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Hanna Conveniently Located On Route 9 • 284 Main St., Spencer PUBLISHED BY STONEBRIDGE PRESS (Corner of Greenville St. & Main St.) Auburn News • Blackstone Valley Tribune • Charlton Villager • Southbridge News 508-885-5511 located in Spencer New Leader • Sturbridge VillagerVacation • Webster Times at Home Did You Know It’s Currently A Very Strong SELLERS MARKET If you have been thinking of selling, there’s no better time to get things moving! With plenty of buyers but a lack of listings means a very strong market for sellers. Multiple oers produce top dollar for your property! this week’s Call or text Lisa Boudreau at 774-200-7400 to nd out how much your home is worth. [email protected] (774) 200-7400 mobile (508) 347-7181 oce (508) 347-7410 fax SOLD SOLD SOLD 135 Main Street Sturbridge, MA 01566-1569 ©2020 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker® and the Coldwell Banker Logo are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each office is independently owned and operated. MEET YOUR MERCHANTS • A STONEBRIDGE PRESS PUBLICATION • Sept. 24-25, 2020 • 1 paper Free by request to residents of East Brookfield, West Brookfield, North Brookfield, Brookfield, Leicester and Spencer SEND YOUR NEWS AND PICS TO [email protected] Friday, September 25, 2020 New CVS pharmacy proposed in Spencer BY KEVIN FLANDERS mercial zoning district, but a On Sept. 29, the Zoning petition calling for the pro- This is the wrong spot for the STAFF WRITER small portion would extend Board of Appeals will hold a posal to be scrapped. William project.” SPENCER – A proposal for a into the village-residential procedural meeting to discuss Jeff Fortin, also a High Street Fortin retained Attorney new CVS in the center of town zoning district. Some res- the proposal. A public hear- resident, has joined other George Kiritsy to commu- has been met with mixed reac- idents in the neighborhood ing will take place during the abutters of the proposed nicate with the town on his tions from residents. have expressed strong opposi- Oct. 13 ZBA meeting. development site in denounc- behalf. In June, Kiritsy wrote Submitted by Arista tion to the proposal. A special permit would like- ing the project. They believe a letter to the Spencer ZBA Development, LLC, the pro- “We would have to deal ly need to be approved by the the proposal is a nonstarter conveying Fortin’s opposition posal calls for the construc- with increased traffic all day, ZBA to allow the CVS to be due to its location and traffic to the proposal and request tion of a 12,850 square foot trucks pulling in every eve- built as a small-scale retail concerns. that the application be denied. CVS with drive-thru access. ning, bright lights in the park- operation with no outside “This project would cre- “Large scale retail sales Development would take ing lot, and a lot more noise,” storage. Three vacant build- ate dangerous levels of traf- are prohibited within the place on four lots surrounded said Thomas Simulis, a High ings on the proposed develop- fic every day for drivers and village-residential zone,” by High Street, Main Street, Street resident. “I moved out ment site would also need to pedestrians. It’s already an Kiritsy’s letter read. “Even and Pleasant Street. of Worcester to get away from be taken down prior to con- extremely busy area – the plan small scale retail establish- The majority of the pro- the heavy traffic and noise. If struction, officials said. is ridiculous,” Fortin said. ments (and CVS is hardly a posed construction site lies this gets built, there would be As of press time, nearly 260 “There are far better places small scale establishment) are within the town center’s com- no reprieve from the traffic.” people had signed an online in town where this could go. Turn To CVS page A7 LEICESTER PD SALUTES East Brookfield PROJECT 351 VOLUNTEER voters fund water main project BY KEVIN FLANDERS the scope of the work needed to STAFF WRITER repair a water main that is 80 years old. “That went a long way toward EAST BROOKFIELD – Annual educating residents,” Selectman Town Meeting voters approved Theodore Boulay said of the pub- funding last week for the Route 9 lic hearings. “The meetings were water main replacement project. well-attended, and we also did a The vote was nearly unani- lot of communicating with peo- mous at the Sept. 16 Town ple on