Donna Lake receives a citation from the Acushnet Selectboard at their meeting on 1/2/24, for her volunteer work with the town, including creating a pet component to the emergency shelter program, L-R, back: Selectboard members Bob Hinckley, Kevin Gaspar, David Wojnar; L-R, front: Ed Caron, Deputy Director of the Office of Emergency Management; Ms. Lake. Photo courtesy of Eric Chew.
By Beth David, Editor
At its meeting on 1/22, the Acushnet Selectboard recognized former Council on Aging Director Heather Chew and Donna Lake, Emergency Pet Shelter Coordinator, for their service to the town.
Ms. Lake recently resigned from the Office of Emergency Management. And Ms. Chew resigned as COA director.
Ms. Lake was recognized for her contributions as a veterinary technician, ASPCA Responder, and meal provider to seniors
“Her actions and selflessness to help during the COVID-19 Pandemic is of great value,” reads the citation that Chairperson Kevin Gaspar read at the meeting.
When the law required that pets also be included in emergency shelters, “Donna worked diligently to formulate the most in-depth plan on the South Coast. Her Humanitarian Efforts are applauded.”
Ms. Chew was recognized for her 12 years of “dedicated service to the well-being of senior citizens and all Residents of the Town of Acushnet Community.”
She was also recognized for her efforts during the pandemic, including food programs and vaccination clinics.
Heather Chew receives a citation from the Selectboard at their meeting on 1/2/24, for her many years of service as the Council on Aging Director, and for her volunteer efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, L-R: Selectboard members Bob Hinckley, Kevin Gaspar, Ms. Chew, SB member David Wojnar. Photo courtesy of Eric Chew.
Her dedication was “exceptional,” reads the citation, “and her Positivity and Advantageous Contributions are Admirable.”
The board also voted to hire Lauren Golda as COA Director.
Mr. Gaspar said after a long process, a panel interviewed five people and chose Ms. Golda.
He read from her letter outlining she has a Master’s in Healthcare Administration and experience in healthcare management and with geriatrics. She was a nurse’s aide as a teenager and decided at a young age to dedicate her career to seniors.
In her letter, she said she “genuinely” loves what she does and would love nothing better than to serve the community she grew up in.
Town Administrator James Kelley said it was unusual to get someone who “fits the job description like glove,” but Ms. Golda does.
SB member David Wojnar said he knew Ms. Golda from when his mother was in hospice care.
He got to “see her in action,” he said, and the town is “blessed to have someone of this caliber.”
Ms. Golda told the board that just being able to express her interest in the position was an honor.
“And I hope I won’t let anybody down and I’m really excited to get started,” she said.
She told the board she was 18 years old and an Old Colony graduate when she decided the elderly population was where she wanted t be.
“I loved the stories,” she said, adding maybe because she was so close to her grandparents growing up.
She said she was excited to be back in Acushnet.
“I’m glad to be back in the community that shaped me into the adult that I am,” said Ms. Golda.
The board also voted to put steel guard rails up on Main Street where South Main ends, the intersection at town hall.
Mr. Gaspar said members of the church have asked because the fence keeps getting hit. He said a plow driver went had an accident there in the last storm.
He and DPW director Dan Menard measured it out and got some pricing.
The plan is to put steel guard rails and lights with arrows to let people know the road ends and they have to go left or right, not straight.
Mr. Gaspar said it would cost about $4,200 and could possibly save somebody’s life.
Mr. Wojnar said he was concerned about the aesthetics and asked if they could paint the guard rails, or do something to dress it up. He said other places use planters and other creative methods.
Mr. Gaspar said they will have to coordinate it with fixing the sidewalk so there is no rush, but he would talk to Mr. Menard about possibly painting it.
The board voted to allocate up to $4500 for the project.
In another matter, the board discussed a possible change in the VFW’s restricted music license. The organization is looking for an unrestricted license.
Mr. Gaspar noted that the only unrestricted license in town is at the Century House. He said it was a good revenue maker, but he was concerned about loud music at late hours in a residential district.
The board decided not to act on it, but to discuss it at the snext meeting after getting more details on what the license would actually allow, and what the VFW wants.
The board also discussed six requests for street lights in different parts of town.
SB member Bob Hinckley said one of the requests was because a lot of vehicle break-ins were happening in the neighborhood. He said even the doorbell cameras were no help because it was too dark. Another street was having trouble with dirt bikes and four-wheelers.
“My feeling is people pay an awful lot of money in taxes,” said Mr. Wojnar, adding he did not think there would be a “run” on street lights.
Mr. Gaspar said he agreed people pay a lot in taxes but they can’t “get crazy and start decorating the town like a Christmas tree.”
The board decided to look into the costs of adding street lights, and will address it at a future meeting.
Fire Chief Thomas Farland also addressed the board, looking for support for two Town Meeting articles to replace some aging communications equipment.
He told the board that the radio repeater on Mendall Road s 30 years old and is also not in the best place. He said the farther away they get from it, the more static they hear, calling it a “bad safety issue for our department and the public.”
He said it will cost about $40,000 for the new equipment and to relocate it to the LNG tower on Peckham Road.
The company worker laughed at him, he said, when he saw the condition of the equipment and how old it is.
The department also needs to replace two alarm receiver boxes. He said they no longer make the parts to repair them. The cost to replace the alarm boxes is about $150,000.
Mr. Gaspar said he thought Mendall Road was the highest point in town and that is why they put the repeater there.
Chief Farland said it probably was at the time, but now there are cell phone towers that they have access to. He said there is a spot in the base of the tower and on the tower for the Fire Department, they just never used it.
Chief Farland will “fine tune” the numbers to get the articles ready for Town Meeting.
“Thank you for being proactive,” said Mr. Gaspar. “God forbid if we lost that communication.”
In other business, the board assigned Mr. Gaspar to be the board’s representative for contract negotiations with the Department of Public Works.
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