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4 SPENCER NEW LEADER • Friday, November 4, 2011 Bay Path renovation discussed over breakfast BY AMANDA COLLINS STONEBRIDGE PRESS STAFF WRITER CHARLTON — Dozens of local politicians attended a legislative breakfast at Bay Path Regional Technical Vocational High School on Friday, Oct. 28, where plans for building an addition to the school were discussed. “This is a chance to talk to each other, see the school and what we’re trying to do,” Bay Path Superintendent David Papagni told the group that met for a breakfast buffet at the school’s Hilltop Restaurant. Executive Director of the Mass. School Buildings Association (MSBA) Katherine Craver lead a detailed presentation of her organization’s work on funding new school construction throughout the state, including the proposed Bay Path renovation and addition. The MSBA was created in 2004 to replace the Department of Education’s former school building assistance program. According to Craven, in the former program, which had accumulated $11 billion in debt, 428 school building projects were on a waiting list for funding from the state, and often waited years, sometimes decades, for their first payment. The MSBA’s dedicated revenue stream of one cent from the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax has generated $8 billion for building projects, with schools receiving payments directly from the MSBA as costs are incurred. “We think it’s good business practice to pay for buildings as they’re being built,” Craven told legislators at the event. She said of the $60 million renovation planned for Bay Path, MSBA would foot nearly 58 percent of the cost, and to-date has paid $157,834 for the project. The existing Bay Path High School, which serves students from the communities of Auburn, Charlton, Dudley, North Brookfield, Oxford, Paxton, Rutland, Spencer, Southbridge, and Webster, is a nearly 200,000 square-foot facility on Muggett Hill Road. In the nearly 40 years since its construction, limited construction and renovations have occurred at the school. According to MSBA documents, “There are a number of inadequate spaces and outdated building systems within the building that continue to constrain the district’s delivery of its desired educational program.” The proposed schematic design for the Bay Path renovation includes a two-story addition to the front of the building, which will include classrooms, science rooms, and shops, and one-level addition on one side of the school. This construction will allow for classroom spaces to be relocated to the core of the building, reserving the outer wings for shop space. The design will suit an enrollment of 1,110 students in grades 9 through 12. “We need this addition to move on in the future of our education,” Papagni said. Attendees agreed that it was an important project. Sen. Michael Moore said that as co-chair for the joint committee on Higher Education, he often meets with leaders of area colleges and universities, who refer to high school years as some of the most important for preparing students for their future. “When I went to high school, vocational schools were for students who weren’t going to college,” he said. “Today, vocational schools are outperforming traditional high schools.” Craven said a final vote on the budget for the Bay Path project should happen in Jan. 2012. The MSBA is helping to fund the Bay Path renovation as part a $300 million investment in the state’s vocational technical schools, of which $100 million comes from the Vocational, Technical and Agricultural School Renew and Repair Program, which is funding improvements to nine vocational schools across the state. Other local schools benefiting from the MSBA include Shepherd Hill Regional High School, which nearly $400,000 for repairs, close to $325,000 for construction at Auburn Middle School, more than $52 million for new construction for Southbridge High School, more than $350,000 for construction at David Prouty High School, and more than $16 million for an addition and renovation at Burgess Elementary School. Amanda Collins may be reached at 508-909-4132, or by e-mail at acollins@stonebridgepress.com. Punpkinfest winners named Courtesy photos BROOKFIELD — The winners of the 2011 Pumpkinfest held Oct. 22 on the Brookfield common are: CHILDREN 0-8 1st: Sumner Cipro 2nd: Addie VonHold 3rd: Ellie Hill CHILDREN 9-18 1st: Cooper Audette 2nd: Delaney Giguere 3rd: Abby, Kat & Alley 18 AND UP 1st: Traci Hill 2nd: Carrie VonHold 3rd: Ian VonHold Thanks to judges Lois O’Leary, Sgt. Steve Parseau, and Phil Peirce. LOCAL SERVICE PROVIDERS AUTO PARTS 40 acres! Over 3,000 cars! Free Nationwide Parts Locator Service Used & New Auto Parts • 91 Day Warranty Deposits conveniently taken over the phone. • Foreign & Domestic • Early & Late Model • Engines • Transmissions • New Radiators • Gas Tanks • Wheels • Tires • Balancers • Exhaust Manifolds • Window Motors Trust us to do it once - and do it right! Amherst-Oakham AUTO RECYCLING Toll Free: 800-992-0441 • Fax: 508-882-5202 Off Rte 122 • 358 Coldbrook Rd., Oakham, MA 01068 www.amherstoakhamauto.com Worcester No. 508-799-9969 CLEANING SERVICES General Cleaning Window Washing BUTLER CLEANING SERVICE Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Tile Floors Waxed & Burnished Exterior Pressure Wash CARPET SPECIAL Any Room, Any Size $35 Including stain removal & odor control Free estimates • Reasonable Rates 89 Maple St. • Spencer, MA 01562 508-885-6935 email:butlercleaners@gmail.com HOME SERVICES Removal of Unwanted or Unusable Household Items Local Moving of Heavy Objects HOME SERVICES • Junk Removal Cleanouts Haul Off Jim Cooper 508-868-4291 Email jcooper.crg@gmail.com HOME HEATING OIL & A/C SERVICE ALL SEASON'S HEATING AND COOLING Family owned and operated, local company. Sales • Installations • Service Oil tank installations & removals $99.00 cleanings for heating equipment. 