Barbara Van Reed

Mention the word “used car dealer” to someone and you will get a reaction. Lately, around here, Darryl Rivernider might come to mind. I met Mr. Rivernider last fall when he came into The Patriot office to place an ad for used cars. He insisted none of his cars were “salvage,” but pointed out that other used car dealers in the area do sell salvage vehicles.

You may take that statement for whatever it is worth. My next encounter with Mr. Rivernider would have been in Worcester Superior Court, but he failed to show up.

I had occasion to go used car shopping recently, and it remains a mystery to me as to how to do it well. It seems largely a matter of being at the right place at the right time.

Last week while visiting family in Modesto, California, we went used-car shopping for our daughter. We were hoping to find something for under $10,000 to replace the 1997 Corolla she’d been driving.

Our first stop was a huge CarMax lot at an intersection beginning a long block of car dealers on both sides of the road…an Automile of sorts. CarMax isn’t as well known in New England, but it’s a sizable chain, highly automated, an impressive operation with more than 100 dealerships nationally. Our sales rep said they’ve just opened a store in North Attleboro, so now you can visit one here.

There were hundreds of cars on the Modesto lot, but only five were under our price point. We checked out a 2002 Saturn SC1 with 115K miles and a “suicide door,” for just $6,599. Our sales rep was friendly, if not knowledgeable about the details of each of the cars, which is understandable with so many models and makes. Cars at CarMax have a 30-day warranty. The salesman said they could finance anything and anyone, though when pressed said that interest rates go as high as 23%.

Our next stop was Roberts Used Cars across the street. They’d been recommended to us, but we weren’t impressed, mostly because there wasn’t a sales rep in sight. Maybe we should have been pleased with this “no-one will be tailing you” approach to used car sales. But after winding and wandering through rows of randomly parked cars, we gave up trying to find something that worked and went into the office. The man on the phone made us wait until he finished his conversation, then grudgingly looked up what cars he had available for under $10,000 There were two. He waved us over to the “back wall” of the lot, and to somewhere in the third row. We never did find it.

The third used car dealer we stopped at, Modesto Supercars, had another approach. “We sell everything as is,” the sales rep told us, and if you want a Carfax, it’s $40. The ’05 Nissan Sentra he had on the lot, with 124K miles, for $7,995, might have been a good deal. Same for an ’04 Honda Accord with 122K miles for $10,900. But how do you know, really? Having a car checked out with a trusted mechanic is good advice, surely, but how many times can you do that and how many Carfaxes do you want to pay for? We seriously could have used Tom and Ray (Car Talk) with us on this tour.

We then decided to try to the used car from a new-car-dealer route instead. We visited Toyota, Nissan, Honda, and Chevrolet. The Nissan owner also had the dealerships for Chrysler, Pontiac, Jeep, Hyundai and others. Kind of like a Herb Chambers of Modesto. Our sales rep drove us from one lot to the other looking for vehicles under $10,000. He showed us an ‘02 Toyota Camry with 139,000 miles for $7,968 and an ‘04 Chrysler Concord LXI with 150K miles for $5,695.

After two days of looking, we learned a lot. But the most important thing was something we wish the sales people had told us in the beginning. Banks (at least those in California) won’t finance anything older than 2005 or a car that has more than 75,000 miles on it. That pretty much ruled out everything we’d been looking at.

On the third day we bought a 2010 model year car with 41,000 miles on it. It was a little more money than planned, but it had the original warranty that’s good for ten years or 100,000 miles. It seemed to be the best solution for our daughter.

Back in the office this week, I asked The Patriot staff about their used car experiences. One recently bought a car for her teenaged son, from a private party. “I’m not sure that was such a good decision,” she said, “We’re having some problems with it.” When she told us the make, year and price, it seemed like the price was low enough absorb a couple of fixes. Another said she bought a used 2010 Malibu from a big local dealer a few months ago and is totally happy. “I love my car,” she said.

This column isn’t meant to criticize used car dealers; it’s merely to recount a car shopping experience by naïve buyers.

Here at The Patriot, we love all our car dealer advertisers, new and used.

Barbara Van Reed

“Domestic violence is America’s hidden war and the battlefield is in our homes.” Francine Perry paraphrased the quote written by MIchelle Busoletti, and they are words she lives and works by.

