SPENCER FAMILY DENTAL Home values got you down? Gentle Caring State of the Art Dentistry For The Whole Family If you’re not sure if you are underwater or if you’re just Cosmetic Dentistry • Restorative Dentistry • Preventative Dentistry looking to refinance at record low rates, I can help. CROWNS • CAPS • BRIDGES • COMPLETE and PARTIAL DENTURES New We Strive Find out what programs are available to you and how NON SURGICAL GUM TREATMENT • ROOT CANAL THERAPY Patients For Painless SAMPSON: Yup, SURGICAL SERVICES KITSU: Call my Dad (It’s free to I may be able to help save you money! these programs are Welcome BREATH CLINIC-WE TREAT CHRONIC BAD BREATH Dentistry find out!) New programs to help too good to pass up! people come out all the time If you call Ron for a mortgage, vote who stays in the ads… cat? Or dog? HERBAL DENTAL PRODUCTS • All Instruments Fully Sterilized • Most Insurances Accepted Dr. Nasser S. Hanna If you or someone you know needs help, Conveniently Located On Route 9 • (Corner of Greenville St. & Main St.) call Ron at Face-to-Face Mortgage Co. 508-892-8988 284 Main St., Spencer 508-885-5511 Mass. Mortgage Broker License #1241 Mailed free to requesting homes in East Brookfield, West Brookfield, North Brookfield, Brookfield, Leicester and Spencer Vol. XXXVII, No. 7 PROUD MEDIA SPONSOR OF RELAY FOR LIFE OF THE GREATER SOUTHBRIDGE AREA! Complimentary to homes by request ONLINE: WWW.SPENCERNEWLEADER.COM Friday, February 15, 2013 THIS WEEK’S Jamboree for Jen to take the court for the fifth time QUOTE TOURNAMENT REMEMBERS SPENCER NATIVE WHO LOVED SPORTS “Some people BY DAVID DORE ketball. absence, of a junior high school divi- make headlines NEW LEADER STAFF WRITER As they shoot, score and defend, sion — but with a twist. SPENCER — For the fifth time, they will celebrate the life of Jennifer Based on the amount of interest, while others make people will take to the David Prouty McLaughlin and her passion for there will be the Peanut Butter Cup history.” High School gymnasium court next sports, while also helping two schools Division for Grades 6-8, the Mini month for some three-on-three bas- attended by the Spencer native before Cooper Division for Grades 9-12, the Philip Elmer-DeWitt File photo she died Nov. 1, 2008, on a business Chloe the Pug Division for adult trip in Las Vegas. recreational teams, and the Lilo and Women’s teams took the court in last year’s The fifth annual Jamboree for Jen Stitch Division for adult co-educa- Jamboree to figure out who would advance will be held Saturday, March 16. It to the championship game. This year’s will feature the return, after a year’s Turn To JEN, A14 INSIDE event will be held Saturday, March 16. page Obituaries ..............B2 School board puts Prouty project on hold Calendar ................B3 Classroom Corner A6-7 LATE BUS ELIMINATED AS PART OF Viewpoint ..............A8 BUDGET DEFICIT REDUCTION PLAN Sports ............A10-12 BY DAVID DORE of a feasibility study, present- months to decide what to do NEW LEADER STAFF WRITER Our Towns ............A16 ed the board with three next. Kurt Nordquist of SPENCER — Facing a options. According to MSBA Spencer cast the lone dissent- Police Logs ..........A16 deficit of up to $1.7 million in spokesman Dan Collins, those ing vote; fellow Spencer repre- this year’s budget, the options were to end the project sentative Christopher King Spencer-East Brookfield altogether, move forward with was not at last week’s meeting. Regional School Committee it or take a step back and “go Collins said Monday, Feb. 11 had to decide Wednesday, Feb. back into the eligibility peri- a representative from the dis- File photo LOCAL 6 how to proceed with the od” that follows the MSBA’s trict called the MSBA to The house located next to Elm Hill Farm in Brookfield, owned by David Prouty High School acceptance of a project into its inform staff there of the Rehabilitative Resources, Inc. building project. program. school board’s decision. The Massachusetts School The School Committee “We’re going to wait for a Building Authority, which is voted 5-1 for the third option, funding a little more than half which gives the district nine Turn To PROJECT, page A14 RRI to sell Elm Hill Farm CEO: ‘IT’S NOT AN OUTCOME WE WANTED’ BY ELISA KROCHMALNYCKYJ The Sturbridge-based NEW LEADER CORRESPONDENT RRI, which serves people BROOKFIELD — With with disabilities, operated Scholar featured heavy hearts, its therapeutic horseback Page 3 Rehabilitative Resources riding program in some of Inc. board members have the barns at Elm Hill Farm announced they are selling and rented out the main Can you dig it? Elm Hill Farm. building for corporate SPORTS “It is a sad day for us,” events and weddings. said Michael Coughlin, “The thought was there Photo courtesy Brendan O’Neil RRI’s chief executive offi- would be enough revenue NORTH BROOKFIELD — Seven students at Valley View School and staff