Norwood RecordThe

www.norwoodrecord.com

FREE

Volume 12, Issue 11 MarMarMarMarMarch 1ch 1ch 1ch 1ch 14, 204, 204, 204, 204, 201111199999

84 Morse84 Morse84 Morse84 Morse84 MorseContinued on page 5

B E HB E HB E HB E HB E HContinued on page 2

What representatives for the project called minor alterations, the Norwood ConservationCommission felt were a little more serious

PHOTO BY MATT MACDONALD

84 Morse St. boggeddown at ConCom

Matt MacDonaldMatt MacDonaldMatt MacDonaldMatt MacDonaldMatt MacDonaldStaff Reporter

Just when you thought Norwood Airport was above the turbulance, BEH pulls the orga-nization right back in.

COURTESY PHOTO

BEH files motion toreconsider settlement order

JefJefJefJefJeff Sullivf Sullivf Sullivf Sullivf SullivanananananStaff Reporter

The Conservation Commission meton Wednesday, March 6 at Town Hallfor a session that ran an hour and ahalf and featured two appointments con-tinued from Feb. 20.

The first concerned a notice of in-tent filed for the property located at 84Morse St.

Attorney David Hern and projectengineer Jim Susi of United Consult-ants, Inc. went before the Commissionrepresenting DCD Realty with the in-tention of presenting, as Hern describedthem, minor changes to the plan: theaddition of a diagram legend and achange – in the bus lot – from a raingarden to a drainage swale.

Any progress was delayed, how-ever, by two issues that immediatelycame to the fore.

The first was that ConCom had only

received the updated project plans thatday and had not had an opportunity toadequately go over them.

Hern explained that this was be-cause the peer review group for theproject – LEC Environmental Consult-ants – had only just signed off on theupdated plans.

The second concerned a long list ofquestions regarding the plans that hadbeen handed over to the applicant bythe Commission just before the start ofthe meeting.

“To have this given to me 10 min-utes ago was a bit of a surprise,” Hernsaid as he intermittently glanced downat and flipped through the list in hishands.

“I haven’t seen them either,” Com-mission Chair John Gear replied. “It’snews to me.”

Offered the opportunity by Gear to

Boston Executive Helicopters(BEH) – in the latest twist in its law-suit against the Town and membersof the Norwood Airport Commission(NAC) – filed a March 1 motion inU.S. District Court to reconsider asettlement order made on Jan. 23 thatpartially granted and denied its re-quest to enforce a negotiated settle-ment between it and the Town.

In its January motion, BEH hadargued that a term sheet drafted onDec. 6 should have been the enforcedagreement, while the Town had ar-gued that the general release andsettlement agreement drafted on Dec.13 should have been the operativesettlement terms.

Judge Richard G. Stearns ruled infavor of enforcing the Dec. 13 agree-

PPPPPossibility of Airossibility of Airossibility of Airossibility of Airossibility of Airporporporporport case reopeningt case reopeningt case reopeningt case reopeningt case reopeningment and denied BEH’s request –filed as part of the motion – to va-cate the settlement and reopen thecase.

At issue for BEH was its exclu-sion from direct participation in theNAC’s creation of a corrective ac-tion plan resulting from a November,2018 Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) ruling against it and the Townthat was brought on by a 2015 BEHcomplaint.

BEH also objected to an easementgranting FlightLevel – its main Air-port competitor – access to apronspace that it would lease as part ofthe settlement terms.

BEH’s March 1 motion requestedthat the Court reconsider its prior or-der and either enforce the Dec. 6term sheet, order an evidentiary hear-ing to determine which version of the

Page 2Page 2Page 2Page 2Page 2 The Norwood Record MarMarMarMarMarch 1ch 1ch 1ch 1ch 14, 204, 204, 204, 204, 201111199999

BEH continued from page 1settlement is enforceable, orplace the matter back on thetrial list.

The BEH motion arguesthat the Dec. 13 terms werenever agreed to by the par-ties, citing its own objectionsto that draft and both legal

counsels’ communicationsfrom Dec. 20 through Jan. 3as evidence of ongoing nego-tiations after that version’sdraft date.

The motion also calls intodispute the details of meet-ings held on Dec. 18 and

Dec. 19 between BEH Presi-dent Christopher Donovan,Town Manager TonyMazzucco, and AssistantTown Manager Bernie Coo-per, without legal counsel foreither side present.

According to an earlier af-fidavit filed by Mazzucco, hehad been asked by the Board

of Selectmen to represent itand meet with Donovan, perhis Dec. 17 written request tomeet with it or “any desig-nated member to update theBoard on recent events.”

His affidavit also statesthat, during these two meet-ings, both the FAA correctiveaction plan and the easementwere successfully addressedand that, at the conclusion ofthe Dec. 19 meeting “no out-standing issues remained re-garding the terms and provi-sions of the General Releaseand Settlement Agreement. Iunderstood the parties hadreached a deal.”

Donovan’s affidavit – filedwith the March 1 motion –presents a very different ac-count.

In it, Donovan states thathe sought to update the TownManager and the Selectmenby providing them “an unfil-tered look at the actions ofTown employees [NAC ChairMark] Ryan, [NAC memberKevin] Shaughnessy, and

[Airport Manager Russ]Maguire. I also wanted toshow them unfiltered commu-nication by the MHTL[Murphy, Hesse, Toomey &Lehane, LLP] attorneys act-ing on behalf of the Town ofNorwood and the collusion.”

Over the next 24 num-bered paragraphs of his affi-davit, Donovan goes into de-tail regarding these claimsand also denies – in paragraph85 – negotiating or agreeingto a settlement with the TownManager. “Mazzucco is notauthorized to negotiate anysettlement by town charter. Ihad no intention of discussingany settlement with him.”

BEH’s motion to recon-sider hinges on its legal argu-ment that “a trial court shouldnot summarily enforce asettlement agreement whenthere is a genuine dispute asto the terms of that agree-ment,” but rather that a hear-ing should be held to resolvethe contested issue.

