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PAGE 6 A Turley Publication • www.turley.com I Thursday, February 9, 2012
Who said town
reports are boring?
Brookfi eld honored by MMA for robust publication
By Jennifer Grybowski
Turley Publications Reporter
-BROOKFIELD-
In a great example of town offi cials
working together for the common
good, the town of Brookfi eld was
recently recognized with an award certifi
cate for placing fi rst in the Massachusetts
Municipal Association’s (MMA)
Annual Town Report Contest, in the
4,999 and under population category.
Selectman Rudy Heller accepted the
award during the MMA’s 2012 Annual
Meeting and Trade Show at the Hynes
Convention Center and Boston Sheraton
Hotel Jan. 21.
According to the MMA, “Town
reports serve to communicate important
information to town residents,
and to promote an understanding of
and involvement in local government.”
Brookfi eld’s Annual Town Report is a
compilation of reports submitted by the
leaders of various departments, boards
and committees in town. Board of Selectmen
Administrative Assistant Donna
Neylon compiles these reports to create
the fi nal product.
“I would like to point out that the
bulk of the work done for this annual
report, and every year, was done by
Donna Neylon’s exemplary work,”
Heller said. “Were it not for her effort,
this would not have happened.”
The judge for the contest was Janet
Wilkinson, director of the executive
program, offi ce of executive education
at MIT’s Sloan School of Management.
She is also a former member of the Littleton
Board of Selectmen.
“I think that Brookfi eld’s town report
is an excellent model for other communities
as one of the best ways to display
large amounts of often dry information
to a community in a manner that makes
it easily readable and useful,” Wilkinson
said.
Judging criteria include attractiveness
of the report cover and layout,
material arrangement, presentation
of statistics and data, summary of the
year’s achievements, evidence of local
planning for the future and the report’s
practical utility.
Wilkinson said the fi rst thing she noticed
about Brookfi eld’s report was the
cover.
“It clearly shows a pride in the histo-
DONORS I FROM PAGE 5
viduals and businesses throughout the area participate
without any public knowledge or fanfare and are greatly
appreciated by our club. We have included a list of many
of our supporters and we hope that we have not missed
any as they are all equally important.
We hope to see everyone at next year’s event. Ice
conditions will be great and we can once again have a
successful derby.
Rich Kennan
Brookfi elds’ Lions Club
Contributors who gave donations or sold tickets:
D&G Bait & Tackle – Leicester
Hillside Bait & Tackle – Webster
Wickaboag Valley Bait & Tackle – W. Brookfi eld
Marier’s – Palmer
Bob’s Deli – N. Brookfi eld
Pops – Charlton
K&S – Barre
R&R Sports Shop – Belchertown
Granby Bait Shop – Granby
Whistle Stop Restaurant – Gilbertvile
Fisherman’s Cove – E. Brookfi eld
Klem’s – Spencer
Lamoureux Ford – E. Brookfi eld
Herrick & Sons - N. Brookfi eld
Steve’s Collision Center – Sturbridge
Barnes Sanitation – E. Brookfi eld
Ware Radio
TURLEY PUBLICATIONS PHOTO BY JENNIFER GRYBOWSKI
The poster of winners at the MMA’s Annual Meeting
and Trade Show.
ry of the town,” she said. “Adding to the
sense of history was the dedication to a
resident at the beginning and to those
who had been lost in the past year. As
an outsider, it immediately gave me an
understanding of what is important to
Brookfi eld.”
She said she also liked the overall
look of the report.
“There were also pictures scattered
throughout to break up what is often
monotonous reading,” Wilkinson said.
“Someone clearly spent a lot of time
fi nding appropriate pictures and clip
art to help the reader easily identify sections.
The layout was also easily readable
with the use of multiple columns
and a serif font.”
But it wasn’t just the looks Wilkinson
was impressed with.
“Each department presented a clear
and concise report about its recent activities,”
she said. “The sections were
brief and provided only the content necessary
to inform the reader. One thing
that I fi nd particularly important is evidence
of a focus on the future. I found
that in the report, especially the work
on the Master Plan. Many communities
forget to not only report the past, but
the very important plans for the town’s
growth and development.”
Transparency, Wilkinson said, was
another sticking point for her.
“The fi nancial reporting was clear
and concise,” she said. “Residents of
See TOWN REPORT I PAGE 15
BROOKFIELD - Bonnie Keefe-
Layden, chief executive offi cer of Rehabilitative
Resources, Inc. (RRI), last
week presented Rick and Dick Hoyt,
and their Hoyt Foundation, with a “Certifi
cate of Appreciation” for their continued
support of the Elm Hill Center
in Brookfi eld. The Hoyts, who together
have completed nearly 70 marathons, including
29 Boston Marathons, were the
guests of honor at the Blanchard Means
Foundation annual gala, which was held
on Jan. 19 at Elm Hill Center.
