COMMUNITY IN THE CLASSROOM SPORTS Pet of the week: Students receive Panthers season Meet Shoes scholarships ends in tournament Page 2 Page 5 Page 9 SERVING PALMER, MONSON, BRIMFIELD, HOLLAND & WALES The Journal Register A TURLEY PUBLICATION ❙ www.turley.com July 1, 2021 ❙ Vol. CLXX, No. 22 ❙ $1.00 www.journalregister.turley.com WILD MEETING LAST CALLfor Fire Chief Public rallies around Alan Roy retiring after 45 Officer Olszta after years of service to PFD By Michel Harrison Select Board vote [email protected] By Michael Harrison it didn’t take long for it to go off [email protected] the rails. PALMER — While many The main issue was whether 16-year-olds in the 1970s spent BRIMFIELD — In a raucous, or not to re-appoint nine police of- much of their free time in hot pur- sometimes chaotic meeting Mon- ficers. One of them, Ryan Olszta, suit of good times, Alan Roy was day night, the Select Board, with apparently expected less than full more interested in rushing to hot two new members, seemed to support from the new-look board. spots. leave the town without a function- Olszta, a former selectman, has An auxiliary Palmer firefight- al police force for a time, expelled been active on Facebook, posting er for two years, Roy joined the an audience member, prevented about hostility directed at him that on-call force when he turned 18 in others from speaking, and may could affect his status. 1976 and never looked back. Rising have left itself vulnerable to legal It remains unclear the source through the ranks over the years, action. of the hostility, but Olszta and The meeting had barely ended some residents have made refer- CHIEF ❙ page 10 before angry residents launched a ences to unspecified allegations. recall drive that may have to wait No formal charges or hearings until fall but nonetheless gained have been held about any alleged momentum through the power of conduct issues Olszta could face. social media. By Tuesday morn- Neither Olszta nor any board ing, a popular Brimfield commu- members with the exception nity Facebook group was lighting of former Board of Selectmen up with comments and discussions Chairman Michael Doyle could among those who either attended be reached for comment after the the meeting or watched the live meeting despite messages left by stream on Brimfield.tv. voice mail, email, and text. Doyle All that at a meeting that referred questions to new Chair- wasn’t supposed to happen. woman Suzanne Collins – who did Pat Leaming and Martin Kel- not respond to a message left at the ly won the two open Select Board Select Board office and does not terms in last week’s election. The have any other contact information first post-election Select Board listed on the town’s website. meeting was scheduled for next At one point, the board ap- Longtime Palmer Fire Chief Alan Roy (center) received a service plaque recently for his years week, when the board was going parently tabled the police officers’ on the Service Commission, which is appointed by the Governor. Roy, shown with Fire Marshal to re-organize. For reasons still re-appointments. On paper, that Peter Ostroskey (left) and Chairman Greg Burns, served on the commission for nine years and unexplained, the meeting was would seem to leave only Police is retired from the fire department effective July 1. moved up a week with the mini- mum required two-days notice and RALLIES ❙ page 6 Alan Roy, back when he was captain of the Palmer Fire Dept. SUMMER PROGRAM GREEN DAYS COMING BIKE RACE Kids Corner National Grid customers can returns July 6 sign up for solar and save for month- By Jonah Snowden surrounding area will be able to program.” [email protected] benefit from clean energy and help There’s another incentive. long session our environment at the same time. Clarke also said for every per- BRIMFIELD – For residents The land here was purchased by my son who signs up for the program, By Jonah Snowden who want to tap into solar energy grandfather in 1904 and it has been Energy 261 will be donating $50 to [email protected] for their homes without installing an active family farm ever since. a Massachusetts nonprofit organiza- panels, a new electricity option is This one particular field has just the tion of the customer’s choice. PALMER – Things are get- coming online. right lineup for a solar project and “The nonprofit is decided by ting busy at the Old Mill Pond The Brimfield Community will hopefully work with everybody whoever signs up,” Clarke said. “Kids’ Corner.” Shared Solar