The motion is still pending.

Letter ToThe Editor

Please write to:Norwood Record

661 Washington St,Suite 202

Norwood, MA 02062 Tel: (617) 361-8400Fax: (617) 361-1933

e-mail us atnews@norwoodrecord.com

Tell ‘emwhat you

think with a

Please include your name,address & telephone number.Unsigned letters will not be

published.

Page 3 Page 3 Page 3 Page 3 Page 3The Norwood RecordMarMarMarMarMarch 1ch 1ch 1ch 1ch 14, 204, 204, 204, 204, 201111199999

Selectmen debate Towndepartment budget requestsMary Ellen GambonMary Ellen GambonMary Ellen GambonMary Ellen GambonMary Ellen Gambon

Staff Reporter

SelectmenSelectmenSelectmenSelectmenSelectmenContinued on page 4

The Board of Selectmenheard the final round of Towndepartment requests at asometimes heated meetingTuesday night at Town Hallover the course of three hours.

But before the meeting be-gan, the board asked to pay re-spects to Timothy Fruci, anelectrical inspector who diedsuddenly on Monday.

“I want to offer my heart-felt condolences,” SelectmanPaul Bishop said. “It’s a sadloss and a great loss for theTown.

Town Auditor ThomasMcQuaid presented a sum-mary of the budget, noting thatthe general government budgetis balanced right now at$36,391,346.

The general government re-ceives 45 percent of the totalbudget, while the schools re-ceive 55 percent.

Healthcare costs were amajor factor for employees inthe Town budget because ofinsurance costs.

“Unicare is not being re-duced, but Harvard Pilgrimwent up by eight percent,”McQuaid said. “Harvard Pil-grim is 30 percent higher.”

He added that the servicesare virtually the same, so heexpects employees to migrateto Unicare.

The good news for theTown is that Norwood has “alot more borrowing capacity”because of its good rating in arecent audit.

“There was a side letter onsix or seven things we couldimprove,” McQuaid said. “Butthe department heads will meet

as a group and discuss them.”While some were happy

that the budget was balanced,Selectman William Plasko ex-pressed a different take on thesituation.

“I don’t look on it as cheer-ily,” he said. “It can be that wemight be able to cut corners,or might not provide serviceswe need, or use free cash, orhave to borrow. Or also it maybe that we are not choosing todo things, planning to move for-ward, progressing with thingsthat we need to do.”

“Then the question is,‘What programs are we los-ing?’” asked Selectman HelenAbdallah Donahue.

She suggested giving moremoney to the school budget ifit could be found.

“How are you going to dothat?” asked Plasko. “Are yougoing to give up the Police De-partment?”

Recreation, Police and Firewere the main topics of the bud-get discussion.

Recreation Director TravisFarley explained that the sal-ary budget went up about$50,000 to employ 130 to 140seasonal workers such as poolattendants and summer campcounselors.

There was also a $10,000increase in the water budget forthe pools and park irrigation.

Playground maintenancewas up because of the wearand tear on the old equipmentand bleachers.

“What would you do if youhad to cut 100,000?” Plaskoasked.

“I guess I would take outthe play camp,” Farley said.“But I would be sad to see itgo.”

He added that it generatesrevenue for the Town and is aresource.

The maintenance of theCivic Center was a hot topicbecause of patchwork repairsover the years.

“The Civic Center is an ag-ing building that requires main-tenance,” Town ManagerTony Mazzucco said. “Keep inthe back of your mind the notso sexy items like a new eleva-tor and the masonry.”

Police Chief William G.Brooks III explained that fourcars out of the 20-car fleetneed to be replaced, at a costof $194,000.

Uniform expenses, whichwere usually put in a differentpart of the budget, are now putin as an expense for employ-ees because of the way thebudget is structured, Brooksexplained.

On the Fire Departmentside, Chief George T. Morricesaid that the first big change theFin Com would notice is in thesalary between himself and hispredecessor.

“I will say that the first linefor my salary looks like thereis a dramatic increase from FY19,” he said. “That’s becauseChief Greeley’s salary wasstructured in a different way.”

He explained that, in thepast, Greeley had separate bud-get numbers for a salary, edu-cation pay, and longevity pay.

The next item was for the

Page 4Page 4Page 4Page 4Page 4 The Norwood Record MarMarMarMarMarch 1ch 1ch 1ch 1ch 14, 204, 204, 204, 204, 201111199999

Same meeting, twodisturbing issues

OPINION

www.norwoodlight.com781-948-1120

*$99 Installation charge applies if service is disconnected within the first 90 days!**Best Internet in Norwood according to broadbandnow.com survey!Free month of service is valid to new or former NLB RESIDENTIAL customers, in good standing, who have not had any NLB service in last 90 days. Free month is on Service price only, and does not include optional equipment such as $2.95/mo. modem rental or $3.95/mo. wireless router rental. Customers may provide their own equipment. Free installation on up to 6 TVs! Broadband service is not available to all addresses in Norwood. Internet speeds vary and are not guaranteed. Offer ends 4/30/19.

Sales line open8AM – 8 PM

NORWOOD RESIDENTSSWITCH TO THE #1

PROVIDER IN NORWOOD**!

We are -“The Local Guys”

Call or visit our website today and compare!

(Everyday low price – not a promotional price)

Package Includes100 Mbps High-Speed Internet along with

All of the most popular channels inHigh Definition on all of your HD TVs.

No cable boxes needed! No programming surcharges! No Internet data sharing! No Internet Data Caps!

$109.99

BASIC & EXPANDED CABLE TVWITH

100 MBPS HIGH-SPEED INTERNET

$109.99 / mo.

1ST MONTH FREE!!+ FREE INSTALLATION*!No contract – No Activation fee!

Selectmen continued from page 3

As written on Page 1 ofthis week’s issue, theConCom met with represen-tatives of DCD Realty re-cently, including David Hern,the attorney representingDCD and also Norwood’selected Town Meeting Mod-erator.

