Spencer - Southbridge Evening News

2 SPENCER NEW LEADER • Friday, April 4, 2008
Road project scaled back
BY DAVID DORE
NEW LEADER STAFF WRITER
WEST BROOKFIELD —
Based on the suggestion of
people who live around the
town common, a plan to
reconfigure several roads to
hopefully make two intersections
safer has been
scaled back.
About two dozen people
attended a public hearing
Tuesday, March 25 in Town
Hall to find out what
changes had been made to a
project first proposed in
May 2007.
While the original plan
called for the removal of
the traffic island and
memorial at the intersection
of East Main Street
(Route 9) and School Street,
the proposal now calls for
the island to be reduced
slightly. The dual two-way
roads around the island
would each become oneway
roads — one side to
enter School Street, the
other to exit.
At the other end of
School Street, where it joins
North Main Street (Route
67) and Church Street,
plans to install stop signs in
all four directions — including
on North Main Street —
have been scrapped. There
would still be left turn lanes
on all three roads.
“It really didn’t make
sense,”
Highway
Superintendent Jason
Benoit said of the four-way
stop sign proposal. “I think
there was enough input
from the public to say, ‘Hey,
that’s going to cause a traffic
nightmare, especially
during certain times of the
day.’”
Stop signs already at the
end of Church and School
streets would remain.
According to Lindsey N.
Szafran, senior project
engineer for SEA
SOME RESIDENTS QUESTION WHETHER
CONSTRUCTION STILL NEEDED
David Dore photo
Lindsey N. Szafran, left, senior
project engineer for SEA
Consultants Inc. of Cambridge,
explains to Richard Rossman,
right, changes that have been
made to a project to reconfigure
roads around the West
Brookfield common during a
public hearing March 25.
Consultants Inc. of
Cambridge, additional stop
signs would be installed
across from each intersection
for the benefit of drivers
using the left turn lanes.
Trees would be removed
from the intersection of
North Main, Church and
School streets, Szafran said,
but would be replaced elsewhere
around the town
common.
Six parking spaces would
be created on School Street
near the bandstand, along
with eight parking spaces
on Church and North Main
streets that could be used
by members of the First
Congregational Church
during services.
But, church members
pointed out last week, the
new parking spaces (combined
with granite curbing
that would be installed
around the common on
School and North Main
streets) would mean the
loss of direct access from
Spencer woman dies in car crash
BY DAVID DORE
NEW LEADER STAFF WRITER
SPENCER — A single-vehicle accident last week
claimed the life of an 83-year-old Spencer resident and
injured her husband.
Lorraine B. Zukas of 69 Smithville Road was pronounced
dead Wednesday, March 26 at St. Vincent Hospital
in Worcester.
Her 83-year-old husband, William, was transported by
ambulance to the University of Massachusetts Medical
Center in Worcester with injuries not considered life
threatening. He was listed in good condition Friday, March
28.
HOW TO USE
the church to the common.
Szafran said the crosswalk
in front of the church
across North Main Street
would have to be moved if
parking spaces are created
there to comply with government
regulations.
Selectmen Chairman
John V. Tivnan said later
that changes to the crosswalk
in front of the church
are “seriously being considered.”
The purpose of the project
is to reduce the number
of motor vehicle accidents
that have occurred at the
intersection of North Main
and School streets — 11 in
all, including two since the
May hearing.
COST HEADED DOWN?
According to Benoit, the
plan’s initial cost of more
than $1 million included
replacing a nearly centuryold
water line in the area.
“We eliminated the water
line for various reasons,”
Benoit said, “and the price
of the project is probably
going to come down under
that.”
Benoit said his “guesstimation”
of the new cost
would be $800,000 to
$900,000.
While Benoit said his
intent was to replace the
water line, “the Water
Department has shed a lot
of influence on that and
said that they feel very comfortable
with the lines, even
at their age.”
Most of the money to pay
for the project would “hopefully”
come from the
Massachusetts Highway
Department, Benoit
explained.
“We’re going to apply for
a grant, and we stand a very
good chance of securing the
money,” he said.
After the public hearing,
According to a press release from Spencer police, at 11:13
a.m. March 26, officers responded to a report of a 1994 Geo
Metro sedan that struck a tree on Woodside Road. When
crews arrived, Lorraine Zukas (who was the passenger)
was unresponsive, and officers began administering CPR.
Police logs indicate that while one of the occupants was
unconscious, the other could not answers officers’ questions.
The obituary for Lorraine Zukas stated she suffered a
heart attack while she was a passenger in the car.
Officer Valerie Morin is investigating the accident, with
help from Trooper John Jakobowski from the State Police
Reconstruction Unit.
A call placed to Morin at Spencer police
headquarters Monday, March 31 to get an
update on the investigation was not returned
before press time.
David Dore may be reached at (508) 909-4140,
or by e-mail at ddore@stonebridgepress.com.
BOUQUET OF
THE WEEK
Benoit told the New Leader
that the goal of the project
— making the intersections
safer for drivers — “makes
us more eligible for funding
from the state.”
The review process for
the grant can take up to a
year, Benoit said.
Meanwhile, Executive
Secretary Johanna Barry
said, MassHighway has the
project on a “tentative
schedule” for 2010.
While some worried the
timetable could mean construction
occurring during
the celebration of the 350th
anniversary of the establishment
of the Quaboag
Plantation, Selectman
Thomas Long said the town
would do its part to make
sure the celebration occurs
unimpeded.
