Veterans Day Commemoration Glocester

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Please join us for a celebration to honor America’s Veterans for their patriotism, love of country and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. Hosted by Jean M. Fecteau, Town Clerk, and Glocester Town Council -- Walter M. O. Steere, III, President; Steven A. Sette; William Reichert, Vice-President; George O. (Buster) Steere; and Edward C. Burlingame

• Wednesday, November 11, 201511:00am
  Glocester Senior Center, 1210 Putnam Pike, Chepachet, RI

Foster Town Council Meeting

Thomas Cobb's latest novel based on 1993 Foster shooting

By Andy Smith
Journal Arts Writer Posted Oct. 25, 2015 @ 12:01 am

Frank and Charles Sherman were my cousins, Wayne G.Barber

Thomas Cobb's latest novel based on 1993 Foster shooting.
The former RIC professor, author of "Crazy Heart," based his story on the murder of three teenagers by suspended police officer Robert G. Sabetta Jr.

For Rhode Islanders with good memories, there should be something familiar about the plot of Thomas Cobb's latest novel, "Darkness the Color of Snow 

The novel, published in August, begins with a traffic stop gone bad and a young cop facing disgrace. Something within the cop snaps, and he walks into a garage where some of the young men from the traffic stop are working. He starts shooting.

If that sounds like a 1993 case in Foster, when suspended police officer Robert G. Sabetta Jr. shot and killed three teenagers — Frank Sherman, 16, his brother Charles, 17, and Jeremy Bullock, 19 — at Wilson's Garage on Route 6, that's because Cobb based his novel on the Sabetta case.

"I live in Foster, so I've been thinking about this for a long time," Cobb said. "I didn't know any of the people directly involved in the crime, but when you live in Foster, there's not much more than one degree of separation. I couldn't help but see the damage that was done."

Cobb, 68, a native of the Southwest, retired from teaching at Rhode Island College in 2010. His 1987 novel "Crazy Heart" was adapted into a film in 2009 starring Jeff Bridges, who won the Oscar for best actor for the role.

Cobb said he is in the middle of a trilogy of novels set in his native Arizona. But his literary agent urged him to try something different, and Cobb decided to write a novel loosely based on the Sabetta case.

He tried a first draft of the novel set in Foster. That didn't work.

"When I read it, something was way off. I realized I was not moving on my own, I was letting the [real] story push me," Cobb said.

Cobb said he's never written about the place where he lives, with the exception of a short story set at Triggs Memorial Golf Course in Providence for the anthology "Providence Noir." 

"When I lived in Tucson, I never wrote about Tucson," he said. "I didn't start until after I left."

So to find the setting for "Darkness the Color of Snow," he and his wife, Randy, drove north and west, and ended up in a small town in upstate New York, near the Vermont border. They spent a day or two there to soak up some atmosphere, and Cobb created the fictional town of Lydell, N.Y., for the book.

Cobb said he read a few articles online about Sabetta to refresh his memory. And Cobb stayed true to the basic outline of the Sabetta case: it opens with a traffic stop, and climaxes in a triple murder.

In between, however, Cobb crafted his own story: "I'm not a non-fiction writer. I'm a novelist," he said.

There's a key difference near the beginning of the book. In real life, Sabetta had been accused of hitting Frank Sherman in the face with a flashlight, knocking out two front teeth.

In Cobb's novel, police officer Ronald Forbert tries to arrest Matt Laferiere during a traffic stop. The two struggle and Laferiere stumbles into the road, where he is struck and killed by an oncoming car. 

Don't Feed Bears- Keep Them Wild

History ?

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

After attending a presentation on the village of Bridgeton, Rhode Island in the 1800's this week I listened to a statement of a three year old Knife manufacture that was in business and later burned to the ground without a trace of their wares. After doing some research I just wonder if this successful cutlery company moved  to nearby Massachusetts and started over ?

