Charlton Elementary
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Mailed free to requesting homes in Charlton, Charlton City and Charlton Depot Vol. V, No. 42 PROUD MEDIA SPONSOR OF RELAY FOR LIFE OF THE GREATER SOUTHBRIDGE AREA! COMPLIMENTARY HOME DELIVERY ONLINE: WWW.CHARLTONVILLAGER.COM Friday, October 21, 2011 Amanda Collins photos The Charlton Highway Barn is scheduled to finish in November, even after the town voted to add $75,000 to its contingency fund after some unexpected costs. Southbridge, Charlton barn work moving on CONSTRUCTION, CLEANUP AT ISSUE BY GUS STEEVES town’s project is still on schedule to STONEBRIDGE PRESS STAFF WRITER finish in November, although the Highway barn projects in town voted on adding $75,000 to the Joy Richard photo Southbridge and Charlton are contingency fund during its about equally close to completion Special Town Meeting this week. in relative terms, but the latter is “The ledge was the difficult part; WHERE’S THE EXIT? going to take far less time to finish. we ended up shifting the building,” According to Charlton Town she noted. Doing so, however, con- CHARLTON — Third-grader Allison Anger looks for an out during a game of cat and mouse Wednesday, Oct. 12, part of the Administrator Robin Craver, her after-school activities now being offered at Heritage School. For more photos, please turn to Page A8. Turn To BARN page A13 ‘Building alternatives’ to capitalism OCCUPY WORCESTER DRAWS SOME FROM CHARLTON AREA BY GUS STEEVES VILLAGER STAFF WRITER WORCESTER — For Elizabeth Marcinkowski, the growing Occupy movement is an opportunity to chal- lenge what she dubs the “vacuum economy” or the “trickle-up econo- my” — the tendency for the labor of common American citizens to make the wealthiest people even richer, with little benefit to themselves. “[The rich] are getting handouts from people who have nothing,” she said. “This is about people coming out and voicing their concerns and not having an authority tell them what to do.” David Dore photo Marcinkowski, a Charltonian A sample of the fabric used to make neck coolers sent to soldiers in Iraq and attending the Southbridge Afghanistan sits on top of an American flag Charlton Sewing Center owner Cathy Quinsigamond Community College Racine got on behalf of the volunteers who made them and a certificate from the campus, was one of about 100 people military company that flew the flag. from the region, mostly the city itself, who gathered behind Worcester City Hall Monday, Oct. 10 to be part of pushing for change. Their group discussion largely A cool way to show focused on moving personal money from and protesting the behavior of Gus Steeves photo the major banks, such as foreclosing on homes, taking vast sums in support for soldiers Participants sit on the war monument behind Worcester City Hall to listen to their fel- lows propose and debate ideas regarding what the Occupy Worcester movement should do going forward. Turn To OCCUPY page A11 AMERICAN FLAG EXPRESSES APPRECIATION FOR VOLUNTEERS’ EFFORTS District looks into school renovations BY ELISA KROCHMALNYCKYJ volunteers for making thousands STONEBRIDGE PRESS CORRESPONDENT of “neck coolers” for the troops ELEMENTARY, HIGH SCHOOL UPDATES PROPOSED CHARLTON — The flag that working in 120 degree-heat in Iraq hangs above the volunteers at the and Afghanistan. Charlton Sewing Center is no ordi- Cathy Racine, owner of the BY JOY RICHARD Superintendent Sean Gilrein gave a presen- STONEBRIDGE PRESS STAFF WRITER nary flag. Sewing Center, said she was over- tation during the meeting, which was held in This Old Glory was dedicated to whelmed. DUDLEY — School officials were recently the Shepherd Hill library, about how the the Charlton Sewing Center and “It absolutely blew me away,”she given the green light to pursue the possibility Massachusetts School Building Authority sent back home after being flown said. “Just blew me away.” of renovating educational facilities in the (MSBA) is currently accepting statements of in a Blackhawk air-ambulance hel- It was two years ago that Racine Dudley-Charlton Regional School District. intent (SOI) for the 2012 fiscal year. icopter used to rescue injured sol- and several other sewing enthusi- School committee members spoke in detail According to Gilrein, there have been vari- diers in Baghdad, Iraq. asts started to make neck coolers Wednesday, Oct. 12, about the possibility of ous changes to the application process. He The flag was mailed to a soldier’s for soldiers, she said. making updates to Charlton Elementary said these changes were outlined in a memo sister in Leicester, along with a cer- School and Shepherd Hill Regional High tificate and a letter thanking the Turn To SUPPORT page A11 School. Turn To RENOVATIONS page A16 Sean Gilrein SPARTANS HOLD OFF Almanac ................ 2 Calendar ..............12 TORNADO GROUP Obituaries .............12 Real Estate ...B Section OFFERS PLACE TO RAMS, SURGE CLOSER Police Logs ............13 Sports .............. 