member Dave Mahar used snowshoes cer. “We purchased it in — plus some fundraising to make their way to the center of North Brookfield Saturday morning, Feb. 9, and shovel out six fire hydrants 2009 and it has never even — to support it,” said after Blizzard Nemo rampaged through New England last weekend. For the full story and more photos, turn to come close to breaking page A9! even.” Turn To FARM, page A14 Bay Path committee picks construction manager GROUP ‘MADE A REAL GOOD CHOICE’ BY GUS STEEVES and expansion project last week. LaFleche said the Milford- STONEBRIDGE PRESS STAFF WRITER “Consigli had a lot of experi- based firm beat out Gilbane, R.F. CHARLTON — After getting ence with this type of construc- Walsh and Shawmut nine applicants and interviewing tion,” said Superintendent John Construction for the job after Wolverines hold four, the Bay Path Regional LaFleche. “They have experience committee members reviewed off Pioneers Vocation Technical High School in renovation of occupied “very detailed packages” from Building Committee chose to schools and with vocational each, interviewed them for an Page10 hire Consigli Construction to be schools, which are somewhat dif- hour after they made presenta- its “construction manager at ferent” from regular high File photo risk” on the school’s renovation schools. Turn To BAY PATH, page A15 Bay Path Regional Vocation Technical High School. OPINION GET YOUR Bay Path biotech grant ‘huge for our program’ POINT ACROSS PAGE A8 BY GUS STEEVES The grant will tie into the existing designated rooms and bring their lab said MBEF Executive Director Lance STONEBRIDGE PRESS STAFF WRITER freshman life science and sophomore equipment around on carts. Hartford. “... There has been a dra- CHARLTON — Bay Path became biology classes, which are part of The funds come from the five-year- matic increase in the number of high the latest school to join the biotech what will develop into a program old BioTeach program of the schools offering electives in biotech. revolution, when it received $16,000 leading to students taking their sci- Massachusetts Biotechnology The whole CSI trend has helped us to fund lab equipment, curriculum ence and technology MCAS exams, Education Foundation, a group greatly.” and training two teachers in the sub- she said. But most of that will really linked with the state’s biotech indus- He’s referring to the hit TV series ject last week. come to fruition after 2015, when the try. and related shows that follow foren- “We don’t do a lot with biotech renovation project finished building “Eleven years ago, [the companies] sic investigations, noting the interest now,” said the school’s program seven new science labs. Today, the were concerned with workforce has sparked an increase in the num- organizer Jamie Ribaudo. “We have teachers for this program – Elizabeth development and who would come up ber of students taking SATs in biolo- limited lab space, so this will be huge Grimes and Joe Cicero – are “travel- to staff an industry that’s growing,” for our program.” ing teachers,” meaning they have no so they collaborated to form MBEF, Turn To GRANT, page A15 2 SPENCER NEW LEADER • Friday, February 15, 2013 Selectmen want answers from, seat on school board BY DAVID DORE Department employee, officials members Matthew McCarthy and said Monday night. make it onto the warrant, NEW LEADER STAFF WRITER said), the reason for accounts such Mary Gershman. “And we’ve There are seven people on the Berthiaume explained. Either the SPENCER — Spencer selectmen as Medicaid security, whether heard this — zippo — in two school board — five from Spencer School Committee can introduce want answers from the Spencer- health insurance for preschool weeks. ... They can only duck us and two from East Brookfield, as it, or it can get on the warrant East Brookfield Regional School employees is taken out of the for so long.” called for in the district agree- through a petition signed by at Committee on the school budget — revolving account for the pre- He added later, “It’s like ment. There are no selectmen on least 10 percent of registered vot- especially with cuts needed to school program, how much the Watergate. It’s a big hush thing.” the board, although former select- ers from one of the towns. close a gap that could reach $1.7 district pays toward health insur- Selectmen noted their board and men have served. “I suggest that we ask East million this year. ance for its retirees, if retirees are Gaudette are in the middle of get- Pepe said he would like to see Brookfield selectmen to come in,” Selectmen want to see a list of moved to Medicare once they ting next year’s budget ready.And, “representation from each select Berthiaume said, “because I’m the district’s revolving accounts become eligible (just like retirees Berthiaume said, the board needs board on the School Committee so sure they’ll be in favor of this.