Sellew Brought Their Own Mixed Pack of Dogs to Saturday’S Animal Shelter Grand Opening
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Mailed free to requesting homes in Charlton, Charlton City and Charlton Depot Vol. V, No. 17 PROUD MEDIA SPONSOR OF RELAY FOR LIFE OF THE GREATER SOUTHBRIDGE AREA! COMPLIMENTARY HOME DELIVERY ONLINE: WWW.CHARLTONVILLAGER.COM “To the soul, there is hardly anything more healing than friendship.” Friday, April 29, 2011 Dog days begin at animal shelter NEW FACILITY OPENS ON OLD TOWN ROAD BY GUS STEEVES VILLAGER STAFF WRITER CHARLTON — To provide a little bit of realism, Brent and Ann Sellew brought their own mixed pack of dogs to Saturday’s animal shelter grand opening. The work’s not quite done yet — some wires still stick out of walls, the surgical ‘I want to help Charlton table’s missing, and desks for the staff have yet to arrive. But those are all minor things in a project that’s coming in for far less money than expected. “I thought it’d probably cost, to build a move forward’ facility like that, around $300,000,” said Finance Committee Chairman Frank Assistant Morrill, a strong supporter. “… The town’s BROWN AIMING FOR Animal Control paying for well under half of it.” Officer Brent Back in May 2009, Town Meeting RE-ELECTION ON Sellew and approved $96,000, Brent Sellew said. The Finance remainder has come from fundraisers by MAY 7 Committee Scott Brown the Friends of Charlton Animal Shelter member Joseph (FOCAS) plus numerous donations of labor Szafarowicz in BY GUS STEEVES and materials, often things that would oth- VILLAGER STAFF WRITER May 7’s Town Election. erwise have been wasted at other job sites in “Some of [the next few years] is the area. CHARLTON — To incumbent out of our hands,” Brown admitted When the last touches are in, he hopes to Scott Brown, the next few years Tuesday,April 19. “But if [the econ- be able to return around $10,000 of the could be a time for business omy] stays where it is today, town’s funds. recruitment and addressing “back- Charlton will be in a similar posi- Even Sellew has been a little surprised. burner” needs if things turn tion to where it is now. … [Fiscal “I thought it’d be more of a rough-sod around. responsibility] allowed us to pine barn with heat, not something nice If they don’t, though, Charlton’s weather economic downturn much with telecommunications,” he admitted. in a decent position to “maintain better than other towns. We’ve “… There’d be no way,unless you’re a magi- Gus Steeves photos fiscal responsibility and services at positioned ourselves well for the cian, you could have predicted what this Assistant Animal Control Officer Brent Sellew holds Schmoe long the same time.” next five or six years financially.” Brown is one of three people Turn To SHELTER page A16 enough for a photo. Specifically, Brown’s referring to running for a seat on the Board of the fact Charlton has been “very Selectmen. The two-term incum- conservative” in spending its bent faces opposition from Turn To BROWN page A11 Overlook wind plan hearing concludes Szafarowicz hopes BY GUS STEEVES lic with various photos, data and David Strong of Sustainable Energy VILLAGER STAFF WRITER other materials. Under the state’s Developments, provided shows a CHARLTON — Local wind turbine “very weak law” governing this kind maximum “real-case” effect of less opponents left last Wednesday’s of hearing, the board “has no power than 20 hours a year, typically aver- third time’s the charm Planning Board hearing less than to deny anything. … It’s going over aging about 5 minutes per day for pleased as it closed with all signs very rudimentary basics,” he said. around a fortnight depending on CANDIDATE UP FOR ELECTION pointing to approval for two turbines A lot of the conversation and pub- exact location. He calculated the at Overlook. lic comments, however, went into time from three locations — pitchers’ TO BOARD OF SELECTMEN “We’ve got the data we need to details about this part of the hear- mound of the two town baseball make a decision,” said Chairman ing’s key issue — the “flicker effect.” fields near the Library and the clos- BY GUS STEEVES he’s got a little experience under John McGrath. “I know people don’t Under the law, the board has to est house, 24 Burlingame Road. VILLAGER STAFF WRITER his belt — a year on the Finance like to hear that.” approve the project if the proponents That new data is lower than what CHARLTON — Joe Szafarowicz Committee — and it’s something Planner Alan Gordon noted the can show the flickering’s greatest he’d provided earlier in the hearing hopes Charlton voters give him a Szafarowicz strongly urges every- board had