River Lands Clean Up - A Labor of Love

Scott Garieri and myself would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Community Preservation Committee (CPC), Sturbridge residents, and the members of the REAS Foundation who volunteered their time, effort, and equipment for yesterday's cleanup at the River lands. The tireless efforts of those who were able to assist with the clean-up resulted in 22 truck trips (vehicles donated by the REAS Foundation) and a substantial amount of demolition debris, metal, plastic, and tires (250 tires) being removed.

Specifically, Scott and I extend our gratitude to the following volunteers whose schedules allowed them the opportunity to assist with the project:

Penny Dumas - CPC
Joe Oullette - CPC
Mike Moran - CPC
Kevin Moran
Arnold Wilson
Donna Grehl - Conservation Commission
David Peterkin
Bob Briere
Kelly Emrich
Susan Stebbins
John Stebbins
Joe Ostrengai
Matt Stebbins
Lou Berthiume
Jeannine Creamer - REAS Foundation
Rich Paradise - REAS Foundation
Denise LaChapelle - REAS Foundation
Calvin Montigny - REAS Foundation
Mike Thorpe - REAS Foundation
Maryann Thorpe - REAS Foundation
Emma Thorpe - REAS Foundation
Linda Cocalis, Board of Health - REAS Foundation
Dave Vadenais - REAS Foundation
Dan Matte - REAS Foundation
Jeremy Rines - REAS Foundation
Jeff Tasse - REAS Foundation

Additionally, it is worth noting the equipment that the REAS Foundation brought to bear yesterday:

7 Pick-up Trucks
1 One-ton Dump Truck
1 One-Ton Box Truck
1 Kubota Tractor

As well, we would like to extend our thanks to Chief Ford and the Sturbridge Police Department who have extended an offer of support and help with future efforts. Today, we were visited by Sgt. Mike Blanchard who provided insights into equipment and services, which may be of assistance and value to us in the future. We are fortunate to have the support and assistance of our local law enforcement community.

It was a great pleasure and an honor for Selectman Garieri and myself, along with the REAS Foundation to provide our services to the Town of Sturbridge and the Community Preservation Committee. We thank both for the opportunity to be of service. We also thank the CPC for its tireless efforts in addressing the needs of our Open Space parcels, and for bringing this issue to the attention of the Board of Selectmen.

Again, we extend our deepest appreciation,

Scott Garieri, Selectman - REAS Foundation Chairman of the Board
Thomas R. Creamer, Selectman - REAS Foundation Executive Director
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Mending Main Street - (as taken directly from the Tantasqua Town Common)

The following story - credited to and written by Matt Bernatt - was published by him in the Tantasqua Town Common.

STURBRIDGE– In a bid to reverse the town's economic decline, Selectman Thomas Creamer brought together business owners, government leaders and residents to rally support for the creation of the Sturbridge Merchants Co-operative.

Creamer described the Co-operative as a union between government and local business leaders to jumpstart the economy through a series of events and discount packages aimed at tourists. Another goal is to establish a town-wide “sense of place.” At the end of his hour-long presentation, which ran the gamut from promotional ideas to making government/business relations “streamlined”, Creamer received applause from the 70 or so crammed into the Publick House ballroom.

Alongside small business owners were representatives from the town’s economic anchors such as Yankee Spirits, Old Sturbridge and the Publick House. “We have a lot of work ahead of us,” Creamer said. “I know that there’s a bit of skepticism of how this is going to go because some of you folks have tried this in the past. I also know however that no selectman has tried this in the past.” He asked those in attendance to consider a handful of events the community could “coalesce” around, like the Harvest Fest or the Pan Mass Challenge.

He tempered his comments by saying not all businesses would benefit from every single event the Co-Operative would hypothetically sponsor. “I think the way we have to look at this is there are going to be trade-offs. There are going to times when your business is going to benefit greatly…there are times when your business may benefit only marginally or not at all,” he said.

During the meeting Creamer also proposed putting together a welcome package that would be passed out to guests when they arrive at a hotel or motel. Merchants were relieved to hear there are no membership fees to be a part of the Co-Operative except for some “sweat equity” as Creamer put it.

The theme of Creamer’s presentation – communication, cooperation, coordination – was repeated throughout the evening as he peppered the audience with hypothetical examples on how to draw tourism dollars.

Among them: Themed event packages that utilize open space; visitor coupons; and a spaghetti supper or concert on the common held the night before the Pan Mass Challenge for the benefit of participants. Pointing to the variety of the festivities held at the end of the Pan Mass Challenge compared to Sturbridge one audience member described the disparity as “embarrassing.”

“By being a part of this co-operative by working together with us, we end up in a situation where everybody gets a bite at the apple,” Creamer said. “I believe that’s what it’s going to take to turn this town around.”

Another meeting is set for 5:45 p.m. June 2 at the main ballroom in the Publick House.
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Leaders aim to enliven town (reprinted as found in the Worcester & Gazette)

The following article - written by reporter Craig Semon - was printed in today's Worcester Telegram and Gazette and is posted here as a complimentary element to the Downtown Revitalization Summit Presentation, found in the right sidebar.