Cutlery Company

The Harrington Cutlery Company was established in 1818, in Southbridge, Massachusetts by Henry Harrington, a New England craftsman and inventor. The Harrington Cutlery company was the first cutlery manufacturing company established in the United States. Harrington manufactured surgical equipment, shoe knives and firearms. Some of his firearms are on display at the Old Sturbridge Village Museum in Sturbridge, MA. In 1884, Harrington introduced the Dexter trade name. Named after one of his sons, Dexter Harrington, the Dexter line of kitchen and table cutlery became known for its high quality in American homes and restaurants.^[1]

John Russell Cutlery Company

The John Russell Cutlery Company was established in 1834, in Greenfield, MA by John Russell. Russell built his water powered factory on the banks of the Green River. He first produced chisels and axe heads, but as the company grew, he began to produce large quantities of high quality hunting knives to supply the needs of the American frontier.^[2]

Russell Harrington Cutlery Company[edit]

In 1933, the Harrington Cutlery Company and the John Russell Cutlery Company merged to form the Russell Harrington Cutlery Company. The newly formed company was relocated to its present location in Southbridge, Massachusetts.^[3]

Dexter-Russell, Inc.

In 2001, the company changed its name to Dexter-Russell, Inc. to reflect its history.^[1]

Rhode Island's Only Covered Bridge

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Rhode Island's only covered bridge is in Foster. Although it is one of the nation's newest and smallest (36 feet long) covered bridges, it has a dramatic history. In the late fall of 1992, Swamp Meadow Covered Bridge, a latticed-truss, one-lane bridge, was built over Hemlock Brook, much to the delight of locals who took seriously the fact that Rhode Island was the only New England state without a covered bridge. On a September night one year later, teenage vandals doused the bridge with gasoline and, with the flick of a lighter, destroyed it. The townspeople were so distraught that they weren't sure they wanted to rebuild, however, calls, money, and offers of support came from all over Rhode Island. A few months later, volunteers began the process that ultimately led to rebuilding. Dedicated in November 1994, the new bridge resembles an authentic 19th-century covered bridge. To visit: From Route 6, go south on Route 94; turn right on Central Pike.

STILLWATER PLAYGROUND PARK

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

 YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO A CEREMONIAL GRAND OPENING OF

THE NEW STILLWATER MILL PLAYGROUND

BEGINNING PROMPTLY AT

10:00 A.M. ON SATURDAY, HALLOWEEN, OCTOBER 31ST.

AT THE

BURRILLVILLE FARMER’S MARKET PAVILION

INCLEMEMNT WEATHER LOCATION WILL BE AT

THE JESSE M SMITH LIBRARY MEETING ROOM

Is Rhode Island Going to Have a Harder Winter Than Last?

Posted by Wayne G. Barber
Following a winter in which Rhode Island saw record breaking snowfalls (February’s 31.8 inches at TF Green broke the previous record of 30.9 inches in 1962) — what does this coming winter hold?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its 2015-2016 “U.S. Winter Outlook” last week, an due to El Nino it predicted the Northeast will have a warmer — and wetter — than normal winter.   NECN reported, however “Super Cold, Slew of Snow Predicted for New England by Old Farmer’s Almanac” at the end of the summer.

So which one is it?

Experts Weigh In
NOAA maps show temps in the Northeast being 33% to 40% warmer than usual this winter; precipitation is slated as being normal or slightly up for the region.
GoLocal veteran meteorologist John Ghiorse was similarly reluctant to make any bold predictions.
“As usual, I am very skittish when it comes to seasonal weather predictions. There are so many variables to consider (El Nino, Arctic Oscillation, etc.) that we know about and far more variables that are unknown or that we know so little about. I do, however, sense (mainly from the strong El Nino predicted) that this winter will not be as brutally cold for such an extended period as we had last winter," said Ghiorse. "This is based on the idea that the Arctic cold would be trapped in Northern Canada for much (but not all!) of the winter."

