Mailed free to requesting homes in East Brookfield, West Brookfield, North Brookfield, Brookfield, Leicester and Spencer Vol. 33, No. 39 Complimentary to homes by request ONLINE: WWW.SPENCERNEWLEADER.COM ‘Think wrongly, if you please, but in all cases think for yourself.’ Friday, September 25, 2009 RMV to Transfer station prices hiked distribute NEW BAG, STICKER FEES GO INTO EFFECT SATURDAY BY RYAN GRANNAN-DOLL and at other participating vendors. That will and announced Karrmann, who did not STONEBRIDGE PRESS STAFF WRITER start once Cumberland Farms runs out of its attend the gathering, supported raising bag BROOKFIELD — Transfer station users current stock. The board also approved fees to $1.50 apiece and raising fees, to an are going to have to dig deeper into their wal- accepting only checks, and not cash, for unspecified amount, for accepting non-offi- turnpike lets to dispose of their waste. sticker fee payments. cial Brookfield bags. Those comments came The Board of Health Monday, Sept. 21 Concerns over the state Open Meeting Law before Seery officially called the meeting to unanimously approved raising the annual hang over the decisions. Before Chairman order at 5:45 p.m. It was scheduled to start at sticker fee to $85, from $75, and the per bag Mike Seery called the meeting to order at 5:45 5:30 p.m. fee to $1.25 from $1. The fees take effect p.m., he spoke with member Keith Karmann, After the meeting, Seery said his call with vouchers? Saturday, Sept. 26. but stepped outside the highway barn room, Karrmann “may have been” a violation of Members approved selling bags at where the meeting was held, to speak with Cumberland Farms, which already occurs, him. After several minutes, Seery returned Turn To TRANSFER, page A15 HANDICAPPED COULD RECEIVE Restaurants ASSISTANCE BY RYAN GRANNAN-DOLL STONEBRIDGE PRESS STAFF WRITER cool to meals CHARLTON — To ease the financial strain on disabled motorists, the state Registry of Motor Vehicles is considering giving them tax proposal toll vouchers to defray the costs of travel to the Charlton branch. The issue arose after some concerned resi- dents complained about in Leicester handicapped parking issues at the site, locat- ed at the 5-East OARD OF ELECTMEN Massachusetts B S Turnpike service area. SEEKS INPUT ON IDEA Currently, disabled motorists are forced to BY DAVID DORE use the Pike, and pay a NEW LEADER STAFF WRITER toll, to access the site’s LEICESTER — Restaurants would be hurt five handicapped park- Rachel Kaprielian if an additional 0.75 percent tax were levied ing spaces. No handi- on prepared meals, just as they have been when the sales tax went up 25 percent in Turn To RMV, page A15 August, the Board of Selectmen was told Monday night. With Leicester facing a deficit of up to $2 million next year, selectmen are mulling an Shawn Kelley photo option in this year’s state budget that allows cities and towns to implement a local option Two part-time tax of 0.75 percent on meals and up to 6 per- A LOOK AT cent on hotel room stays. Since Leicester has no THE DIGITS hotels or motels, the cops approved only option would be the LEICESTER — The skilled hands meals tax. According to of Justin Kennick of Northampton figures from the state weaves a seat into a cherry wood Department of Revenue, chair during Leicester’s 10th increasing the tax from by selectmen annual Harvest Fair Saturday, 6.25 percent to 7 percent Sept. 19. For more photos, please would put an additional turn to Page A14. $33,000 per year in the NEEDED TO FILL HOURS, town’s coffers. AT LEFT LEICESTER — Helen Before they put the REPLACE BLOOD Poirier of Auburn sits behind her tax hike before voters Douglas Belanger booth during the fair. BY DAVID DORE Turn To TAX, page A18 NEW LEADER STAFF WRITER NORTH BROOKFIELD — Police Chief Aram Thomasian Jr. last week got two-thirds of what he wanted for his department. With next month’s retirement of Sgt. Brookfield church expanding its mission Douglas Blood and because of other factors, Thomasian asked the Board of Selectmen if he could hire three part-time officers to add ADDITION PROVIDES MORE SPACE, to his current complement of seven to eight part-timers. HANDICAP ACCESSIBILITY The board told Thomasian Sept. 15 to hire BY TERESA A. FRANCO Deacon Brain Oxman, who two for now, each working no more than 16 NEW LEADER STAFF WRITER hours per week. Members would decide after was also on the building com- Jan. 1 if a third part-time officer needs to be BROOKFIELD — The mittee, cited handicap access hired. Brookfield Congregational as the “number one reason” Thomasian asked selectmen last month for Church, on Common Street, is the church needed a new wing. permission to hire additional part-time offi- now has the capacity to open “It’s amazing we are now cers