• LOCAL NEWS LOCAL STORIES LOCAL ADVERTISERS • E WARE REGION FOR 1 ING TH 29 YE SERV ARS Vol. 135 No. 14 12 Pages (Plus Supplements) USPS 666100 $31 PER YEAR - $1.00 A COPY THURSDAY, MAY 6, 2021 www.warerivernews.turley.com A TURLEY PUBLICATION ❙ www.turley.com Dangerous Town administrator dog issue resignation accepted By Paula Ouimette will have to verify with the town revisited Staff Writer accountant, but she believes Hoffman can be paid from the Demo permit for HARDWICK – The Hardwick Town Administrator’s budget. Board of Selectmen met on Hoffman said she would be 114 Main St. pursued Monday, May 3, at 6:30 p.m. via willing to help as much as she Zoom. could. The board approved a By Eileen Kennedy BOS Chair Kelly Kemp said motion to appoint Hoffman Staff writer she has attempted to reach out to assist the board with interim to Town Administrator Theresa administrative duties until a per- WARE – The owner of a dog the Cofske several times since manent town administrator is in SelectBoard had deemed danger- Cofske gave a verbal notice of place. ous in early April asked the board resignation during a meeting on to reconsider its order to euthanize April 26. Kemp said she has not it should it be off the owner’s prop- gotten any response and felt the Community Host erty again. board should “move forward,” Agreements On April 6, the board held a Turley Publications Courtesy Photo with appointing someone to an Planning Board Chair Harry dangerous dog hearing regarding This architectural rendering shows how the mill, located at 94 Main St., would look after redevelop- interim position. Comerford said the town a dog owned by Keith McDonald ment as Hardwick Mill Greenery. The Gilbertville mill complex would house a cannabis establishment as Kemp said she has spo- has three Community Host and Jenafer Kularski, of Howard well as various other businesses. ken with town counsel and was Agreements being reviewed at Street, after a neighbor, Julie advised that Cofske’s verbal this time. Kemp said she is wait- Nicoliello, said their dog attacked resignation in a public, record- ing to hear back from Adroit her much smaller dog on March ed meeting, was sufficient to be Manufacturing LLC after town 17, and her dog died of an infection Redevelopment of mill proposed accepted by the board. The board counsel sent them a revised CHA. two days later. approved a motion to accept Comerford said the impact The order from April 6 included By Paula Ouimette his way up from a dishwasher to history of the building alive,” he Cofske’s resignation given on fees the town could receive, a provision to euthanize the dog Staff Writer a restaurant owner and has spent said. Their goal is to reuse what April 26. which go up to 3%, from each without a hearing if it was off the the past seven years pursuing is already there in an adaptive proposed business may change property again. HARDWICK – Representa- real estate development. He also way, LaFrance said. The gravel in the future, as there is a cur- At Tuesday’s meeting, Kularski tives from the proposed can- introduced Dan LaFrance, a pro- lot between the mill and the river Appointment rent dispute in another munici- said the dog actually belonged to nabis establishment, Hardwick fessional engineer from Fuss & will be used as a parking area with of interim pality over the fairness of the McDonald. Neighbors reported the Mill Greenery, 94 Main St., O’Neill, who has worked on many 43 parking spots, complete with BOS Vice-Chair Julie Quink fees. Kemp said town counsel dog was unrestrained and taken for Gilbertville, hosted a Community historic sites, including 94 Main landscaping and an overlook of said she would continue to help did notify her that impact fees a walk by McDonald only a cou- Outreach Meeting with residents, St. for a previous development the river. with the paying of bills and make could possibly be reduced when ple days after the April 6 hearing. town officials and State Sen. Anne plan, and David Wluka, Realtor The road will remain similar sure they are up to date. Quink the dispute is settled. Comerford Since the hearing, McDonald has Gobi, D-Spencer. Hardwick Mill and planning consultant, who is in design and traffic flow, with said she is working on getting said even if the impact fee were also allegedly driven up and down Greenery is seeking retail adult assisting with developing the busi- the North Street access being one a job description for the Town reduced in the future, the proper- Howard Street in the early hours use, cultivation, manufactur- ness. way and the Main Street access Administrator position. ty tax benefit for a business such of the morning, yelling from the ing and transportation marijuana being two way. There will be 20 Quink recommended hav- as