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Tyngsboro

Electrifying car show addresses buzz around EVs

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LOWELL — While standing next to her fully-electric vehicle, a 2022 Tesla Model Y Long Range, Tyngsboro resident Margie Lynch-Freshner proudly announces she has been internal-combustion-engine free, or “ICE free,” as she put it, for almost two years.

Lynch-Freshner explains she and her husband have owned or leased at least one electric vehicle, or EV, for more than two decades. However, almost two years ago, they scrapped their last gas-powered vehicle and have relied solely on electric ever since.

When asked if she would ever consider turning in her EV and going back to buying gas powered in the future, Lynch-Freshner provides a definitive response.

“Not if I can help it,” she said. “Electric vehicles are a much nicer drive.”

Lynch-Freshner was one of the approximately 30 EV owners that showed up with their electric rides for the Lowell Drives Electric car show held in the parking lot of Heritage Farm Ice Cream and Restaurant on Saturday afternoon.

The event was part of National Drive Electric Week, scheduled until Oct. 2. With EVs becoming an increasingly popular and hotly-debated topic, the week was organized with the goal to raise awareness of the benefits of all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

During Saturday’s event, local EV owners talked about their vehicles, answered questions, and a few even gave rides, including Thomas Christian, of Nashua, N.H. Christian was happy to show off his 2023 Genesis GV60 Performance, glowing with a vibrant yellow paintjob, which one car show attendee described as “tennis ball yellow.”

“A lot of people I found who are on the fence (about buying EVs) are concerned about the cost,” Christian said while giving a test drive down Pawtucket Boulevard. “This is a $70,000 sticker price. … I consider that still to be reasonable for me, because I’m an enthusiast. I enjoy it not just as a vehicle, but as a toy.”

Mike and Sarah Rushton, of Lowell, along with their 4-year-old daughter, Emma, brought their 2019 Chevy Bolt — among the more affordable EV options — to Saturday’s car show. As they sat next to the vehicle eating ice cream, Mike Rushton explained his decision to go electric stemmed from being “a geek” who is interested in technology.

“Then getting away from gas, oil changes and all the rest of it made sense for me,” he added.

Mike Rushton pointed out the positives of EVs, including less maintenance demands and that they have fewer parts that lead to damage. And, of course, proponents of EVs tout them as the environmentally-friendly option compared to gas-powered vehicles, which spout toxic pollutants.

But, as for the EV naysayers, a common topic of discussion is range anxiety, which is the fear that the EV won’t have a sufficient charge to get from point A to point B.

Charging stations are becoming more common nationwide and there are apps, like PlugShare and ChargeHub, that will map out where charging stations are located. Despite these advancements, range anxiety continues to be one of the main roadblocks for those on the fence about switching to electric.

The recent passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act offers a potential solution to that concern. The bill puts $7.5 billion toward building out a network of 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations nationwide. Of that, $5 billion will go toward the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, which calls for states to focus on building public charging stations at least every 50 miles along interstate highways and within one mile of federally designated alternative fuel corridors.

Last week, the Federal Highway Administration announced it had approved the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s EV Infrastructure Deployment Plan, which was developed as part of the NEVI program. Massachusetts will receive funding over five years, including approximately $9.4 million for federal fiscal year 2022 to support the construction and operation of direct-current fast-charging stations along EV alternative fuel corridors.

On hand in Lowell on Saturday was James Penfold, the director of eMobility Solutions at Revision Energy, a company that specializes in installing public charging stations.

Penfold said when looking into locations to construct charging stations, one of the goals is to have them situated in areas that offer amenities that will give people something to do while they wait for their vehicle to charge.

“If you have to plan a trip, you might combine a stop with a place like this where you say, ‘Let’s grab some ice cream while we’re charging,’” Penfold said, referencing the host of Saturday’s car show.

When asked if EVs are the future, like Lynch-Freshner, Penfold provided a definitive answer of his own.

“100%,” he said. “The horse has left the barn.”

For more information about National Drive Electric Week, including where other events are scheduled to take place over the next several days, visit driveelectricweek.org.

Follow Aaron Curtis on Twitter @aselahcurtis

Behavioral, mental health center to open in 2023

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BILLERICA — The Middlesex County Restoration Center, a proposed crisis-diversion facility, is closer to being realized, said members of the commission who have been working since 2018 to develop the innovative mental and behavioral health intervention project.

Town Manager John Curran hosted Monday’s roundtable, chaired by Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian, at which he and U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan (MA-3), along with other commission representatives and partners, announced a $1.65 million federal investment for the center. This money is in addition to the $5 million in American Rescue Act Plan money that the commission was awarded earlier this year.