Project is scheduled in the area.” “We’ve actually tried to sign up to be available to all National Grid Bob Clarke, president of 621 some nonprofits to be members of The fourth annual summer Courtesy photo program for preschool-age kids customers – it’s not restricted to Energy, said this project has been the program, which we’ve had suc- Brimfield – by September. in the works since 2018, since it cess with.” Bikers participating in a past Firecracker Early Morning Circuit Race at is scheduled to begin July 6 and Palmer Motorsports Park. This year’s will be held on July 5, at 9 a.m. go through Aug. 6. Anyone traveling on Route 20 had to go through a rigorous appli- Kids’ Corner Program Di- since early spring probably noticed cation process in compliance with How it works rector Cathy Les said each week the solar farm under construction in regulations. He said joining the Each month, customers will features a new theme and a slew a field at 93 Palmer Road on prop- program carries no risk for anyone receive a credit on their National of activities. erty that’s been in former Select- who wants to use more clean energy Grid electric bill to offset the charge Palmer Motorsports “One of the themes we’re woman Susan Hilker’s family for while saving money on their electric from BCS that will be 10% lower offering this summer will be a generations. bill. than the credit. For example, a $100 will host bicycle race carnival week,” Less said. “After I retired, I had time to “(Residents) can participate for NG credit would mean a customer devote to it and started working on up to 20 years in the program, but owes BCS $90. “Each day will be a fun- has organized five past races. It’s filled day. They come in the something that would make sense they also can get out if they move Should a customer move from Proceeds benefit for the town,” Hilker said. outside of National Grid territory,” the area, they can transfer their a cause near and dear to his heart morning can come to get break- – helping those family members fast, get into their groups and “I’m really hoping the people Clarke said. “It’s also important to Concerns of Police of Brimfield and the people in the know that there’s no fee to join this SOLAR ❙ page 3 who have lost a police officer to a partake in some activities. We Survivors death in the line of duty – through offer sports, water play, mov- the New England Chapter of Con- ies other fun activities all day By Eileen Kennedy cerns of Police Survivors. Having long.” Staff writer seen the grief of police officers’ Registration opened July 1. family members after their loved The program will also be PALMER – There will be a one is killed in the line of duty, offering weekly special guests, race Monday, July 5, at the Palmer he thought it would be the perfect a free lunch program, and ex- Motorsports Park, but it will look charity. tended morning and afternoon a lot different than the normal The cause may be serious, but hours. Sixty-one children have workout sports car clubs give the the event itself is blast, he said. been enrolled so far. track during the season. “It’s 2.3 miles and it’s twisty Kids’ Corner is also prepar- The track is at 58 West Ware and hilly – it’s great,” Domnarski ing to roll out a new early child- Road in Palmer, practically on the said. hood development pilot pro- town lines of Ware and Warren. He wouldn’t be able to put on gram that was first announced At 9 a.m., on Monday, bi- the race if it weren’t for the gen- and approved during the May cycle riders of all sizes, shapes, erosity of the Palmer Motorsports 19 Palmer Public School Com- fitness levels, and skills will line Park, which generally charges mittee meeting. up together with their $20 reg- $20,000 to rent the track for an “Last year, we had 75 kids istration fees going to the New event, he said, but provides the enrolled in our before and after England Chapter of Concerns of track at no cost for this race. school program,” Les said. Police Survivors. “When I heard there was go- “It’s still a growing pro- “You do not have to be a rac- ing to be a track here, I came to er to do this,” said organizer Matt Fred and asked him, and he didn’t KIDS CORNER ❙ page 3 Domnarski, of the Firecracker even hesitate,” Domnarski said, Early Morning Circuit Race. referring to track owner Fred Fer- Turley Publications photo by Michael Harrison “You just have to be a racer guson. Construction began in May on the Brimfield Community Shared Solar Project facility off Route 20.