New Hope, Inc. has its regional office tucked away on River Court on the Webster-Dudley line, and from there it serves the victims of relationship violence in 27 communities, stretching from Franklin east to Shrewsbury, West Brookfield and back down towards Sturbridge and the towns on the CT and RI borders.

It’s a huge part of south-central Massachusetts and New Hope’s challenge is equally large. Ms. Perry is the organization’s Director of Community Services, which also serves a large section of southeastern MA. She talked with us about New Hope’s challenges.

New Hope serves the victims of relationship violence, mostly women, but men, children, and gay/lesbian people as well.

How do people find New Hope? Most calls come through the domestic and sexual assault 24-hour, toll-free hotline, 1-800-323-HOPE (4673), with no caller ID. Everything is confidential. A wide network of agencies also refers victims: hospitals, doctors, police departments, friends, relatives, and New Hope advocates in the local district courts, including Dudley, Uxbridge and East Brookfield. The Webster office also has a community service advocate.

Many of New Hope’s clients are women caught in an abusive, violent relationship, who need help to get out. The trained and licensed counselors at New Hope evaluate the situation with the victim and together they work out a plan to safely leave the relationship. If children are involved, the counselor will advise the mother on the paperwork, school records, and such, which she needs to gather up for relocating to another town.

Throughout the process, the New Hope counselor’s goal is to provide the emotional, financial, spiritual, and psychological support the client needs for the transition. The cases can be complex. An abuser might be in jail or prison for a period of time, but usually not for the rest of their lives, and so long term plans might be needed.

The region has two shelters, each with space for six families. In the last twelve months, both locations have been completely full with the exception of just one night. The shelters housed 107 adults and 45 kids, and have had to turn people away. With the poor economy, families have been staying longer than just a few days, for months sometimes, said Ms. Perry. Lack of affordable housing and chronic homelessness are major issues.

When do people leave an abusive relationship? When the fear of staying is greater than the fear of leaving, said Ms Perry. It often takes time to get to that point. New Hope provides counseling and support groups for individuals in any stage of a difficult relationship, and can help with crisis intervention.

Prevention is also a key part of New Hope’s goal to reduce, if not eliminate, domestic violence. Ms. Perry notes that February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness month. The majority of teens don’t know what a relationship is supposed to be, she said. They see violence in the home and in the media. They need to learn that violence is not love. Bullying is the first predictor. Adults have to challenge the perpetrators, and teach them respect for self, and then others. Ms. Perry and New Hope will be visiting area schools this month to spread that message.

New Hope’s mission is “Ending domestic and sexual violence in our community.” Funding for the programs comes from government contracts, the United Way, private donations, grants and fund raising. The Webster office welcomes donations of any kind, clothing, food, and gift cards for gas and groceries, to support the families seeking to escape violent relationships.

New Hope’s website is www.new-hope.org.

Have you noticed the green lights in the windows of the Webster Town Hall or the string of green lights at the Dudley Municipal Center? They are there for a reason.

The towns are helping celebrate The Last Green Valley’s second annual Green Light Celebration, taking place between January 14 and February 12. They are lighting up green to show support for the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers National Heritage Corridor, popularly know as The Last Green Valley (TLGV). The corridor includes 35 towns in northeastern Connecticut and south-central Massachusetts, including Webster, Dudley and Oxford.

Michelle Bourgeois, tourism coordinator for TLGV, told us that the purpose of the celebration is to promote tourism for the region and to provide local businesses an opportunity to promote themselves as well. Town halls and businesses were asked to change out at least one light bulb with a green-colored, energy-efficient bulb.

Some of the towns in Connecticut are a little farther along in their activities than we in Massachusetts. Michelle said that 85 percent of downtown Danielson businesses are lit up.

Businesses were also asked to come up with creative ideas using a “green” theme to promote their product or service. Some examples: Bella’s Bistro in Putnam is offering discounted $5 Green martinis, and fried Green tomatoes with lobster sauce. Java Jive in Woodstock has a Green Happy Hour every day from 3 -4 p.m. Deb’s Place in Danielson gives customers a chance to win a $5 Green plate coupon.

Michelle said Citizens National Bank in Woodstock created a special window display with green lights and hay bales. The fire marshal took exception to the hay bales, and so they’ve been swapped out for apples.

Closer to home, the Webster Lake Association, a member of TLGV, asked all its members to change an outside light or a window light to a green bulb. WLA president Gloria Ricker told us that the Association is a huge supporter of TLGV. “They’ve provided training for Ernie Benoit and our water quality team for the last five years. They are, in fact, the main reason we have a water quality team.”

