Wilmington Memorial Library

TOWN CRIER - WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 2006
i5U yrs ot innovation
FROM PAGE 1
With the strong deterrence pro-
vided by the strategic reentry
systems we had designed,
developed, manufactured and
helped to deploy."
meet the demands of imagina-
tion.
One of the most impressive
results has been Sensor Fuzed
Weapons (SFW).
The SFW is a 1,000-pound
Tom Ackerman, a member of Textron Systems Business
Development Staff points out some of the features on a display
model of an amored transport vehicleduring Textron's 50th
Anniversary celebration. I Maureen I^amoureux photo)
The battlefield and the ene-
mies have changed in the years
following the Cold War. but
armed conflict has continued
and the need to provide our
armed services with the most
effective tools has not dimin-
ished. Textron shitted its focus
to strategic tactical munitions
and continued to push science
to the very limits in order to
smart air-to-ground munition
able to target and strike multi-
ple moving and fixed targets
over a 30-acre area. Upon
being dropped over the target,
the SFW sheds its skin and
deploys 10 smaller canister
shaped objects, known as BLU-
lOH's. each with its own small
parachute.
Once it reaches a specified
One step closer
FROM PAGE 1
infrastructure on the entire
site.
Michael Woods, Wilmington
Water & Sewer Superintendent,
stated that there would be vir-
tually no way for contamination
to enter into a pipeline with 90
to loo pounds per square inch of
constant water pressure.
Wilmington residents won an evening
of pampering and fine dining
BOSTON - On Monday. June
26, Betsy Fino and Shawna
Burke of Wilmington enjoyed a
makeover, featuring AVEDA's
new line of makeup at Giacomo
& Rondi Salon in Kenmore
Square, followed by dinner at
Scollay Square in Beacon Hill.
The winners, chosen in an on-
air contest sponsored by Mix
98.5 and radio personality Kelly
Malone, awarded 10 Mix 98.5 lis-
teners with makeup and hair
styling by Giacomo & Rondi
professionals and a dinner host-
ed by Brad Dalbeck owner of
Scollay Square.
Shawna Burke of Wilmington sits as Giacomo & Rondi Salon's
I-auren Hinkle applies make-up. (above)
altitude, the chute is cut away
and the BLU-108 begins to spin
cylindrically at a high rate of
speed. This helps to slow the
descent and allows it to further
deploy the four "Skeet" war-
heads contained in each canis-
ter. With the centrifugal force
of the spin, the Skeet warheads
are thrown out of the BLU-108
like Frisbees. Each Skeet is
equipped with sensor technolo-
gy enabling it to lock onto the
thermal signature of a tank or
other military vehicle. If no
target is found before the Skeet
reaches the ground, the self-
destruct mechanisms kick in.
Should every self destruct fail
to work, it is equipped with a
battery that is depleted after
two minutes making the war-
head completely inert.
Humanitarians have com-
mend the weapon's multiple
self destruct devices, which
ensure that no active warheads
remain after the battle is fin-
ished, thus creating a "clean
battlefield" for the safety of
civilians.
History was made and the
SFW received worldwide recog-
nition on April 2, 2003 when the
Air Force dropped six SFW's on
a column of Iraqi tanks advanc-
ing on U.S. military forces.
Every tank was effectively
destroyed and it marked the
first time in history that a
"smart-guided" cluster bomb
was used in combat.
Subsequent operations con-
firmed the high military value
of this unique weapon.
"This is a very significant
time for us," Ellen Lord.
Textron Systems' vice president
of intelligent battlefield sys-
tems, is quoted as saying in
Vision 50. "We're spiraling out
new technology, putting a
sophisticated generation of
products directly into the
warfighters' hands."
The success enjoyed by the
company for half a decade is no
secret to Textron Systems pres-
ident Richard Millman.
"Think about what's behind
this company's success,"
Millman is quoted as saying in
"Pipelines all over the country
and this state are running
through contamination and
there is no migration into the
pipes," Woods said. "These
pipes generate a large amount
of pressure - materials migrate
out, not in."
All appropriate safeguards,
according to Zuena, will be put
into place. Pipes passing over
Class C/D soils will be con-
structed with restrained joints.
Even if the pipe were ever to
experience a break, sensors
would recognize a sudden
decrease in pressure and would
isolate the area. The affected
area of pipe would be drained,
cleaned, and tested before
bringing it back online.
Chairman Raymond Lepore
pointed to the fact that the
installation of Wilmington's
connecting pipeline would not
be a pioneering venture - there
are currently water mains ser-
vicing all of the buildings cur-
rently on the site.
"We're just going parallel to
the existing infrastructure,"
Lepore remarked.
Selectman Michael Newhouse
supported moving forward and
accepting the intermunicipal
agreement.
"It is essential for the Town of
Wilmington to move forward in
finding an adequate supply of
safe drinking water for the res-
idents," Newhouse said. "I am
prepared to rely on the quali-
fied experts that we've hired to
determine the best route."
McCoy and Sullivan were also
concerned with the costs asso-
ciated with the construction of
the pipeline. Several years ago,
Olin Corporation agreed to pay
$3 million worth of construction
costs associated with the pro-
ject. The estimated costs have
gone up since that agreement
was reached and are now esti-
mated at between $4.2 million
and $4.5 million. According to
Woods and Town Manager
Michael Caira, Olin has verbal-
ly agreed to cover the increased
costs as recently as this past
Friday. A written agreement to
that effect is being put together.
"Verbal agreements mean
nothing to me," McCoy said.
Woods pointed out that the
intermunicipal agreement itself
did not obligate the town to any
Vision 50, "Often, it's the result future, combined with the company is prepared for it. and
of someone's vision of what courage to act on that vision, that spells success
would be important in the So when the future comes, the
Frank Tempesta Chief Operating Officer greeted old friends, Jules Siegel, retired Tex; inn Systems
Senior Vice President, and his wife Carol during the 50th Anniversary celebration ■>' Textron
Systems in Wilmington. Maureen Lamoureux photo
Arial view of Textron Systems headquarters in Wilmington as it appears today
costs, hut would simply enable
Wilmington to put the project
out to bid.
Additionally. McCoy stated
that the taxpayers should not
foot the bill for a membership
to MW'RA, which could run $9
million. Woods and Caira do
expect Olin to fund a large por-
tion of that membership and
that there have been prelimi-
nary discussions with Olin
about it.
"We can't get to the next step
without getting past this one."
Caira said. "I would urge the
Board to take the step that it
can now. so that we can move
toward the next step."
U'pore, Newhouse. and
Selectman Charles Fiore voted
in favor ol the intermunicipal
agreement; McCoy and Sullivan
voted against
With the agreement signed.
Wilmington will obtain street
opening permits from Woburn
in July and will put the project
out to bid in August. The pro-
ject will likely be awarded to a
contractor in September with
construction beginning in
October. The project is expect-
ed to take nine months, and.
with a planned winter shut
down, should lx' completed by
October 2007.
The move toward MWRA as a
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& Vinyl
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supplemental water source,
contrary to popular belief, did
not begin with the closing of
live of Wilmington's nine wells.
The Town first identified such a
need inl996. The services of
SEA Consultants were engaged
from 2001 to 2003 to identify
pijK'line routes.
Upon the February 2003 dis-
covery of N-nitrosodimethy-
lamine (NDMA) in the Maple
Meadow Brook Aquifer. SEA
began designing the emergency
pipeline connection to the
MWRA as a [x-rmanent connec-
tion
.
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