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PAGE 4 A Turley Publication • www.turley.com I Thursday, May 10, 2012 - opinion - editorial Darts & Laurels DART – To the state DOT and its sad handling of the bridge projects in Brookfi eld. When the CSX bridge was raised on Route 148 last year, that would have been the perfect time to also renovate the Quaboag River bridge – a mere 100-feet away. Now, a long-time local business and good standing residents at White’s Landing, which just fi nished major renovations to their building over the past year, are wondering if that investment was even worth the expense. There’s talk of eminent domain land taking by the state in front of their business that would negatively affect what little parking is available, not to mention the detours potentially driving customers away. Moreover, the bridge project set to begin at North Pond in East Brookfi eld will also negatively impact the area’s traffi c patterns, particularly during the school year. It begs the question of why the state - in all its infi - nite wisdom - did not group both Route 148 bridge reconstruction projects together and do them all in one fell swoop last year? Both projects have been on the books and in design phase for quite some time. The state certainly owes White’s Landing and the town a full explanation at the upcoming hearing. And the larger question still begs of why a total bridge replacement is even needed at this time? If the bridge is in that bad of repair, then monetary recompense is certainly in order for White’s Landing during the estimated two-year construction phase. Instead of the DOT pushing its bicycle to work week propaganda, perhaps it could help resolve the real challenges of a small town and its businesses that live by that vital Quaboag River passage. Our state legislators need to become involved in this issue. LAUREL - To all the area t-ball and little league volunteers, coaches, and supporters. You are the ones who help make your communities work and serve as inspirations for others to join in helping others. LAUREL – To the Quaboag Hills Chamber of Commerce who hit a homerun at this year’s annual business and citizen of the year awards ceremony. Honoring all the contributions of local businesses and individuals who helped after the June 1 tornado made great sense and they were all truly worthy of recognition. If you were one of those kindred spirits who coordinated volunteers, cleaned up debris, hugged victims, delivered meals, or donated money after the tornado - and demanded nothing in return - then you know exactly what we are talking about. You are all winners! YOUR TURN Desert Storm Parade By Bob Potvin Guest Columnist A gorgeous sunny June day was the setting for the Victory Parade for the Desert Storm Troops help in New York City on June 10. 1991. Not knowing anything about the parade until 48 hours before the event, I immediately felt the pull in my heart to attend. As a Vietnam Veteran I felt it would better late than never to take in the full panoply of the military in their attire marching on Broadway, not as a participant but as an American and as an observer. The Big Apple is a hair short of being 200 miles from our village in central Massachusetts. Interstate highways make it one very long driveway – from here to there. Knowing any quick change in plans would upset the family apple cart, I confi ded in my wife I wanted to go. We decided our teenage sons were best at their daily chores, school and work. I would go it alone. Shortly after three in the morning I exited Brookfi eld. As I journeyed towards my destination I remembered a radio station in NYC I listened to as a kid: WNEW. Amazingly enough the station beamed as I zeroed in on the dial. The Milkman’s Matinee, believe it or not, was still on as it was 30 years ago. The affable disc jockey played gentle nostalgic music as I traveled the highway in virtual solitude. The weather forecast was for a perfect day for the parade. My emotions began to churn. Not knowing exactly how I would encounter the city at rush hour as I passed through Hartford, I decided to head west to Danbury, CT. By 5 a.m. I YOUR TURN I FROM PAGE 5 Letter to the Editor Lots to consider at Sturbridge Town Meeting TO THE EDITOR: The Sturbridge Annual Town Meeting will be held on Monday, June 4. This year, for the fi rst time in many years, voters will have a clear, distinct choice - approve a FY13 budget of approximately $26.7 million as recommended by the Finance Committee, Board of Selectmen, and Town Administrator – or vote to reject this budget and instead approve a FY13 budget that limits FY13 spending to the FY12 approved budget of $25.6M, a difference of $1.1M, or 4.2%. Article #3 in the Town Meeting Warrant is the Town Budget recommended by the Finance Committee and Board of Selectmen, a budget of $26.7M, a 4.2% increase over FY12. Article #4 is the Citizen Petition to limit the FY13 budget to a sum not to exceed the FY12 budget of $25.6M. For many voters this will not be an easy decision. Limiting the FY13 budget to $25.6M will result in a reduction in services. Approving the $26.7M budget will result in another increase in property taxes, which have increased signifi cantly in recent years. I expect additional information and arguments will be forthcoming from proponents of both sides of this issue during the weeks before the Town Meeting. I have requested information on property taxes from the Sturbridge Assessor and when received I will distribute this information for residents to consider. I encourage Sturbridge voters to carefully consider these distinct choices, attend the June 4 Town Meeting Poetry Corner ........................ To a Cedar I had nearly forgotten ho I was Until I sensed your easy strength And heard the timelessness Of your years; Until I caught the sparkle Of your lacy light And showered In your fragrance Until I recognized your verdancy Jumping the primal circuit. Carol Mays, West Brookfi eld and cast their vote. Remember, if you don’t vote for your choice, you are essentially voting for the opposite choice. THE QUABOAG CURRENT AWARD WINNER New England Newspaper & Press Association 2012 Better Newspapers Contest This newspaper is published every Friday by Turley Publications, Inc., 24 Water St., Palmer, Mass. 01069. Telephone (413) 283-8393, Fax (413) 289-1977. PATRICK H. TURLEY Publisher KEITH TURLEY Executive Vice President DOUGLAS L. TURLEY Vice President of Publications EDITOR Tim Kane ADVERTISING SALES Jacky Haesaert, Tim Mara and Jeanne Bonsall SPORTS EDITOR Dave Forbes SOCIAL MEDIA @QuaboagCurrent TownCommonNewspapers WEB www.quaboagcurrent.com www.tantasquatowncommon.com www.turley.com Turley Publications, Inc. cannot assume liability for the loss of photographs or other materials submitted for publication. Materials will not be returned except upon specific request when submitted. Don Miller Sturbridge OPINION PAGE/ LETTERS POLICY Letters to the editor should be 250 words or less in length, and guest columns between 500 and 800 words. No unsigned or anonymous opinions will be published. We require that the person submitting the opinion also include his or her town of residence and home telephone number. We authenticate authorship prior to publication. We reserve the right to edit or withhold any submissions deemed to be libelous, unsubstantiated allegations, personal attacks, or defamation of character. Send opinions to: Letters to the Editor, 80 Main Street, Ware, MA 01082 OR e-mail to tkane@turley.com. Deadline for submission is Monday at noon for the following week’s edition. Connect with us online Quaboag Current Town Common Newspapers
YOUR TURN I FROM PAGE 4 reached Danbury and stopped at a convenience store for help. I asked “How do workers travel to NYC from here?” The friendly cashier said they took the train from Brewster, New York, the next stop on I-84. Brewster proved to be a fi ne suburb hard on the Connecticut line. The local diner was open and I packed away a good country breakfast of juice, milk, ham and eggs and was ready to greet the 5:50 a.m. train along with a surprising myriad of workers heading for Gotham. I had often wondered what it would be like to commute to New York on a given morning. This day allowed me to observe how the Metro-North Commuter Railroad worked: with perfection. This limited-stop commuter fi lled up as we passed through Croton Falls, Purdy’s, Golden’s Bridge, Katonah and others before arriving at grand Central Station at 7:15 a.m. As we traveled I noticed half of the passengers were reading the morning paper or paperbacks while others slept. A few gabbed in soft voices about their weekends. An ordinary Monday in every sense of the word, so it seemed. The vibrancy of Grand Central Station this Monday morning was refreshing. People were hustling in just about every direction. I looked for evidence of a Parade and really didn’t notice any. As I alighted to the sidewalk I noticed a group of shoeshine men. Never passing one without stopping for a shine, as I once shined shoes for a dime, my fi rst encounter with a New Yorker proved to be very interesting. The man shining my shoes was 39 years old. He had been raised not too far from where he was working that morning. When I queried about the parade a big smile came on his face. “Oh yes, today’s the day for the Desert Storm Parade.” Knowing I would be directed correctly, I asked the best way to Battery Park. My shoeshine friend advised taking the subway. Within 20 minutes I was roaming Battery Park observing the media setting up for this most important day. Network news morning shows were already broadcasting live as I moseyed about. The proliferation of New York City Policemen told me security would be high on this very special day. Helicopters and blimps began buzzing the harbor skies as in a distance the Statue of Liberty stood sentinel on Liberty Island. Everything seemed so beautiful. Workers were hustling from Staten Island as the ferry dropped people off by the hundreds. Free spirits were feeding the pigeons in the park as contingencies of troops arrived in their battle fatigues. The Parade Headquarters at Battery Park gave information to all as they arrived. The plan appeared to be faultless, as I continued to mosey around the Lower End of Manhattan Island. The parade route was one mile: Bowling Green, north to Broadway through “The Canyon of Heroes” to Worth Street. A record 6,000 tons and a million yellow ribbons were to enhance the 500 marching units and 12,000 Desert Storm veterans in their march headed by Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powel and General Norman Schwarzkopf. And to be the fi rst privately funded ticket tape parade in history seemed to give it a different twist to me. With the number of participants expected to top some 24,000, I decided I would fi nd the reviewing stand and perhaps a spot where I could observe the event as We’re Number One For A Reason. Savers Bank was ranked the # 1 mortgage lender by volume in the tri-community area for 2011. We know the mortgage business and are confident our specialists will find the financing that works for you. Ranking are based on statistics supplied by The Warren Group for the year ending 12/31/11. Southbridge / Uxbridge / Auburn / Grafton / Charlton / Sturbridge A Turley Publication • www.turley.com I Thursday, May 10, 2012 PAGE 5 Write-in candidate edges Holdcraft for Brookfi eld planning board seat -BROOKFIELD- By Jennifer Grybowski Turley Publications Reporter In an upset at the Annual Town Election May 7, write-in candidate Kevin Erkkila won the one, three-year Planning Board seat over John David Holdcraft, 199 to 189 votes. “I think this