While Tivnan said the
project would be a way to
beautify the area around
the town common, he also
said it was a way to bring
tax dollars back to West
Brookfield.
“If you want to spend
your federal money, you
know, let them send it to
Iraq, if that’s what you
want to do,” Tivnan said,
“but I would like to spend
some of that money right
here in good ol’ West
Brookfield.”
Church Street resident
Carla Tafel, who has been
critical of the project and
how it’s been presented,
said it was “completely
ridiculous that we have to
spend $1 million because
it’s tax money and then
change the whole common.”
“We’re not changing the
whole common,” Tivnan
said. “We’re making very
minor modifications.”
“It doesn’t need to be
changed,” Tafel maintained.
LOUISE MEYERDIERKS'
CLASS AT
EAST BROOKFIELD
ELEMENTARY,
FOR THE CONCERT THEY
GAVE TO LOCAL SENIORS.
The Spencer New Leader thanks the Spencer Flower
Shoppe, Main Street, Spencer, for supplying the flowers.
A STONEBRIDGE
PRESS PUBLICATION
NEW LEADER ALMANAC
QUOTATION OF THE WEEK
“If you want to spend your federal money,
you know, let them send it to Iraq, if that’s
what you want to do, but I would like to
spend some of that money right here in
good ol’ West Brookfield.”
— West Brookfield Selectman John V. Tivnan, in support of a plan to reconfigure two
intersections around the town common.
THE STATS
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME (MHI) BY AGE ($)
Town Householder 35-34
Auburn 61,397
Brimfield 58,250
Brookfield 57,500
Charlton 75,299
Douglas 74,025
Dudley 65,577
Holland 57,143
Leicester 62,383
Northbridge 62,847
Oxford 57,621
Southbridge 43,043
Spencer 58,977
Sturbridge 65,592
Uxbridge 74,878
Wales 52,000
Webster 47,702
SUNRISE/SUNSET
Saturday, April 5 . . . . . . . . .6:23 a.m. . . . . . . . . . . . . .7:19 p.m.
Sunday, April 6 . . . . . . . . . . .6:22 a.m. . . . . . . . . . . . . .7:20 p.m.
Monday, April 7 . . . . . . . . . .6:20 a.m. . . . . . . . . . . . . .7:21 p.m.
Tuesday, April 8 . . . . . . . . . .6:18 a.m. . . . . . . . . . . . . .7:22 p.m.
Wednesday, April 9 . . . . . . .6:17 a.m. . . . . . . . . . . . . .7:23 p.m.
Thursday, April 10 . . . . . . . .6:15 a.m. . . . . . . . . . . . . .7:24 p.m.
Friday, April 11 . . . . . . . . . .6:13 a.m. . . . . . . . . . . . . .7:25 p.m.
REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS
EAST BROOKFIELD
$100, 117 Howe St., Ronald A. and Judith A. Gagnon to Gagnon
Family Irrevocable Trust (Kenneth R. Gagnon, Trustee).
LEICESTER
$100, 17 Brookside Drive, Helen B. Hadley to Nancy A. Kovaleski,
Robert G. Hadley, Susan H. Young and Mary J. Ostromecky.
$100, 45 Burncoat Lane, Robert J. Dirsa to Robert J. and Elisabetta
A. Dirsa.
$10, 75 Huntoon Memorial Highway, Unit 5-1, Leon P. Wetherell to
Leon P. Wetherell Jr., Colleen Mary Paydos, Susan Diane Marie
Waskewicz, Wendy Carol Wetherell and Pamela Ann Woodbury.
$100, 95 Waite St., Brian D. Lotti to Brian D. and Judith M. Lotti.
$217,000, 610 Henshaw St., JPMorgan Chase Bank NA and HSBC
Bank USA NA to Jeffrey W. Nye.
NORTH BROOKFIELD
$100, 11 King Road, Brian E. and Katherine A. Cristman to Brian
E. Cristman.
SPENCER
$311,475.87, 24 Delude Ave., Thomas F. Griffin Jr. and Diane R.
Mercon-Griffin to Federal National Mortgage Association.
$100, 11 Hebert Road, Daniel F. and Lori A. Kobel to Daniel F.
Kobel.
WARREN
$149,900, 735 Main St., Sandra J. Sablak and Boleslaw J.
Kamienski to Sarah J. and Edward D. Leneau Jr.
$271,000, 114 Old West Warren Road, Jennifer L. and Chad A.
Lachapelle to Jeffrey A. and Bettina R. Schillawski.
WEST BROOKFIELD
$100, 69 Lake Shore Drive Extension, Philip K., Dorothy J. and
Kim Burdon to Philip K. Burdon.
$1,000, Old Long Hill Road and Milk and Quaboag streets, Brojor
LP and Stanley G. Brown to Raymond E. Coburn and Bonnie
Thibeault.
$1, 170 East Main St., Scott A. and Angelika Phoenix to Angelika
and Charles Phoenix.
TOP TEN MOVIES
1. “21,” $23.7 million.
2. “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!”, $17.4 million.
3. “Superhero Movie,” $9.5 million.
4. “Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns,” $7.8 million.
5. “Drillbit Taylor,” $5.8 million.
6. “Shutter,” $5.3 million.
7. “10,000 B.C.”, $4.9 million.
8. “Stop-Loss,” $4.5 million.
9. “College Road Trip,” $3.5 million.
10. “The Bank Job,” $2.8 million.
Source: Media By Numbers LLC
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