this.” Meeting, which had been post- The town has already applied poned from the spring due to for a loan through the MassDEP’s COVID-19. Voters authorized the Clean Water Trust, which pro- borrowing of $2.79 million for the vides low-interest loans to Route 9 project, which will range municipalities and other eligible from the Spencer town line to entities. A significant portion of Photo Courtesy the western part of town near the loan will be eligible for for- The Leicester Police Department recently celebrated the efforts of Chloe Bouchard, a Project 351 volun- the flats. giveness (approximately 13 per- teer who put together several baskets for first responders. Officials held a pair of pub- cent on the principal). Bouchard, now a freshman at Leicester High School, joined officers at a ceremony outside the police lic hearings ahead of the Town The debt service for the proj- station last week. Meeting to provide residents Project 351 unites students from across the state for community service efforts. One student in each town with information on the proj- Turn To WATER page A7 is selected as a Project 351 ambassador. ect. The hearings highlighted Changes announced Second Chance offers refuge to Town Meeting to cats from Delaware Animal bus routes Rescue Intake EAST BROOKFIELD public about cats living in case. — Twenty-nine cats from deplorable conditions. Due Blancato expressed her BY KEVIN FLANDERS and advisories in place for riders. what may be Delaware’s to the ongoing investiga- gratitude to the CMDART STAFF WRITER They include the following: largest ever animal rescue tion, Blancato could not volunteers who helped Anyone along the designated bus LEICESTER – Officials have intake have found refuge comment further on the Turn To REFUGE page A7 made some minor changes to the routes may waive the bus down for at Second Chance Animal suspected animal cruelty bus routes for the Special Town a ride to the meeting. Services. Second Chance is Meeting. The van will only load and unload grateful to volunteers from Due to the location, limited park- passengers at the Senior Center the Central Massachusetts ing, and importance of the Sept. 26 and Special Town Meeting sites. Disaster Animal Response Special Town Meeting, the town Masks must be worn in all WRTA Team for their help in and the Worcester Regional Transit vehicles. transporting the cats to Authority (WRTA) have arranged Social distancing is required the Second Chance Almost to provide free bus and van service for anyone not living in the same Home transport facility to residents wishing to attend. household. Seats are marked in North Brookfield last Bus routes and schedules are as accordingly. week. The cats completed follows: All of the above routes will be their state mandated quar- East/West bus route: 8:30 a.m., 9 repeated in reverse order after antine and are receiving a.m., and 9:30 a.m. the meeting until all passengers all necessary medical care The bus will begin at the former have been given the opportunity to so they can be cleared for Elfskin mill on the McCarthy Ave/ return to their starting point. adoption. Route 9 intersection, then proceed The Special Town Meeting will Second Chance CEO west on Route 9 to Leicester Center, take place at 10 a.m. at the for- Sheryl Blancato said “Many turn right onto Paxton Street, mer Millbrook Distributors site (88 of the cats are in need of and stop in front of Town Hall. Huntoon Memorial Highway). The dental care, need on-going It will then proceed to Pleasant Town Meeting article will decide treatment for skin condi- Street south before arriving at the the fate of the new school proposal. tions and body sores, or are meeting site on Huntoon Highway If approved, the new school on underweight. Some cats (Route 56). Paxton Street would serve students have already been cleared West/East bus route: 8:30 a.m., 9 from pre-kindergarten through for adoption by our veter- a.m., and 9:30 a.m. eighth grade. To move forward inarians, but the majority Starting from the Walmart park- with the proposal, the Special Town will be available for foster ing lot, the bus will proceed east Meeting article must pass by a two to adopt. They have already on Route 9, turn right onto Route thirds majority vote. From there, been through so much and 56, and wait briefly in front of the residents would take a ballot vote we think they will do best Leicester Housing Authority on on Nov.