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Complimentary to homes by request ONLINE: WWW.SPENCERNEWLEADER.COM Friday, April 25, 2014 THIS WEEK’S QUOTE Food Share Radiothon nets $30K and counting NNUAL FUNDRAISER CONTINUES TRADITION “None but a coward OF COMMUNITY GIVING BY AMANDA COLLINS “a true blessing.” dares to boast STONEBRIDGE PRESS STAFF WRITER “That number ‘3’ at the beginning is a won- that he has never SOUTHBRIDGE — While inside the WESO derful number,” he said of what was raised. “It known fear.” station Thursday, April 17, radio announcers puts us in an area where I’m not nervous about and special guests spoke over the 970 AM what’s going to happen over the next six to airwaves for 12 straight hours, outside in the eight months. To everyone who helped in any Ferdinand Foch parking lot, Food Share volunteers collect- way, I give them the largest thank you I could ed food and monetary donations that were possibly give them.” dropped off all day long. In addition to the money donated on The Food Share Radiothon, a tradition that Thursday, of which $908 will benefit Food Amanda Collins photo marked 35 years last week, netted $30,217 in Share’s Webster location and the remain- DJ John Ryan talks with past Food Share President and current one day, but that number is expected to climb der will support the Elm Street food pantry, INSIDE Treasurer Jerry Lafleche and Joe Klimavich from Hometown over the next few weeks as donations continue Fournier said another 3,000 pounds of food was Bank during the 10th hour of last Thursday’s 35th Annual Food to trickle in. President Ray Fournier said the Obituaries ...........B Sect Share Radiothon at WESO AM 970. fundraiser, the Food Share’s one and only, is Turn To RADIOTHON, page A14 Calendar ............B Sect Classroom Corner .. A6-7 Budget TOO COOL Viewpoint .............. A8-9 Police Logs............. A18 requests face David Dore photo LEICESTER — The Sports ...............A10-13 Leicester Art, Music and first vote Drama departments host- ed the annual Evening with the Arts Tuesday, LOCAL April 15 at Leicester High next week School. Pictured, music BY DAVID DORE teacher Kayla Engvall NEW LEADER STAFF WRITER wears her sunglasses SPENCER — Before they decide at night before the high two Proposition 2 1/2 overrides school chorus takes the and a debt exclusion for school Fine Arts Center stage. technology upgrades, Spencer vot- For more photos, turn to ers will head to Town Meeting next page A4! week to determine whether they should be funded at all. Spencer’s share of the regional school budget, next year’s town budget, the school technology request and more are among the 21 items on the agenda for the Annual Town Meeting, which starts at 7 Malvey: Lake Street School to remain open Large tree falls p.m. Thursday, May 1 at Memorial BY DAVID DORE education programs at Lake Street “The end result was we would Town Hall. NEW LEADER STAFF WRITER School. be really crowding too many chil- onto vehicles on Ordinarily, Town Administrator SPENCER — As he hinted three Malvey and district administra- dren into ancillary spaces,” Malvey Adam Gaudette explained last weeks earlier, the interim super- tors looked at various options for said. “The classrooms seemed to Route 56 week, the municipal budget is a intendent of the Spencer-East moving programs out of the 60-year- work, but in almost all of these Page A2 single article on the Town Meeting Brookfield Regional School District old Lake Street School, such as options we were coming up short warrant. But with part of the fis- said last week he could not recom- putting them all at Wire Village anywhere from four or five class- cal 2015 plan dependent on an mend closing Lake Street School at School (which houses Grades 2-5 rooms, depending on how we con- SPORTS override, he said, it’s been split this time. in Spencer), putting preschool and figured that. into two articles. Article 7 is the The reason, Edward “Ted” kindergarten at Knox Trail Junior “Even though on a rainy day we $8.37 million section of the budget Malvey told the School Committee High School, or moving classrooms would get everyone into the eleva- that doesn’t require the override; at its April 15 meeting, is because to East Brookfield Elementary tor,” he added, “I can’t justify it as Article 8 is the $484,000 part of the there is not enough room elsewhere School and putting East Brookfield an educator going down the road budget that is dependent on one in the district for the preschool, sixth-graders at the junior high Turn To BUDGET, page A14 kindergarten, Grade 1 and special school. Turn To SCHOOLS, page A17 Bank starts drive for new location in Spencer Early offensive FINAL APPROVAL FROM TOWN BOARDS COULD COME NEXT MONTH flurry leads BY ELISA KROCHMALNYCKYJ Savings Bank. Plans are to open the new branch at 130 West NEW LEADER CORRESPONDENT “Of course I am hoping the town approves Main St., next to the Salvation Army Thrift Store, Panthers past SPENCER — Southbridge Savings Bank is hop- everything, but until they do, we won’t really in a building owned by Southbridge Savings Grafton ing to open a full-service drive-through branch have any definitive plans,” Gunnel said. Bank. The McGrath insurance group occupies on Route 9 and likely closing the branch inside Because of that, Southbridge Savings Bank part of the building. Page A10 the Big Y supermarket. does not have any timeline set nor worked out The proposal before the town’s boards call for But bank officials are waiting for approval from details such as branch hours, she said. a two-bay drive-through lane around the back the town before finalizing any plans, said Susan “We haven’t considered everything else,” she Gunnel, a senior vice president at Southbridge said. “It’s too soon.” Turn To BANK, page A14 OPINION GET YOUR POINT ACROSS Brookfield police station project moves ahead PAGE A8-9 BY DAVID DORE of experience in the field. But com- manager “still has to go out to bid” tions based” selection process. NEW LEADER STAFF WRITER mittee Chairman Michael Cantwell under state law. “The OPM acts as the awarding BROOKFIELD — The committee said he would check with the state Holm could submit a bid if he authorities agent and consultant tasked with overseeing the design to see if Holm could hold the job. wishes, even if it’s for $1, Cantwell throughout the project from design and construction of a new police sta- Cantwell told the committee at said. If he wins, the two state offic- through completion and must be tion has started its work, but it had its April 17 meeting he spoke with es could write letters stating the completely independent from the to walk back one of its votes after people at the inspector general’s arrangement is OK. designer, general contractor and finding out it didn’t pass muster office and the attorney general’s According to guidelines on the any sub-contractors involved in the with the state. office. They told him that because state Division of Capital Asset project at all times,” the guidelines Members of the Police Station the police station project was esti- Management website, the owner’s state. Building Committee voted earlier mated to cost at least $1.5 million project manager must be hired The duties of the owner’s proj- this month to hire one of their own, (it was approved at a Special Town before the project designer, meet ect manager include consulting on David Holm, as the owner’s project Meeting last year for no more than minimum qualification standards $1.6 million), the owner’s project manager. He said he has 25 years and be hired through a “qualifica- Turn To POLICE, page A16 2 SPENCER NEW LEADER • Friday, April 25, 2014 Large tree falls onto vehicles on Route 56 RETIRED LEICESTER FIRE CHIEF OFFERS ASSISTANCE TO TRAPPED MAN BY DAVID DORE seriously injured,” Hurley said. Morris’ vehicle became entangled in live the Town of Leicester. NEW LEADER STAFF WRITER The tree also totaled a Kia minivan head- utility wires. Gumpright set up a page on the fund- LEICESTER — One man spent several ing south on Pleasant Street and driven by Morris was trapped in his vehicle for raising website GoFundMe (http://www. days in the hospital and three young men John Morris. He was coming home from the about half an hour until the power could gofundme.com/8cpeqg) to raise money for escaped serious injury after a large tree fell bank, said his daughter, Kristi Gumpright.