed article 3. This was to transfer the sum of $21, 825.36 from Free Cash to fund prior years’ incremental cost items as above, with. $15,625.36 going to the Police Patrolmen/Sergeant’s Salaries Account and $6,200 to the Police Clothing Allowance Account.

One resident, opposed to the article, expressed concern as to why the police should receive cost of living increases. Mr.McAuliffe explained that the percentage, zero percent, one percent, one percent, and one percent was the over a three-year period of a two percent cost of living adjustment and a one percent bump on the last day of the contract. “We do live in a working world with collective bargaining agreements…any municipalities where you see zeros and ones, that’s about the best you’re going to do. This doesn’t happen in a vacuum. We end up in either a fact-finding, or a mediation, or an arbitration scenario. This has dragged on for an extended period of time,” he said.

Article 4 was the largest of the warrants for the meeting. This was to see if the town would vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to lease two parcels of town-owned land to a solar developer for the purpose of installing and operating a solar photovoltaic array and for the town administrator to negotiate and enter into a power purchase agreement with the developer on behalf of the town.

The two parcels of land for the proposed sites are the Municipal Landfill at 15/33 Cudworth Road and the Wastewater Treatment Plant at 0 School/38 Hill Street. The solar array is part of a statewide project. According to Mr. McAuliffe, Massachusetts is one of two states in the Union presently looking at such an energy alternative. The state has incentives for the town to have developers install, operate and maintain the solar arrays. The town would enjoy revenue from these projects by either receiving lease payments or participating in a Power Purchase Agreement. The project would also provide the town with a clean renewable source of energy while reducing the reliance on fossil fuels.

The panels would sit only three feet off the ground thus making them almost invisible behind trees and brush cover. Wetlands, rare species and other sensitive natural resources, if present, will affect the size of the sites. The selected solar developer will obtain all local, state, and federal environmental permits required for the project. The town will accept bids and then solicit them. The sites in question are already disturbed and would not need a significant amount of additional clearing. The sites also have on-site electrical loads making them ready for the project.

The vote was passed unanimously.

For more information on the project you may contact the Town Administrator’s office or the DPW.

WEBSTER POLICE REPORT

Armed Robbery - Jimmy’s Auto and Convenience Store

On February 5, 2012 at approximately 10:34 pm, Webster Police were dispatched to Jimmy’s Auto and Convenience Store, (421 South Main Street), for a reported armed robbery that had occurred. Detective Gordon Wentworth and Officers Aaron Suss and Michael Lee responded.

Upon their arrival, it was determined that the masked suspect entered the store, assaulted the store clerk with a box cutter style knife and demanded money from the cash register. A witness’s attempt to disrupt the robbery caused the suspect to hastily flee on foot with an undisclosed amount of money. Several witnesses followed the suspect from the store and last observed the suspect in the Negus Street area.

According to witnesses, the suspect was described as a Hispanic male with a light-brown complexion, approximately 5’ 8" - 5’ 10" tall, having a skinny build and a partial goatee. The suspect was observed wearing a puffy, dark hooded coat and dark colored pants. During the robbery, the suspect’s face was concealed by the hood and what was described as a nylon material mask that covered the upper half of his face, leaving the mouth and facial hair exposed.

Anyone with information regarding the case is encouraged to contact the Webster Police at (508) 943-1212 or the Webster Police Detective Bureau tips line at (508) 949-3874. Anonymous tips are welcome. Webster Detectives may be contacted anonymously by texting "WPD01570" to 847411. Anonymous tips may also be forwarded through our website www.websterpolice.com.

Webster resident Thomas Ralph has been selected by the Treasury Department to serve on the national Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP).

TAP was established by Congress in 2002, but like many others, Mr. Ralph wasn’t aware of its existence until recently. “When I learned about it and looked into it, I decided to apply,” he said. “Its purpose is to make recommendations to the Secretary of the Treasury and Congress as to how to make the IRS more consumer friendly.”

Mr. Ralph, a Sergeant in the Webster Police Department, is one of 83 volunteers nationwide chosen for the panel, and will serve for three years. He will represent local taxpayers as well as work on national issues.

Mr. Ralph has been appointed to the panel’s Refund Processing Committee. He noted that taxpayers who filed before January 26 may have their refund delayed for a week because of some new identity fraud software the IRS recently installed.

TAP members meet monthly by phone and devote 300-500 hours yearly to the panel. Members work with IRS executives on priority topics and also serve as a conduit for grassroots issues between the public and the IRS.

“As the IRS remains committed to improving services and assistance to taxpayers, the input from the citizen volunteers at TAP has never been more important,” said Nina Olson, head of the Taxpayer Advocate Service. “The Service is committed to making sure the IRS seeks out and considers panel members’ views on key initiatives impacting taxpayers before decisions are made.”

Mr. Ralph said the panel’s emphasis is on general complaints, issues that affect a majority of taxpayers on a national level.

He can be contacted by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by calling 888-912-1227. For more information about TAP, go to www.improveirs.org.

WEBSTER - The sample building at Cranston Print Works is the first to be taken down, and its disassembly is being done as carefully today as its construction was nearly a century ago.

A giant demolition excavator last week began the months-long process of tearing down all the buildings and separating the salvageable materials for recycling.

The demolition on the nine-acre site will make way for a shopping center with a 60,000 square foot anchor store and several retail shops totaling 14,000 square feet.

The old buildings will be gone, but a lot of the memories will remain. Most everyone in the town worked at Cranston Print Works or knows someone who did.

Built in 1914, the sample building was used to store and display samples of the printed fabric for the salesmen to sell. To take it down, workers first hose each section of the building with water to keep the dust down. Then the excavator lifts out each cross beam, post, and floor board separately and sets it down.

All the salvageable and recyclable materials are neatly stacked at the site, the bricks, cross beams, floor boards, and scrap metal. Much of the material is valuable, especially the wood. The crossbeams and sub-floors, for example, are made of Southern white pine, which isn’t grown much anymore, according to the site supervisor. It will be salvaged and sold, he said. The bricks will be crushed and used for fill elsewhere on the site.

Michael O’Brien, principle partner in Galaxy Development LLC, said that he anticipates the demolition will take three to four months. The good weather has helped, he said, looking at a bright blue sky and bare ground. “It would take much longer to do this with ice and snow everywhere.”

Mr. O’Brien plans to start site preparation in May, and hopes to have the first stores open in the spring of 2013. He can’t divulge yet who the anchor tenant will be.

The demolition company doing the work is Patriots Environmental Corp. of Worcester.

Demolition of the Cranston Print Works buildings at the intersection of
Gore Road (Rt. 16) and Worcester Road (Rt. 12) began last week,
making way for a shopping center. Patriot staff photos.

Blake and Jack O’Brien pose with a giant stack of scrap metal during
the demolition of Cranston Print Works.

The historic clock tower seen in the back will be moved to the corner
of the site and landscaped to make an attractive focal point
at the intersection.