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The Southborough News
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Letter to the Editor Today I was driving home with my wife on Southville Road in Southborough. As we were driving by what had been Fire Station Number 2, I couldn't help but notice that the place was really being spruced up since the facilities department and recreation maintenance have moved in. There is new outside storage, the air raid siren cupola has been renovated, and the building is being painted. There are even several plantings on the side of the building. It really looks nice being cleaned up. I am also aware that several renovations have been made to the interior of the building to make the place quite comfortable. I would really take townie pride in all of this except for a few facts: This building was closed as a fire station because it wasn't worth putting money into, and staffing for the fire department was at risk and these folks working in this building were moved to Headquarters on Main Street. This building was erected in the early 1950's, and had a rather poor maintenance plan. It was renovated by department members a few times. Retired Chief Peter Phaneuf made it more economical by adding oil heat to the apparatus bays, and by increasing the size of the sleeping quarters to two rooms to accommodate anyone working there. He also replaced the overhead doors with larger doors to accommodate modern apparatus. Since this time, there has been constant debate over repairing the building, which had several structural problems, and of course, staffing. Staffing needs were outlined in a study several years ago, which the town has yet to fully accept. I guess my gripes are this: The fire department wasn't allowed to sink money into the building, yet the departments who have since moved into it have really done a nice job of fixing things up. Oh, there is still a fire engine in quarters, but no firefighters work there. And of course staffing has yet to be updated to the maximum recommendation. All the while, the residents who live on the south side of town must tolerate the fact that the closest station is closed, and must wait for help from Headquarters. Supposedly response times have not been diminished, however with all of the increased traffic we see, and with an aging housing stock and aging population, maybe the town should finish this building and put the firefighters back where they belong. Perhaps I sound a bit biased. I am. I live on the south side of town, and worked in that building for a lot of years before I retired from the Southborough Fire Department. I think the Board of Selectmen should take another look at this. John Kendall Southborough |
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Boston– The Political Action Committee of the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus announced today that it is endorsing candidate Carolyn Dykema, of Holliston, for State Representative for the 8th Middlesex District. “Carolyn Dykema has been an active and dedicated member of her community for many years. She is dedicated, enthusiastic, and possesses an understanding of the issues facing her district, which are critical in this election. She is, by far, the best choice for Representative in the 3rd Middlesex District,” said Executive Director Sheila Capone-Wulsin. “We applaud her candidacy, and we look forward to working with her on our shared agenda for Massachusetts women and families. For more than 35 years, the MWPC has been advocating for equal pay, social justice, and reproductive rights. We are excited to have an ally in Carolyn Dykema.” Carolyn Dykema lives in Holliston with her husband, Bill and three children. She has displayed a strong commitment to her community through her work as the Chairwoman for the Holliston Planning Board and on the Executive Board of the Metrowest Growth Management Committee. "The MWPC has activly supported so many of Massachusetts' top female
candidates,” said Dykema. “I am very pleased to have their endorsement and
honored to be included in their About the MWPC The Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus was founded in 1971 for the purpose of increasing the number of women elected to public office and public policy positions and increasing the participation of women of all ages in the political process. More information about the MWPC is available online at www.mwpc.org. More information about Carolyn Dykema is available online at www.dykemaforrep.com. |
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Dear Editor: On Sunday, June 1st, the Southborough Gardeners held a Kitchen and Garden Tour. Eight of the club members and friends opened their homes and/or gardens to the public with the proceeds from the tour going to future Town Beautification projects. The gardeners wish to thank the individuals who spent their afternoon with us. We were gratified by the compliments we received and happy you were pleased with our efforts. In addition, we would like to give special recognition to the following local businesses who sponsored this event. We appreciate the part they played in making our tour successful. We hope the citizens of Southborough will support these businesses as they have supported us. Ancient Wisdom Healing Arts Country Gourmet English Garden Florist Every Body Balance, Inc. Gourmet Eros Pizza and Deli Gulbankian Farms Garden Center & Florist Shop Mauro’s Market Morris Funeral Home Middlesex Savings Bank Phaidra Nail Salon Polar Beverages Roche Brothers Salon Charisma Shrubs and Trees Southborough Dental Associates Southborough House of Pizza Southborough Medical Group Tempting Interiors, Inc. Tomasso, Tratorria, Inc. Chris Wraight Wee Care for Little People, Inc. Thank you all for a fantastic day. Susan Conti and Judy Quinlan—Chairwomen of the Kitchen and Garden Tour Amy Coombs—President of the Southborough Gardeners The Southborough Gardeners |