Antagonism between de-velopers and representativesof city and town elected andappointed boards are typicallypar for the course. In fact,antagonism between any con-servation commission andanyone coming before themseeking relief from conserva-tion rules, including residents,isn’t unusual. Why? Be-cause a good percentage ofthe population thinks much ofwhat ConComs try and en-force is bureaucratic tree-hug-ging nonsense causing unduework and aggravation. Andwe think a bit of that is true.We also think some conser-vation members take thispower bestowed upon them tosilly extremes.

That being writ ten,ConComs have a tough jobbeing responsible for protect-ing the land, water, and bio-logical resources of their

communities. They are vol-unteers who need to spendvast amounts of their freetime visiting sites, examiningsubmitted project plans andthen, oftentimes, facing ver-bal abuse from those beforethem who take offense at en-forcement obstacles placed intheir way by those just tryingto enforce the laws.

In the case of DCD Re-alty before Norwood’sConCom last week, memberJoe DiMaria’s words and ac-t ions were not onlydeconstructive, but borderlinesilly.

It’s understandable thatmost residents would appre-ciate DiMaria’s actions tomake the lives of DCD Re-alty representatives as miser-able as possible, given fewfind any value in DCD’s pro-posed 84 Morse St. parkinglot proposal. The plan to shoehorn a parking lot for automo-bile dealers’ cars in a residen-tial neighborhood stinks andmany, including this newspa-per, think officials negotiatingthis deal got taken to thecleaners yet again.

That being writ ten,Norwood’s boards relative to

the matter, including ConComare expected to act in a pro-fessional manner and, clearlyin DiMaria’s case, he did not.

Just before the start of themeeting, DiMaria handed overa long list of questions heneeded answered, essentiallysandbagging the applicant.Not only had DCD not seenthe questions prior to themeeting, neither had the Chairof the ConCom, John Gear,which speaks to the dysfunc-tion internally of the ConComwhich has been detailed onthese pages before.

In the verbal interactionsbetween other ConCom mem-bers and DiMaria, as can beread in the Page 1 article, it

was obvious DiMaria had thebacking of no one. His selfdefense comments were bor-derline childish and timewasting. It’s okay to holdDCD to the letter of the law,but at least be professionaland fair about it.

The second issue thatcame out of this meeting wasattorney Hern’s comments atthe end. “We have now sub-mitted everything. LEC hassubmitted everything. If thisis going to get on the TownMeeting warrant for thespring – the possibility of thisproperty, the Saints Lot adja-cent to this, being purchased– we have to have a permit.Otherwise, it does not get of-

fered for sale. Our agreementis we offer it for sale once wehave all our permits, so timeis crucial for a lot of people.”

This newspaper pointedout that the deal struck withDCD “maybe” selling theSaint Streets lot left the Townwith no leverage and now ourprognostication is comingtrue. DCD is holding that partof the deal hostage to gettheir permits quickly and theTown can do nothing about it.It was another example ofpoor decision making on thepart of those duly-elected torepresent the people. Thebest interests of the people ofSouth Norwood were onceagain left in the mud.

firefighters’ salaries, includ-ing the new deputy chief po-sition.

“It really is absolutely es-sential for Norwood Fire forus going into the future,”Morrice said. “We have tochange the way the organi-zation is structured.”

The police have a captain,deputies, sergeants, and of-ficers, while the fire depart-ment has the chief, a deputyand firefighters, he said.

The new deputy chief willbe a training officer and re-lieve Morrice of some of theadministrative duties he cur-

rently performs. Also, thedeputy chief will evaluateblueprints for new buildings toensure everything is up tocode.

Safety training for the de-partment teams as a whole isessential, he added.

Plasko asked each depart-ment head what programswould be cut if $100,000 hadto be slashed.

“We’re pretty lean,” wasMorrice’s response, whichwas characteristic of everyhead. “I don’t want to give upthe new deputy chief.”

Another point of contention

was when Mazzucco dis-cussed the 78-page capitaloutlay portion of the budget.Donahue objected, becausethe committee hadn’t re-viewed it yet. She is a com-mittee member.

She was also outvoted 4-1 when she asked that theSchool Department get thechance to appear before theSelectmen to discuss theirbudget “because of all of theproblems this year.”

“I don’t want to hearfrom them,” said Chair Tho-mas Maloney. “That’s neverbeen done before.”

Page 5 Page 5 Page 5 Page 5 Page 5The Norwood RecordMarMarMarMarMarch 1ch 1ch 1ch 1ch 14, 204, 204, 204, 204, 201111199999

84 Morse continued from page 1

review the questions, Susispent nearly the next 25 min-utes answering questions – al-most all of which had to dowith the labeling and markingof the plan’s various sheets –from Commissioner JoeDiMaria.

Though civil, there was anincreasing tension as the ques-tioning went on, and Gearasked for a motion to continueafter DiMaria informed himthat he had four pages of them.

Following this request, Hernput forward a question allud-ing to this frustration. “Can Iask, Mr. Chairman, that we nothave four pages of questionsdumped on us at 7:30 the nightof the hearing for plans thathave been in everybody’s pos-session for two weeks?”

“Well, sorry,” DiMaria shotback. “The idea is that we’resupposed to meet at a publicmeeting, and we’re not sup-posed to be meeting outside thepublic meeting… And so thisis the only time that I get to talkto other members of the Con-servation Commission aboutthings that are here.”

Commissioner PeterBamber then stepped in. “Infairness, Joe, I have to say thateverybody knew that theywere supposed to submit thingsa little ahead of time, so he has

the perfect right to be frus-trated.”

DiMaria went on to cite thefact that he only had weekendsavailable to go over plans andthat he had spent over threehours looking at these duringthe second weekend after hehad been unable to (he statedthat he had been very ill) dur-ing the first weekend.

The motion made, Gear ad-monished the Commission toget their questions in to Con-servation Agent Al Goetz withenough time to properly gothrough channels.