   Ghiorse continued, "As for precipitation, I sense neither exceptionally wet or exceptionally dry. It is usual in an El Nino winter that we do see regular stormy periods but many of the storms are snow to rain or just rain, especially along the coastal plain (which includes Providence but not Worcester). Any prediction of how much snow we'll get at a given location is out of the question but, in general, snowfall should be about average to slightly below average for the season overall (Providence average is around 34" for the season, Worcester around 64"). This "sense" is based, as I said, on the predicted unusually strong El Nino. If that El Nino does not develop as strongly as expected or diminishes half way through the winter ... disregard the above!”
Source: GoLocal Prov. Kate Nagle

Indictment charges 4 in Burrillville killing

Posted by Wayne G. Barber
A grand jury has indicted two people from Burrillville in the killing of a Worcester man whose remains were found under a cement slab at their home.
Steven Pietrowicz and Michelle Morin each face one count of conspiracy, one count of murder, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of failure to report a death.
A secret indictment also charges Corey Bickhardt of Sciota, Pennsylvania, with one count of conspiracy, one count of murder, two counts count of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of failure to report a death. Denise Walker, of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, was indicted on one count of failure to report a death.
Prosecutors said Pietrowicz, Morin and Bickhardt killed Domingo Ortiz on May 6 and hid his body under a cement slab at 505 Douglas Pike, where Pietrowicz and Morin were living.
Pietrowicz and Morin are scheduled to be arraigned in Providence County Superior Court on Wednesday. Bickhardt is in prison in Pennsylvania on unrelated charges.
Authorities said an arrest warrant was issued for Walker.Source: Turn to 10 Facebook Share

Pat Mehrtens, Burrillville Town Historian, presents ...

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Come Visit Bridgeton, RI

A Booming Vilage in its Heyday

Jesse M. Smith Memorial Library

100 Tinkham Lane, Harrisville

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

at 10:30 am and 6:30 pm

Come along on a visual tour of what Bridgeton used to be.  Learn about the mills, transportation, schools, and how people enjoyed life in those days.  Many memories of the good times of a village which has nearly disappeared from view.

No registration is required.  Light refreshments will be served.

Glocester Well Water Workshop

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Free workshop for private well owners. REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

• Monday, October 26, 20156:00-7:00pm at Glocester Town Hall
  Call (401) 874-4918 to register

California hopes to ease drought woes with ocean water

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

 What will be the largest water desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere has been built in San Diego.
The $1 billion plant, being built by a private company, will suck in 100 million gallons of water per day from the Pacific Ocean, strip out the salt using an elaborate filtration system and turn it into 50 million gallons of drinking water, enough for 300,000 San Diego County residents.
"There is no more cheap water available," said Bill Bliven, who currently resides in the San Diego and was back in Rhode Island for a family funeral and took the time out for a interview.

 One of my many hobbies is dirt bike competition and we traveled up into the mountain area and the reservoirs were empty and then talked with the local people and were told last years snowfall was 10% of a normal year. The rain cycle runs in a ten year period and this year
should show a trend of more needed rain and for a additional two years. Bliven is allowed to use outside water on two designated days and if caught using water on any other day will be fined.
  Bliven's same neighborhood had a brush fire stop just below his property line two years ago.

  The company currently imports a majority of its water from drought-ravaged parts of California and the Colorado River Basin. San Diego will buy all of the water the Carlsbad plant will produce starting next year. Water bills will increase about $5 to $7 per month to cover the cost.
"It will represent 7 percent of our total water supply," Bliven said. "It's a significant chunk of water that, in the event of a drought, will be 100 percent reliable for this region."


 I have doing my research and I found that the only other major desalination plant in the country is in Tampa, Florida. Until now, they have been considered too expensive to build and operate in the U.S. But California's unending drought has made it necessary.

And to citizens who may complain that water prices are going to be too high, Bliven says, "if you go and turn on your faucet and no water comes out is that water too expensive? If you don't have it, it's not too expensive."
At least two more desalination plants are in the planning stage along the California coast.

Median household income in R.I. continues to fall

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Even though the state's unemployment situation has brightened in recent years, household income for Rhode Islanders has fallen steadily since the start of the Great Recession and continues to decline, according to recent numbers from the U.S. Census.

In 2008, as the recession took hold across America, Rhode Island's median household income peaked at $61,655, when adjusted for inflation to the value of the dollar in 2015. By 2014, the latest year available, it had fallen to $55,259. While roughly paralleling the change in household income across the nation, Rhode Island is out of step with its neighbors Connecticut and Massachusetts, which have seen a rebound since hitting post-recession lows.