was the fi rst time a write-in candidate ever beat anyone on the ballot,” Town Clerk Michael Seery said. “It was pretty remarkable.” Erkkila had announced his candidacy just days before the election, and spent Saturday morning at the a civilian. My emotions were truly mixed as spending a year in Vietnam 1966-1967 as an x-ray technician draftee left me unsure how I would feel about a fi rst class homecoming right before my eyes. Merrill Lynch’s bronze bull sported American Flags attached to horns as I passed by the sculpture. My Patriotism began to squirm. The reviewing stand across from City Hall was located. The offi cial Welcome Home Desert Storm Heroes banner graced the Woolworth building on a big yellow ribbon sporting bows at each end. Old Glory was as high as on the Fourth of July above the ribbon. Patriotic tunes of George M. Cohan fi lled the cool June morning and my goose bumps affi rmed to me a deep feeling of anticipation, excitement and reconciliation of my harbored feelings for more than 20 years. I found some bleacher seats that were reserved for spectators. Asking around I located a generous lady who gave me an extra ticket she wasn’t going to use. I stood in line for an hour and ended up with a front row seat just north of the viewing stand. My perch was fi rst class. As the crowd of spectators fi lled the seats a full Colonel planked his uniformed body next to mine. I was a civilian I thought, no need to be concerned with some brass. You see I was a Draftee and attained the rank of E-5 Specialist Fifth Class – U.S. Army. Being reasonably friendly the Colonel told me he was on assignment from Fort Bragg. I enjoyed his company as he made the grade the hard way, from E-1 through E-9 then to OCS, etc. To my left was an alderman of sorts. Friendly and insightful to the day’s events. I had advisors on both sides of me and wasn’t without any questions unanswered as the ticker tape began to fall from the skyscrapers. Broadway swelled with all kinds of people. Everyone was happy. It truly was a day to celebrate after the chills of winter’s Gulf War, and the memories of all past wars. At noon the Grand Marshall’s car approached the reviewing stand. Security tightened as everyone wanted to see our Gulf War heroes. Vintage Cadillac convertibles carried Cheney, Schwarzkopf and Powell along the parade route. Cheers from everywhere exhilarated everyone’s spirit in the myriad of waving fl ags and ticket To speak with a specialist contact Kathy LeCour at 877-247-1815 or Dan Kirschner at 877-247-1816. To view our mortgage products, shop our rates or apply on-line, visit www.saversbank.com. www.saversbank.com � 1-800-649-3036 Member FDIC / Member SIF Equal Housing Lender transfer station handing out pamphlets with information about himself, complete with pre-printed stickers voters could simply stick on the ballot for the writein. Erkkila and his wife also stood outside of town hall the entire day Monday handing out the stickers. “They put out quite a concerted effort,” Seery said. Holdcraft had told this paper his reasons for running for the Planning Board were to work for the people, to try to help the application process go a little smoother for them. He said he’d like keep 40B projects out of town and wanted to see a resolution to the See WRITE-IN I PAGE 6 tape. The parade was on. A Raytheon Patriot Missile followed the leaders in the back of a deuce-and-a-half fl anked by fl ags. A “Scud- Buster” launcher was directly behind. Evidence of our capabilities world-wide were less than 20 feet away from where I was standing. CNN television seemed to be a blur compared to my standing and cheering from the front row of the grandstand on Broadway. Marching bands from all four branches of the services in multiples of many marched and played as thousands of troops marched by. The one revealing observation from my perspective was not only were there kids marching, those who volunteered to defend America and Free Kuwait but a very noticeable and moving group of Americans in their forties and fi fties. Clearly this group of people wasn’t your average every day GI, or so it seemed. And to see women in large numbers in fatigues told me these people too had served their country. I no longer felt alone. They too had experienced the loneliness the desert and the absence of ice cream on a hot summer’s day. They knew what mail call was and how important a letter from home meant on that day of boredom. They knew of apprehension and uncertainty. Now they too knew what it felt to be back on terra fi rma, soon to be free again. For hours the red and white and blue colors passed by. For hours everyone who wanted to march did. Representative groups from around the Free World participated in the Desert Storm Parade. Majorettes held their batons high and soldiers marched to the cadence of the drum as millions cheered. Smiles on faces turned to tears in some cases simply because of the thrill of the day. Nobody seemed to be left out. From the small store merchant selling rolls of fi lm to workers being given the day off to see the parade as it was, June 10, 1991 marked a day in history when All America cheered. Called the “Mother of All Parades” Operation Welcome Home made this Vietnam Veteran feel appreciated like never before. Abigail ’s BRIDAL CUSTOM COUTURE Wedding Gowns Prom Gowns Evening Wear Alterations By Appointment Only 413.668.7873 B ROWSE THE B ROOKFIELDS surprise mom! Beautiful Hanging Plants... Like Nobody Else’s! • Amish-Made Wrought Iron Holders & Hangers • Bird Baths & Bird Feeders • Hand-Crafted Yard Art and Folk Art “Made in USA” the purple onion furniture & gift barn GIFT CERTIFICATES • FREE GIFT WRAPPING • LAYAWAYS 105 North Main Street, West Brookfield Tues-Sat 10-5; Sun 12-5 508-867-9400 www.browsethebrookfields.com
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