14-15 TALK TO POSTSEASON BERTH INDEX INDEX Opinion ................ 10 PAGE 2 PAGE 15 2 •THE CHARLTON VILLAGER• Friday, October 21, 2011 www.charltonvillager.com Tornado group offers place to talk ‘WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF STRESSED PEOPLE AND ARE TRYING TO HELP’ BY GUS STEEVES “Southbridge and Sturbridge are doing pretty stant irritability, etc.). Psychologists define could bring down weakened trees or knock out VILLAGER STAFF WRITER well, but Brimfield and Monson are struggling two types of PTSD — acute (symptoms last power and quite a few people are still in trail- SOUTHBRIDGE — For tornado survivors more. … But we’re hearing more frustration less than three months) and chronic (longer ers or otherwise out of their homes. who need an ear, Tuesday’s only a few days with [Southbridge] town government than in duration) — and both can manifest either away. Sturbridge.” shortly afterward or as a “delayed-onset” con- Gus Steeves may be reached at (508) 909-4135, That’s when the new Tornado Support Deignan and her colleague Laura Maceyka dition (six or more months later). or by e-mail at [email protected]. Group devised by Harrington Street resident are coordinating the support group, which A less-severe level of any of these things Stephanie DeMartino meets at the meets every Tuesday at 7 p.m., as part of the individually, or a variety of other behavioral Community Center on Chestnut Street as an MassSupport Network Crisis Counselors changes could also suggest the person could open discussion about anything people want effort, which started with the March 2010 benefit from emotional support, stress man- to address. floods. That disaster didn’t hit this area, but agement help or both. Deignan and Maceyka Although her home wasn’t hit, the June 1 was especially hard on the Blackstone and said they’d be willing to bring people to future twister literally crossed DeMartino’s path Merrimack valleys. support meetings to teach various coping home only moments after she got there. That “We’ve seen a lot of stressed people and are skills if participants want them. day, after a colleague told her the storm was trying to help them with emotional support,” “It’s normal to go through what you’re all coming, she left work early because her chil- Maceyka said. going through,” Maceyka said after some of dren were home alone. From what they’ve seen, people are recover- this week’s participants shared their stories, “I come home every day down Charlton ing — Maceyka noted some are still “really often with tears flowing down their cheeks Street,” she said, recalling the hail that day.En emotional” about it, others are “moving step and/or anger directed at local officials, insur- route, she thought, “I’m under the trees … oh, by step” — but variation is normal. So is ance companies and the federal agencies wait, the trees aren’t going to protect me.” falling back into sadness, anxiety, grief or involved. She made it, hustling her two daughters into anger at what happened occasionally; every- She noted her team has seen mixed helpful- the basement after calling her father for one has different needs and coping skills. ness from various official entities. All of the advice. As she tried to keep them calm, her One thing that helps many people, especial- towns but Southbridge provided “a complete boyfriend watched the tornado go by out the ly children, is to make time for hobbies, list of the people impacted by the tornado”; narrow window. sports, visits with friends and other activities, certain large complexes have not allowed “I didn’t want to see it,” she added. and otherwise restore familiar routines as them to visit residents; several people in vari- Still, afterward, DeMartino felt she had to much as possible. ous towns are having permit, insurance or do something to help, noting “this is my town” “Everybody’s in a different phase of recov- property tax problems (or a combination of and several friends were directly hit just up ery,”Maceyka said. “I don’t think we’ve found the three); and only about 1 in 15 applicants the street from her. That rapidly became the anyone who’s really stuck in that first day.” are being approved for Small Business Southbridge Tornado Relief Facebook-based By being “stuck,” she’s referring to people Administration rebuilding loans. There have effort, which has raised nearly $2,000 (mostly who are having the more severe symptoms of also been occasional scammers visiting the for gift cards for affected families) from a bake post-traumatic stress disorder, where the affected areas offering crooked services or try- sale at the Morris Street yard sale in July,sell- memories of June 1 are making it almost ing to obtain personal information. ing tornado T-shirts, and elsewhere. impossible to function in day-to-day life.