As median household incomes fall, the middle class is forced to entrench economically, cutting back on discretionary spending and tapping assets, such as retirement funds and home equity, that represent most families' largest accumulation of wealth. The slowdown in consumer spending can grind the state's economy to a halt and put the brakes on recovery.

Rhode Island's unemployment rate reached a seasonally adjusted peak of 11.3 percent in June 2009, the year that household incomes began falling. It remained above 11.0 percent until November 2011, when it began dropping nearly every month, according to figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It had fallen to 5.6 percent in August, the latest month available ahead of Thursday's planned announcement of the September rate.

For Connecticut, the peak also was in 2008, when it was $75,928 in 2015 inflation-adjusted dollars. It bottomed out at $68,641 in 2013 and stood at $70,517 in 2014. In unadjusted dollars, those figures were $68,595 in 2008; $67,098 in 2013; and $70,048 in 2014.

Massachusetts, too, peaked in 2008, at $72,392 in inflation-adjusted dollars. The low point was $66,599 in 2011. It had risen to $69,623 in 2014. The unadjusted dollars: $64,401 in 2008, $62,859 in 2011 and $69,160 in 2014.

The nation came in lower than the three Southern New England states. It peaked in 2007 at $58,321 in adjusted dollars. The bottom was $53,323 in 2012. In 2014, it was $54,017. In unadjusted dollars: $50,740 in 2007, $51,371 in 2012 and $53,657 in 2014.Source: Paul Edward Parker

Providence Journal Staff Writer

Burrillville School Committee Regular Meeting 10-13-15

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

10-13-2015 Burrillville School Committee Regular meeting.

BURRILLVILLE SCHOOL COMMITTEE

Regular Meeting

October 13, 2015

6:30 pm, BHS Media Center

425 East Avenue, Harrisville, RI 02830

                                           AGENDA

1. Convene in Open Session, Welcome, Roll Call, Pledge of Allegiance

2. Recognition

3. Consent Agenda

• Approval of Minutes

• Warrants and Invoices

• Bids

4. Presentations by the Public to the School Committee

5. Public Comment

6. Personnel

• Appointments, Leaves of Absence, Retirements, Resignations

7. Old Business

• FY 15 BSD Budget Update

• FY 15 Rink Budget Update

• School Bus Routes Update

• Policy Approval of RILL Sports (Dual Participation) – Second reading

8. Superintendent’s Report

• HPV Vaccination

9. Administrators’ Reports

10. Reports of School Committee Subcommittees

• Rink Subcommittee – Mark Brizard

11. Correspondence/Communications

12. New Business

• BHS Overnight Field Trip Request

• WLC Overnight Field Trip Request

• P6432.1 Naloxone Policy – First reading

• P6420 Student Dress Code Policy – First reading

• Approve Home School Applications

13. Committee on Agenda Items

14. Pending Issues

• 5-Year Facilities Assessment/Building Committee

• Football Field Lighting

• School Redistricting

• Backstop

15. Adjournment

---

Public is welcome to any meeting of the School Committee or its sub-committees. If communication assistance (readers/interpreters/captioners) is needed, or any other accommodation to ensure equal participation, please contact the Superintendent’s Office at 568-1301 at least (3) business days prior to the meeting.

***Public Comment shall be limited to items, opinions, or concerns directly related to public agenda items. Speakers are expected to be reasonable and respectful with their comments. School Committee members may not comment on

issues brought forward by the public that are not listed as agenda items.

Burrillville School Department 2300 Broncos Highway, Harrisville, RI 02830 | 401-568-1301

Foster Town Council Meeting Oct. 8, 2015

Burrillville Town Council Regular Meeting 10-14-2015

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

REGULAR MEETING of the Burrillville Town Council to be held Wednesday, October 14, 2015 at 7:00 P.M. in Council Chambers, 105 Harrisville Main St., Harrisville, for and within the Town of Burrillville.