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Letters to the editor Linda – I’d like to extend a sincere Thank You very much - for your coverage of the Memorial Day Observance. For some reason – the local newspapers just don’t find it newsworthy enough to cover the observance in Southborough or other towns for that matter. We certainly appreciate and enjoy the photos you take and post to this terrific web site. I would like to clear up some things though. During the ceremony on Monday – I neglected to acknowledge some people who deserve recognition for their contributions. So… To Tom Lowell and his helpers from Troop 92 who moved our PA system and cooler of water from location to location –THANK YOU very much. To Dean Lewis at Fay School – who once again provided the collation at the Legion Post following our observances – THANK YOU. I can truly state that the Veterans enjoy the sandwiches. To Dick Varney and Charlie Hamel who helped placed the flags at the All Wars Memorial and Revolutionary War Cemetery – THANKS again. You two are the extra hands every time I’ve asked… I certainly appreciate you rising early to get the job done. To Lisa Braccio, family and friends – Who orchestrated the seventh Care Package Drive for the Troops recently. Nearly 400 packages – totaling over 8200 pounds of well received and much appreciated items for those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Another job WELL DONE… Thank You for caring so much for our men and women. There are many more – but these fine folks deserve a little extra thanks for all they do. Finally – To the citizens who joined us Monday on Memorial Day to remember those who have served our country and gave the ultimate sacrifice. THANK YOU. Many have forgotten the true meaning of this day – It’s nice to see that there are still those who understand its significance. THANK YOU all. Steve Whynot SK1 – USNR-Ret Commander VFW Post 3276 |
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Letters to the editor Linda: I would like to add Steve Whynot's name to the list of people that make these observances possible: Steve Whynot, himself, deserves enormous credit for all of his work during the year and particularly on the Memorial Day and Veterans' Day observances. Steve organizes and directs the placing of the flags at the cemeteries and on the flag poles on Main Street. Additionally, he organizes and arranges for the weapons, the ammunition, the the firing squad, the Militia company, many of the refreshments and many of the countless other details that make the observances go smoothly. The main thing is the planning that is necessary and Steve does most of the planning flawlessly and without fanfare. All the Vets owe him a tribute and a large measure of thanks. John Wilson, Commander, American Legion |
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Letter to the Editor May 7, 2008 - In this day of grid-lock and need for transportation alternatives, Southborough has the opportunity to make an important change. Presently, we are affiliated with the Worcester Regional Transit Authority. Yet we lay amidst the newly-formed Metro-West Regional Transit Authority. Not only will they cross our borders to meet the needs of member communities, they could help us meet ours along the way, perhaps more affordably. They offer door to door services, as well as Handicap-accessible options, too. They benefit our seniors, commuting students, and those who just want to leave the car at home. Voting “NO” on May 12th to the Worcester Transit Authority would free us to change our membership to a more relevant source. It can give us a “louder” voice in meeting the transportation needs of Southborough residents. Karen Challen |
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Letter to the Editor Recognition Request for Four Southborough Young Men We hear so many bad things about the youth of today. I want to tell you about 4 Southborough young men who have been very courageous and have done the right thing. When children do the right thing, they should be recognized. There are two tragedies that occurred in the General Henry Knox Road neighborhood in the last three months and three of the young men live in the neighborhood. The first occurred on October 6, 2007. Six-year-old Patrick McAuliffe was riding his bike with his mother, Regina, on Middle Road on their way to see Patrick’s father, Tom McAuliffe, referee the St. Mark’s football game. Regina’s bike went off the road and crashed causing a severe head injury. Patrick, a cub scout, had a 5-point plan of how he was going to help his mother. First, he lifted the bike off her. Next, he looked in her pockets for her cell phone, but couldn’t find one. Then, he started yelling for help. Two young men riding their bikes nearby came to the rescue. Theo Balabanis, age 14 and his friend, Drew