Ms. Ricker also talked about the courses TLGV has provided for town employees in map overlaying and watershed management. She elaborated a bit on the green valley aspect of the National Corridor. In satellite photos, at night we show up dark, she said. The area is not polluted with lots of lights. In the day time we show up rural and green, the last remaining green space in this part of the country. That’s one of the reasons that people objected to the billboard on I-395, she said. It throws off a great deal of light.

In Dudley, town planner and selectman Nancy Runkle is also a big supporter of TLGV projects. “We were a bit slow catching on this year,” she said, but “I’ve made a note in my calendar to get on it in November for next year.” She thinks the green celebration could be a boost for local businesses. Ms. Runkle was impressed with the TLGV electronic Christmas catalog, which featured locally made products, such as honey made from “Dudley bees.” “We need to get the word out about locally produced goods,” she said.

The most difficult part of joining the celebration may be finding green lights. Stores in CT seem to be better stocked than those in Massachusetts. Michele lists Benny’s and True Value, as well as Target, Home Deport and Lowe’s. In Webster, Aubuchon’s has several strings of green lights in stock, but no green bulbs. Michele said that green ribbons or flags are OK to use too.

Prizes will be awarded for the “best” green light display, so if you participate, be sure to send an email and photo to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Michele is looking for “spotters” to help pick the winner for best town, best business and best residence.

You can also support TLGV and our National Heritage Corridor with a poster. We have some available here at The Patriot office.

The Board of Selectmen would like to remind all registered voters to attend the Special Town Meeting on Monday, February 13, 2012, at 7:00 p.m. in the Bartlett High School Auditorium, 52 Lake Parkway. A copy of the Town Meeting Warrant can be viewed on the Town’s website: www.webster-ma.gov

The Board of Selectmen would like to bring attention to article four (4) on the Special Town Meeting Warrant; to see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to lease all or any portion of the following parcels for a term of up to 30 years and for such consideration as the Board of Selectmen shall determine, for the purpose of installing and operating thereon a solar photovoltaic array for electric power generation and distribution, and to authorize the Board of Selectmen to grant such easements in, on, under and across said land for utility and access purposes, as reasonably necessary to install and operate such a solar array, and to further authorize the Board of Selectmen to enter into a power purchase agreement with any lessee of such property to purchase all or a portion of the electricity production of the solar array.

Photovoltaics (PV) is a method of generating electrical power by converting solar radiation into direct current electricity using semiconductors that exhibit the photovoltaic effect. Photovoltaic power generation employs solar panels composed of a number of solar cells containing a photovoltaic material. Solar power is pollution-free during use. Clean energy means you reduce your carbon emissions by as much as one ton per annum. PV installations can operate for many years with little maintenance or intervention after their initial set-up. The Board of Selectmen encourages this “Green” initiative that the Town of Webster would undertake.

The Last Green Valley is asking all residents to show their support for our beautiful National Heritage Corridor by lighting up green during the month-long “Green Light Celebration”, January 14 – February 12, 2012. The Town of Webster has put a green light in every window in the Town Hall to show support of the Green Light Celebration. The Last Green Valley developed the Green Light Celebration as a way to build awareness of the organization and its work, promote tourism and provide a fun reprieve from winter.

The Board of Selectmen had the pleasure of having the Center of Hope attend their last Selectmen’s Meeting. Since 1956, Center of Hope Foundation has offered a continually evolving list of services for persons with disabilities. The agency has grown far beyond its initial mission and first program, a school for children with Mental Retardation, to its present state, offering a wide range of day and family support program for both children and adults with disabilities. The Mission of the Center of Hope Foundation is to provide people with disabilities and their families with the resources, services and opportunities to be contributing members of their communities and to achieve the most fulfilling and meaningful lives possible. If you would like to donate to the Center of Hope or would like to volunteer please call (508) 764-4085 or visit the website for more information: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

This past year of 2011 was a year of great productivity and prosperity for the Town of Webster. The Board of Selectman would like to extend our great thanks and gratitude for the efforts from the offices of the Town Administrator and the many highly committed members of our community. Our goal from the beginning of the year was to commit ourselves to focus on our town’s greatest needs and to establish priorities and develop a plan for each priority.