The funds will be used to open a mental and behavioral health center next year that will offer wrap-around clinician-based services in lieu of traditional arrest-and-incarceration policing strategies. Although the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office has been the driving force behind the project, the facility will be run by clinicians and medical professionals. No location has been selected, but Greater Lowell, MetroWest and the southeastern part of Middlesex County are under consideration.

Calling the Restoration Center a “model for crisis diversion,” Koutoujian bluntly offered that “we can’t arrest our way out of this problem. For far too long, law enforcement has had to shoulder the burden of the mental health crisis response in the commonwealth. You shouldn’t have to come to jail to get good treatment; you should be able to get it out in the community.”

He referenced statistics that show that an increasing number of individuals are entering the criminal justice system with unaddressed and undiagnosed behavioral health issues.

“Jails have become our de facto mental health treatment facilities,” Koutoujian said. “Rikers Island in New York, Los Angeles County jail, and Cook County jail in Chicago, are the largest public health providers in the entire country.”

The mental health crisis is increasing in the commonwealth, despite world-class area hospitals said Koutoujian, a problem that has been exacerbated by the COVID pandemic and an ongoing substance abuse epidemic.

“In January 2019, 11% of my incarcerated population had a diagnosed mental health condition,” Koutoujian said. “Today that number is 44%. In fact, 40% of those who come into the Middlesex Jail and House of Correction have to be medically detoxed. The acuity level of the individuals we encounter in our care is actually much higher.”

Trahan secured nearly $8 million in federal money for Third District projects, including the Restoration Center, part of the comprehensive government funding package signed into law by President Joe Biden in March.

She spoke to the how the Center will reimagine modern policing and the community response to mental health and substance abuse issues, joking that Koutoujian buttonholed her with the idea for the center right after she entered Congress.

“The sheriff, co-chair Danna Mauch (President and CEO of the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health), and I (along with state Sen. Cindy Friedman, D-Arlington) worked hard to secure this community project funding,” Trahan said, “because we recognize that now, more than ever, we need to invest in mental health and substance abuse treatment and prevention programs in our communities.”

Law enforcement was represented at the panel by Billerica Police Chief Roy Frost and Chelmsford Lt. Todd Ahern, both of whom have been at the forefront of reinventing the community policing model, effectively anticipating the need for the kind of behavioral services the Center will provide.

Frost was instrumental in establishing the Police Mental Health Collaborative and Jail Diversion program for Billerica that recognized the significant increase in mental health issues, and diverted appropriate cases to mental health services rather than the enforcement side of the justice system.

Ahern serves as the Chelmsford police department’s Wellness, Mental Health and Outreach Program officer.

Billerica and Chelmsford are also part of a regional Front-Line Initiative, a regional police mental-health collaborative with the police departments of Tewksbury, Dracut and Tyngsboro.

Frost, who took over the top job in December 2021, called mental health a unique form of illness that requires unique policing tactics such as de-escalation and stabilization to keep both the community members and the officers safe.

“Many times, these crimes that happen, that we respond to, they’re the result of a mental health or substance abuse crisis,” Frost said. “We know that unless we address the bigger issue of whatever is going wrong with this person, that it’s going to continue. To have a place like the Restoration Center focusing on that issue of mental health will be very helpful to Billerica and other communities.”

Ahern called the center part of an evolutionary process over the last ten years in trying to respond to mental health challenges in modern policing.

“We’re going in the right direction,” Ahern said. “The center is the big missing piece, and it’s going to make our job a lot easier.”

There are state-level plans to create crisis intervention centers to build out on the restoration center model, Koutoujian said.

“These are smaller models, without all the resources our pilot will bring, but we’re building up a network of mental health care.”

Eventually, the goal is to reorient behavioral health care away from the criminal justice system of incarceration or by depending on hospital emergency room care, which state Rep. and commission member Ken Gordon, of Bedford, said is inefficient and expensive.

“This is a real win-win,” Gordon said. “It’s a way to address problems of people who are interacting with the police or health care system because of untreated mental illness or substance abuse issues.”

Koutoujian agreed saying that, “This is the future not just in policing, but also in behavioral health.”

Local roundup: Blue Knights storm past Tyngsboro

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LUNENBURG — On the strength of a pair of goals apiece from Bethie Boone and Caitlin Ware, the Lunenburg field hockey team cruised to a 5-0 win over visiting Tyngsboro on Friday afternoon at McCarron Turf Field.

The Blue Knights improve to 2-0 on the young season while the Tigers fall to 2-1.