Theran, called 911 and stayed with Patrick until help came. They were brave and helped calm Patrick. Regina had the most severe head injury, requiring emergency surgery, along with swelling to her whole right side. She was in a coma for 16 days at Umass Medical Center, then moved to Spaulding Rehab and continues her recovery since coming home the day before Thanksgiving. She returns to Spaulding for therapy 3 days a week and has more upcoming surgery. She is probably alive today due to the quick reactions of these boys. On December 13, 2007 this same boy, Theo Balabanis, didn’t see his Dad, Ernie Balabanis, waiting at school during the early release, so he continued home on the bus. When his Dad wasn’t at the bus stop location, where they normally met everyday, Theo continued home to find his Dad lying on the garage floor! Theo was very upset, and yelled for help to Stephanos Bacon, age 14, who had continued walking home from the same bus stop. Stephanos came running. Steph told Theo to call 911 and Steph looked for a pulse and performed CPR until help arrived. A neighbor, Ann Rosseel, came with a blanket. Another neighbor, Keith Petry, offered to help. Steph, a boy scout, was extremely compassionate and kind to Theo and stayed with him until the ambulance came. He handled everything calmly and completely. Unfortunately, Ernie had passed away due to cardiopulmonary arrest that morning. These 4 young men, 6-year old Patrick McAuliffe, 14-year old Theo Balabanis, 15-year old Drew Theran, and 14-year old Steph Bacon should be recognized. In a world where we often expect to hear stories of the missteps of youth, these 4 young men represent the finest examples of courage, compassion, and friendship. We, in our neighborhood, are very proud of them all. Linda Petry Southborough, MA |
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 Congratulations to John for finding the cake. Be the first to find this cake and send an email with birthday cake in the subject line to editor@southboroughnews.com If you win today's search (and yesterdays) you win a free oil change for your vehicle at Auto Tech on route 30, Southborough.
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Letter to the Editor Isabella Dianne Sivert was born February 22, 2006 to my cousin Jeff and his wife Jen. At first, every thing seemed to be normal. Jen thought she looked just like her big brother Max! However, shortly after birth, Isabella was diagnosed with cardiac problems. Jen, a nurse in the cardiac unit at Children’s Hospital wrote the following when Isabella first went to Children's Hospital. “I always prayed going into work that I would just work there and take care of other people's children and that mine would never need to be a patient there. My biggest fear had come true.” In 2006 one of my sponsor's for my Boston Children's Hospital run wrote that “Little Isabella is surely running the mightiest marathon.” Sadly, Isabella’s marathon ended May 1, 2007 when she “earned her angel wings.” At Isabella’s funeral— her name still visible where I had written it in black sharpie ink down my leg for the marathon only two weeks earlier—her father, Jeff, told me that he wanted to run the Boston Marathon in the spring of 2008 with me and for Children’s Hospital. I agreed to help him train and to run the Boston Marathon in Isabella’s memory. Children’s Hospital was a central part of Isabella’s life. It gave her 14 months for her family to spend with her and to love her. In her short life, Bella brought together so many people. It is truly incredible how she inspired us all. It is my hope that running for Children’s again this year, will give another child the same kind of care that Isabella received, and therefore another family the joy of having that child in their lives. For two years I ran the Boston Marathon in honor of Isabella. These experiences have been some of the most rewarding I have ever had. The marathon will always hold a special place for me, as it will always remind me of Isabella and how strong she was and how hard she fought. It will also always remind me of all the incredibly generous people who have supported and sponsored me, for you too have also been such a part of these marathons. The 2008 Boston Marathon is fast approaching, so help me reach my goal of $1500 by April 21st! I could not have finished the marathon last year without thinking of her and all of my sponsors. You can sponsor me: Go to the following URL: You can mail me a check to: Amanda Watters 17 Wood St. Southborough, MA 01772 Please make all checks payable to Children’s Hospital Boston. Thank you, Amanda |
