Chief’s Corner
By Chief Steven J. Wojnar Dudley Police Department One of the big events of the year in Dudley is the Annual Strawberry Festival. The local Grange Hall has conducted this for some 60 years. Thanks go out to all the workers and organizers of this event for all their hard work and dedication. It is an old fashion “lawn party” and it is a great way to officially welcome the arrival of summer as a community. This event is well attended every year and it is scheduled for Thursday, June 20th from 4 pm until the berries run out. Just so everyone can be safe and enjoy the event, I wanted to take this opportunity to address a few issues we face from a public safety perspective. Several hundred people from all over the area attend this event. In addition to the strawberry shortcakes, there are numerous activities for children, including a frog jumping competition. This area is the historic center of Town and, as is the case with most New England Communities, the infrastructure is simply not in place to handle the volume of cars which will park in the area. One of the problems that occurs on many of the roads leading to and from this location is people parking on both sides of the street. This creates a traffic hazard for everyone traveling in this area. It can also hamper emergency vehicles which need to respond to different parts of Town. Parking restrictions will be in place, on most roads, to limit parking to one side of the street. Some changes in detours and other traffic measures will also be taken into consideration. Nichols College has been generous and allowed the people who attend this event to use their numerous parking lots. If these lots are utilized, it will certainly alleviate many of the parking issues on the local streets. People may even find themselves walking a shorter distance to the festival. Certainly, there are many people waking in the area and crossing roads during this event. Extra precautions must be exercised by all travelers. Take the time to plan and park in safe locations. I thank you in advance for your cooperation and assistance. We want this festival to continue to be a fun time for all. |
I wish to congratulate Sergeant Dean Poplawski, Principal Starczewski, the staff, faculty, and students of the Dudley Middle School for another successful completion of the sixth grade DARE Program. The graduation ceremony on Tuesday, June 11th. Another large crowd was on hand to support the students as they completed this course designed to promote anti-drug and anti-violence attitudes with our young people. This is completely funded by donations and fund raisers. Sergeant Poplawski has been involved in this program for 20 years and does an outstanding job with the students. We thank him for his efforts.I, once again, congratulate the students and thank the parents for being involved in the lives of their children.
This also marks the end of the school year for the Dudley students. We at the police department wish everyone a happy, fun, and safe summer vacation. Thanks again for your questions and comments. Please send them to me at the Dudley Police Department 71 West Main St. Dudley, Ma. 01571 or email at swojnar@dudleypolice.com. Opinions expressed in this weekly column are those of Chief Wojnar only and unless clearly noted, do not reflect the ideas or opinions of any other organization or citizen. |
|