Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 12/27/2022
EDITOR’S NOTE: As 2022 comes to a close, Reminder Publishing took a look at some of the major events and storylines that shaped these communities over the past year. While we tried to make this list as comprehensive as possible, we would like to hear from you. What do you feel were the important events, stories, milestones, etc., in 2022? Lets us know with a letter to the editor at cmaza@thereminder.com or pnorth@thereminder.com.
Monson, Palmer, Ware Reminder launches
In April, Reminder Publishing broke new ground with the launch of an edition covering the towns of Monson, Palmer and Ware as well as the surrounding Hampden County communities of Brimfield, Wale and Holland and the Worcester County towns of Hardwick and Warren. In addition to providing an additional local news source for several communities, this represented the company’s first step into Worcester County. In total, this edition has a circulation of nearly 22,000 with nearly 21,000 of those newspapers delivered directly to homes. As part of the company’s rapid expansion in 2022, this edition is now part of a total circulation of roughly 257,000 throughout the Hampden, Hampshire, Berkshire, Franklin and Worcester counties as well as northern Connecticut with more than 431,000 readers.
Proposed horse racing facility causes stir
Commonwealth Equine and Agricultural Center (CEAC) LLC approached the town this year with plans to develop an agritourism destination at 228 Barre Rd. at which they would breed, train and race thoroughbred horses and host festivals in the fall starting September 2023 if approved. The developer of the proposed Great Meadowbrook Farm facility on 359 acres of Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) land have entered into a purchase and sale agreement that provides them with time to go through the permit process.
The proposal has been met with mixed reaction from public officials and residents. Those opposed have raised concerns about parking, increased traffic, site licensing and the location itself. Those in favor have touted the potential tax revenues, entertainment value and economic stimulation.
After several meetings, deliberation and dueling citizens’ petitions, registered voters in town will have the final say in whether the proposal is passed.
During the Nov. 21 Board of Selectmen meeting, members voted 2-1 to call a special election on Jan. 7, 2023, regarding the CEAC proposal.
While the board initially unanimously voted against the project on Oct. 7, it received a citizens petition with over 420 signatures from residents asking the board to reconsider its vote.
After calling a meeting on Nov. 9 to discuss the petition and hear from Devon Ruud, the designated petitioner to speak during the meeting, the board reversed their initial decision and approved the proposal by a 2-1 vote.
On Nov. 14, opponents submitted their own petition with 438 signatures, 335 of which were certified, calling for the board to reconsider its approval of the project. As with the previous petition, the board decided to vote on this matter during their Nov. 21 meeting, but the selectmen voted 2-1 against reconsidering their Nov. 9 decision. The board then unanimously supported calling for the special election.
The facility would be the first live horse racing facility in the commonwealth since Suffolk Downs in Boston closed in 2019. The developers have stated there would be no betting at this site.
Palmer superintendent abruptly resigns
Palmer Public Schools Superintendent Patricia Gardner suddenly resigned from her position on Oct. 16, leaving the district with a leadership void it is still attempting to permanently fill.
At the School Committee’s Oct. 19 meeting, Chair Bonny Rathbone began by reading an email she sent out to families and staff on Oct. 16 stating, “Superintendent Patricia Gardner has advised me that she is pursuing another work opportunity and is resigning from the Palmer Public Schools. We wish Ms. Gardner the best in her future endeavors.” Rathbone did not respond to Reminder Publishing’s requests for comment and she told those at the meeting no questions on the subject could be made during public comment. She added, “You have to be careful with who you’re referring to.” No names or inferences were allowed to be made of any personnel.
Earlier in the year, the School Committee declined to extend Gardner’s contract, which was not due to expire until 2024. Those opposed took issue with the fact that Gardner had interviewed and was a finalist for superintendencies in several districts and a performance evaluation that included concerns with lack of clear communication, issues with school culture, staff and administrative retention and high school choice numbers.
Vice Chair Sandra Noonan noted that at that time, more than 20 teachers and staff had left Palmer Public Schools this year alone and described a staff survey as an “eye opener” and “concerning,” referring to “a large segment of the staff” who responded and spoke of “the lack of support around discipline issues, and not feeling valued and respected.”
In defending herself during that conversation, Gardner noted her success in elevating the district from Level 3 to Level 2 in the state’s tiered rating system.
The Palmer School Committee unanimously approved having the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) assist in the superintendent search process during its Dec. 14 meeting at a cost of $10,500. Community members have been asked to submit letters of interest for the
Superintendent Search Committee to Noon by Jan. 15, 2023 – ahead of the Jan. 18, 2023, School Committee meeting.
Colleen Culligan has been serving as the interim superintendent in the meantime and the committee agreed on Dec. 14 to keep her in that position until a permanent superintendent is found.
Lesser steps away from Senate
State Sen. Eric Lesser made the decision, shocking to some, to not seek reelection as state senator and instead run for lieutenant governor in the 2022 state election.
