State Offering UHS Expansion Plan TAFT ELEMENTARY WOULD ALSO BE ENLARGED
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Mailed free to requesting homes in Douglas, Northbridge and Uxbridge Vol. III, No. 16 Complimentary to homes by request ONLINE: www.blackstonevalleytribune.com “Carpe per diem — seize the check” Friday, January 15, 2010 State offering UHS expansion plan TAFT ELEMENTARY WOULD ALSO BE ENLARGED BY ANDY LEVIN expanding the 74-year-old high school. The MSBA, however, TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER school. The MSBA is also offering to expressed several reservations UXBRIDGE — While plans to partially fund an addition to the Taft about the plan, including what it build a 600-student high school on Elementary School, according to considered to be excessive site work town-owned property off Quaker several town officials close to the sit- required at the Quaker Highway Highway have hit a roadblock, a uation. site and the likelihood of renova- new option to solve the district’s The School Building Committee tions eventually being needed to space problem has emerged. in September recommended con- convert the existing high school The Massachusetts School struction of an approximately $50 space into a middle school. Building Authority is now urging million high school and then utiliz- “The concern is that you would File photo the town to consider renovating and ing the existing building as a middle Turn To SCHOOL page A8 Instead of being replaced, Uxbridge High School might be renovated and expanded. Kuros seeking rematch with Kujawski in fall BY ANDY LEVIN officially TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER announcing UXBRIDGE — Kevin Kuros his intentions. believes he has some unfinished “It’s a business. process and I Kuros, a Republican selectman have always here since 2005, said last week he coordinated would again vie to become state rep- that decision in resentative in the 8th Worcester due time,” District next fall. To do so, he would Kujawski said. have to defeat incumbent Paul “I love my job Kujawski, the Webster Democrat and represent- who has held the seat for more than ing my con- 15 years. stituents.” Kevin Kuros Kuros has reason to be optimistic, The 8th though, having nearly pulled off a Worcester District is comprised of shocking upset of Kujawski in 2008, Webster, Dudley and Douglas, as garnering more than 47 percent of well as precincts in Uxbridge and the vote in a terrible election year Oxford. for Republicans. Kuros, a traditional fiscal and “I had strongly considered [run- social conservative, attended a ning again] even right after the last Worcester Tea Party event last election, but I formally made my Thursday. mind up about the beginning of “We think the political climate October,” Kuros said. “We took a has changed and I think across the look at the results we had last time board, independent of party, incum- as a relative unknown at the begin- bents are going to be in a lot of trou- ning of the process and figured we ble — across the country, across the worked way too hard to not try a sec- state, everywhere,” he said. ond time.” In 2008, Kuros acknowledged, During a conversation last week many lessons were learned relative Kujawski sounded like a man who to the art of campaigning. would indeed run for a ninth term in the House, but he stopped short of Turn To KUROS page A8 Thomas Mattson photo Some of the cast of “Annie Jr.” posed after the show: Back, from left, Regine Rosas, Sawyer Coleman, Noelle Scarlett and Teddy Kiritsy. Front, from left, Amelia Wright (holding Sandy the dog) and Amberly Wright. Douglas selectmen FOREVER AN OPTIMIST considering town APPLE TREE ARTS BRINGS ‘ANNIE JR.’ TO LIFE wind power project BY THOMAS MATTSON Amelia Wright. teenager who is nobody’s fool BY THOMAS MATTSON TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER She gave two performances as and, as an orphan, at the same TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER NORTHBRIDGE — She is as Annie in the Apple Tree Arts time longs for her real parents. DOUGLAS — Dealing on the one tough as an armadillo and as production of “Annie Jr.” last Since October the 29-member hand with a company that wants to gentle as a dove. weekend at the middle school cast has been learning blocking, put up 13 commercial wind-energy And she is only four-foot-eight and, well, this Annie didn’t take choreography and music for the stations at the west edge of Douglas, and 62 pounds. prisoners. selectmen are now also looking at But look out for 11-year-old She played a hard-edged pre- Turn To ANNIE page A13 the possibility of putting up one or two towers to produce energy for the town itself. Executive Administrator Michael Guzinski asked the board last week whether or not it was interested in Artificial turf sought for Lasell wind turbines for the town’s use. The response was overwhelming- ly in favor of the idea. BY THOMAS MATTSON member of the School Committee, He explained Friends of Lasell TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER Specifically, Guzinski asked last Monday night both introduced Field, Inc. was recently formed as a whether the selectmen wanted town NORTHBRIDGE — “Natural” is