The Town engaged in very conservative budgetary practices, but still maintained essential services. The town used very realistic revenue estimates, with minimal reserves to balance the budget, avoided the creation of a structural deficit, and limited department spending in every conceivable way. With this level of commitment the Town of Webster budgetary numbers for 2012 were at levels comparative to 2002. Additionally, the Town was able to increase our free cash in the Water and Sewer Enterprise accounts along with the General Fund. We were also able to increase our stabilization funds nearly to levels not seen since 2008. The water rates for the town’s people were able to remain at the levels from 2010. Recent negotiations conducted by the Town Administrator with the local utility company, along with conservative budgetary practices, allowed the Board of Selectman to rescind a decision to turn off selected street lights made in April of 2009 as a means of saving revenue.

PLEASE REMEMBER: The Webster-Dudley Food Share located in the United Church of Christ on 4 Church Street in Webster is an Emergency Food Pantry which offers food to Webster and Dudley residents in need of emergency food assistance. They are open Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. If you are in need of assistance please call (508) 943-9171. Donations are greatly appreciated.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns please do not hesitate to contact the Board of Selectmen’s Office at (508) 949-3800 x 4000 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Webster resident Jillian Gatsogiannis lives on Klebart Avenue near the School Street intersection, which she says her neighbors call the “launching pad” for commuters speeding down to Lake Parkway and the highway. They pass by stopped school buses and drive through the school crossing while the guard and walkers are still in it, she says.

Ms. Gatsogiannis is “getting fed up with all that high speed traffic, especially because of all the kids walking to school,” and is now a woman on a mission to slow them down.

She called the Police Department last Thursday at 7:15 in the morning to ask them to patrol the area, at least when the kids are on their way to and from the nearby Middle School and Junior/Senior High School. The officer she spoke with told her that there were only three officers on duty and did she know how many miles of roads they have to cover?

She wasn’t happy with the answer and talked to his supervisor, and then to the sergeant. She got into a discussion with him about tax dollars at work…not a productive conversation, both concede.

Still, ten minutes later a squad car arrived on the scene, and in the next 45 minutes, the officer cited four cars for speeding. It takes time to write up each one, Ms. Gatsogiannis noted.

But she wasn’t done yet. She went to visit Police Chief Timothy J. Bent to tell him that speeding on Klebart and Lake Parkway is a problem. No one else has complained, she said he told her, but indicated they might start patrolling there, yet making no promises.

Her next stop was Town Administrator John McAuliffe’s office. He told her that he would look into it.

Then she stopped by the Filmer building to find School Superintendent Gregory Ciardi. He was not in, and she explained her mission to his secretary.

On Friday morning she called this newspaper to tell her story.

We talked with Police Chief Timothy J. Bent on Monday. “We take her complaint very seriously,” he said, “and we will speak with every agency that’s involved to resolve this issue.”

Chief Bent said Ms. Gatsogiannis was most concerned with the Klebart traffic. “I agree that cars are probably going too fast out there, and we plan to look aggressively at the problem.” He said the department does send radar patrol out there regularly and also brings the speed trailer that warns drivers they are exceeding the speed limit.

“We do have a lot of road to cover - 121 miles of it, so we can’t be out there every day.

But we’ll do what needs to be done,” he added.

Ms. Gatsogiannis would like to see better signage on the street. Perhaps a blinking school zone sign.

Right now there is a speed limit sign for 30 mph, but she says cars are going 45 miles an hour by the time they get from the School Street intersection to the third house on Klebart. And besides, shouldn’t school zones be posted 20 mph?

Chief Bent explained that some things, like signs, have to be done through the Safety Committee, and he promised to pursue that with them.

Police Sergeant Rodney Budrow, who took the call from Ms. Gatsogiannis, said that “when people call we do send officers to help out with the situation, but we can’t have one there every day.” He also said that he had contacted the school department, and they had already talked with the school bus company, which assured them that the bus drivers have reported no incidents of cars passing the busses.

Ms. Gatsogiannis has two eight-year old daughters, and she’s afraid “they’re going to get nailed by someone driving a car.” She says one neighbor’s dog was hit, another one was killed. Next time it could be a kid, she thinks.

And she’s not going to stop calling until someone listens. We think the Chief has.

The news on the employment front has been positive recently. The national unemployment rate dropped to 8.5% in December from 9% the previous month. That was the sixth consecutive month of lower numbers, and the lowest since 2008.