Maddie Salovardos potted the other goal for the winners as Lunenburg peppered Tyngsboro goalie Izzie Shaffer with over 30 shots in the game.

Lunenburg goalie Malia Ruggiero made eight saves to preserve the shutout for the hosts.

Leominster 1, Oakmont 0 Emma Miller-Ayala netted the game’s lone goal to lift the Blue Devils (2-0), while Kailyn Cuddahy earned the shutout.

Boys soccer

Ayer Shirley 4, Narragansett 0 Jason Arboleda, Austin Olum, Teddy Solitro and Jacob Teo found the back of the net, while Griffon Cotter earned the shutout for the Panthers (1-1)

Abby Kelley 5, Sizer 0 The White Tigers were blanked in their season opener.

Girls soccer

Leicester 6, Monty Tech 0 The loss drops the Bulldogs to 0-2.

Narragansett 3, Ayer Shirley 2 Sastrea Cherduville and Kate Simpson scored for the Panthers (0-2).

Volleyball

North Middlesex 3, Ayer Shirley 0 The Patriots won with set scores of 25-21, 25-13, and 25-11.

Nora Tesini had five kills and five aces in the victory, while Megan Boucher chipped in with two kills and two aces for North Middlesex (2-1).

Groton-Dunstable 3, Fitchburg 0 Set scores were 25-7, 25-13 and 25-23.

Keishla Troche Pereira had four aces, two kills, two assists and four digs for Fitchburg, while Aleena Pichierre added two aces and 10 assists and Jade Vue dished out nine assists.

Leominster 3, Marlboro 1 The win was the first in the head coaching career of Sam Comeau.

Golf

St. Paul 261, St. Bernard’s 241 Patrick Ginnity shot a 2-under 34 at Green Hill Golf Course to earn medalist honors for the Bernardians (0-1).

Local roundup: Blue Knights storm past Tyngsboro

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LUNENBURG — On the strength of a pair of goals apiece from Bethie Boone and Caitlin Ware, the Lunenburg field hockey team cruised to a 5-0 win over visiting Tyngsboro on Friday afternoon at McCarron Turf Field.

The Blue Knights improve to 2-0 on the young season while the Tigers fall to 2-1.

Maddie Salovardos potted the other goal for the winners as Lunenburg peppered Tyngsboro goalie Izzie Shaffer with over 30 shots in the game.

Lunenburg goalie Malia Ruggiero made eight saves to preserve the shutout for the hosts.

Leominster 1, Oakmont 0 Emma Miller-Ayala netted the game’s lone goal to lift the Blue Devils (2-0), while Kailyn Cuddahy earned the shutout.

Boys soccer

Ayer Shirley 4, Narragansett 0 Jason Arboleda, Austin Olum, Teddy Solitro and Jacob Teo found the back of the net, while Griffon Cotter earned the shutout for the Panthers (1-1)

Abby Kelley 5, Sizer 0 The White Tigers were blanked in their season opener.

Girls soccer

Leicester 6, Monty Tech 0 The loss drops the Bulldogs to 0-2.

Narragansett 3, Ayer Shirley 2 Sastrea Cherduville and Kate Simpson scored for the Panthers (0-2).

Volleyball

North Middlesex 3, Ayer Shirley 0 The Patriots won with set scores of 25-21, 25-13, and 25-11.

Nora Tesini had five kills and five aces in the victory, while Megan Boucher chipped in with two kills and two aces for North Middlesex (2-1).

Groton-Dunstable 3, Fitchburg 0 Set scores were 25-7, 25-13 and 25-23.

Keishla Troche Pereira had four aces, two kills, two assists and four digs for Fitchburg, while Aleena Pichierre added two aces and 10 assists and Jade Vue dished out nine assists.

Leominster 3, Marlboro 1 The win was the first in the head coaching career of Sam Comeau.

Golf

St. Paul 261, St. Bernard’s 241 Patrick Ginnity shot a 2-under 34 at Green Hill Golf Course to earn medalist honors for the Bernardians (0-1).

Local couple take on spinal cord injury together

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Tracy Leedberg’s story is rife with sadness, triumph, hope and perseverance.

And when Leedberg reconnected with her high school friend after more than two decades, her life came full circle. James Radcliffe found his way back to Leedberg and, in 2018, the two settled comfortably in Tyngsboro. But one year later, a devastating event left the couple in grief and turmoil.

“In July 2019, Jimmy dove into the pool and couldn’t move,” Leedberg said. “I thought he was just messing around at first.”

But he was not messing around. Radcliffe, 56, had broken his neck. The traumatic C5 injury left him paralyzed from the waist down.