the group’s goal of bringing syn- Massachusetts nonprofit corpora- staff members to work on the issue. often seen as better, but sometimes thetic turf to historic Lasell Field tion to raise funds to install an arti- “Now is the time if there are avail- manmade materials are preferred. and asked the Board of Selectmen ficial surface on Lasell Field. able funds,” said Selectmen There is a trend to use artificial for its support. To many, grass is nice, but they Chairman Michael Hughes. “We turf not only at colleges but also at However, Beauregard said he also know it takes a lot of mainte- should move forward.” an increasing number of high first wanted to present the proposal nance and, in the case of “I absolutely support it,” said schools. to the board before asking in a Northbridge, whereas once Lasell Selectman Mitchell Cohen. He said Speaking on behalf of Friends of more detailed way for town and Field was used for football alone, it would be a good thing in many Lasell Field, Fred Beauregard, a other backing. Turn To SELECTMEN A14 page Turn To WIND page A14 A2-3 ...................................... LOCAL A9 ...................... SENIOR SCENE A4-5 ..................................... OPINION A10 ............ CLASSROOM CORNER THE BLACKSTONE VALLEY TRIBUNE CAN BE A7 ................................... OBITUARIES A11............................... SPORTS REACHED VIA E-MAIL: [email protected] INSIDE 2 • Friday, January 15, 2010 BLACKSTONE VALLEY TRIBUNE VALLEY NOTEBOOK TRIBUNE Gorky extends tenure of principals ALMANAC QUOTATION OF THE WEEK BY ANDY LEVIN conduct ourselves, then we will TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER have failed.” “The political climate has REGION — Northbridge School In 2009, the Sutton Democrat Superintendent Susan Gorky has filed legislation that would pro- changed. I think across extended the terms of the dis- hibit state lawmakers from trict’s principals through the end accepting campaign contribu- the board, independent of of June 2013, pending contract tions from lobbyists; apply the negotiations. Open Meeting law to state govern- party, incumbents are For Northbridge High School ment; publish the recipients, Principal Michael Gauthier, amounts and status of state con- going to be in a lot of Northbridge Middle School tracts online; strip committee Principal Jill Carroll and chairmen and others fined by the trouble — across the Northbridge Elementary School state Ethics Commission or the Principal Jill Healy, the action Office of Campaign and Political country, across the state, means a change of status from an Finance of their leadership posts; interim to a permanent position. eliminate earmarks from the everywhere.” John Zywien is principal of the budget process. — Uxbridge Selectman Kevin Kuros, Balmer School. Callahan said the survey regarding his chances of defeating long- “Research shows that the quali- results have prompted her to pre- time incumbent state Rep. Paul Kujawski State Rep. Jennifer Callahan Susan Gorky pare similar legislation this year ty of leadership of a school is cen- in November. tral to the progress of the school,” that would prohibit state contrac- Gorky stated in a release tors and their family members announcing the extensions. “We ful staff development approach ‘THE SURVEY SAYS’ from contributing to elected state have dedicated, conscientious and a potent strategy for school officials; mandate the operations and committed administrators in change and improvement.” Rep. Jennifer Callahan, D- budgets of the House and Senate Sutton, reports that results of a be itemized and made available to Northbridge. All our principals Gauthier, Carroll, Healy and THE STATS bring a wide breadth of experi- Zywien, according to Gorky, have survey distributed across her the public online; establish a ence and knowledge to the dis- 18th Worcester District last year panel to study the lucrative bene- Per capita income, by race or ethnicity all “gone above and beyond the ($) White trict.” call of duty” during the past support her continued calls for fits and executive salaries of Gorky said the principals all year’s economic downturn, which ethics reform and increased gov- quasi-public agencies; prohibit Auburn ——————————— 23,928 possess a vision for “rigorous and forced staff reductions in each ernment accountability and the state from subsidizing race- Brimfield ——————————23,384 relevant curriculum, instruction school. transparency on Beacon Hill. tracks, golf courses or zoos. Brookfield ——————————20,078 and assessment practices.” “The principals serve as both a The survey, which Callahan “I expect that there will be sig- Charlton ———————————23,638 Moreover, she added, the princi- leader and a role model for the said generated hundreds of nificant resistance to some of my Douglas ———————————23,257 pals understand that classroom values and aspirations of the responses, included 10 policy proposals,” she said. Dudley ——————————— 21,722 instruction must be diversified community and it is vital that questions related to restoring “Nevertheless, I will not shy away Holland ——————————— 21,804 enough to meet the needs of dif- there is a coherent match trust and confidence in state gov- from my duty.