24 hour emergency service. Call Us First 774-641-3960 LICENSED • Spencer, MA • INSURED – 25 year's experience – OIL BURNER SERVICE T.A. HUBACZ Oil Burner Service CLEAN EQUIPMENT SAVES MONEY! - Call Us For Rates - SALES • INSTALLATION CLEANING • REPAIRS 24 Hour Emergency Service Cell 508-414-1200 TOM HUBACZ • 508-867-7753 219 New Braintree Rd. West Brookfield, MA 01585 Over 30 Years Experience • Licensed & Insured JPL #30662 PLUMBER Friendly, Reliable & Professional CHAPMAN Drain, Sewer & Plumbing Services 508-885-9943 Save on all energy efficient water heaters and boilers. Huge rebates and tax credits. RECEIVE 10% off any upgrade on energy efficient products 20% off any plumbing problems with mention of this ad. Exp. 11/30/11 Looking for a Professional? Check out our Directory! SEPTIC SYSTEMS R. Barnes & Sons Sanitation • Cesspool Pumping • Title V Certification • Portable Toilet Rentals • Reasonable rates 508-867-3063 508-867-8993 ADVERTISE IN THIS DIRECTORY AND REACH OVER 15,250 HOMES IN SPENCER, LEICESTER, AND THE BROOKFIELDS. Ad deadline for the Local Service Providers Directory is Friday, 2 pm. TREE SERVICE Young’s Tree Service “Specializing In Dangerous Trees” Over 25 years experience Fully Insured Free Estimates John H. Young, Jr 508.885.TREE 1.800.660.5358 To Advertise on this page call June at 508-909-4062 or email newleaderads@stonebridgepress.com
Friday, November 4, 2011 • SPENCER NEW LEADER 5 Tantasqua Education Foundation announces grants STURBRIDGE — The Board of Directors of the Tantasqua Education Foundation announces the approved funding of 2011-12 awards to local teachers for seven grants totaling $16,137. Grants were awarded to teacherinitiated projects designed to encourage students to pursue interests and to excel through innovative educational activities that go beyond those that would typically be funded by the district. The recipients for 2011-2012 include fifth grade teacher Marion Reilly and technology teacher Michelle Nascembeni at Wales Elementary School for their proposal of “Diving Into a Vernal Pool Study,” a year-long, hands-on research project on animal habitats. The grant will provide for trips to Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary, journals, handbooks on vernal pool animals and digital and video cameras for preparing multimedia presentations and a visit from the author of Big Night for Salamanders. At Brimfield Elementary School, the Grant recipient is Shelly Winiarski for “Planting the Seeds for Success” which will establish a school/community garden for preschool students, teaching them about their natural environments. The grant will provide for timber, mulch, soil, garden tools, and plants. Alesia Peck and Debra Quinn from Burgess Elementary School in Sturbridge were awarded a grant for “Traveling through the USA in Song - Part 2,” a continuation of last year’s project in which a musician visits the school five times during the year to teach fourth grade students history and American heritage of different regions of the United States. This year students will also visit the Apple Store to learn the GarageBand program and will learn songs written by a music teacher to assist in memorizing states and capitals. From Tantasqua Junior High School, the grant recipients are Lisa Lamothe (Librarian), Lori Hamparian (Special Education), Debra Culver (Special Education), and Rusti Plants-Prouty (Reading) for “Kindles for Kids,” a program to use the technology afforded by Kindles and e-books to teach special education students reading strategies and skills. From Tantasqua High School, science teacher Mary Duane received a grant to create a “Neuroscience Resource Center” to enhance the school’s ability to educate interested students in the field of neuroscience. Also from the High School, English teacher Sean Cusick received funding for his “Feels Like Monday” Web Series, a weekly drama production that is written, directed, acted and edited by students. In the technical wing of the High School, Noel Lamothe of the electrical technology department will receive a grant for her proposal of “Electric Shop Solar Panels” to be installed in the Electrical shop to teach students about the installation and use of alternative sources of energy. The Tantasqua Education Foundation is a community-sponsored, independent, non-profit organization dedicated to providing financial resources to support projects and programs that encourage students to develop their talents, become lifelong learners, and pursue excellence. In the last four years, it has given nearly $65,000 in direct grants. For more information on Ted. and this year’s grants, see