Letters to the Editor

250th Committee explains request

To the Editor:

With the 250th Anniversary fast approaching in 2009, we look forward to creating events, which will reflect Westminster's rich history of family and community.

We want to bring you up to date on the work done over the past year as well as tell what will be accomplished over the next 18 months by the committee.

The 250th Anniversary Committee met monthly for the past three years. We continue to work with local groups, businesses and sub-committees to plan monthly events, to celebrate and commemorate the anniversary. These events are scheduled to begin January 1, 2009.

We will be holding an informational meeting on May 29 at 7 p.m. in the hopes of attracting more volunteers. We would welcome you to come to that event.

Princeton will also be celebrating their 250th anniversary in 2009 and our committees are working to coordinate some joint events.

We continue to work with the Historical Society to develop the official anniversary calendar. We plan to have the calendar available in early fall.

During 2007, we finalized the design of the logo with the help of Westminster artist Lori Hyre.

With the design set, we started our fundraising efforts with the sale of commemorative coins and pins. We have added travel mugs, vehicle stickers and are set to start selling golf shirts and caps at the annual town meeting We have contacted two local businesses to sell commemorative items on our behalf.

We are nearly ready to add two "Cat's Meow" pieces.

The Lions Club has offered the proceeds of the May 18 pancake breakfast to benefit the 250th Anniversary Celebration.

We are in the early stages of our budget process, however what we know so far tells us that the parade alone will cost $50,000 to $80,000 and the fireworks will be another $12,000.

Although we are looking for donations and selling items, the majority of the money generally comes from a form of advertising. The economy will play into our ability to attract donations that we would have under different economic conditions and the size and quality of the parade are directly related to funding.

The town has been very generous at past annual town meetings voting $30,000 thus far. Without this last $10,000 the committee may have to consider scaling back our events as we are unsure at this point how much income will be raised in sponsorships.

While we will be raising funds this only results in a small amount of revenue and town funding is the only funding that allows us to commit to some events.

While we understand the reasoning of the Selectmen removing the article from the ATM, we wanted you to know that we went ahead with the citizen petition because the committee can't finalize plans for the larger and more expensive events any later than this summer. Waiting until the fall would not allow us to plan effectively. If it is the desire of the voters to streamline the events then we need to know now.

We would ask you to please support the article for $10,000 at the town meeting.

Lorraine J. Emerson Chairman, 250th Anniversary Committee

Residents say save the Westminster landmark

To the Editor:

The old town hall is one of the last historic public buildings still standing in Westminster. We want to preserve it and ask for your help when it comes to a vote at the next town meeting on May 3, 2008. This building would make a great community center.

The town hall was always used as a community center until the town took it over for town offices. Prior to World War II the first floor was a dining hall used by various organizations to serve suppers for fundraising.

The second floor was used for Finn Hops, State Guard Dances and even wedding receptions. They also had minstrel shows and teenage dances. Catholic church services were held there while the St. Edward the Confessor Church was being built. The Grand Army of the Republic, the Farmers and Mechanics Association and the Grange used the third floor. Today there is still a demand for a community center. And it could also be used as a museum for town artifacts that are now in storage.

This should be a building to benefit the greatest number of people in town. A park does not benefit the majority of people. A community center will benefit everyone.

We have already spent $99,700 for a feasibility study and the repair of the building's roof trusses. That's a lot of money that we've invested in the building and now according to Article 35 on the town meeting agenda, they are proposing to demolish it.

The town hall will be 170 years old next year. Wouldn't it be great to have this historic public building preserved? Hopefully it will be painted for the 250th anniversary year in 2009.

We hope you will attend the Annual Town Meeting on Saturday, May 3, and note to preserve the old town hall.

Betty Aveni and Beverly Lothrop

Westminster WEST advocates voting no on proposed repeal of bylaw

To the Editor:

Saturday is our Annual Town Meeting for Westminster. A Citizens' Petition was submitted to the Board of Selectmen for inclusion on the Town Warrant. However, it was submitted after the Town Warrant went to press, therefore the addition Article 42 will be a hand out at the Town Meeting. Article 42 states "To see if the Town will vote to rescind Chapter 202: 'Wetlands,' and remove it from the general bylaws of the Town of Westminster, or act in relation thereto. (Submitted by Citizens' Petition.)" The local wetlands by-law was passed and accepted at Town Meeting in 2004 by the voters of this town. At the Annual Town Meeting in 2005 a "Citizens' Petition" attempted to have our local wetlands by law rescinded, the voters voted to keep the by law. Here it is 2008 and an attempt to take the by law off the books is happening again.

The by law protects our resources as open space becomes more scarce. Massachusetts cities and towns have been enacting local conservation by laws-to date, nearly 200 communities have successfully done so and each year more are added. While the Wetlands Protection Act was considered landmark at its enactment in the 1970s, its limitations have become more pronounced as development has increased. To compensate for the deficiencies in the state regulation, communities have determined their protection needs and acted accordingly.

The Westminster Conservation Commission worked diligently to get this bylaw passed for no other reason than to protect the wetland resources which the town has. The bylaw does three things: it protects the first 25 feet of the 100 foot buffer zone by preventing disturbance in that area; protects vernal pools whether they are certified by the state or not; and gives the Commission the ability to impose fines for violators who refuse to abide by the law, whether local or state. For lots in existence prior to the bylaw promulgation, the Commission will review proposed hardships and consider variances when appropriate.

As adults, we are role models for our children. Our kids are taught in school how important our natural environment is, yet we have adults with their own agendas trying to repeal a by law which will allow wetlands to be destroyed.

Article 42, if passed, will repeal the local wetlands bylaw. The town of Westminster cannot afford to go backwards and again expose these sensitive resource areas to development. We need to ensure that they are available for our children and their children - vote No on Article 42. Please come to the Town Meeting on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Westminster Elementary School Cafeteria.

Donna M. Brownell WEST (Watchdogs for an Environmentally Safe Town) Professor seeks help for frog survey

To the Editor:

Dear residents of Ashburnham:

Do you ever wonder what makes those strange sounds coming from local wetlands and lakes? Would you like to help collect data for a local scientific survey? If you answered yes to either question, then please consider listening for frog calls this spring and summer, and then adding your observations to those of others. As part of a study through Fitchburg State College, we will be recording which species of frogs are breeding in ponds and lakes of Ashburnham.

Amphibians like frogs and salamanders are not interesting simply because they are cute. Amphibians are "canaries in the coal mine" when it comes to environmental changes. They are more sensitive than any other group of organisms to climate change, habitat fragmentation, pollutants, disease, and interactions among these factors. So when amphibians decline (as they have been in much of the world), then humans should sit up and take notice.

If you would like to help us record which species of frogs are in our area, then follow these three steps.

1. Learn your local frog calls from a great Web site: www.nwf.org/frogwatchUSA/ frogsstate.cfm and then select MA. We are interested in species that breed in ponds and lakes, which should include bullfrogs, green frogs, pickerel frogs and American toads. These have distinct calls that are easy to distinguish. You might hear leopard frogs, but they are unlikely around here.

2. Listen for frogs in your area, especially right after sunset. Note which species you hear, the date, and the approximate location (e.g., nearby street address).

3. Send your observations to awfrogwatch@yahoo.com.

Students and faculty from Fitchburg State will confirm and quantify any interesting observations. Your efforts will really help us know where to look.

Chris Picone

Ashburnham Professor of Biology at Fitchburg State College