Leedberg became overwhelmed by the new responsibilities in her life. She had no idea how to provide care for someone in Radcliffe’s condition, nor where to find specialized care. Moreover, she felt sadness that her once-strong construction worker partner had been rendered so immobile and helpless. It affected the couple in every aspect of life — mentally, spiritually, romantically and especially financially.

“I had to quit my job because Jimmy needed me at home,” she said. “I became a full-time caregiver.”

She did not object to this new role, but acquiesced to the fact that she needed assistance.

Hope arrived in the subtlest of gestures.

“One day, a few months after my final surgery, I was laying in bed and tried to wiggle my toe,” Radcliffe explained. “And it moved.”

This flicker of hope led him to a physical rehab center in Salem, N.H. He began making slow progress but after the months-long regimen, was released back to home care. At home, he hoped to continue his forward momentum toward recovery with the help of visiting professionals. Then came COVID-19. The home aid they had waited for was curtailed due to travel restrictions and health care protocols.

He again fell into despair. All the physical gains he had made plateaued, then began regressing. His hope and confidence atrophied as well. Leedberg’s health also took a turn as she suffered a stress-related heart attack.

“When I couldn’t care for Jimmy anymore, I became despondent,” she said. “The doctors wanted to put him into a nursing home facility. I didn’t want that and he certainly did not. I didn’t know what to do.”

As the mother of three daughters, now adults, Leedberg has experience in caregiving, but she also knows her limits and they had been reached. Financially, physically and emotionally depleted, the couple did not know where to turn.

Like most things in life, great challenges are overcome by great teamwork. And, like the cavalry, a team appeared. In a happy accident while Googling for something else, Leedberg found out about a program called Summit ElderCare. They said the Fallon Health-run program at 1081 Varnum Ave. in Lowell was the Holy Grail of treatment they had been so desperately seeking.

Fallon, a Worcester-based corporation, has five Summit ElderCare facilities throughout Massachusetts, including in Leominster. For Leedberg and Radcliffe, having one so close to home is an added blessing. The outpatient center offers comprehensive care including physical therapy, occupational therapy, regular medical exams, transportation, even at-home visits as well a social atmosphere conducive to the maintenance of mental health.

Summit ElderCare is a Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly, or PACE, and is exactly what Radcliffe needed.

“I started here in March and have made so much progress since then,” he said.

His hands still show signs of strength gained as a construction worker skilled in sheet-metal work. His smile comes easier now, a result of hope and progress.

“When I first got hurt, doctors said I may never walk again. That became a challenge that I intended to face,” Radcliffe said. “Since starting at Summit, I have made steady progress in my therapy.”

With each success comes more confidence.

“And with more confidence, I get more motivated,” he said.

Radcliffe enjoys the five-days-per-week visits to the center, enjoying the activities but always focused on the objective. His physical therapist, Michael Fitzgerald, is part coach and part motivator. The two have become friends, discussing football between exercises.

“At first I needed help just to sit up in bed,” Radcliffe said. “Then I made it to the chair. Over the months I am finally doing some assisted walking.”

On Wednesday, the largest step was taken. Supported only by a belt that Fitzgerald grasped to help stabilize him, Radcliffe walked across the training room floor, much to the surprise and delight of Leedberg.

The timing of this momentous step is also quite serendipitous. September is National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month and Radcliffe ushered that in with his proud yet labored gait.

“People don’t understand how complicated SCI care is,” Leedberg said. There are several ancillary health effects including urinary tract infections, self-confidence damage and loss of hope. “He now has hope.”

“She has been a strong advocate for me,” Radcliffe said of Leedberg. “But she is also an advocate for PACE at Summit.”

Leedberg showed appreciation of the organization by being a featured speaker at the annual MassPACE Association Annual Conference in May. She also presented her extensive research paper, “Meeting the Needs of Caregivers to Decrease Burnout.”

Dinah Olanoff, a senior business consultant for Fallon’s PACE strategy, explained how the program works.

“We try to find support that is uniquely directed for each participant. We set up a model of care for every individual,” she said, including Radcliffe.

“He was very depressed when I first met him. Now he is living his best life,” Olanoff said.

But that “best life” will not be achieved by his standards until “I can walk out of here on my own,” Radcliffe said. “I plan to get back to working.”

Jenny Raitt brings listening skills, track record to NMCOG

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LOWELL — In the alphabet soup of local, state and federal agencies, perhaps only the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments has a key role defined as that of convener, which is government speak for listening, engaging and collaborating.

NMCOG is one of 13 regional planning agencies within the commonwealth, and serves the communities of Lowell, Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Dunstable, Pepperell, Tewksbury, Tyngsboro and Westford.