In Massachusetts the rate stands at 7% currently, down from a high of 8.8% in October 2009. Locally, in Southern Worcester County it’s even lower, at 6.8%.

That’s all good, but is that also what’s happening here on the ground in Webster, Dudley and Oxford?

We talked with two local staffing professionals to get their opinion. Donald Bourque is the co-owner and founder of Absolute Staffing in Auburn and Webster, and Karen Mroczek is the Business Development Manager for Massachusetts and Connecticut for Diamond Staffing Inc., which has an office in Webster.

“We’re coming off a strong year,” said Ms. Mroczek, “much better than going from 2010 to 2011. Hiring in the service industries was up, though manufacturing was down. The balance was there, and we’re holding that trend.” She is optimistic for this next year and sees no “backward trending.”

According to the Massachusetts Office of Labor and Workforce Development, the biggest job gains last year were in leisure and hospitality, including food services, entertainment and recreation, which added 14,700 jobs. Retail, transportation and utilities added 9,500, education and health services were up 6,500.

At the other end of the spectrum, government jobs were down 4,300, while manufacturing added only 2,800 and construction just 1,900.

Mr. Bourque credits the Patrick-Murray administration for keeping the Massachusetts unemployment rate lower than the national rate. “They walked into a really tough situation, with an unprecedented economic crisis. And they’ve done a phenomenal job keeping the unemployment rate lower by keeping Massachusetts moving forward,” he said.

Ms. Mroczek and Mr. Bourque both described a new trend in hiring: more and more companies are turning to staffing services to do the hiring for them.

“This has been going on unnoticed for the last three years,” said Ms. Mroczek, who’s been in this business for twenty years. “Companies are moving their personnel hiring functions offsite; we are basically becoming contract HR. Staffing agencies have gone from a sales-driven mode to a consulting mode, and our phones are busier than ever.”

She attributes the trend to the cost and time associated with hiring personnel. We do it all for them, she said, the posting, searching, interviewing, screening, and matching employees’ skills to available jobs.”

It’s a national, across-the-board phenomenon, she says, from start-ups to well established companies, for all kinds of jobs, from clerical to middle management.

Mr. Bourque, talked about the kinds of people that his employer clients are most looking for. There are two, he said, those with trade skills, such as machinists, who earn around $18.00 an hour, and those with fewer skills and willing to work for close to the minimum wage, which is $8.00 an hour in Massachusetts.

Mr. Bourque said he is seeing some activity in the manufacturing sector now, and echoed the new corporate strategy of working through staffing agencies. “Companies are hiring again because they have a budget, but they are doing it through temporary employment agencies, such as Absolute Staffing.” 

“We can offer temp-to-permanent positions. That way, companies can bring someone on board as a temp for 90 days, see how well they work out, and then hire them on a permanent basis. This approach also lets the company put off adding the new employee to its health insurance policy for another 90 days, thus stretching the personnel budget.” It also defers the unemployment insurance cost for a time. “The high federal insurance tax rate really hurts the bottom line,” Mr. Bourque said. “It was two percent when I started this business, now it’s over eight.”

Looking at Webster, Dudley and Oxford specifically, the latest available unemployment statistics show Webster with an unemployment rate of 8.1%, Dudley with 6.2% and Oxford with 6.3%.

Another Massachusetts survey shows that business optimism is up. It rose slightly to 51% in December, meaning that business managers are predominantly positive. The low point here was 33% in February of 2009.

“People looking for jobs should start with the staffing services,” Ms. Mroczek said. “We have postings you won’t see anywhere else.”

Mr. Bourque is optimistic too. “Jobs are coming. I can feel it in my bones.” And with eight years in this business, he ought to know.

The Town of Oxford had two good reasons to celebrate during the holidays. First, the Town was awarded a $2.2 million grant for a sewer extension, which means that IPG Photonics will expand its world headquarters here rather than in another state. (See story, homepage)

Second, the Town received a favorable court decision in its suit to purchase the water utility currently owned and operated by Aquarion Water Company, moving the proposed plan “a big step forward,” according to Board of Selectmen Chair Jennie L. Caissie. The intent of the purchase is to reduce water rates for Oxford residents and businesses. In his original proposal to town voters in early 2009, Town Manager Joseph Zenesky wrote that the acquisition would “result in a major savings to Oxford ratepayers.” Voters approved the purchase for an estimated acquisition cost of $6.7 million at the May Town Meeting that year.