already gone “well beyond impact will not exceed 30 hours per process. According to Gordon, that’s third pitch he can knock out of the one to do. anything on site plan review” in hav- year at any one location. because the town’s engineer, Justin park. “My biggest strength is my pas- ing the proponents provide the pub- The data the proponent’s engineer, Dufresne of VHB, found the old data As with the last two years, the 20- sion: I want to be in public serv- “not realistic” because it did not take year-old is seeking a seat on the ice,” he said. “I love being involved into account available weather and Board of in making a difference, being part cloud data. In case there is a risk of Selectmen, this of the process. My parents had exceeding the 30-hour limit, though, time in a three- nothing to do with politics; they Dufresne asked Strong to include way contest were completely apathetic. Now “flicker mitigation” in the site’s oper- against incum- they’re watching the news and lis- ations and maintenance plan. bent Scott tening to talk radio.” Strong said he would arrange to Brown and Besides his age, the WPI engi- have the turbines shut off “if we Assistant neering student has a key issue on show more shadow flicker than we Animal Control which he differs from his oppo- see in the model.” Officer Brent nents — he’s strongly in favor of That wasn’t enough for Tim Sellew. This the Bay Path and Overlook turbine Gillespie, however. He said he visited Joe Szafarowicz year, however, Turn To SZAFAROWICZ page A11 a similar turbine at Holy Name High School, Worcester, where he meas- ured the shadows and claimed they went “one to two miles beyond the Sellew: ‘I’ll be the most structure.” Another resident was similarly concerned about seeing it from an elevation roughly level to the tur- hands-on selectman’ bine’s own. “It’s pretty ugly,” Don Robert said. ATTRACTING crazy when I File photo “Maybe [the flicker] is five to eight said I could get minutes, but it’s like somebody’s VOLUNTEERS KEY TO a building built The Planning Board listens to testimony regarding the Overlook wind turbine project at with all-volun- a previous session. Although the public hearing has officially ended, the board won’t Turn To OVERLOOK page A2 PROBLEM SOLVING teer help. … But deliberate on its conditions for approval until May 18. this is how it BY GUS STEEVES used to be VILLAGER STAFF WRITER whenever you CHARLTON — Brent Sellew wanted to build Town clerk’s race takes the stage decided it’s time to step out of the a barn or build- Brent Sellew shadows onto center stage, so he ing in town.” BY GUS STEEVES clerk for about a year since Sue hopes to become the town’s next On May 7, VILALGER STAFF WRITER Nichols retired due to illness, selectman. Sellew faces incumbent Scott CHARLTON — Charlton’s battle of acted as Nichols’ assistant for 16 For around 10 years, he has done Brown and Finance Committee the sexes goes to the ballot box May years. Guy is probably best known things behind the scenes, helping member Joe Szafarowicz for seat 4 7, in the form of the town clerk’s for his roles as a longtime member recruit volunteers, raise funds and on the Board of Selectmen. race. and current president of Gateway collect equipment for various com- “I’ve always been a Type A per- Ironically, the person currently in Players, but spent four years on munity efforts (most recently, the sonality,”Sellew said “… It took me the job, Darlene Tully, is facing the the school committee and 19 years animal shelter). To him, that expe- a long time to realize how reward- voters for the first time. Her oppo- in the merchandising department rience will be critical for Charlton ing helping people really is.” nent, William Guy,won two elections of Old Sturbridge Village. going forward. Most of that time was spent to the Dudley-Charlton School “One of the reasons I ran now is “I think we’re going to have to devoted to building a business in Committee around 2000. look a lot more into volunteerism,” Darlene Tully William Guy Turn To SELLEW page A3 Tully, who has served as town Turn To TOWN CLERK page A11 Sellew said. “People thought I was RAMS EVEN LAX Almanac ................. 2 Learning................ 9 LOCAL SOCCER RECORD, HAVE Obituaries ............. 12 Calendar ...............12 FIELD VANDALIZED ‘OPPORTUNITY TO BE Police Logs .............. 5 Real Estate ...B Section INDEX INDEX Opinion ................ 10 Sports .............. ....13 PAGE 2 A CONTENDER’ PAGE 13 2 •THE CHARLTON VILLAGER• Friday, April 29, 2011 www.charltonvillager.com Local soccer field vandalized Gus Steeves photos CHARLTON — Local soccer fans woke up to an unpleasant sight Monday, April 18.