AAUUBBURURNN NNEWSEWS (508) 943-4800 Newsstand: 75 cents “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” www.auburnnews.net Wednesday, February 18, 2009 Second annual health care expo a success Board HUNDREDS FLOCK TO HOLY CROSS weighs FOR INFORMATIONAL SESSION budget BY TERESA A. FRANCO NEWS STAFF WRITER WORCESTER –– The Hogan Center at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester was bustling with activity Wednesday, Feb. 11, options for the Auburn Chamber of Commerce’s Second Annual Health Care Expo. Teresa A. Franco photos BY TERESA A. FRANCO According to Director of The Auburn Chamber of Commerce held it’s second annual Health Care Expo, Wednesday, Feb. 11, in NEWS STAFF WRITER Chamber Services Eleanor Worcester. The event attracted 225 attendees and 30 health care companies around the area set up booths. AUBURN –– A series of FY2010 budget sce- Houbre, 225 people browsed the 30 Women’s Health Care of Massachusetts Radiologist Kelly Croman tells a group of young women about the nario meetings the Board vendors that had propped up services her company provides. of Selectmen has been booths around the venue. A few plowing through for the companies even offered free serv- past two weeks will finally ices during the expo. The Auburn end with tonight’s meet- District Nursing Association ing, Wednesday,Feb. 18. (ADNA) booth provided a free The board opened the blood oxygen level test; Perfect floor to Auburn residents Focus Eye Care had glaucoma to get their thoughts on screenings; Blue Cross Blue several budget scenarios Shield gave cholesterol level tests, Wednesday, Feb. 11. blood pressure checks were given Selectmen held another from Harmon Home Health Care meeting the following Grossman and free massages from Team night, Thursday, Feb. 12, Celebrate Life, a branch of with various union repre- Harmon Home Health Care. sentatives. At a meeting the week before, The event started with legislative Town Accountant Edward Kazanovicz pre- updates from State Sen. Michael sented plausible scenarios to compensate for Moore and State Rep. Paul Frost. the town’s deficit of more than $900,000 for Both politicians expressed the FY2010. Originally, the deficit was estimated to be Turn To HEALTHCARE page A12 The Lodge at Eddy Pond Communication Relations Director Brenda Rojas chats with Elaine Racine of Senior Comfort Services. Turn To BUDGET OPTIONS page A8 Work continues on Bringing down the (out)house EAGLE SCOUT HOPEFUL HELPING veterans memorial parks WITH CREATIVE FUNDRAISING PROJECT BY TERESA A. FRANCO Bragg said the pond EYED FOR NEWS STAFF WRITER 2010 behind the Fire COMPLETION OF AUBURN –– Boy Scout Department was chosen Nicholas Bragg has recent- because it was the easiest MULTI-MILLION-DOL- ly finished managing the area to view and that the construction of an out- firefighters would be able LAR PROJECT house with his troop, but to practice their ice rescue the purpose of the out- skills by retrieving it from BY TERESA A. FRANCO house is not what one the bottom. Bragg men- NEWS STAFF WRITER would assume. tioned that the outhouse AUBURN –– Next year, if all goes Bragg, a junior at Bay was intended to be used according to plan, the town will be home Path Regional Vocational for this year but will be to a new scenic attraction nearly 15 years Technical High School in used next year because the in the making that will finally pay trib- Charlton, built the out- pond is being drained for ute to fallen heroes of wars gone by. house for a Keeping construction this year. For more than a decade, officials have Auburn Warm fundraiser. Boy Scouts are required The plan was for the out- to complete a community been planning to have a veteran’s memo- Teresa A. Franco photo rial park in four sections of town. The house to be placed on the service project in order to Bay Path Regional Vocational Courtesy photo idea was presented to the Board of frozen ice of Auburn Pond reach the rank of Eagle Technical High School junior Nicholas Iraq War Statue: Selectmen in 1996 by former Town behind the Fire Scout and the outhouse Bragg holds up a copy of the plans he Picture, clay models of the statues that are going to be Administrator Christopher Raphs. After Department. Once it’s was Bragg’s service proj- used to build an outhouse for a displayed in the Veteran’s Memorial Parks along Route that, a committee was created to get the placed, people would make ect. He will officially Keeping Auburn Warm fundraiser. 