STURBRIDGE — Business leaders, residents and government officials joined this week in an effort make downtown a vibrant destination stop, not just for town folks but for visitors.

Selectman Thomas R. Creamer rallied a packed ballroom in the Publick House Tuesday behind the idea of creating a Sturbridge Merchants Co-operative in an effort to spark a downtown renaissance.

“We have things in this community, but we don’t do anything communitywide to promote them. And I think that’s where we’re missing the boat,” Mr. Creamer said. “We really need to stop talking about, ‘Yeah, we’ve sure got to get our people to buy local,’ and we need to become a community that does everything local.”

Mr. Creamer said he’s hoping the co-operative will create a lively business district that the residents are proud of and people will want to visit.

“I moved here in Sturbridge six years ago. It was a much more vibrant community than it is today. I got married here 20 years ago, and 20 years ago this place was hopping,” Mr. Creamer said. “Right now, there are 32 for sale or rent or empty shops on the Route 20 portion of Main Street. … And it’s going to get worse.”

Politely chastising Sturbridge for having a “disjointed” and “disconnected” downtown that lacks a sense of place, Mr. Creamer said the community needs to cash in on visitors to Old Sturbridge Village and embrace high-profile events such as the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge.

“Why don’t we as a community do all kinds of little things that say to these three or four or five or six or 10,000 people, ‘Hey, we love having you here. We love having traffic. We love not being able to cross the street. We love the town being a mess for three or four days because that means we’re making money.’ ”

During the lengthy brainstorming session, Mr. Creamer proposed putting together guest welcome packages, event packages, destination packages, and cross-businesses promotions to “get some traffic back

“I’m sick and tired of watching my tax bill go up every single year and watching businesses leave,” Mr. Creamer said. “I didn’t move here to be in a ghost town. None of us did. This is a beautiful community.”

The next meeting is set for 5:45 p.m. June 2 at the main ballroom in the Publick House.

Mr. Creamer promised that a four-month commitment from the majority of those who showed up at the inaugural meeting will translate to noticeable and positive results.
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Five Dollars

Five dollars multiplied by 300 residents equals $1500, which when added to what has already been collected will provided the funds necessary to help a local fundraiser realize a vision of having picnic Tables on the Common.

Wally Hersee, known for Thinking Out Loud in Sturbridge has undertaken this project in order to provide a place where "young families could gather at a table on a weekend, share a lunch, or just make it a place to anchor [a] groups belongings as they flip a ball back and forth". Considering the beauty of the Common and the lack of seating, it sure sounds like a worthwhile endeavor.

Thus, one might consider a simple approach, which will have little to no impact on one's discretionary income but can have a dramatic impact on the Common in terms of "anchor" spots for visitors. A simple, one-time donation of $5.00 from 300 residents will provide $1500 towards this project, bringing Wally to within a few dollars of his goal.

Please give it some thought, Wally has made supporting this project quite simple and secure through PayPal and one can make a difference by donating even a dollar.
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Tree City USA

Today, the Town of Sturbridge was again honored for its continuing commitment to trees, being presented with several awards. For the 20th consecutive year under the guidance and management of Tree Warden Tom Chamberland, Sturbridge has been honored as a Tree City USA recipient.

Old Sturbridge Village hosted the event, which began at 8:30 a.m. with registration and coffee in the Clock Room, followed by a series of presentations beginning at 9:15 a.m. in the Theater.

The presentations began with a welcome and introduction by Department of Conservation and Recreation Urban Forestry Coordinator - Eric Seaborn, followed by Tree Warden Tom Chamberland, who delivered an outstanding presentation of the Sturbridge Forestry Program. Tom provided me with a copy of his presentation, which was then added to the audio I recorded and is in the right side bar for viewing. Please take a few moments to watch it as it is most informative.

The next presentation was delivered by OSV's own Christie Higginbotton who provided a historical analysis of OSV's forestry in New England program. Christie was followed by keynote speaker Dr. John O'Keefe, Coordinator of the Harvard Forest Museum, who detailed the history of forestry in New England. Much of Dr. O'Keefe's presentation was based upon his work which is chronicled in his book - New England Forests Through Time, which were available for a mere $5.00.

The presentations were followed by a luncheon sponsored by National Grid and Lewis Tree Service, which preceded the awards ceremony. The slide show in the right side bar below Tom Chamberland's presentation highlights the awards ceremony, which included a Proclamation presented by Representative Todd Smola to the Town of Sturbridge. The day was capped off with a tree planting ceremony at 2:30 p.m. on the OSV grounds.

Congratulations to Tom Chamberland and the Sturbridge Tree Warden's Advisory Committee - Doris Sosik, Alfred Champagne, Joseph Kowalski, Calvin Montigny, and Brian Chamberland.
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Board of Selectmen - 05-04-09 Audio

The audio from last night's BOS meeting is in the right side bar. It has been partitioned into 5 segments so that listeners can isolate to sections of particular interest to them. The segments (including time length) are as follows:

Call to Order, Minutes Review, Burgess Building Committee Interviews: 43:14

Request for Sewer Reallocation on Main Street: 19:53

Town Administrator's Update - Appointments: 26:14

Update Continued - Old Business - New Business: 51:41

Citizen's Forum: 13:42
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