“There’s no way that I canget any review of this until overthe weekend,” DiMaria replied.

“The point is, Joe, we don’twant to come back on the 20thand you have another list ofquestions… Or anybody else,for that matter,” Gear cameback.

“Well, I don’t know,”DiMaria continued. “I thinkthat I have the right to do thisat my leisure before our nextmeeting. I don’t see any rea-son…”

Gear cut him off. “It’s notproductive and it’s not fair foreverybody else.”

“Well, it’s not fair for me,”DiMaria finished. “How am Igoing to spend my time?”

The 84 Morse St. parcel of

land – bordered by MorseStreet (at the school bus yard),the dead ends of the “Saints”streets (which are enteredfrom Washington Street), theathletic fields behind the BalchElementary, and Hawes Brook(the Neponset River also splitsthe property) – had been thetopic of controversy and debatethrough 2018.

This was due to the fact thatBoch Automotive had enteredinto a purchase agreement forthe property with the intentionof converting the largely undevel-oped parcel (there’s also an emptybuilding on the East side of theNeponset) to an open air auto stor-age lot.

As a condition of its approvalby the Planning Board, the appli-cant offered the Town a limitedtime option to purchase the unde-veloped “Saints Lot” portion of theproperty.

Hern addressed this in his con-cluding remarks:

“We have now submitted ev-erything. LEC has submitted ev-erything. If this is going to get onthe Town Meeting warrant for thespring – the possibility of this prop-erty, the Saints Lot adjacent to this,being purchased – we have tohave a permit. Otherwise, it doesnot get offered for sale. Our agree-ment is we offer it for sale oncewe have all our permits, so time iscrucial for a lot of people.”

The hearing was continueduntil March 20 at 7:30 p.m.

Page 6Page 6Page 6Page 6Page 6 The Norwood Record MarMarMarMarMarch 1ch 1ch 1ch 1ch 14, 204, 204, 204, 204, 201111199999

Norwood Foundationhosting fundraiser

JefJefJefJefJeff Sullivf Sullivf Sullivf Sullivf SullivanananananStaff Reporter

ScholarScholarScholarScholarScholarshipsshipsshipsshipsshipsContinued on page 8

The Norwood ScholarshipFoundation (NSF) is hostinga fundraiser on March 22 atthe Norwood Elks to raisefunds for Norwood students

heading to or already in col-lege.

The program dates backto the mid 1980s and, accord-ing to volunteer Patty Starr,has raised over $1 million forNorwood youth.

“Every student receives aminimum of a $1,000 schol-arship and last year we gaveout 62 scholarships,” she said.

Starr said some of thescholarships are specialized,in that some families starttheir own to honor someonethey knew or were close to.

“A lot of those are namedfor former teachers,” shesaid. “We have one scholar-ship for students who playgolf for instance, and thereare scholarships for studying

medicine or education, so thescholarships come with somedetails themselves.”

The foundation itself iscompletely volunteer-run, andStarr said a lot of the volun-teers are former educators.

“George Usevich, theformer Norwood High SchoolPrincipal, is on the board aswell as Bob Griffin, theCallahan School principal andTim McDonough, the formerSelectman,” she said. “It’s alot of parents too whose kidshave received the scholar-ships in the past.”

In fact, Starr said that’swhy she got started. She saidher daughter wanted to enterthe medical field and thescholarship was very helpfulfor them.

“I mean colleges are soexpensive now, and shegraduated in 2007, so I’m notsure what the prices are nowbut everything goes up,” shesaid. “I’m sure any amount ofmoney we can give familiesto try to offset the crazy costof college is a benefit. It wastremendous for us... And wehave several folks like us who

Page 7 Page 7 Page 7 Page 7 Page 7The Norwood RecordMarMarMarMarMarch 1ch 1ch 1ch 1ch 14, 204, 204, 204, 204, 201111199999

THE PATH TO YOUR FIRST

HOME STARTS HERE!

First-Time Homebuyer Seminar

SATURDAY, MAR. 16TH

10–11:30 A.M.

AT NORWOOD BANK

Learn about our new product

“No Points No Closing Costs”.

www.norwoodbank.com

*No purchase necessary. Must be present to win. Loan subject to credit approval. Cannot be used with the “No Points No Closing” program. Loan must close within 18 months. Not available for Norwood Bank employees and their families.

11 Central Street, Norwood, MA 02062 • 781-440-4256 www.norwoodbank.com Member FDIC Member SIF Equal Housing Lender

• First-Time Homebuyer Programs

• Budgeting for a home

• Why credit scores matter

• Homeowner’s insurance information

• The attorney’s role

• Home inspection information

TTTTTrailsrailsrailsrailsrailsContinued on page 10

Lots of activity afootfor Trails Committee

Amanda WebsterAmanda WebsterAmanda WebsterAmanda WebsterAmanda WebsterStaff Reporter

The Norwood Trails Advi-sory Committee gathered inroom 24 of Town Hall on Tues-day evening and discussed thevarious activities coming up forthe committee members.

Before diving into theagenda talking points of theevening, Chairman JosephGreeley quickly walkedthrough the goals of the com-mittee.

“Our main purpose so faris to work with all the depart-ments of town government andcoordinate efforts, give recom-mendations and create relation-ships with other entities,” saidGreeley.

“The three Es of our mis-sion statement would be to ex-plore new relationships, en-courage the community to uti-lize the trails and educate thepublic on current and futuretrails and open space opportu-nities here in town,” Greeleystated.

The group began the meet-ing by sharing any recentlycompleted walks of town trails.

Committee members LeeLeach and Vic Babel sharedthat they had participated in asnowshoe walk in the Ellis play-ground area.

“There was probably six to

12 inches of snow. It was anice afternoon, beautiful forsnowshoeing,” said Leach.

The committee continued onto schedule the next group trailwalk for Sunday, March 17,which happens to be St.Patrick’s Day.

