Winchendon CAC distributes Thanksgiving dinner baskets

by Inanna Arthen
The Winchendon CAC distributed all the ingredients for Thanksgiving dinner, including a turkey, fresh vegetables, canned and boxed foods, and dessert, to 133 Winchendon families this Monday and Tuesday.

Multiple volunteers pitched in to stage the food, which came from many sources. Fifty-pound bags of onions and potatoes, and cartons of squash, sweet potatoes and carrots came from the Worcester County Food Bank. Town residents donated non-perishable food, turkeys and gift cards. Sutton Homes stepped up to provide the last needed turkeys and gift cards at the eleventh hour. Cumberland Farms donated loaves of bread. Hannaford donated desserts and bread.

Volunteers greeted CAC clients who had signed up for baskets and directed them to the Haven of Hope shelter area where food was staged ready to pack. Each family received a turkey and a choice of the vegetables, canned and packaged food and desserts available. Recipients were asked to bring their own box or bags, but a few boxes were available. Along with the food, some recipe sheets were on the table for those who needed them.

Volunteers called clients to remind them about the food pickup, to make sure no one missed out.

According to CAC Director Jennifer Sibley, about the same number of Christmas dinner baskets will be distributed. Families must choose one of the two holidays to receive a basket, so a total of nearly 270 holiday dinner baskets will be given out.

It's a drop in the bucket for the CAC. Ms. Sibley reports that more than 500 people are served by the CAC Food Pantry every week, as it distributes fresh produce, canned goods, meats, desserts, bread and other food from the Worcester County Food Bank and generous donors. Hannaford regularly donates bread, meats and desserts. Ms. Sibley said that when she does the year end reports, the amount of food given out, in pounds, is staggering. All of it goes to qualified families in need who would have difficulty getting enough nutrition without the CAC food pantry. The CAC also supports Our Neighbor's Kitchen community supper.

The Winchendon CAC is located at 273 Central Street and is open Monday through Thursday. See their website or Facebook page for details, or call them at 978-297-1667.

Happy Hollow Road Homeowners still concerned about proposed tree cutting

by Inanna Arthen
In a continuance of the hearing which began on October 15 (see the October 17-24 Winchendon Courier), on Tuesday November 19 the Planning Board heard again from Borrego Solar and Happy Hollow Road homeowners about plans to cut trees shading the solar panels.

Dean Smith, a civil engineer with Borrego Solar, appeared for David Albrecht who was not available. Mr. Smith went over the proposed plans, explaining that a 3.11 acre area will be "thinned" of trees over 20 feet in height. Smaller trees and understory vegetation will be left in place, as well stumps and the earth itself, to minimize erosion. A skid steer and hydraulic axe will be used rather than larger equipment. The cutting will be done at the top of a ridge that rises thirty feet above the homes on the other side, so residents will not see the solar installation.

Mr. Smith stated that the trees are shading the solar panels and the cutting was intended to "increase the efficiency" of the energy production. No trees would be cut within a 50-foot buffer zone at the boundary of the solar property and the neighbors' properties.

The Planning Board had done site walks with Borrego Solar personnel and several of the concerned neighbors. It was noted that during the site walks, the Planning Board and abutters had been told that only trees over 30 feet in height, not 20, would be cut. Planning Board member Burt Gould asked who did the original clearing of the property "because it doesn't look so good." Mr. Smith said the owner, John Fletcher, had done the cutting before Borrego Solar began their project and that they "were aware it was a problem." Mr. Gould asked what type of trees would be cut down. Mr. Smith said the only criterion was height, but they were willing to discuss any restrictions on the types of trees.

Planning Board Chair Guy Corbosiero asked if Borrego Solar had done any studies showing exactly how much the shading was affecting energy production and how cutting the trees would change that. Mr. Smith said they usually don't have that information, but they do studies and models for every project and "we could do that study if you require it." He said they would not be cutting within the 200-foot river set-back or the buffer zone for the wetlands north of the solar installation.

Planning Board member Joseph Sackett said that on the site walk, he could see that the trees on the ridge were clearly shading the solar panels. But, he said, even if only trees over 30 feet were taken down, "that's still almost all" of the trees. If everything over 20 feet were cut, "they'd pretty much all be gone."

Resident Richard Ames came forward with a prepared statement on behalf of the Happy Hollow Road property owners. He began by pointing out that worldwide, 15 billion trees are destroyed every year and only 5 billion of them are replaced or replanted. He showed the Planning Board and Mr. Smith photos of uprooted trees that had been bulldozed and left lying on the ground by John Fletcher "or a person acting on his behalf." He also passed around photos taken during the site walks showing the trees on the ridge shading the solar panels.

Mr. Ames quoted from Borrego Solar's website about their years of experience and the large number of solar projects they had completed. He then asked how it was that during all the planning phases and two years of construction, no one involved with the project had ever noticed that the trees on the ridge shaded the solar panels before now.

Mr. Ames named the three property owners affected by the proposed tree cutting: Shawn Herr, who has lived there for 20 years and whose wife runs a business in town; Irene Cote, who has lived in her home for 65 years, and Doreen Ames, who lived on Happy Hollow Road for more than 20 years. All of them valued the peace and natural beauty of the location and felt that their quality of life was being harmed because "a multi-million dollar corporation" wants more profits.

Ames stated that when Borrego initially proposed leasing the property in 2017, the abutters approved the plans because they were specifically promised that the trees on the ridge would not be touched.

Mr. Ames offered three proposals to Borrego Solar to resolve the issues with the property owners. The first would be for Borrego Solar to buy the properties. The homeowners are willing to sell for market value plus twenty percent. The second is for Borrego Solar to pay each homeowner $300 a month or $3,000 a year for the duration of Borrego's twenty-year lease of the Fletcher property. The third proposal would be for representatives for the three homeowners and Borrego Solar to all sit down together and come up with a resolution that will work for everyone.

Mr. Ames said that he's "not a tree-hugger," but the environment is our children's future, and "shame on us if we allow multi-million dollar enterprises to destroy future life as we know it now for the profit of today."

Mr. Smith questioned whether there would have been a specific agreement about the trees in 2017 when there were no plans to cut any trees at that time.

Property owner Doreen Ames rose to speak. She stated that they were "assured that those trees on the top of the hill would not be cut down." She described the amount of sand that blows and drifts from an active sand and gravel pit. The trees keep the sand from blowing and filter the air. "It's not just the view, it's for our own health," she said. She predicted that when the storms come, Borrego Solar will find their panels being covered with wind-blown sand.

Property owner Irene Cote rose to say "all you're doing is raping the land." She stated that they had been burning stumps left by previous cutting "for weeks and weeks" and it can take three days to burn one stump. She asked what would happen to the branches and debris left from the cutting.

Property owner Charlaine Cote rose to say that in the past two years, all the local wildlife they used to see has disappeared. They no longer see deer, raccoons or skunks around their homes. "When the trees come down, we won't have chipmunks," she predicted. Irene Cote added that they had just seen a bobcat in their yard.

The Planning Board voted to continue the hearing to December 17 at 6:45 p.m., with the understanding that Borrego Solar and the homeowners would meet to discuss a workable solution.