Lions Honor 'Mayor of South Grafton'

The Lions Club of Grafton has selected Ralph “Skip” Michniewicz as its Humanitarian of the Year.

The Lions annually recognize a Grafton resident who has made significant contributions to the quality of life in our town for this generation and for generations to come.

Michniewicz will receive his award at the Lions Annual LCIF Dinner and Auction to be held on Saturday, Dec. 3 at the . 

Cocktails will be served at 5:30 p.m., with dinner at 6:30 p.m.

 “Skip richly deserves this award and recognition” said Lions Club President Mike Ponting in a prepared statement. “He deeply cares about our community and he’s made it his business to get involved and become a driving force in so many initiatives that have meant so much to our town.”

Michniewicz is a father of two and a life-long resident of Grafton. After serving 28 years as a police officer in Shrewsbury, Skip started a new career as “chief preservation officer” and unofficial mayor of South Grafton. He has worked tirelessly on numerous projects to improve the quality of life in South Grafton since 2001.

Skip started his service to Grafton in 2001 by purchasing and planting maple trees at the Fairview and Farnumsville cemeteries. In 2002, he made further improvements at the Farnumsville Cemetery by donating a hand-carved gold leaf sign, complete with landscaping.

In addition, he arranged for the installation of a flag and flagpole, donated by Charlie Bolack, to complete the renovations at the cemetery.

He also started work in 2002 on his signature South Grafton project: The restoration of the 1853 Farnumsville Firehouse.

When this building was threatened with demolition by the Town, he single-handedly took on the daunting task of restoring this Greek Revival gem located at the intersection of Main Street and Providence Road.

He has labored more than 6,500 hours during the past decade making this building one which all Grafton residents are proud of. Today the gray clapboard exterior, cobblestone entrance and Victorian interior furnishings belie the sad state of repair of this South Grafton landmark just ten years ago.

In 2005, another South Grafton landmark structure, the South Grafton Community House, faced an uncertain future when it was proposed to be sold by the town and demolished to make way for private development.

Never one to sit on the sidelines when there is work to be done, he stepped forward and became an active member of the South Grafton Community House Oversight Committee.

With his help, this building is no longer a diamond in the rough; it now has been restored with period-style windows and exterior paint scheme. The interior of this former Victorian-era schoolhouse is currently undergoing restoration of the original tin ceilings, slate chalkboards and hardwood floors.

He completely furnished the building with his collection of Grafton photos and memorabilia, along with numerous Victorian antiques furnishings. He and his wife, Theresa, also cleared brush and poison ivy from the overgrown back lawn, reopening a picturesque, landscaped view of the Blackstone River.

He found another restoration project to tackle in 2008, but this time it wasn’t a building, it was a World War II cannon missing from Sampson Square in South Grafton. After an exhaustive search, he located the cannon and persuaded John and Joe Seaver to donate their time to undertake a complete restoration of the military relic.

Within a year’s time, the cannon was restored and rededicated in Sampson Square on Memorial Day 2009.

Also in 2008, he joined the Board of Directors of the Polish National Home, and became a member of the Veterans Memorial Committee, which maintains military monuments throughout Grafton. He also has been an active member of the South Grafton Water District since 2009, and is currently serving as its chairman.

He also has been active on the Fisherville/Farnumsville Streetscape Committee since 2009. The committee has developed a multi-phase restoration plan for the Main Street streetscape, beginning with the Mill Villages Park, scheduled to open in spring of 2012.

When he’s not busy with these projects, Skip landscapes and maintains the traffic island at the intersection of routes 122 and 122A and the Blackstone Valley National Heritage Corridor mill village signs in South Grafton.

Most recently, he has kept Grafton’s history alive by his work as a member of the Board of Directors of the , and was instrumental in the success of Grafton’s year-long 275th Anniversary Celebration in 2010 as a member of its town-sponsored committee.

Advance reservations are required for dinner and the awards ceremony. Dinner is $25 per person. Advance reservations can be made by calling either Lion Noelle Dowd at 508-839-3618 or Lion Maureen Wojnar at 508-839-5963.