“Wear your green,” chuck-led Greeley, “I’m not sure ifwe’ll find any four-leaf cloversout there though”.

The group plans to meet atthe Willett Early ChildhoodCenter at 10 a.m. and the pub-lic is encouraged to participatein the scheduled two hourwalk.

Craig Austin suggested thatthe committee members bringalong trash bags for their walkon Sunday, that way shouldthey stumble upon any garbageduring their venture they wouldbe equipped to clean up thetrail.

Greely advised that anyoneinterested in joining the walkshould dress appropriately asthe trail is expected to be wetand has a considerable amountof briars that could snag cloth-ing.

“It’s going to be mushy,”noted Austin.

In addition to the St.Patrick’s Day walk, the com-mittee is looking forward to par-

The Trails Committee is looking to clean up Norwood for Eath Day in at least two areas of Town.PHOTO BY AMANDA WEBSETER

Page 8Page 8Page 8Page 8Page 8 The Norwood Record MarMarMarMarMarch 1ch 1ch 1ch 1ch 14, 204, 204, 204, 204, 201111199999

have been fortunate enoughto receive scholarships anddecided to give back.”Starr said they not only offerscholarships to currentNorwood students at NHS(and all Norwood students,regardless of which schoolthey go to), but also toNorwood students alreadygoing through their under-graduate studies.

“You can apply after yourfreshman year to get anotherscholarship, as long as you’reprocessing the same amountof paperwork that’s required,you can continue all fouryears of undergraduate,” shesaid.

Starr said the scholarshipapplicants are judged basedon a variety of qualificationsranging from financial need,academic performance orwhich field they want to en-ter (based on those special-ized scholarships mentionedpreviously).

“The student only has tolive in Norwood, they can go

Scholarships continued from page 6to any school,” she said. “Theapplication is judged on apoints system... We don’t justgive the scholarships to thetop five students of everyclass, so there’s a lot of vari-ety.”

Starr said her daughterwas helped by the amount ofvolunteering she did back inhigh school, which is anotherbig criteria.

“That’s one thing we’relooking for, on how they’regiving back to the community,”she said. “It could be partici-pating in Challenger Sports orif they do athletics or holddown part-time jobs whilethey’re going to school, allthose are factors we look at.”

The Foundation is hostingmedium Cathy Ripley Greeneat the Elks for $40 in advanceand $45 at the door. Starr saidthis is the third year for thisparticular fundraiser, andadded when it first startedshe was skeptical as to theability of Greene, to say theleast.

“I thought that was abunch of baloney, but shecompletely convinced me,”she said. “She made a con-nection with me that nobodywould have ever known, Imean the re was j u s t noway and it gave me chills.She’s f rom Walpole andshe walks around the roomand gets like vibrations ora sense of being able toconnect with people. Some-times it’s with people whoare dead or she might havea feeling about somethinggoing on in someone’s liferight now that they might needhelp with... It’s really fascinat-ing to watch.”

The Norwood Elks are alsodonating the space for theevent, charging a small fee forcleanup and taking the sales froma cash bar. Starr said they are ahuge help in getting funds to thegroup. For more informationand to apply for upcomingscholarships (the deadline isApril 1, 2019), go tonorwoodscholarshipfoundation.org.

The Record Book

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin(Never known to fail!)

Oh, most beautiful flower of Mt.Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor ofHeaven, Blessed Mother of the Sonof God, Immaculate Virgin, assist mein this necessity. Oh Star of the Sea,help me and show me herein you aremy mother. Oh Holy Mary, Motherof God, Queen of Heaven and Earth,I humbly beseech thee from thebottom of my heart to succor me inmy necessity (make request). Thereare none that can withstand yourpower. Oh Mary, conceived withoutsin, pray for us who have recourse tothee (three times). Holy Mary, I placethis cause in your hands (threetimes). Say this prayer for threeconsecutive days and then you mustpublish and it will be granted to you.

Grateful thanks. —F.J.

St. Jude’s NovenaMay the Sacred Heart of Jesusbe adored, glorified, loved andpreserved throughout theworld, now and forever. Sa-cred Heart of Jesus pray for us.St. Jude, worker of miracles,pray for us. St. Jude, helper ofthe hopeless, pray for us. Saythis prayer 9 times a day. Bythe 9th day your prayer will beanswered. It has never beenknown to fail. Publicationmust be promised. Thank youSt. Jude. My Prayers were an-swered.

In gratitude for helping me.Thank you, M.D.

Novena to St. JudeOh Holy St. Jude Apostle and Mar-tyr, great in virtue and rich inmiracles, near Kinsman of JesusChrist faithful intercessor of all whoinvoke your special patronage in timeof need, to you I have recourse fromthe depths of my heart and humblybeg to whom God has given suchgreat power to come to my assistance.Help me in my present and urgent pe-tition. In return I promise to makeyour name known and cause you tobe invoked. Say three Our Fathers,three Hail Marys and three Glorias.Publication must be promised. St.Jude pray for us and all who invokeyour aid. Amen. This must be said fornine consecutive days. This Novena hasnever been known to fail.

—J.R.G.

SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION“DOLLARS FOR SCHOLARS”

An evening with Medium Cathy Ripley Greene onFriday, March 22 at the Norwood Elks doors open at 6:30,event begins at 7. Feel free to bring your own snack andcash bar will be open. Advance ticket $40.00pp or at thedoor $45.00 Please contact Laurieshea@live.com or 781-603-6771 with any questions or for tickets. The NSF/DFSawards over $50,000.00 in scholarships each year toNorwood Students heading off to college. Please join fun!

“DARK TIDE” TO BE DISCUSSEDThe Norwood Historical Society has decided to launch

a book club and offer regular meetings at the Day House.The goal is to read about Massachusetts and local his-tory. We want this book club to be open to all who areinterested in learning more about local and regional his-tory. We are preparing a list of books, including non-fic-tion and historical fiction that explore Massachusetts andthe region. Our plan is to include relevant items from theHistorical Society’s collection on display, to bring the bookto life.

