Mailed free to requesting homes in Sturbridge, Brimfield, Holland and Wales Vol. VI, No. 3 PROUD MEDIA SPONSOR OF RELAY FOR LIFE OF THE GREATER SOUTHBRIDGE AREA! COMPLIMENTARY HOME DELIVERY ONLINE: WWW.STURBRIDGEVILLAGER.NET Friday, January 20, 2012 THIS WEEK’S QUOTE Brimfield casino project takes major step forward “Our lives begin to COMPANY PURCHASES 150 ACRES NEAR MASS PIKE end the day we become BY KEVIN FLANDERS hopes to develop a multi-million scoured the state for a location that silent about things VILLAGER STAFF WRITER that matter.” dollar resort, including a hotel and would provide the rural setting BRIMFIELD — The resort casi- a casino, on the land just north of that New Englanders want,” Martin Luther King Jr. no proposal in town took a major the Massachusetts Turnpike. The Murren said. “The remote nature step on Thursday, Jan. 12, with the site is close to the town’s borders of this property, along with its announcement that MGM Resorts with Palmer and Warren, and it proximity to the Mass Pike, is International signed a contract would only be accessible via an exactly what we had in mind.” with Rolling Hills Estates Realty exit off the Massachusetts Because the property is located Trust to purchase 150 acres of land Turnpike between exits 8 and 9. on hilly woodlands, MGM’s work- in the northwestern portion of Murren, who grew up in ing name for the development is Gus Steeves photos Brimfield. Connecticut, expressed his desire Rolling Hills Resort. Murren esti- INSIDE A distant house as seen from the top of the hill MGM MGM Resorts International to work closely with residents and mated the development would cre- is proposing to use for its casino. Currently owned by Chairman and CEO Jim Murren town officials to come up with a ate some 3,000 permanent direct David Callahan of Palmer Paving, the 200-acre site is attended a news conference at project that honors the communi- jobs, as well as several thousand ALMANAC ............2 at the end of a winding, private dirt road accessible Hitchcock Free Academy on ty. indirect jobs and construction- POLICE LOGS........9 only from Washington Road in rural northwestern Thursday, Jan. 12, to officially “When we decided to get actively Brimfield. announce the purchase. Murren involved in Massachusetts, we OPINION ............10 Please Read CASINO, page A14 OBITUARIES .......12 CALENDAR .........12 SPORTS ............13 Suhoski earns positive LOCAL marks in review BY KEVIN FLANDERS VILLAGER STAFF WRITER STURBRIDGE — The Board of Selectmen recently completed its annual evalua- tion of Town Administrator Shaun Suhoski, giving him improved ratings from last year’s evaluation in several categories. Suhoski earned acceptable ratings in nine categories and good ratings in the inter- governmental and public relations categories. He Shaun Suhoski received no poor or unaccept- Courtesy photos able ratings, and he improved his rating from last year in in less than five months, An investigator from Quiet Corner Paranormal searches the Publick House for signs of Landfill six categories. The overall describing his work with fed- the supernatural on Tuesday, Jan. 10. eral, state, and local entities complaints ratings represented an aver- age of individual scores after the three disasters as Page A3 given by each of the five commendable in their evalu- selectmen. ation report. In addition, the board’s Paranormal Publick House? “While I am pleased to see COMMUNITY improvement in most cate- evaluation stated, “The gories, I take my responsibili- majority view is that public LOCAL INVESTIGATIVE TEAM ty as town administrator relations is an area of very seriously and will con- strength for Mr. Suhoski and CHECKS OUT LOCAL LANDMARK tinue to strive to be more pro- that such was most evident ductive in my role,” Suhoski during the three natural dis- asters experienced this past BY KEVIN FLANDERS tory organization spent a video cameras in an said. “So long as the Board of VILLAGER STAFF WRITER Selectmen and town adminis- year. He is generally viewed few hours searching for attempt to capture evi- trator are working collabora- by the Board as approach- STURBRIDGE — With spirits in the Publick dence of paranormal tively for success, I believe able, empathetic, and sin- dozens of old buildings House, one of the most activity. According to that Sturbridge residents will cere.” and historic locations, historic buildings in Neslusan, it didn’t take continue to be well-served by At its meeting on Jan. 9, the Sturbridge is the perfect town. They set up such long for strange things to an efficient, responsive and Board determined that place to conduct a para- equipment as night occur, especially in Room Suhoski’s goals for 2012 will well-managed local govern- normal investigation. vision cameras, digital 40, which is rumored to be ment.” be set on Feb. 13. On Tuesday, Jan. 10, In other news from the Jan. voice recorders, laser one