to fill shifts left open by officers taking its doors to a larger portion of able to allow people to use [the time off in lieu of overtime and Blood’s the public. church] who have never been impending departure. Although the police The 152-year-old building able to get in before,” he said. chief said Blood would retire Oct. 16, his last recently had a new wing Pastor the Rev. Ellie Kraner day at the office could be Monday, Sept. 28 attached to the rear of the mentioned that on the first because of unused vacation days. church. The church show- Sunday the wing was avail- Thomasian said he wanted to use part- cased the wing with an open able, a woman who had not time officers, instead of hiring a full-time house Sunday, Sept. 20. been able to attend services officer, to replace Blood because of the The wing provides class- ever since she had to use a reduced impact that would have on the budg- room space, more bathrooms wheelchair was able to go to et. Filling five shifts per week with part- and more room for church church for the first time. timers, Thomasian explained, would cost functions and meeting space Though ground was not bro- $490, as opposed to a cost of “well over for groups such as Alcoholics ken for the project until July $1,200” by using full-time officers and their Anonymous. In addition, the 2008, the plans for the project associated overtime. Teresa A. Franco photo new wing is now handicap had been in progress sine the An outside view of the Brookfield Congregational Church’s new wing that was accessible from the outside along with an elevator inside. Turn To SELECTMEN, page A18 recently completed. Turn To CHURCH, page A18 INSIDE THE NEW LEADER ON PAGE A4 ON PAGE A9 Calendar......................B5 Police Logs ................A12 Classroom Corner..........A6 Public Meetings ...........A3 THROUGH THE RAIN, NORTHBRIDGE RAMS Obituaries ....................B2 Sports ....................A9-11 THE RELAY SHINES OVERPOWER LEICESTER, Our Towns....................B4 Viewpoint.....................A8 35-7 2 SPENCER NEW LEADER • Friday, September 25, 2009 Budget cuts means waiver for library ALMANAC EAST BROOKFIELD FACILITY TO APPLY FOR EXEMPTION QUOTATION OF BY ELISA KROCHMALNYCKYJ Usually, the state only gives waivers to 10 NEW LEADER CORRESPONDENT towns or cities a year. But this year, because THE WEEK EAST BROOKFIELD — Because its budget so many towns are faced with cuts, the state Library expanding was cut instead of increased this year, the has lifted that limit. “[T]he Southbridge Evening library needs a special waiver from the state “I’m out there hearing what other libraries its online services to keep its certification, Library Director are going through, and ours doesn’t sound so News is not the Wall Street EAST BROOKFIELD — With a click of a Wendy Payette said. bad,” she said. Journal and your reporters “Would we like to be fully funded? Since the library moved to its new location computer mouse, you can borrow any book, Absolutely. Can we work within our budget? at the new Memorial Town Complex on from any library, at any time — and have do not have the experience We have to. We’ll make it work,” she said. Connie Mack Drive last year, its use has that book delivered to your library, the nor the competence to realize In order to stay certified and receive state increased, Payette said. Difficult economic library near your work, or, if you can’t make funding and support, the state requires that times also increase library use, she said. it out, even to your home. the difference.” towns increase library budgets by about 1 “People are coming in saying they have got- As a member of the Central percent per year. The East Brookfield Public ten rid of their Internet as a budget cut for Massachusetts Regional Library System, — REGISTRY OF MOTOR VEHICLES Library’s budget was cut by about 5 percent them, we have people looking for jobs and East Brookfield Public Library patrons can SPOKESPERSON ANN DUFRESNE, ON THE this year to about $63,000. they have no computer at home,” she said. borrow books, videos and anything else NEWS’(AND THE NEW LEADER’S) COVER- Laws requiring libraries to increase fund- “And we have people who are not going to the from any library in Massachusetts and AGEOFTHERMV OFFICE MOVE FROM ing every year date back to 1859, Payette said. movies anymore, and since we have up-to- beyond. SOUTHBRIDGE TO CHARLTON. “Even back then, legislators realized that date movies, they come and borrow them and By using their library card to log on to the libraries were very important to towns and have family movie night at home.” East Brookfield library’s Web site should not be cut when times are bad,” she The library is making ends meet by doing (www.eastbrookfieldma.us/library) patrons said.