Since her July appointment as the new executive director of the public organization, Jenny Raitt has been doing a lot of convening, holding listening sessions with all nine of NMCOG’s partner communities.

On Tuesday, she held a listening session with Lowell leadership, including City Manager Tom Golden, Director of Planning and Development and Assistant City Manager Christine McCall, and others. City Councilor Daniel Rourke is a member of the NMCOG board, which is made up of three members of each community: a chief elected official, a planning board member and an alternate.

Projects that the agency has worked on previously have included the widening of Route 3, the creation of the Bruce Freeman Trail and the creation of the Nashua River Trail in Pepperell and Dunstable.

As the previous director for planning and community development for Arlington, Raitt managed a $2.5 million budget and several grant programs including the Community Development Block Grant. She implemented the town’s Master Housing Plan, the Arts and Culture Action Plan, Net Zero Action Plan, Connect Arlington Sustainable Transportation Plan and the town’s 2022 Housing Plan.

In an exclusive interview, The Sun sat down with Raitt at her Church Street offices to discuss NMCOG’s role, her goals for the agency and insight into how the organization can build on its work over the past six decades.

SUN: What’s your “elevator pitch” for what NMCOG does?

RAITT: We’re a regional planning agency on a suite of issues, such as transportation, economic development, housing, environmental planning and municipal services for the Greater Lowell area. But our main purpose is to support our partner communities. We are the go-to place where local leaders can learn about and get the tools they need to take next steps for their projects. That’s absolutely what the agency can do and has done.

SUN: What is your background for this work?

RAITT: I graduated UMass Amherst with a major in urban planning and documentary studies, and from the New School in New York with a master’s in nonprofit management and urban policy. In addition to other positions, I served as the director for the department of planning and community development in the town of Arlington for the previous 6 ½ years.

SUN: What has changed since you were in school?

RAITT: My whole trajectory has been local housing, community development and planning. But I think the difference between school work and real-world work is how you get things done.

The most important “how” part is co-creating and inviting other people to the process to be a stakeholder in the work. And that’s what I’m looking to do here both internally, and as we grow and evolve in our work in the region.

SUN: What hasn’t changed since you were in school?

RAITT: What hasn’t changed is that a lot of our laws, such as zoning, programs and rules are still the same, for better or worse. And in some cases, I think there could be changes that would better reflect the future that we all want to have, and frankly, could better reflect the role of a regional planning agency. Having regions working together is really critical in light of those challenges.

SUN: In your listening sessions, what common themes are you hearing?

RAITT: I’m still working my way through the communities, but definitely infrastructure such as water, sewer and transportation. I think of environmental issues as being part of infrastructure, which we need to think about it as being resilient. If we’re going to build or rebuild things, it’s all about resiliency.

Housing is another theme. Everything from regional homelessness to looking at rental and homeownership opportunities, as well concerns about different scales of development including commercial development.

Municipal stability is another concern. We need to continue to find ways to keep the communities working together and engaged for greater efficiencies and collaboration.

SUN: What kind of support does NMCOG provide partner communities?

RAITT: Often, towns and cities just call us, but we also reach out actively to our communities. We have the perspective of what’s going on more broadly in the region, and we also have the expertise to help at the local level. So, if there’s only one town planner, we can provide support to writing or redrafting zoning. Our work is supporting people who are working in the community — that’s what we do here.

SUN: What are some of the “tools” in your toolkit available to your partner communities?

RAITT: We use a lot of information technology tools such as geographic information system mapping, which can create visual maps of things like heat islands relating to climate resiliency. We can help analyze data. We can connect local communities to broader regional goals, advocacy, funding and cultural economic development opportunities.

SUN: Where does your funding come from?

RAITT: Part of our funding comes from an assessment on our local communities. We receive funding directly from MassDOT (Department of Transportation), and technical contracts from the Department of Fish and Wildlife. We also received Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funding.

SUN: Is there one issue that equally impacts all of the NMCOG communities?

RAITT: We’re going to go through an administrative change at the state level. That brings with it new opportunities, new resources and new guidance on a lot of the work that we’re doing especially at the regional level, but definitely applicable to our municipalities.

A new governor has a really interesting opportunity to firm up the housing and economic development and planning work that is happening across the state.

We’re in a really important position to help our communities work through that and be their resource, the convener, as well as their guide.

SUN: Any last thoughts you would like to share with our readers about NMCOG?

RAITT: All of our meetings are open to the public. In my listening sessions, I’m hearing that NMCOG has been a very reliable partner to work with. I’m excited for my new role, to meet lots of people and to build on a great foundation to take our work to the next level.