PRESENT: Council President John F. Pacheco III and Councilors Stephen N. Rawson, Nancy F. Binns, Michelle D. Bouchard, Kimberly Brissette Brown, Donald A. Fox and David J. Place
MEMBERS ABSENT:
1.      Pledge of Allegiance
2.      That the question of accepting the minutes of the regular meeting held September 23, 2015 and the special meeting held September 28, 2015 and the question of dispensing with the reading of said minutes be now taken up.
3.      Public Comment
4.      General Good and Welfare of the Town of Burrillville
5.      Special Business to be considered and acted on: 

15-272  Citation recognizing Atlas Pallet for the donation of an automated external defibrillator (AED) for the Town Building

15-273  Certificates of Appreciation to be presented by The American Legion relative to the Blanchard-McCutcheon Bridge Dedication

6.      Petitions:

15-274  Notice of Claim of Injury by Davis P. Whitman, Esq. on behalf of Benjamin Roussel relative to an accident on Victory Highway on July 31, 2015
7.      Public Hearing:
15-275  Consider and act on adoption of amendments to the Revised General Ordinances of the Town of Burrillville, RI, 2004, Chapter 26 entitled Traffic and Vehicles, Sec. 26-32 – No parking schedule of streets, adding portions of Colwell Road and portions of Whipple Avenue to the locations where parking is prohibited.
A.      Comments/Input/Recommendations from the Ordinance Subcommittee

B.      Comments/Input/Recommendation by Administration – Solicitor, Town Manager and Administrative Staff

C.      Proponents
D.      Opponents
E.      Closure of the public hearing
F.      Town Council Deliberation
G.      Consider and act on adoption of amendments to the Revised General Ordinances of the Town of Burrillville, RI, 2004, Chapter 26 entitled Traffic and Vehicles, Sec. 26-32 – No parking schedule of streets, adding portions of Colwell Road and portions of Whipple Avenue to the locations where parking is prohibited.
H.      Adjournment of public hearing

Consider and act on adoption of amendments to the Revised General Ordinances of the Town of Burrillville, RI, 2004, Chapter 26 entitled Traffic and Vehicles, Sec. 26-39 – Handicap parking zone, adding a portion of Whipple Avenue

A.      Comments/Input/Recommendations from the Ordinance Subcommittee

B.      Comments/Input/Recommendation by Administration – Solicitor, Town Manager and Administrative Staff
C.      Proponents
D.      Opponents
E.      Closure of the public hearing
F.      Town Council Deliberation
G.      Consider and act on adoption of amendments to the Revised General Ordinances of the Town of Burrillville, RI, 2004, Chapter 26 entitled Traffic and Vehicles, Sec. 26-39 – Handicap parking zone, adding a portion of Whipple Avenue
H.      Adjournment of public hearing

8.      Unfinished Business to be considered and acted on: None

9.      New Business to be considered and acted on:
15-276  Correspondence from Diane M. Plouffe, regarding her request that she and other parents address the Town Council relative to problems surrounding scheduling and staffing at Burrillville High School
15-277  Correspondence from Kathleen P. Martley, B.A.S.E., regarding Spectra Energy
15-278  Correspondence from RI Council 94 Members, Local 186, regarding the work schedules for December 24 and 31, 2015
15-279  Recommended budget for the 2015 Charter Review Commission
15-280  First reading of proposed amendments to the Revised General Ordinances of the Town of Burrillville, RI, 2004, Chapter 24 entitled Streets, Sidewalks and Other Public Places, amending the description of Mowry Road, Nasonville; to be scheduled for public hearing (Note: public hearing is recommended for October 28, 2015)

15-281  Correspondence from David J. Place, Chair, Screening Subcommittee, regarding the Subcommittee’s recommendations to:

A)      Reappoint Michael Gingell as a member of the Housing Authority to serve a five-year term to expire October 31, 2020; and
B)      Reappoint Paige Spink as an alternate member of the Recreation Commission to serve a one-year term to expire October 31, 2016
15-282  Correspondence from Don C. Wolfe regarding his resignation from the Burrillville Sewer Commission
15-283  MOTION to refer to the Screening Subcommittee the application for reappointment from Gregg Devlin of the Burrillville Extended Care Board of Directors; to be considered and acted on
10.     Town Clerk/Communication to be considered and acted on:
15-284  Correspondence from Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management regarding the Continuance of the RI Pollutant Discharge Elimination System General Permit for Stormwater Discharges from Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s)