12 when they are complete by next year. bets on when it would fall receive the title of Eagle process moving. Bragg will reach the rank of Eagle The park, which is going to cost $12 mil- into the water. Whoever guesses closest to the date Scout at a ceremony in June for com- Turn To VETERANS page A8 it falls in wins the contest. Turn To OUTHOUSE page A14 pleting the project. Schools team up to make history BUSTED $500K GRANT AVAILABLE FOR TEACHERS BY RYAN GRANNAN-DOLL School District are all applying for the TONEBRIDGE PRESS STAFF WRITER grant. Several area school districts are apply- A group to create a proposal has ing for a large grant that would help edu- already been formed and plans to submit cators better teach American History. an application by the Friday, March 6 The $500,000 Teaching American deadline, according to Tantasqua History Grant would be used to train Assistant Superintendent Beth Schaper. teachers on how to lead lessons on Hopefully, she said, they will have a deci- American History. The federal sion about the grant come May. Department of Education (DOE) is offer- If they receive the award, educators ing the award, which is meant to be used from Old Sturbridge Village (OSV) and for all grades. Worcester-based Antiquarian Society, a “[It is] a great opportunity for our historical center that houses historical teachers,” said North Brookfield School documents, would assist in training the Superintendent Erin M. Nosek. “It is teachers. As part of its criteria, the really a great example of collaborative grant requires applicants to partner planning.” with a museum or college, Schaper said. As a team, the Webster Public Schools, “It is more about building a very North Brookfield Public Schools, the strong teaching community,” she said Courtesy photo Dudley-Charlton Regional School and to “grow really wonderful teachers AUBURN —A Rochdale Street man will face weapons charges after police confiscated a total of 85 guns and District, Spencer-East Brookfield of American history.” thousands of rounds of ammunition from the home Thursday, Feb. 12. According to Sgt. Jeffrey Lourie, the guns Regional School District, Auburn Public included shotguns, rifles, automatic weapons and hand guns. Police are currently inventorying thousands of Schools and the Tantasqua Regional Turn To SCHOOLS page A14 rounds of ammunition ranging from 22-caliber to 60-caliber rounds. E E CALENDAR.........A15 LOCAL SPORTS OPINION..............A6 KEEPING HOCKEY SENIORS .............A8 ACTION OBITUARIES .......A16 AUBURN WARM SPORTS ............A10 PAGE A3 PAGE A10 INSID 6 56525 10391 9 INSID 2 • THE AUBURN NEWS • Wednesday, February 18, 2009 School district Web site sees improvements ALMANAC QUOTE OF THE WEEK “As you get older, you look at [life] and say ‘There’s more to life than money,more to life than different things that make you happy because there’s other people who need help.’” - Anytime Fitness owner Eric Rubin, on the meaning of giving to others in need in these tough economic times. OPEN TO CLOSE AUBURN TOWN HALL Board of Selectmen (832-7720) Monday-Friday . .8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Town Clerk (832-7701) Monday-Friday . .8 a.m. to 4 p.m. AUBURN PUBLIC LIBRARY (832-7790) Monday, Wednesday10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday . .9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Courtesy photo Fridays . .10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. A shot of the school system’s recently revamped Web site. According to Technology Director Eric Bouvier and Superintendent Maryellen Brunelle, the Web site Saturday . .9 a.m. to 4 p.m. will continue to be updated and improve. AUBURN POLICE DEPARTMENT (832-7777) BY TERESA A. FRANCO even a Web site for the school. program called Ed Line. But Bouvier For emergencies, dial 911 NEWS STAFF WRITER “The technology department made it a pri- explained it all depends on how much money AUBURN –– Over the past few months, the ority to get a Web site up in March of 2007,” they can get. Auburn Public School District Web site has he said. “There have been updates here and At a recent School Committee meeting, undergone extensive tweaking. there but nothing like this.” Brunelle presented a tour of the new Web AUBURN FIRE DEPARTMENT Parents have expressed their desire for a Bouvier said he thinks it’s extremely site to the School Committee members, who (832-7800) more active school Web site in a three-ques- important that parents have recent informa- said they were pleased with the updates. tion survey administered to them in tion about their child’s school adding that Brunelle said she wanted to show the Web Monday-Friday . .8 a.m. to 4 p.m. November. In response to the parents’ increasing information to parents is one of site at the meeting so viewers at home, who For emergencies, dial 911 requests, Superintendent Maryellen the requirements for the No Child Left might have been new to the site a year ago, Brunelle and Technology Director Eric Behind Act (NCLB). will want to revisit.