www.tedfound.org. With sale pending, Bement alumni seeking ways to restore camp BY AMANDA COLLINS STONEBRIDGE PRESS STAFF WRITER CHARLTON/SPENCER — The Bement Alumni Association (BAA) held a reunion and meeting at the former camp last weekend, in attempt to plan a response to the pending sale of the property. “It was a magical place and a lot of lives were transformed here,” said Bob Johnston, a BAA member who worked as a counselor at Camp Bement 1974 to 1976. He said his time there was shaped who he is today. Camp Bement, a sprawling piece of land on the Charlton-Spencer line that wraps around Jones Pond, opened in 1948 as summer camp affiliated with the Episcopal Diocese of Western Mass. Enrollment at the co-ed camp, where children slept in cottages, fished on the pond, and hiked the camp’s wooded trails, peaked in the summer of 1994 when more than 900 campers attended. But a steady decline in enrollment and a pricey list of needed repairs lead to the diocese closing the camp in April 2009 and putting it up for sale, to the outrage of former campers and staff. “I felt, as an alumni, I should have been consulted,” said Crystal Zimmer, of Greenfield, who attended Bement as a camper and a counselor from 1993 to 2000, returning later for the summer of 2006. She said in her time there she saw first hand the decline in enrollment – the camp went from having an overflow of children, to being able to fit all the girls into one 16-bed cabin. “I knew campership was down, but they should have reached out to the alumni for help. Something should have been done,” she said. In a grassroots effort to save Bement, Zimmer started a Facebook page to procure interest in restoring the camp. After connecting with various alumni who shared a similar a sentiment, the Bement Alumni Association was born in September 2009. A registered nonprofit, BAA is now 150 members strong, and works toward the mission “to create in Bement Camp and Conference Center a spiritually rich environment where all individuals can explore their faith in God, enjoy and learn from his creation, experience his love in a safe and nurturing space, and sure ensure a stable future for Bement, its attendees and alumni.” According to BAA president Peter Climo, this would mean restoring Camp Bement to what it once was. “The camp had chapel service in the morning and afternoon and a strong Christian foundation, but it was non denominational and open to children of every faith,” said Climo. “It was a place where kids learned by example.” The group hoped to raise enough money to purchase the camp, which is listed for sale for just under $2 million, and re-establish it without ties to the diocese. But it may be too late. According to Episcopal Diocese of Western Mass. Finance Officer Steve Abdow, the Diocese has recently entered into a purchase and sale agreement with a buyer, and the sale could close by the end of the year. He said the buyer plans to use the land as a camp, but wouldn’t comment on who the buyer is or how much the property is being sold for. “It’s gone through many layers of approvals and committees and we see it as a desirable outcome,” Abdow said. “There’s a lot of sadness that we had to stop operating the camp, but it’s been a reality that we came to understand.” Amanda Collins photo BAA members Crystal Zimmer, holding 3-month-old Jack, Peter and Jim Climo, stand with their nephew Sam Macmunn, who they hoped would one day get to attend Camp Bement. camp, and then purchase it. “We’re the children of the diocese but rather than coming to The Spencer New Leader has begun to salute the men and women of our armed forces by featuring one each week in the paper. If you would like us to feature someone you know, all you need to do is submit a photo (by mail or email) and a brief description of his/her service to our Country (active duty, reserves, or Veteran) to june@stonebridgepress.com or mail to June Simakauskas, 25 Elm Street, Southbridge, MA 01550. Deadline for submission for the next issue is Wednesday 5 pm. If you have any questions, please call June at 508-909-4062. If you are a business and would like to be one of the sponsors of this feature, please contact June at the above email address, and help us to honor the brave men and women of our great Military, who are currently serving or who have served to protect our great Country and its citizens. Abdow said the diocese had been “open to entertaining a reasonable” offer from the BAA and working with them, but last year they rejected an offer that would have allowed the BAA to lease the land for five years, run it as a SATURDAY CLASSES STURBRIDGE & SPENCER Starting November 12th 9:00am - 3:30pm us thy told us to stand in line,” said BAA member Jim Climo. BAA members said they will continue to appeal to alumni to get the camp back into their hands. “We will continue as alumni to keep it alive, until the last alumni is buried,” Climo said. Amanda Collins may be reached at 508-909- 4132, or by e-mail at acollins@stonebridgepress.com. REGISTER NOW TO ENSURE YOUR SEAT! • Junior Operator Certification • Private Road Lessons • Road Test Sponsor 508-347-7211(STURBRIDGE) 508-885-7222 (SPENCER) STURBRIDGE • BARRE • SPENCER www.greenlightschool.com No Hidden Fees!
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