15-285  Notice of proposed Comprehensive Amendment/Restatement of the Town of Putnam Subdivision Regulations

15-286  Correspondence regarding the change of name from Rhode Island Clean Water Finance Agency to the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank
11.     Additional New Business to be considered and acted on:
15-287  Request for executive session from Michael C. Wood, Town Manager, pursuant to Rhode Island Open Meeting Law §42-46-5(a)(2) for discussion and action relative to matters of litigation between the Town and TransCanada (Ocean State Power)

12.     Adjournment

---

The Town of Burrillville will provide accommodations needed to ensure equal participation. Please contact the Burrillville Town Clerk at least three (3) business days prior to the meeting so arrangements can be made to provide such assistance at no cost to the person requesting it. A request for this service can be made in writing or by calling (401) 568-4300 (voice) or “via RI Relay 1-800-745-5555” (TTY).

Great Nature Story !

Posted on Facebook, by Curren Hebert

This morning around 11 am my dad, a Glocester Police Officer, responded to a call of a deer being struck by a vehicle in the road way on Rt. 44 in Chepachet.
  Expecting the worst and having to do the unfortunate task of putting the deer down he arrived at the scene. Instead he the found a shocked baby deer sitting on the side of the road way scared and alone. Amazingly, even after being hit by a car the deer was unhurt. He helped the baby deer up and the young fawn even stuck around to let my dad pet it before wondering back into the woods to be reunited with it's family. Any good names for this little guy?  I think the deer should be called "Highway"

Fall Floral & Craft Workshop in Burrillville

Fall Floral & Craft Workshop Announced

Rhode Island’s Most Important Waters are Drowning

Posted by Wayne G.Barber

Stormwater from a supermarket parking lot and other pollution inputs have filled this stream, which feeds the Clear River, with nutrients that spur the growth of algae and bacteria. (Frank Carini/ecoRI News)

Development and rising seas take their toll on state’s dwindling wetlands.

The success of Slater Mill inspired others to build mills throughout the Blackstone River valley, in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts. To take advantage of the river's hydropower, new mill villages were built. To make way for the needed infrastructure, impervious surfaces replaced fields, forests were clear-cut, wetlands re-engineered and species lost.
.
Clear impacts
By the early 1800s, Burrillville, a rural community in the northwest corner of Rhode Island, had become a hub of manufacturing activity, as its eight villages attest.
The Clear River was tapped for water power to run saw and grist mills, and, as Paul Roselli, president of the Burrillville Land Trust, noted, just about every river in the area was dammed, blocked, diverted, drained and/or engineered to power textile manufacturing.

A supermarket parking lot in the village of Pascoag rushes stormwater directly into an unprotected wetland. This pollution-carrying runoff is negatively impacting the stream below. (Frank Carini/ecoRI News)

