By John Weeks
Telegram & Gazette

CLINTON, Mass. — Constantino "Dino" Zapantis has kept his promise to revamp the Clinton Emergency Management Agency (CEMA). Since being appointed director of CEMA by the Board of Selectmen last year, Zapantis has launched fundraising efforts, increased CEMA's budget, acquired new equipment, forged greater partnerships with other public safety officials and begun work to rehabilitate CEMA's facilities at 359 High St.

"As director, I have strived to modernize the department," Zapantis said. "We auctioned off our old vehicles and acquired two vehicles through donations. Clinton Livery donated a 2000 Chevrolet van, which serves as our main vehicle. R&R Landscaping donated a 1991 Chevrolet four-wheel drive pickup truck."

Zapantis said many local businesses and residents have been very generous when it comes to CEMA. In addition to the vehicles, money, supplies or manpower have been donated by Harvard Fire Chief Robert Mignard, Clinton Offset Printing, Bob Latini, Lindsey Gonzalez, Immediate Plumbing, O'Malley's gas station, DMH Electric Inc., the Clinton Wellness Center, Sonny's Liquors, Nypro Inc., Mr. Z's Pizza, Hannaford Supermarket, Clinton Savings Bank, Arsenault Equipment, P&S Pizza, Paul's Collision Inc., Shaw's Supermarket, Jon's Pizza House, Res-Tech Corp., Regina's Salon, Varise Bros. Landscaping, Guaranty Auto, Avidia Bank, the Wine Merchant, Main St. Getty, Sovereign Bank, Philbin Comeau Funeral Home, Lowe's Home Improvement, William H. Reisner Foundation, Philip and Bonnie Latini, Clinton Tire Co. and Larry Crossman.

Most recently, on Aug. 26, McDonald's hosted a fundraiser for CEMA. Between 5 and 7 p.m., patrons who ate at McDonald's were also helping out CEMA. Zapantis said CEMA will continue its fundraising efforts at Olde Home Days on Friday and Saturday, where it will once again be selling water and 50/50 raffle tickets.

"The community has been amazing," Zapantis said. Thanks to all the generosity, he said, CEMA has been able to purchase a generator, four portable radios, two mobile radios to install in its vehicles, radio antennas, a chainsaw, a gas pump an electric pump and hand tools.

CEMA applied for and was granted an official radio frequency by the FCC.

"People can listen to us on their scanners by tuning to 151.025," Zapantis said. "We've been very active in the community during the past year."

CEMA has used its two pumps to clean out flooded cellars throughout town, has provided lighting for all home, nighttime football games, has provided lighting for motor vehicle accident investigations at night, has backed up the police and fire departments communications and has worked out a deal with the state DCR to use its communications during emergencies.

"We also did the lighting during the town fireworks on July 12," Zapantis said. "We've got to thank the Lancaster DPW for letting us use its light tower for that event."

Despite all these accomplishments, Zapantis said he is far from done. He wants CEMA to have its own radio repeater, which would enhance its communications power, and he wants to remove an underground oil storage tank at CEMA's High Street facility.

"Our radios aren't that powerful," he said. "They only transmit at five watts. The radio repeater would be placed in a high point in the town. It would pick up our radio signals and re-transmit them at a higher frequency."

At the special town meeting on Sept. 22, CEMA will ask voters for $5,500 to buy the radio repeater. CEMA will also ask voters for $5,000 to remove the oil tank.

"Until we move that, we can't get state money to rehabilitate our building," he said.

Zapantis said the 359 High St. facility has two buildings, the smaller of which CMEA does not use.

"I want to tear that down," he said. "It's falling apart. It's dangerous to just leave it there. No one will touch it until the oil tank is taken out. If we want to apply for grants or low-interest loans, we need to get rid of the tank. I want everyone to also know that we only use the High St. facility for cold storage. We don't have offices there. I have been working with Town Administrator Mike Ward to get some office space at Town Hall. That could be used to coordinate a response to an emergency."

Zapantis was reappointed to the director position by selectmen three weeks ago. Since then, he has been working to make the appointment a three-year term, which it was when he was first appointed. A former Board of Selectmen had changed it from a one-year term to a three-year term and appointed Zapantis. The current board changed it back to a one-year term.

"For me or whoever has this job, it's just counterproductive if you only do it for one year," he said. "It took me six months just to get recognized by other state and local agencies. It takes you a while to build up your contacts and let people know who you are. If the director changes every year it will slow down progress."

Regardless of what happens with the director's term or at the special town meeting, Zapantis is dedicated maintaining what CEMA has and building it into a full fledged, responsible organization.

"I don't want to be a vagabond agency," he said. "We will keep the building as long as we can. We will make repairs. Unless the selectmen can find us a new home suitable to our needs, we will not leave what we have."

Copyright 2008 Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Inc.