We invite the community to come join us for our firstmeeting on Thursday evening, the 28th of March at 7:00at the Day House (93 Day Street, Norwood). We have chosento kick things off with a discussion of Stephen Puleo’s DarkTide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919. We willhave photos of Norwood in 1919 on display as we talk aboutthis unexpected catastrophe and how it changed our lives.

If you are interested in joining us, please sign up on theNorwood Historical Society website or leave your de-tails on our voicemail at 781.762.9197. Please get a copyof the book and we ask that you read it before our meet-

ing. Come prepared to talk about molasses, industrialsafety, and Boston a century ago. Tea and cookies willbe served after the hour-long discussion, and we willpick a book for the April meeting. Hope to see you there!Visit www.norwoodhistoricalsociety.org to learn more. TOASTMASTERS TO HOST OPEN HOUSE

Want to improve on your Leadership and Commu-nication skills? Ignite your career or win that job interview?Meet supportive people and learn how to inspire and moti-vate? Norwood Toastmasters can help. The Norwood Toast-masters Club invites the public to its open house on March26, from 7:00Pm – 8:30PM at the Norwood Civic Center,165 Nahatan St., Norwood MA. This is your golden oppor-tunity to meet future leaders and find your voice!

LEAGUE SCHOOL 5K WALK/RUNLeague School of Greater Boston’s 6th Annual 5K

Walk/Run for Autism will be on Saturday, April 13. OldPost Road School in Walpole will once again host ourannual event. Registration at 9am and race begins at10am. All proceeds from this event will be directed towardsour on-going efforts to construct an appropriate outdoor spacethat is accessible, exciting and engaging for all students!

The streets will be busy with walkers, runners, strollers,volunteers and supporters in the community. Current spon-sors are Direct Federal Credit Union, O’LYN Roofing,Napper Tandy’s Walpole, Dedham Savings Bank, DempseyInsurance and WP Haney Company.

Register NOW on website http://www.thedriven.net/League20195K With further questions or to discuss cus-tomized sponsorship packages, please contact MichelleMelanson, Special Events Coordinator, at 508-850-3900, ext. or mmelanson@leagueschool.com.

Page 9 Page 9 Page 9 Page 9 Page 9The Norwood RecordMarMarMarMarMarch 1ch 1ch 1ch 1ch 14, 204, 204, 204, 204, 201111199999

Call 781-948-1295or go online today at

www.norwoodlight.com** Free standard installation. Call for a free survey. NO CONTRACT$150 Installation charge applies if service is disconnected within the first 90 days!1st month of service offer valid to new or former NLB Business Service customers who have not had any NLB service in last 90 days. Free month is for the monthly service fee only, not including taxes Equipment & Gov. fees. Internet speeds vary and are not guaranteed. Offer ends 4/30/19

Only $79.95/mo

JUST NEED INTERNET SERVICE?FASTER INTERNET SPEEDS AT THE SAME

EVERYDAY LOW PRICES!!! NEW SPEED EVERYDAY LOW PRICE

NORWOOD BUSINESS OWNERSSWITCH TO NORWOOD LIGHT BROADBAND AND SAVE!

1ST MONTH OF SERVICE FREE! FREE INSTALLATION**

NORWOOD BUSINESS OWNERSSWITCH TO NORWOOD LIGHT BROADBAND AND SAVE!

1ST MONTH OF SERVICE FREE! FREE INSTALLATION**

BEST BUSINESS PACKAGE DEAL IN TOWN!

Internet Lite 5Mbps $29.95/mo.

Internet Basic 10Mbps $39.95/mo.

Internet Standard 100Mbps $49.95/mo.

Internet Extreme* 200Mbps $89.95/mo.

Internet Extra* 300Mbps $114.95/mo.

Wicked Fast* 400Mbps $159.95/mo.

Enterprise* 500Mbps $189.95/mo.*2 free static IPs included!

Dedicated Enterprise Fiber Service Available

DEATHS GILLIGAN

Joseph K. Age 72, of Norwood,formerly of West Roxbury, suddenlyon March 4, 2019. Beloved husbandand best friend of Maureen (Dewan)Gilligan. Devoted father of Kerry Neroand her husband, David, of WestRoxbury, and Kevin Gilligan and hiswife, Annette (Polcino) ofMassapequa, NY. Amazing Papa toJoseph and Emma Nero, and Averyand Joseph Gilligan. Loving brotherof Claire Sheppeck of Scituate, BrianGilligan of Dennis and Marco Island,and the late John Gilligan. Cherishedson of the late Lillian Gilligan. Fu-neral from the Robert J. Lawler andCrosby Funeral Home, 1803 CentreSt., WEST ROXBURY. Interment atSt. Joseph Cemetery. In lieu of flow-ers, donations may be made in Joe’smemory to the Oncology Floor Re-source Room, Room 6 North, atChildren’s Hospital, Boston. Contri-butions can be made online atwww.bostonchildrens.org/givenow orchecks made payable to BostonChildren’s Hospital can be mailed toBoston Children’s Hospital Trust, 401Park Drive, Suite 602, Boston, MA02215- 5301. Please include Joseph’sname in the memo line of check.Lawler and Crosby Funeral Home.617-323-5600.