All these mills provided plenty of jobs during the Industrial Revolution, but they also employed children, and operated with no environmental or worker-safety controls. These mills also polluted many of the state’s rivers, streams and brooks. Much of that pollution legacy remains buried in sediment, as newer problems created by 20th-century urbanization, sprawl and carbon pollution have surfaced.
The nearly 10-mile-long Clear River is classified as “impaired” by DEM. Much of the river is polluted by enterococci — fecal contamination from wastewater treatment plants, cesspools, stormwater runoff and animal waste, both domestic and wild.
“The rivers up here have historically been impaired,” said Roselli, a member of the land trust since 1999. “Back in the day you knew what color clothes were being dyed in the mills because that would be the color of the river that day.”
The days of unregulated and free-for-all polluting maybe over, but Rhode Island’s wetlands are still hurting, and threatened, most notably from development pressures. For about a decade, until the town of Burrillville, in 2007, in a forward-thinking transaction, transferred a 16-acre parcel across the street from Wallum Lake and transversed by the Clear River to the local land trust, developers longed to drain the wooded property and build houses.
The state, in a recent move in the opposite direction, has celebrated the construction of a new natural-gas power plant near the banks of the Clear River. Like naming a gas-guzzling SUV after a pristine natural resource, this new fossil-fuel facility is named after the river it will likely help keep impaired.
When construction of the Clear River Energy Center is complete, it’s expected to employee 25 full-time workers.
Working mills along the Clear River have gone the way of the passenger pigeon — and most of the structures have since been lost to fire — but the wetland that eventually follows into the Blackstone River is still in recovery. It likely will be for a long time.
Besides being polluted by stormwater runoff from a matrix of impervious surfaces, its riverbanks host the Eleanor Slater Hospital — complete with riverside laundry and wastewater facilities — a plastics manufacturer, an older fossil-fuel power plant, a school-bus depot, a closed landfill and the Burrillville Sewage Treatment Plant.
This type of human impact isn’t unique to the Clear River. Such waterside usages stress much of Rhode Island’s wetlands. Roselli noted there are neighborhoods in Burrillville that still have no catch basins, sending runoff into the Clear, Branch and Chepachet rivers.
During ecoRI News’ recent afternoon exploring the Clear River with Roselli, we followed a path along the chain-link fence of the Burrillville Sewage Treatment Plant to a new canoe launch. The air reeked with what Roselli called “the perfume of modern living.”
The conservationist used to regularly paddle the Clear River, but it’s been about 20 years since he last did so. It is a difficult river to navigate, but Roselli said the river’s impaired status is the bigger deterrent — for him and others.
“It’s a gorgeous ride, but nobody uses the river anymore,” Roselli said. “A river in rural Rhode Island is rarely used for recreation because of the bacteria count. Rivers in urban centers are even more impaired and don’t stand a chance of being improved unless we mount a concerted effort to fix the problem. No matter how much we say we love our rivers and waterbodies, we continue to throw and dump stuff into them.”
All that dumping — from a supermarket parking lot that sends runoff directly into a stream that feeds the Clear River to a pipe from a roof that drains directly into that same stream to air conditioners that drip into a wetland below — creates an cumulative impact.
Those three examples, all avoidable and fixable, are concentrated in the downtown area of the Burrillville village of Pascoag, where taxpayer dollars were recently spent to showcase this polluted waterway. The money was used to build a new bridge and a beautiful riverwalk. Impaired water, not safe for human contact, continues to flow beneath both.
“Impacts to wetlands aren’t hidden. They’re right out in the open. We forget about the impact of runoff from things like roofs and decks. We forget about allowing stormwater from a parking lot to run directly into a waterbody, when, perhaps, a vegetated buffer would have been a better idea,” said Roselli, a resident of Harrisville village since 1983. “It’s almost a shame this pretty walkway was even built. There are days when you look out from here and it’s not that appealing. Some days it looks like a running sewer.”
     

Paul Roselli, president of the Burrillville Land Trust, is keeping a close eye on the health of northwest Rhode Island wetlands. (Frank Carini/ecoRI News)Add caption

Restoring and protecting the Ocean State’s remaining coastal and inland wetlands will require making difficult decisions and exhibiting strong leadership. It also will take some small sacrifices, like easing up on the amount of lawn chemicals we throw around. Roselli mentioned the idea of putting a 5-cent tax on lawn fertilizer and using that money to fund the kind of projects being done by the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, Groundwork Providence and the Green Infrastructure Coalition.
“We need to stop using lawn fertilizer and start planting vegetated buffers like blueberry bushes,” he said. “You never see anyone using these beautiful, fertilized, green residential lawns sprayed with insecticides, herbicides and grub control because they’re poisonous waste dumps.”

Did You Know ? Teenagers are Smart !

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

ON THIS DATE in 1879, sixteen-year-old Eliza Shirley hosted America’s first-ever Salvation Army meeting at a former chair factory in Philadelphia.

A Christian organization founded in England in 1865, the Salvation Army provides aid and shelter for the poor.

Only 12 people attended that first gathering, but the Salvation Army steadily gained followers in the U.S. and organizers soon opened a second hall in west Philadelphia.

Today, there are about 9,000 Salvation Army centers and units in the U.S., and the organization operates in more than 120 other countries.

The Eliza Shirley House in Philadelphia provides shelter and aid for the city’s abused, addicted, and displaced women.

Wendy G. Lawton published a children’s book in 2004 titled The Hallelujah Lass: A Story Based on the Life of Salvation Army Pioneer Eliza Shirley.

