Rotary planting idea with Selectman
By Karen Mann JOURNAL CORRESPONDENT

The east-end of the Academy Hill area looks out on Mount Wachusett and is a distance from the Gazebo where many town events are held. JOURNAL PHOTO/CAITLYN KELLEHER

The members of the Ashburnham-Westminster Rotary Club hope to have a Veteran's Memorial Garden constructed in time for the town's upcoming birthday bash.

The club's Community Service Chairwoman Joanie Anderson said they would like to build the memorial with it broken into five avenues - one to honor each of the five branches of the military.

Anderson said there would be five stone walkways leading to a center memorial.

"There will be a center monument, we are not sure what yet, so you are walking towards something," said Anderson.

The garden - which will be largely comprised of small trees, shrubs and perennials - would sit on Academy Hill, in the far east end of the area.

"It wouldn't interfere with any other festivities (held on the common)," Anderson said. "And the view, there is a clear shot of Mount Wachusett."

Anderson went before selectmen to get their approval and blessing on the project because it is town owned land.

"It is a great idea, it highlights the beauty up there," Selectman Thomas O'Toole said.

The board passed a motion to allow the Rotary Club to move ahead with the project.

Anderson said the Rotary Club wants it to be a community project and encouraged donations of any kind. Once the garden is constructed, the Rotary Club would like to sell bricks to people to placed on each walkway, in memory of a loved one.

The Club hopes to have the garden up and ready by fall of 2009, when the town celebrates its 250th Anniversary.

In other news:

• Members of the school committee along with Superintendent Michael Zapantis asked the members of the Board of Selectmen to take a public vote at their meeting, in favor or opposing a Proposition 2 1/2 override, which was to be voted on by town residents the following day.

Each of the three members took a different position; yes, no, and maybe.

"For me personally, I would like to see a contract put in place. We are not gaining anything if we don't know what the future holds," said O'Toole, speaking to the fact that officials are in the middle of negotiating new contracts with school employees.

O'Toole said he needed to see hard numbers before he could support an override.

Board Chairman John Fairbanks said he did not think having the teacher's new contracts in place was as important to voting on the override as O'Toole and Selectman Nick Hay personally felt.

Hay, remained undecided and admitted he might stay undecided.

"Until tomorrow, I don't know which way I will vote. I might not even vote," said Hay.

• Selectmen accepted a donation of land from the Morin family. The four acres is located off of Oakmont Avenue. A warrant at the next town meeting will give residents the chance to accept the donation as well.

• Starting on September 26, until the end of the year, the Board of Selectmen will meet on Wednesday, instead of Monday. Meetings are scheduled for the following dates: Sept. 26, Oct. 24, Nov. 7 and 28, as well as Dec. 5 and 19.