of the more haunted Board members recognized Lauren Neslusan and 9 Board meeting, selectmen thermometers, K2 places in the building. that Suhoski’s job was made members of her non-prof- meters, digital cameras, Turn To PARANORMAL, A14 much more difficult by three it paranormal investiga- and hand held infrared page natural disasters occurring Sculptor unveils Please Read SUHOSKI, page A11 latest work Page A4 Fourth climate change Variety of positions up SPORTS disaster declared for area for grabs in April election BY KEVIN FLANDERS TOWNS TALLY COSTS FOR OCTOBER VILLAGER STAFF WRITER STURBRIDGE — Believe it SNOWSTORM REIMBURSEMENT or not, election season is coming soon and it’s time for BY GUS STEEVES residents who are interested STONEBRIDGE PRESS STAFF WRITER in a seat on a town board or Local communities are committee to start gathering pulling together the figures signatures. necessary to apply for yet Town Clerk Lorraine another round of federal Murawski recently Brooks, Warriors reimbursement after announced that nomination President Barack Obama papers are now available for outlast Wolverines approved a disaster declara- the annual town election to Angeline Ellison Page A13 tion for the late October snow- be held on Monday, April 9. storm. Candidates must be regis- Under the law, towns will tered voters in town and have to provide 25 percent of obtain 39 signatures of regis- tered voters to be placed on OPINION their costs, while Washington O will reimburse the rest. The the ballot. GET YOUR Massachusetts Emergency The following positions Management Agency File photo will be open at this year’s POINT ACROSS (MEMA) is setting up ses- Wires can be seen drooping under the weight of the snow in election — Board of PAGE A10 sions around the state to brief Sturbridge after a surprise snow last October. Selectmen (two seats for communities on what they three years each), town mod- erator (one seat for three OLICE OGS need to do to get such funds, Pakachoag Church, next ter declarations POLICE LOGS and what will be reim- Tuesday at 9 a.m. Massachusetts received last years), Board of Assessors bursable expenses. That brings to four the (one seat for three years), PAGE A9 The closest is in Auburn, at number of presidential disas- Please Read DISASTER, page A11 Please Read ELECTION, page A14 Thomas Creamer 2 STURBRIDGE VILLAGER • Friday, January 20, 2012 Training for the unexpected LOCAL MAN HALF OF WEB DISASTER-PLANNING EFFORT BY GUS STEEVES By comparison, the 1918 flu’s death rate was STONEBRIDGE PRESS STAFF WRITER far lower — around 5 percent. About two years ago, the world saw the need “We were fortunate with the swine flu, but to be prepared for pandemic flu, as H1N1 swept the possibility [of a high death toll] was pretty around the globe. low,” Floyd said. But he pointed to our June It turned out to be fairly minor, but tornado as a similarly unlikely event that’s Sturbridge’s Ric Skinner, his colleague Chris “an example of why it’s necessary to be pre- Floyd, and area emergency preparedness folks pared.” hope local residents don’t take that for grant- The “Footprint” exercise aims at basically ed. Next time might not be so easy. any kind of community group, from those who Skinner and Floyd coordinate a nationwide, would already be prep-inclined to those who Internet-based effort called “Formidable are total neophytes to the concept but want to Footprint” (www.formidablefootprint.org), learn. In Sturbridge, Skinner has traditionally which aims to bring community groups pulled together the local CERT team, and together to prepare for a variety of potential plans to reach out to TriEPIC, but all it needs disasters. Since 2010, they’ve run exercises on is trios of people able to gather around a com- a tornado, hurricane, flood, earthquake and puter. pandemic, and this Jan. 28, they’re re-running “For pandemic, I’d think churches would be the last of these exercises. particularly interested because of the ‘social “Every community,every neighborhood has distancing’ involved,” he said. “They already to be prepared for disaster,” Floyd said. “… have it so people don’t shake hands upon leav- Planning for anything takes understanding ing when people are sick.” the threat. I live in Florida, and what do you Skinner noted the main point of such exer- think of when you think of Florida? cises is to ask questions and see how the group Hurricanes. But we’re just as susceptible to reacts to “a series of challenges” related to the the other Horsemen of the Apocalypse as we overall theme. As the three-hour session are to hurricanes.” evolves, the organizers throw unexpected The same is largely true anywhere, and it’s twists at participants, largely to see if they often the uncommon, unpredictable things know what their own skills, plans and local that wreak the most havoc (what writer resources are and/or who they’d go to get key Nassim Taleb calls “Black Swans”).