Aquarion’s response was: “Simply put, the company’s Oxford operations and assets are not for sale.” The ensuing lawsuits and legal wrangling have been going on since then. “Aquarion has done everything in its power to thwart the process,” said Mr. Zeneski, even though a (2009) court decision allowed the purchase. In that 2009 decision the judge also ruled that it was not necessary for Aquarion to undertake a Main Street water main replacement project, which Aquarion would add to the purchase price.

“That would be like me selling you a house for $200,000,then adding $50,000 worth of upgrades and asking you to reimburse me,” said Mr. Zeneski.

Aquarion maintains that the cost of acquisition will be higher than $6.7million and that the cost to operate the system will be much more than the town realizes after all the factors, including loss of tax revenue and litigation costs, are included.

The history of Oxford’s water system goes back more than one hundred years, to 1904, when the Oxford Water Company, a private corporation, was created by the Massachusetts Legislature and approved by the Town’s voters. It did, however, provide for the Town to “take” the franchise, property, rights and privileges at any time by purchase for the actual costs, or by eminent domain.

Over the years, the Town considered taking over the water company several times. During one of those times, in 1984, the court confirmed that the Town could buy the franchise and property of the Oxford Water Company for the “actual costs.”

Aquarion acquired the Oxford Water Company in 2002, and today serves 2614 customers with over 41 miles of water mains. The water supply comes from the French River Basin watershed, via three groundwater wells. The company owns one 215,000 gallon distribution storage tank and leases two others from the Town. Aquarion also operates the water systems in Millbury, Hingham, Hull and Cohasset in Massachusetts, and many others in New Hampshire and Connecticut.

In a rate hearing before the Department of Public Utilities in May of 2011, Harry C. Hibbard, vice president of Massachusetts operations at Aquarion, was asked about the Oxford lawsuits. This is what he said about the costs associated with the litigation.

“Because the Company (Aquarion) has been incurring substantial ongoing expense related to this litigation and the expense is expected to continue for an unknown period of time, the Company is requesting that the department (DPU) authorize it to establish a deferred account for these costs and include the costs in rates…the cost associated with defending this litigation is a necessary cost of doing business, particularly given that the suit was filed against the Company with the stated intent of forcibly taking the Company’s assets in one of its service territories. In addition to being a necessary and prudent cost of conducting business, defense of the suit by Oxford is in the best interest of its customers because the loss of the Oxford system would incrementally increase the operating costs borne by the Company’s remaining customers and the Company strongly believes that ownership and operation of the Oxford system would ultimately be detrimental to the service provided to water customers in the Town.”

“In others words,” Mr. Zeneski said, “we are subsidizing Millbury.” He also described how the list of assets provided by Aquarion included items in Hingham.

Last month’s decisions addressed several of the parts pertaining to the current lawsuit “Town of Oxford vs. Aquarion Water Company of Massachusetts, Inc.” For one of them, Aquarion’s Motion to Dismiss, in which the company argued that the Town should be forced take the property by eminent domain rather than purchase it for actual costs, Superior Court Justice David Ricciardone wrote that this was a distinction without a difference, and denied the motion.

On the others, which were motions by both parties for summary judgment, Justice Ricciardone supported the Town’s position by determining that the 1984 decision is binding and by defining “actual costs.” He deferred on an issue of the time value of certain investment costs. He also denied Aquarion’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment.

The legal controversy could continue for some time yet, but Mr. Zeneski is hopeful that the matter will be settled soon with an expedited appeals process.

Chair of the Oxford Board of Selectmen Jennie L. Caissie has a lot to be pleased about. The year 2011 saw a lot of accomplishments for the town, with major progress in the area of infrastructure.

First on her list was the recent $2.2 million grant from the MassWorks Infrastructure Program, which will allow the Oxford-Dudley-Webster sewer extension project to go forward. “This is real money,” she said, “With everybody scraping to get by, this is great.” The sewer connection will first serve the expansion of IPG Photonics on Old Webster Road. Town voters approved a Tax Increment Finance agreement to support the expansion plans at the fall town meeting. IPG Photonics currently employs 600 people in its Oxford headquarters.