Lesser, a Longmeadow resident who had served four two-year terms in the state Senate and was the tip of the spear in the east-west passenger rail movement, made the attempt to be part of the Democratic ticket for a vacant seat with Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito not seeking reelection.
Lesser finished second in the race behind Salem Mayor and now Lt. Gov.-elect Kim Driscoll and ahead of state Rep. Tami Gouveia with roughly 35 percent of the vote.
Lesser has been mum on his next steps. In a December interview with Reminder Publishing, Lesser confirmed he would be teaching a class at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, but said, “There’s no announcement beyond that.”
Ludlow Democrat Jake Oliveira defeated Granby Republican Bill Johnson for Lesser’s seat in a restructured Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester District, representing South Hadley, Granby, Belchertown, Palmer, Warren, Ludlow, Wilbraham, Hampden, East Longmeadow and Longmeadow as well as portions of Springfield and Chicopee. Oliveira was in the midst of his first term as a state representative when he announced his candidacy.
Cannabis interest grows in the area
Interest in cannabis cultivation and retail business continues to sprout throughout the region.
In Palmer, Green Adventures LLC is seeking a special permit and site plan approval to redevelop the existing buildings to conduct cannabis retail sales on the property located at 1240 Park St. in the Pioneer Plaza, a space previously occupied by the now-closed Chmura’s Bakery. First appearing before the board for a public hearing in October, representatives have gone through several continuances as questions regarding matters such as stormwater maintenance required additional consideration. While nearly completed, the hearing was again continued, this time to Jan. 9.
Additionally, the proposal has faced opposition from Gotta Dance Studio owner Kelly Jordan Peabody, who has expressed her concern with the proximity of the proposed location to her dance studio located in the plaza and submitted a petition to the Planning Board at its Dec. 19 meeting. According to the town’s buffer zone laws, no cannabis establishment should be located within 500 feet of a property boundary line of a school providing education to preschool, kindergarten, grades 1-12, or a day care center. The Palmer Board of Health defines school as public or private, elementary, or secondary schools. This does not include dance studios.
The Palmer Planning Board also on Dec. 5 approved a several waivers for stormwater, site plan and a special permit for Kali Cannabis, which hopes to open in June or July 2023. Green Gold Group, which operates a cultivation and distribution site in North Brookfield and medical and adult-use retail in Charlton, also appeared before the board at the same meeting seeking to expand into Palmer and is set to return with additional information on ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance, landscaping, odor control and stormwater management on Jan. 23. The Planning Board is also considering a 3,000-square-foot cannabis cultivation operation at 111b Breckenridge St. A public hearing for that proposal was first heard in August and is still ongoing.
In Ware, B’Leaf Wellness Centre, located at 24 West Main St., the former Ware Café, opened in December. The local mother-daughter team of Lori Sinclair, a 30-year resident of Ware, and Megan Sinclair, started the process of opening the store four years ago when they approached the town about drafting legislation for cannabis during a time when there were no bylaws, as it had just been legalized in Massachusetts.
Ware is also home to Curaleaf and the Planning Board also approved the site plan and special permit for Pineapple Express LLC, a marijuana delivery service headquartered on West Street.
In Hardwick, Zen Acres Farm stated its intentions to apply for a license to operate adult use marijuana cultivation at 228 Barre Rd. during a community outreach meeting in April, but experienced pushback from nearly the 150 residents in attendance. Hardwick currently has an approved cannabis establishment, Hardwick Mill Greenery, at 94 Main St. in the Gilbertville village. However, citing “a whole bunch of what ifs,” Town Clerk Ryan Witkos, who ran the meeting, said he was unsure whether the proponents would continue to pursue the proposal. If they did, it would require a host community agreement and Board of Selectmen approval as well as separate approval from the commonwealth to operate on agricultural preservation restriction land.
Monson Select Board member removed from Town Meeting
Mary Hull, clerk of the Select Board, was asked to remove herself from the meeting, following a derogatory comment she made to Jennifer Wolowicz, town administrator at the Monson Annual/Special Town Meeting on May 9.
Hull called Wolowicz a “piece of s***,” after Hull presented her citizens petition, Article 37.
Article 37 was a request to allow the use of host agreement funds to purchase property at 17 Palmer Rd., to be used as a community center with a focus on recovery. Hull wanted to place $70,000 in a fund to cover needed staffing salaries, along with placing $40,000 in a fund to cover furniture, computers and any other items necessary with the establishment of a community center; bringing the total funding amount needed for this center to $399,000. Hull explained that these existing funds are from impact fees collected from Holistic Industries – a cannabis shop in town – and they needed to be spent before receiving the next 3 percent of funding. She noted that host agreement funds are supposed to be used on recovery programs.
Hull went on to say that bringing this citizen petition to the town should not have happened in the first place. “The Board of Selectmen – it says that they can make decisions on these host agreements,” she said.
Hull added, “It’s shameful” how people’s comments were being cut off throughout the entire meeting. As Hull stepped away from the microphone, she addressed Wolowicz and left the auditorium shouting, “This town’s in trouble. People should pay attention.”