Hardwick Greenery would still window of his car, according to licensing with the town. overflow parking spots beyond ing Lori Hoffman, clerk for be significant to the town. neighbors. Neighbors described the Attorney Brain Palmucci intro- Redevelopment plan the loading dock to the rear of the the Police Department, take Kemp said both Budding LaFrance showed images of the situation as “a ticking time bomb.” duced principal owner George mill. ADA compliant parking will care of the warrants. Hoffman Botanicals LLC and Hardwick mill building when it was in its After talking to Kularski and her Lang, a real estate developer with be located in front of the mill. already manages the warrants prime. “This is a very old prop- lawyer, John Anastasi, the board 30 years of experience in the for both the Police and Highway erty…we are looking to keep the voted that the fence that the six- restaurant industry. Lang worked Please see MILL, page 5 Departments. Quink said she Please see RESIGNATION, page 11 foot fence she has erected must have roof over it and the sides must be embedded two feet in the ground, as specified in the origi- nal order. They must also provide proof from their insurance compa- Project 351 ambassadors hold clothing drive ny that their homeowners insurance covers McDonald for $100,000 lia- By Eileen Kennedy took part in multiple Zoom ses- at QRMHS, Warren Community bility, and the dog must be muzzled See story and Staff writer sions where they learned about dif- Elementary School and West and on a leash when it is off the more photos ferent types of community service, Brookfield Elementary School for property. If there is another inci- on page 6. WARREN – Quaboag Regional how to get organized to do it and people to place their donations. dent of the dog being unrestrained Middle High School eighth-grad- how to spread the word so it suc- They are looking forward to having off Kularski’s property, there will ers, Norah Schwenker, of Warren, cessful, Tunley said. many residents donate the cloth- be another hearing, and the board and Parker Tunley, of West Cradles to Crayons, a Boston- ing and they’re happy to be able may vote to have the dog eutha- Brookfield, were chosen this year based nonprofit, helps with Project to help those less fortunate than nized. as Project 351 ambassadors for 351. It also gathers children’s themselves. “We don’t want to be the their towns to learn about commu- clothing and school supplies for “There are 70,000 eighth-grad- bad guys, but we will,” said nity service and bring it back to low-income children. ers in the state and 351 of them SelectBoard Chairman Keith their hometowns. Tunley and Parker are running a are selected to participate in this Kruckas, about future issues. “If I Project 351 is a statewide pro- children’s clothing drive beginning program,” said Duff. “It’s really an was you, I’d get rid of the owner,” gram, started by then Gov. Deval on May 10, which will go through incredible honor and I’m so proud Kruckas told Kularski, referring to Patrick, as a way for students to May 21. There will be large boxes of both you.” McDonald. find out how much can be done Kruckas, SelectBoard Vice through community service and Chairman John Morrin and meet other students in the process. SelectBoard Clerk Tom Barnes said Before COVID-19, each student they are against euthanizing the would head to Boston to hear Tall tales bring laughter speakers and take part in commu- Turley Publications staff photo by Paula Ouimette Donald and Maren Dunbar enjoy a puppet show in Grenville nity service there on the weekend Please see WARE BOS, page 3 Park this past Monday. of Martin Luther King Day, before heading home. Schwenker said they were sometimes broken up into smaller groups to talk about community Regionalization continues to be explored service with other students, which she enjoyed. By Eileen Kennedy Spencer, but Quaboag is now con- make sense from a student stand- Each student is picked by their Staff writer centrating on North Brookfield. point, he said. The school dis- schools and QRMHS Principal Quaboag School Committee trict, along with North Brookfield Steven Duff said the names of WARREN – The Quaboag Chairman Andrew Schwenker also School District, will be taking Schwenker and Tunley came up Regional School Committee announced during the meeting most of the next year to explore immediately when seventh and met the last week of April with that the North Brookfield School regionalizing, and the soonest a eighth-grade teachers were decid- Warren, West Brookfield and Regionalization Committee had vote would be taken would be a ing on who the ambassadors should North Brookfield officials and sev- chosen that evening to explore year from now at Annual Town be this year.