Also high on Ms. Caissie’s progress list was a positive court decision in the planned acquisition of the Town’s water operations from Aquarion Water Company. Just last week a motion for summary judgment filed by Aquarion in Worcester Superior Court was denied. The company had sought to stop the Town from acquiring the facilities. “That decision brings the acquisition closer, it’s a big step forward,” she said, though anticipating that it will yet make its way to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. When the town eventually takes over the water operations, people should save some money on their water bills, she said. “Right now, the people have no voice in the pricing; then, we will be able to control it.” She complimented the efforts of Town Manager Joseph Zeneski and town counsel for actively moving this project along.

Next, Ms. Caissie talked about the new animal shelter, whose construction is close to completion. A planned opening this past fall was delayed pending further fund raising, but she’s sure that it will happen this year. Selectman Lamarche has done a tremendous job spearheading the project. She also addressed Facebook rumors that the shelter’s mission would be changed to become a “Kill shelter.” “Nothing could be further from the truth,”she said. “That kind of talk is a disservice to Mr. Lamarche all the people that have worked so hard support the project.”

Another completed project during the year was the renovation of the basketball court in North Oxford. And it’s being used, she said, even now. “Anytime there’s no snow, people play on it.”

Next, there were some major road improvements, including the Oxford Center Repaving Project, which encompassed a large part of Main Street and Sutton Avenue, and the Charlton Street makeover. The Department of Public Works was very busy this year, she said.

Also during the summer, DPW administration consolidated its operations and moved into a refurbished space in the old Police Station at 450 Main Street.

The town also took a foray into the world of green energy, with a solar power initiative spearheaded by Facilities Maintenance Director Dick Donais. The project would provide for solar panels on the roofs of nine school and other town buildings. The plan hit a snag when the specified panels became unavailable, but Mr. Donais hopes to bring it to completion this year.

No discussion of town matters would be complete without mention of the budget climate. Staying afloat financially and maintaining a level of services for taxpayers is always a challenge, Ms. Caissie said, and that was particularly true with all the storms last year, which aggravated the financial situation. “But our goal continues to be to maintain our existing levels of service.”

Among the goals for 2012: “Acquire the water company,” said Ms. Caissie, without hesitation. ”That would be a wonderful accomplishment.”

Letter from the editor 12/28/2011

Here we are in this last week of December, getting ready to send The Patriot to the printer for the last time in 2011. If you had told me in January that I would be the paper’s editor for most of the year, I would have said, “No way.”

But it happened, and for the last nine months I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the good people of Webster, Dudley and Oxford. Many of you came to our office on Gore Road in Webster and that’s how I met you; others I met at interviews and local municipal meetings and events, or on the phone and by email.

I’m going to mention here just a few of the many people who were welcoming and helpful, assisting with stories and facts.

Early on I met Mike Hackenson, Principal of Bartlett High School, and Jack Joyce and Kim Dobro of the Guidance Department, who rounded up students for stories. I appreciated teacher Van Constantine, who invited me to speak to his journalism class. Several of the students later wrote articles for us during the summer months.

I met Webster School Committee chairman Mike Makara by phone when he returned my first call to him because he said I sounded sane and reasonable, or something to that effect. We had a great chat about Webster schools and the staff’s dedication to the kids.

Walter “Dan” Ricci, Chairman of the Webster Board of Selectmen, is always ready to answer questions, and suggested the bi-weekly Selectmen’s column.

Dudley Treasurer Richard Carmignani patiently educated me on local aid.

Dudley Police Chief Steven Wojnar always has an encouraging word for me and for the newspaper. Michelle Jervis is always cheerful.

Oxford’s videographer Tony Troiano, unhesitatingly offers assistance with photos of town events. Karen Crandall, clerk at the Oxford Selectmen’s office, and Debbie Light of the police department, are always ready to help.

Shepherd High School.Principal Mary Pierangeli sent a ticket for graduation when I asked, and was gracious when I didn’t attend, and sent us senior Maddie Billis, who faithfully wrote articles for us all summer.

Webster Lake Association President Gloria Ricker kindly educated me on Lake issues, and how much time and money it takes to keep it clean.

During the summer months we had frequent visits from hydroplane racer Mike Grendell, who single handedly brought the first ever high speed boat races to Webster Lake. His enthusiasm for the sport and his dedication to making it a grand event for the town was infectious.

We also had frequent visits from Maurice Healy, as he wrote weekly stories about the experiences of his great-great grandfather during the Civil War, readying readers for the reenactment that took place at the end of August when Webster also celebrated the opening of the French River Park.