LaROSA

JOSEPH Thomas of Walpole, for-merly of Norwood, passed away sud-denly at home on March 4, 2019 at

the age of 53. Beloved husband of 17years to Mary F. (Cutone) LaRosa.Cherished and proud father of hisbeautiful sons Salvatore Joseph, Jo-seph Thomas Jr. and Mario Victor allof Walpole. Devoted son of Salvatoreand Ann Marie (Mulligan) LaRosa. Loving brother of Karen L. Petrucciand her husband Stephen of Walpoleand Thomas J. LaRosa and his part-ner Stephen of Jamaica Plain. Adoredson-in-law of Mary Cutone ofStoneham and the late Mario CutoneJr.. Treasured uncle to 15 nieces andnephews, favorite brother-in-law tomany, a dear cousin and admired busi-nessman. Joe was a 1984 graduate ofNorwood High School and a gradu-ate of Roger Williams University. Hewas a longtime and successful ownerof LaRosa Landscape and Construc-tion Co. in Norwood. Joe was the con-summate family man thoroughly en-joying every moment he spent withMary, his boys and his close-knit ex-tended family. Joe loved good food,a well-made martini and welcomingfamily and friends at grand gather-ings in his home. He appreciated asalty tale about the latest politics orjuicy news story. Joe was a hugesports fan deriving much joy fromwatching his sons play soccer and la-crosse and enjoyed all of the home-town favorites with Mary and theboys. Funeral from the Kraw-Kornack Funeral Home, 1248 Wash-ington St., Norwood from 4-8pm onThursday, March 7, 2019. Intermentat Highland Cemetery in Norwood.In lieu of flowers donations may bemade in Joe’s name to the Little Sis-ters of the Poor, 186 Highland Ave.Somerville, MA 02143.

PARNAGIANRichard H. Of Norwood, March

7, 2019. Beloved husband of the lateMary (Dakesian) Parnagian. Devotedfather of John R. Parnagian and his

wife Nancy, and the late KennethParnagian. Loving grandfather of JohnM. Parnagian and his wife Lindsay,and Daniel R. Parnagian. Cherishedgreat-grandfather of John K.Parnagian. Brother of the late RoseKent and Haig Parnagian. Also sur-vived by many loving nieces, neph-ews, great-nieces and great-nephews.Longtime companion of the late RoseDeFilippo. Funeral Service from theAram Bedrosian Funeral Home, 558Mount Auburn Street,WATERTOWN. In lieu of flowers,memorial gifts may be made to SaintStephen’s Armenian Church or VNAHospice and Palliative Care, 100 TradeCenter, Suite G500, Woburn, MA01801. Graduate of Boston EnglishHigh School. Veteran WW II, U.S.Army. Interment at Mount Hope Cem-etery, Boston.

PRAINOShirley A. (Meyer) Lifelong resi-

dent of Norwood, passed away unex-pectedly after a brief illness on March8, 2019, surrounded by her lovingfamily. Daughter of the late Frederickand Anne (Vaikasas) Meyer. Belovedwife of the late Edward B. Praino.Loving mother of Sandra Landers andher late husband Charles ofRichardson, TX, Brenda Sweeney andher husband Kevin of Norwood,Michael Praino and his wife Kathy ofWest Bridgewater, Dianne Methe ofMedway, and Dennis Praino ofWareham. Cherished grandmother ofMelissa Henry and her husband Eric,Kathleen O’Brien and her husband Jo-seph, Brendan Sweeney and his wifeMarion, Matthew Sweeney, SuzanneCronin and her husband Mike, Rob-

ert Methe, Devin Praino and hiswife Ashley and Meghan Praino.Adored great–grandmother ofDaniel, Connor, Claire, Timothy,Teagan, Abigail and, Hannah. Lov-ing sister of the late John F. andPatricia Meyer. Dear sister-in-lawof Marcia Praino, Gerard Praino,Marie Hand, John Praino, Marga-ret Ryan, and the late MarionSands, Madeline Pruell, and Rob-ert Praino. Shirley is also lovinglysurvived by many nieces, neph-ews, cousins, and cherishedfriends. Shirley was a devotedmember and communicant of theSt. Catherine of Siena Parish. Forover 35 years, she worked as atravel coordinator at Factory Mu-tual. Shirley will be fondly remem-bered for making treasured memo-ries with her grandchildren andgreat-grandchildren, the greatestjoys of her life. Funeral Service fromGillooly Funeral Home, 126Walpole Street, NORWOOD.Please kindly consider a donationin memory of Shirley to St.Catherine of Siena Parish, 547Washington Street, Norwood, MA02062. Gillooly Funeral HomeNorwood 781-762-0174www.gilloolyfuneralhome.com

WEBBER

ANNETTE R. (Boivin) went

home to God and to be with her cher-ished Eddie on March 5, 2019.Annette was the beloved wife of thelate Edgar F. Webber of Norwood. Shewas the loving sister of Mrs. LouiseDaley of Satellite Beach, FL, the lateReverend Henry P. Boivin and the lateJeanne Boivin. Annette was the de-voted mother of James F. and his wifeDahlia of Newton, Thomas H. andhis wife Amy of Los Angeles, CA,and John E. and his wife Cori-Lynnof Windsor CT. She is also survivedby ten grandchildren, one greatgrandchild and many “favorite”nieces and nephews. Born andraised in Dorchester, Annette livedher life as a wife and mother inNorwood. A lifelong voraciousreader, she had an insatiable curi-osity about the world. She lovedmeeting people, hearing their sto-ries and sharing hers. She was theoriginal phone-a-friend. Her truepassion in life was worrying abouther friends and family - she was achampion at that. We’ll miss herwonderful personality, her senseof humor and quick wit , hersparkly pink and purple hats, andthe ever-present tootsie pops shehanded out to everyone. Annette’sfamily would like to thank her ter-rific and supportive friends aswell as her wonderful caregivers.You all made her life so muchricher. Funeral from the Kraw-Kornack Funeral Home 1248Washington St. Norwood, Friday,March 15, 2019 at 9:30am fol-lowed by a funeral mass at 11amat St. Catherine of Siena ChurchNorwood. Visitation will be heldon Friday, March 15, 2019 from9:30am-10:30am. Burial will be atHighland Cemetery Norwood,MA. In lieu of flowers, to honorAnnette’s love of books and learn-ing, donations can be made in hername to the Norwood Public Li-brary or to a literacy program ofyour choice.

Page 10Page 10Page 10Page 10Page 10 The Norwood Record MarMarMarMarMarch 1ch 1ch 1ch 1ch 14, 204, 204, 204, 204, 201111199999

Trails continued from page 7

ticipating in two site cleanupsin recognition of Earth Day.According to Gerry Miller, thetwo areas that will be the fo-cus of the cleanup efforts areHennessy Field Trail and theEndean Trail.