Hull re-entered the auditorium and made her way to the microphone, but before she could answer a question, Town Moderator Peter Matrow stopped her.
Matrow said it was brought to his attention that Hull made a derogatory comment to a town official, which is a violation of the Select Board’s policy and the policy of the Annual/Special Town Meeting. He asked Hull to remove herself immediately.
When it came time to vote on Article 37, the motion failed.
Following the meeting, Wolowicz told Reminder Publishing that she was uncertain as to why Hull made this comment to her. Additionally, Wolowicz said she had been working with Hull to obtain a lease for a different property in town, however, Hull selected the building at 17 Palmer Rd. as the potential location of the community center.
Reminder Publishing contacted Hull for comment but did not receive a response.
Ware seeking new school superintendent
Palmer isn’t the only district on the lookout for a new head of its school department.
Superintendent Dr. Marlene DiLeo, a 15-year member of the district including nine as its leader, informed Reminder Publishing in September that her contract will be up at the end of this school year.
“The contract could be renewed, however when I became a finalist for the Wachusett Regional District in March I was informed by the School Committee chair and vice chair that my contract would not be renewed,” she said.
DiLeo was also a finalist for the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District (HWRSD) superintendency on March 31, which ultimately went to former Northampton Superintendent John Provost. DiLeo was also an unsuccessful finalist for the interim superintendent position in Northampton, an opportunity created by Provost’s departure for HWRSD, in July.
The School Committee officially began its search with the help of the MASC, which conducted public meetings to garner community feedback on Oct. 3 and 11. The School Committee approved the job description on Oct. 12 and posted the vacancy on Oct. 14.
The search committee established in late October was slated to meet and select semifinalists at the beginning of December and in the middle of the month conduct confidential interviews to whittle down a list of recommended finalists that was to be delivered to the School Committee on Dec. 21. During the weeks of Jan. 3 and 9, 2023, the finalists are scheduled visit Ware Public Schools and members of the Ware School Committee will visit the finalists’ home districts. The week of Jan. 16, 2023, interviews with the School Committee will take place in public session. Appointments will follow the interviews. The new superintendent will begin work effective July 1, 2023.
Monson ZBA sides with Quaboag Riders
After the Monson Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) continued a public hearing over the appeal of two enforcement orders against the Quaboag Riders on June 23 because of the size of the crowd that gathered, the board voted during its July 14 meeting to overturn both decisions in favor of the Riders.
Much like the June 23 meeting that was continued, the Quaboag Riders and their supporters came out in droves to support the overturn of the violations as they lined Main Street with signs and their motorcycles.
The ZBA was faced with two questions – the first one being if the regular use of the hill for motorcycles and the use of the hill had changed since 1970, when the town enacted its zoning laws. The second question was if the use of four-wheeled vehicles was outside the use for the hill climb.
The board ultimately voted 4-1 to overturn the enforcement order that four-wheeled vehicles were not an acceptable use for the property. With the votes, the club was able to resume all activities.
Tensions high between Brimfield Building Committee, Select Board
Tensions ran high between the Brimfield Building Committee and the Select Board after major decisions have been made regarding the committee, their spending and ongoing work.
The trouble began during the Aug. 15 Select Board meeting when members asked that the Building Committee hold off on any spending on projects. Select Board member George Adams explained that the suspension of funding was a result of other crucial projects in town that need to be prioritized, such as the Town Hall Annex, the Town Hall and others. Vice Chair Suzanne Collins, however, said that she believes the Building Committee has been doing a “fine job” and would not like to see them lose the history they have created.
During the Aug. 29 Select Board meeting, they discussed forming another Building Committee so that the current one can carry out their work, while another one could focus on new ideas and locations to move these services to. Adams noted that the major “problem” is that the current committee has been together for about seven years, yet there are no minutes posted and only 24 video meetings are posted online. He said, “This is an open meeting violation.” To correct this issue, Adams expressed that the only way to move forward is on a clean slate and to reorganize the committee. After some discussion, the board ultimately voted to continue with the existing Building Committee, chair and co-chair until Nov. 1 to complete what needed to be completed and keep the Select Board updated along the way.
On Sept. 13, the Building Committee hosted a meeting for the first time since this decision was made. Chairman Michael Miller began the meeting by publicly apologizing for “dropping the ball” on not approving meeting minutes for several months. He noted that they are working on approving these minutes and although they may not be posted online, they are available to the public.
Committee member Michael Wales said they have focused on areas with the most problems, including the safety complex and police station, and put off the Town Hall, library and annex until a later date. Wales read a scathing public letter into the record and Miller called the manner in which the committee has been treated “disgusting.”
Adams, in attendance at the Building Committee meeting, backtracked, stating to the committee, in part, “ ... the work you guys have done, no one is questioning that,” and expressed his concerns stemmed from an inability to find a list of outstanding projects due to the lack of minutes, however Fire Chief Don Contois did supply him with that list.
Miller shared he would like the Select Board and Building Committee to work together and requested that the two have a joint meeting to discuss how they will move forward.