After the summer came the ten year commemoration of 9-11. I had the privilege of talking with Webster’s fire chaplain Deacon “Tony” Surozenski about his experiences at the Ground Zero immediately after the tragedy. His book, Called to Serve, Life as a Firefighter-Deacon came out in the spring of this year.

More than a dozen local officials helped us honor the event with their personal experiences and observances, including Congressman Richard E. Neal, State Senator Richard T. Moore, State Representative Kevin J. Kuros, Webster BOS chairman Walter Ricci, Oxford BOS chairman Jennie L. Caissie, Dudley BOS chairman Steven Sullivan, Webster Police Chief Timothy J. Bent, Oxford Police Chief Michael Hassett, Dudley Police Chief Steven J. Wojnar, former state representative Paul Kujawski, Webster town Administrator John F. McAuliffe, the Rev. Janice Ford, the Rev. Clare Overlander, veteran Donald Wayman, and veteran Robert Mailloux. Many thanks to all of you.

Just two weeks later we had to do another commemorative issue, this time for Dudley selectman Anthony B. DiDonato Sr. who passed away on September 21 while in his 13th terms. He had served Dudley as a devoted public servant for more than 50 years. I had not had the opportunity to personally get to know Mr. DiDonato, but I learned a lot about him from his brothers Leo and Jerry, who came in to our office to talk about him just two days later. Again a whole host of you came through in short order to help us remember Tony’s many accomplishments as well as Tony the friend and colleague. Thank you to Clif Wilson, former State Senator Louis Bertonazzi, Dudley Board of Health chairman Jack Zajkowski, former state representative Jim Whitney, Senator Moore, Rep. Kuros, Paul Kujawski, VFW Commander Geoge Bibeau, former Dudley selectman Al Reich, Police Chief Wojnar, Treasurer Richard Carmignani, Veteran’s Agent Richard J. Holewa, Dudley Highway superintendent Daniel Gion, Dudley Town Administrator Peter Jankowski, and Dudley selectmen Sullivan, Paul Joseph, Jonathan Ruda, and Nancy Runkle.

Just recently, I had the privilege of discussing their visions for Dudley with the selectmen candidates running to replace Tony DiDonato, Peter Fox, John Marsi, and Al Reich. All three seemed to be as dedicated to the good of Dudley as Tony was.

Again, thank you to all of you for helping us get the newspaper out each week. I hope to meet many more of you in 2012.

Finally, a big thank you to the staff at Webster Manor, Lanessa, and the TCU for the huge fruit basket you gave to us last week. “They never forget us,” said our ad manager Laura.

We wish all our readers and advertisers a Happy New Year.

Letter From the Editor 12-21-11

Several weeks ago two members of the Reichenberg family came in to our office to show us a folded postcard with a picture of the Joslin House, which stood at the corner of Mechanic and Main in downtown Webster one hundred years ago. Inside was the menu for Christmas 1911, with the words:

“Give three cheers for this Christmas old!

We’ll usher him in with a merry din’

That shall gladden his joyous heart,

And we’ll keep him up, while there’s bite or sup,

And in fellowship good we’ll part.”

I confess the nuances of the verse escaped me, but the menu didn’t. It contained a lot of items similar to those we serve for Christmas today, such as ham with champagne sauce and Vermont turkey with cranberry sauce. Less frequently served today would be native green goose stuffed with current jelly. Most of the other items on the menu we’d see today too, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and plum pudding among them.

Absent from the menu was any mention of wine or brandy.

Equally interesting is the history of the Joslin House, which was also known as the Temperance House. Nathan Joslin built it in 1844, during the height of the Temperance Movement. Just two years earlier, the town had turned down its first liquor request.

 A decade later, however, the movement was declining, and in 1955 Horace M. Dresser became the first agent to sell liquor in the town of Webster, in the Dresser Block, across the street from the Joslin House.

According to Jim Manzi, who knows his Webster history, the Joslin House burned down in the 1930’s. “There were a lot of fires in those days,” he said.

The building that stands in its place today isn’t quite as classic.

Thank you, Reichenbergs, for bringing us the postcard, and good fellowship and a Merry Christmas to you.

All of us on the staff of The Patriot newspaper wish our readers and advertisers a wonderful Christmas season.

(Joslin House history source: Webster, Dudley, and Oxford During the Nineteenth Century, by Paul J. Macek and James R. Morrison.)