Two different colored bagswill be available for the public,one for trash and the other forrecyclables and the filled bagswill be left in designated loca-tions for the Department ofPublic Works to pick up.

The Earth Day clean up isscheduled for 9:30 a.m. to 11a.m. on Sunday, April 28 and

those who wish to participatecan go directly to either cleanupsite. A community picnic willbe held at the town commonfollowing the cleanup, accord-ing to Miller.

“Having done it in the past,we’re really subject to the num-ber of people that show up withhow aggressive you want toget,” Miller said in regards tothe cleanup effort.

Those interested in volun-teering can sign up by visitingprogressnorwood.org.

In ongoing projects, thecommittee is hoping to producea newsletter for the month ofMarch.

Although not finalized,Greely said the newsletterwould probably consist of a cal-endar and three bullet points of

Last year's Earth Day Cleanup was a huge success for the Town and for Progress Norwood, and the TrailsCommittee is looking to do its part to get more residents out for this year's spring cleaning.

COURTESY PHOTO

information, and possibly fea-ture a Trail of the Month.

“I think we want to makesure what we do, we do itwell,” said Miller.

The committee is also work-ing on getting their own sub-section of the Norwood gov-ernment website to make theirinformation more accessible tothe public. Currently, the TrailsAdvisory Committee informa-tion can be found on the Con-servation Commission page ofthe Norwood governmentwebsite, but Greeley said thatthe new page should be up andrunning by the end of nextweek.

The next Trails AdvisoryCommittee meeting is sched-uled for Tuesday, March 26 at7 p.m.

TO ADVERTISE, CALLTHE NORWOOD RECORD AT

(781) 769-1725

Page 11 Page 11 Page 11 Page 11 Page 11The Norwood RecordMarMarMarMarMarch 1ch 1ch 1ch 1ch 14, 204, 204, 204, 204, 201111199999

LegalsSENIOR NEWS BINGO: Every Wednesday, from 12:45 PM to

3:00 PM, $5.00 to get started. We have begun anew game, for $1.00, with a winner take all prize!You must be here by 12:45 PM to play the newgame!

BLOOD PRESSURE CLINIC: Walpole VNAwill be available for blood pressure screening onthe first Wednesday of each month. Ellis NursingHome will offer blood pressure screening on the2nd Wednesday of each month. The Walpole VNAwill provide blood pressure screening on the thirdWednesday of each month at 11:30 AM. WalpoleVNA on the 5th.

BRIDGE: Our Bridge Club meets on Thursdaysat 9:00 AM, in the Library.

COMPUTER CLUB: The Computer Clubmeets every Wednesday at 1:00 PM.

CRIBBAGE: Our seniors meet every Mondayat 12:45 PM to play cribbage. New Class on Fri-days at 12:45 (except the 4th Friday)

DIGITAL PHOTO ORGANIZATION & ED-ITING: will take place the 1st and 3rd Wednesdayof the month at 11:30 AM.

DRAWING WITH COLORED PENCILS–Classes held the first and third Tuesday of themonth at 11AM-12:15PM. $3.00 a session all ma-terials included.

FRIENDS EVENING DANCE: March 15th,7:00 PM - 10:00 PM, The DB Band.

GLEE CLUB: Glee Club meets every Tues-day at 11:15 AM.

HANDCRAFTERS: Handcrafters meet everyMonday from 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM.

HEARING SOLUTIONS: Hearing Aide clinicon Wednesday, March 27th 11:30AM.

Learn to play Mah Jong -Thursdays and Fridaysat 12:30 PM.

Line Dance Classes are held each Tuesday. Classwill be held from 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM.

MAH JONG: Mah Jong players meet Monday,Wednesday, and Friday 10:00 AM - Noon.

Manicures: Friday-March 22nd at 9:00 AM -

1:00 PM.NORWOOD RETIRED MEN’S CLUB: The

Board of Directors meets on the 1st Tuesday ofeach month at 10:30AM, at the Senior Center. TheClub Membership meets the 2nd Tuesday of eachmonth at the Norwood Elks Lodge, at 10:00 AM.

SCRABBLE: Thursday afternoons at 1:00 PM.Come and join us for a game.

SHINE: We have two SHINE Counselors.Carole is here to help you with your medical in-surance needs on Tuesdays from 10:00 AM. - 2:00PM. Amy will be here on Fridays from 10:00 AM- 2:00 PM Please call 781-762-1201 for an appoint-ment.

TAP DANCE-Thursdays at 11:15 AM. All lev-els are welcome and encouraged to join the fun.

TRIAD: Monday, March 18, 1PM, Town Man-ager Tony Mazzucco.

WAXING with Erin: March 18, Monday 9:00AM – Noon.

WHIST: Whist players meet on Tuesdays at12:45 PM, in the library.

Norwood Memory Café, Inc. Thursday, March21, 1:30 PM—3:30 PM A monthly social gather-ing with caregivers and their loved ones who areliving with memory changes. For more informa-tion and to volunteer, please contact Jean Cotton,MS, Gerontology, C.D.P. at Je7cot@msn.com orc a l l 7 8 1 - 7 6 2 -1611. www.norwoodmemorycafe.com

March EventsGlee Club St. Patrick’s Day Concert, Friday,

March 15th @ 1PM.TRIAD, Monday, March 18th @1PM, Town

Manager– Tony Mazzucco.“Conversation with the Chief “, Chief Brooks

–Norwood Police Dept., Thursday, March 28th at1PM.

Civil War Talk by Jack Kelly, Monday, March25th @ 1PM.

New Afternoon Line Dance, Friday, March 29th1PM-3PM -$5.00.

Page 12Page 12Page 12Page 12Page 12 The Norwood Record MarMarMarMarMarch 1ch 1ch 1ch 1ch 14, 204, 204, 204, 204, 201111199999