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Commuter
lot: Moving
forward
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — One way or another, the town plans to revamp the Kennedy Drive commuter lot in the spring.
Town Administrator Elaine Sistare said the town is working on getting the project out to bid this fall, with or without the small piece of land adjacent to the lot which the town would like to buy from Eversource.
“Either way, with or without the Eversource land, the Kennedy Drive commuter lot will be done,” she said.
Before the project can be put out for bids she said the following needs to happen: Pick a plan, cost it out (the town intends to use American Rescue Plan Act funding), get approvals from the Board of Selectmen, a special hearing, and a town meeting.
“All of above will take 3 to 6 months but that will still allow spring construction start,” she said.
The Planning Commission has already OK’d the recommended plan. A plan to handle storm water was recently approved by the Inland Wetlands Commission.
Eversource is still considering the proposed sale of its adjacent land to the town. It’s on the “corporate level,” said Sistare. “These things take time. We’re patient but persistent.”
The Eversource parcel is an odd shape, she said, one-half to 1 acre.
She added that the town will coordinate with Eversource for competitive grants for money for EV chargers for the lot. It’s a 50 percent matching grant. There are “standard” and fast-charge chargers. Fast-charge chargers are expensive, she said, up to $125,000 apiece. “If we can get some fast chargers, that’d be great,” Sistare said.
The grants do not cover infrastructure for chargers, for example putting in the conduits for them “so we’ll have to do that,” she said. She added the town is required to have “infrastructure” for chargers for 10 percent of the number of parking spots. That would be 12 to 15 chargers.
Plans call for the congested lot entrance near the intersection to disappear and the entrance come in very close to the town-Eversource border.
The conceptual plan drawn up by J&D calls for parking spaces, 12 to 15 (EV) charging stations, relocated handicapped parking spaces and possibly another set of stairs next to the Centreville Bank stairs to get to the Main Street/Union Square area. In addition some landscaped strips dot the plans. Entrances and exits would be reworked. Storm water improvements would also need to be made, going under Kennedy Drive toward the Quinebaug. The town has already revamped the public restrooms on the edge of the commuter lot. It included refreshing the doors, painting and roofing improvements.
Funding would come from the town’s $2.7 million ARPA  fund.
“We would like to be moving forward,” she said.

caption: Eversource parcel cleared next to Kennedy Drive commuter lot. Linda Lemmon photo.
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Shred Days set
OXFORD, Mass. — bankHometown invites customers and members of the community to three free Shred Days at local offices. No appointment is necessary. 9 to 11 a.m. Oct. 28 at the Webster office, 4 Gore Road*; noon to 2 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Brooklyn, office, 13 Canterbury Road*
Local residents can reduce their risk of identity theft by bringing old mail, receipts, statements or bills, cancelled checks, pay stubs, medical records, or any other unwanted paper documents containing personal or confidential information and shredding them safely and securely for free. A professional document destruction company will be on site in the bank’s parking lot and can accept up to two boxes of documents per person. *or until the truck is full.

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Category: Current Issue

Centaurs
improve to 8-0;
ranked No. 1
in the country
The Woodstock Academy Prep Soccer 1 program continued its winning ways on Saturday.
In their home opener, the Centaurs won their eighth straight match, 5-0, over Bridgton Academy and that 8-0 start has the Centaurs ranked No. 1 in the country by the prepsoccer.net poll.
Alec Pentikis made the most of the home cooking as he scored four of the five goals for Woodstock.
He got the first two in the first 25 minutes of playing, taking a rebound off a Xahvi DeRoza shot for the first tally and then taking a pass from DeRoza for his second goal of the match.
Jude Essuman gave the Centaurs a 3-0 lead late in the first half when he was sent the ball by David Lee and stuck one just inside the near post that found its way over the line.
Pentikis got both of the second half tallies for Woodstock and both came off passes from Kevin Thomson.
Alvaro Medrano Jr. and Calvin Field combined in goal to provide the sixth shutout in eight matches for the Centaurs.
Prep 2 Soccer
The Prep 2 boys’ soccer team rallied from a two-goal first half deficit for a 4-2 win over Nichols College.
Jaiden Banton, Charlie Bragg, Xahvi DeRoza, and Nico Ochoa scored the second half goals for the Centaurs.
The Centaurs had to settle for a tie in their second match of the week.
Woodstock traveled to St. Andrews in Providence, and finished in a 2-2 deadlock.
Jaiden Banton scored a goal just five minutes into the match and added another just four minutes into the second half. Jorge Castellanos assisted on both of the Banton goals.
The Prep 2 team is now 4-2-2 on the season.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

Harrison Vail:  A Bridgton Academy player may be in hot pursuit but Woodstock Academy Prep 1 soccer player Harrison Vail retains possession of the ball in a match Saturday at the Bentley Athletic Complex.

Essuman: Jude Essuman (14) gets ready to celebrate as his shot barely sneaks inside the near-side post for the Woodstock Academy Prep 1 soccer team in a 5-0 win over Bridgton Academy Saturday at the Bentley Athletic Complex.

Pentikis: Alec Pentikis (far right) gets congratulated by his Woodstock Academy Prep 1 soccer teammates after the second of his four goals in a 5-0 win for the Centaurs over Bridgton Academy Saturday.

Valdes: Daniel Valdes lines up a shot at the Bridgton Academy goal for the Woodstock Academy Prep 1 soccer team on Saturday at the Bentley Athletic Complex.

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The following charges were listed in the Putnam Police Department logs.  The people charged are innocent until proven guilty in court. The Town Crier will publish dispositions of cases at the request of the accused. The dispositions must be accompanied by the proper documentation. The Putnam Police Department confidential Tip Line is 860-963-0000.
Oct. 6
Marcia Thibualt, 69, Chassey Street, Putnam; creating a public disturbance.
Oct. 8
Cameron Ayers, 45, South Main Street, Putnam; evading responsibility, unsafe backing.

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