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Letter to the Editor We Must Do A Better Job Protecting Our Water Supplies You may have found the recent articles about pharmaceuticals in the drinking water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas throughout the United States disturbing or shocking and wondered how safe your water is. The major way for drugs to get into our drinking water is from wastewater flowing into the source. While the watersheds of the reservoirs supplying the MWRA communities are not impacted by wastewater treatment plant discharges, little is really known about smaller municipal systems with local wells. The findings of the various pharmaceuticals being in the range of parts-per-billion are not believed to be harmful to humans while fish and wildlife are already showing adverse effects from drug contamination in the waterways. The region of the Upper Sudbury River, whose waters eventually flow through a number of towns, has remained free of effluent discharges from wastewater treatment plants. This may change over the next few years if appeals of the permits issued by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to the Town of Hopkinton fail and the wastewater treatment plant is built on the edge of the Whitehall Brook, which is classified as an Outstanding Resource Water of the Commonwealth, and is a tributary to the Sudbury River. The Massachusetts DEP has technically classified the treatment plant as a ground discharge facility although the discharge will be less than 200 feet from the brook. Ironically DEP funded studies done by the Unites States Geological Survey, which describe the problems caused by siting ground discharge treatment plants near water bodies while also pointing to the cost-benefits from properly locating these facilities on more distant uplands reducing the costs of treatment. With more than 70% of the state’s waters impaired by some form of pollution properly sited and monitored ground discharge facilities could help improve the quality of the state’s surface waters. This benefit remains questionable however with the existing level of oversight provided by the Department of Environmental Protection. The most recent DEP statistics show that in 2007 47.8% of the permitted ground discharge facilities in the state were in non-compliance with the terms of their permits. Allowed to continue, this lack of historical regulatory enforcement combined with a permit approval process managed with the goal to eliminate public input, the potential benefit of ground discharge treatment plants will be lost. ____________________________________________________________________________________
Why is this important? Please join the Cedar Swamp Conservation Trust and the Sudbury River Watershed Organization in urging DEP Commissioner Laurie Burt to prioritize the implementation of the appropriate regulations and procedures to correct these recurring agency problems and ensure the protection of the Commonwealth’s water supplies. John Craycroft , President Frederica Gillespie, Executive Director Cedar Swamp Conservation Trust Sudbury River Watershed Organization Westborough Southborough www.sudburyriver.org |
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Letters to the Editor
Hi, |
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Letter to the Editor
I read your wonderful essay on your mother.
How true it all is—the forgetting that escalates into loss for families.
It is difficult for all involved. There are programs that can help
families, including a 24/7 Helpline that is confidential and free Care
Consultation services to help plan for transitions. All of them can be
accessed through the Alzheimer’s Association at 800.272.3900. |
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Letter to the Editor Dear Editor, On review of the proposed changes to Main Street by SEA I noted that they plan to relocate the stone walls around the Town Common. To my knowledge the wall was build in 1866 and is for the most part in it's original configuration. This represents a major piece of Southborough history. I am very opposed to relocating any aspect of this historic stone wall to make accommodations for traffic flow. There are a few things we should not mess with and this is one of them. Yours truly, Peter F. Phaneuf Southborough |
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Letter to the Editor Blue Star Flag
Please allow me to clear up a little confusion regarding the Blue Star Flag
that is currently flying at the All Wars. |
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Letter to the editor All Wars Memorial Over the course of the summer and fall I have been keeping an eye on the progress of the All Wars Memorial upgrade. Today while driving to Town Hall I stopped for another look. It sure is an awe inspiring thing to see. A real beauty of a monument. I hope that anyone who sees how things have turned out realize that we all owe a debt of gratitude not only to those whose names have been memorialized here, but also to Peter Phaneuf and friends for their countless hours working on this tremendous project. John Kendall Southborough |
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Letter to the editor Hillary not a good pick What all the political pundits are totally missing in the Hillary equation is that she is living a LIE! Everyone and anyone, male and female, KNOWS, that when you are in a relationship or marriage and your partner is unfaithful and you become acutely aware of that fact, initially your ego is wounded, but more importantly as you regain your equilibrium resentment begins to build and take hold and you realize that TRUST can NEVER be restored and if you choose to stay and continue to participate in that relationship, at the core of your being the truth IS ..that you not only no longer love that individual you in fact hate them. She has sold her soul to the DEVIL and we ALL know it!! How could we ever tolerate as a Nation a President with NO Soul !!! Her choice to stay with Bill has demonstrated that she is in fact WEAK, not Strong. Southborough, MA |
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