Established in 1989, the Hoyt Foundation
aspires to build the individual
character, self-confi dence and self-esteem
of America’s disabled young people
through inclusion in all facets of daily
life, including family and community
activities, especially sports, at home, in
schools and in the workplace.
SAWMILL I FROM PAGE 3
and steps required to do that. Any action on our part
has to wait for a recommendation on that report.”
The town has prepared a Request For Proposals
(RFP) to select an engineer to do watershed mapping
and study and to present to the town three possible
solutions to the problems that have already been
identifi ed, and recommend a preferred solution and cost
of implementation. Phase II analysis includes subsurface
investigations, topographic study, stability and seepage
analysis, up/downstream slopes, internal materials/erosion
potential and spillway inadequacy solutions.
O’Connell said that within those alternatives, one of
them will be breaching the dam and the steps required
by DEP to breach a dam.
“You can’t just breach a dam,’ O’Connell said.
Currently, the town has until March 11 to notify the
Offi ce of Dam Safety who they have selected to complete
Phase II of the project, and work must begin by
March 25. But because the town has no money allocated
for Phase II, which is expected to cost about $40,000,
Administrative Assistant Donna Neylon, who serves as
the town’s chief procurement offi cer, said she was concerned
about putting out a Request for Proposals (RFP)
without any authorization to pay for it.
“We may not get as many bidders,” she said.
So at their meeting Jan. 31, the board voted to request
an extension on those deadlines until July 1, so
that the town could secure authorization for the project
at the Annual Town Meeting. That way, the RFP can be
put out in mid-March or early April and bids can be in
TURLEY PUBLICATIONS COURTESY PHOTOS
Bonnie Keefe-Layden, chief executive offi cer of Rehabilitative Resources, Inc., presents a Certifi cate of Appreciation
to Rick and Dick Hoyt of the Hoyt Foundation for the continue support of programs at the Elm Hill Center in Brookfi eld.
The presentation was made during the Blanchard Means Foundation annual gala at the Elm Hill Center on Jan. 19. The
Blanchard Means Foundation is the charitable arm of Elm Hill Center.
RRI honors Hoyts’ charitable giving
NORTH BROOKFIELD – NB
Destination Imagination Team Blanket
Program is a project to collect and
donate quilts and blankets to programs
for individuals without stable housing
around Massachusetts. The team is
trying to collect at least one hundred
quilts and blankets to donate. We will
be collecting blankets to donate at the
end of February, but will keep the do-
Last year, the Hoyt Foundation donated
$50,000 to the Blanchard Means
Foundation, the charitable arm of the
Elm Hill Center. The funds were mainly
used for the restoration of mansion on
the grounds of the farm.
RRI, one of the largest providers of
supports and services for people living
with developmental disabilities in Central
Massachusetts, oversees operations
at Elm Hill, and is committed to providing
inclusive programs for all people,
including those with special needs. This
is done through hands-on activities, including
horticulture, horsemanship and
a petting zoo. Animals have proven to
be highly effective in helping with the
treatment for people living with developmental
disabilities, particularly the
stimulus that occurs when petting animals.
High school sponsoring blanket
collection for needy families
nations going as long as we keep getting
them. Blanket or monetary donations
of any kind and size are extremely
helpful. Donations can be sent to the
North Brookfi eld High School at 10
New School Drive, North Brookfi eld
MA 01535 c/o Principal Robin Whitney.
Any questions can be e-mailed to
rwhitney@nbschools.org or called to
508-867-7131.
hand at the Annual Town Meeting and the contract can
be awarded immediately.
“We’re drafting an RFP, we’ve done the authorized
inspection, we’re clearly intending to follow the process,”
O’Connell said.
After that, the town has one year to complete whatever
is recommended be done in the Phase II study.
The town completed Phase I of the project in late 2010,
at a cost of $4,000. Phase I projections for the entire cost
of the project ranged from $250,000 to $600,000.
“It’s a big order we have to do this,” Heller said.
The ConCom assured selectmen they were on board
with the project and would help out in whatever ways
possible.
Shrove Tuesday Pancake
Breakfast to be held Feb. 21
BROOKFIELD – The Brookfi eld Congregational
Church invites the public to the Shrove
Tuesday Pancake Supper to be held on Tuesday,
Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. The event will include a traditional
Mardi Gras King Cake, and the children will
be hiding the “alleluias” until Easter Sunday. On
Wednesday, Feb. 22, the beginning of Lent will be
highlighted by the Ash Wednesday Worship Service
at 7 p.m. in the sanctuary. The service will include
special music, a Lenten message, intinction
of ashes and Holy Communion. All are invited to
join with us as we begin this holy season.