Burrillville Meetings Schedule

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Burrillville News Whipple Avenue Compost Facility 325 Whipple Avenue, Oakland www.burrillville.org Andrea Hall, Recycling Coordinator 568-4440, ext. 12 Shred Event - Saturday, October 3, 2015, 9:00 am - Noon.  Burrillville residents can bring one box of paper per person to be shredded, no appointment necessary. First come, first serve. Normal use of the Whipple Avenue Facility will be available to Burrillville residents during the event. Pascoag Public Library 57 Church Street, Pascoag 401-568-6226 www.pascoaglibrary.org Book & Bake Sale - Saturday, October 3, 2015, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm.  There will be a large selection of fiction, non-fiction & children's books. Most hardcovers are 50 cents each, paperbacks are 25 cents each or 5 for $1.00 and dvds are $1.00 each. There will also be a selection of delicious home baked goods. Jesse Smith Memorial Library 100 Tinkham Lane, Harrisville 710-7800 www.jmslibrary.org Book Sale - Saturday, October 3, 2015, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm.  Sponsored by the Friends of the Library, there is a 9:00 am preview for members, new members accepted at the door. Hardcovers are $1.00 each, paperbacks are 25 cents each.  You'll find a great selection of kids books and some puzzles too. WellOne Primary Medical and Dental Care 36 Bridge Way, Pascoag 567-0800 www.welloneri.org 2nd Annual Comedy Fundraiser - Wednesday, October 7, 2015 at 8:00 pm.  Attend the comedy show and help raise money for WellOne. the show is at the Comedy Connection, 39 Warren Avenue, East Providence. Tickets are $15.00 each, call 285-5153 for information. Doors open, and raffle begins at 7:00 pm. WellOne Primary Medical and Dental Care is a 106 year-old, nonprofit community health center dedicated to providing high quality healthcare to individuals and families in the communities we serve. Upcoming Meetings Burrillville Planning Board Monday, October 5, 2015 @ 7:00 pm JMS Library, 100 Tinkham Lane, Harrisville Burrillville Board of Canvassers Tuesday, October 6, 2015 @ 10:00 am Town Building, 105 Harrisville Main Street, Harrisville Burrillville Charter Review Commission Wednesday, October 7, 2015 @ 7:00 pm Town Building, 105 Harrisville Main Street, Harrisville You can see the agendas for all of the upcoming meetings on our website here.

Harmony R.I. Fire Fighter of the Year

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

                               Lt. Detri shown with his girlfriend firefighter Danielle Fiori

Lt. Johnathan Detri received the state firefighter of the year tonight. He was chosen by the Chepachet Grange an the other Grange associations from Rhode Island. During his speech he mentioned how proud he is to serve. He also mentioned that he is proud to share this award with Capt. Kevin Farley who won in 2010. Lt. Detri now move's up to the national competition. Nice work Johnny.

Rhode Island Lottery News

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

A $2 Million PowerBall® Powerplay® winner with a positive point of view

October 1, 2015
A $2 Million PowerBall® Powerplay® winner with a positive point of view
The $2 million PowerBall® PowerPlay® ticket from the last night's drawing was claimed by a Pascoag man. The man, accompanied by his wife, entered the Lottery Headquarters early this afternoon anxious to claim his prize. He bought his ticket on Sunday when he realized how high the PowerBall® jackpot had climbed. Surprisingly, the man was not shocked to have won and stated, "I tend to be very lucky." He went on to explain that he has a very positive mindset. Instead of thinking, "I'll never win," when he purchases a lottery ticket, he believes he will win; and he credits his positivity for why he has been so fortunate in life. The winning quick pick ticket matched all five numbers, and because the winner purchased the PowerPlay® feature for an additional dollar on his wager, he won $2 million instead of the $1 million standard payout. He and his wife plan to travel with a portion of the money won. "Our bucket list just became more realistic," his wife stated. The couple was also in the midst of searching for a new home, so their price range has now become more flexible. The lifelong Rhode Islanders certainly plan to stay in the state though. The winning ticket was purchased at Quickets, 285 George Washington Hwy., Smithfield.