Man bequeaths $3.5M to Barre
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By DAVID DELCORE STAFF WRITER - Published: June 22, 2009
BARRE – Charles Semprebon had a much softer spot for the Granite City than the half-million-dollar bequest announced last week would seem to suggest.
Not that $500,000 is anything to sneeze at, but the city where Semprebon was born and his dad Silvio, and uncle, Nevio, founded Calmont Beverage Co. back in 1941, stands to receive far more in the wake of his abrupt death while on a cycling trip in New Mexico late last month.
In fact, a copy of Semprebon's last will and testament obtained by The Times Argus names the City of Barre as the primary beneficiary of his personal estate – an estate that officials suggest is valued at an estimated $3.5 million.
Less than $1.1 million of that amount has already been spoken for – most of it in the equal $500,000 bequests to Barre and Barre Town for "… the sole specific purpose of completing the bike path that links both communities" that were announced last week.
With the exception of six $10,000 bequests to an assortment of friends and former employees, Semprebon left all of the rest of his personal estate to the City of Barre "… for the specific purpose of providing for civic improvements that the city cannot afford to pay out of the general fund budget."
Barre Mayor Thomas Lauzon said he was informed the city would be the beneficiary of "a very large windfall" at a recent meeting with the Semprebon family.
"They did not discuss specific amounts with me," he said. "They simply said the amount was significant."
That is an understatement. It will surely dwarf the $500,000 that the city will receive to finance its share of the bike path project that Semprebon – a cycling enthusiast – wanted to see completed.
Although the $1 million Semprebon left for the bike path was earmarked for a very specific purpose, the only restriction on the balance of his estate was that it be used for "civic improvements."
Lauzon said that doesn't mean buying new trucks or paving streets.
"This money was for something better," he said. "This money was for something that normally would have been far beyond our reach.
"It should be something that you point at 20 years from now and say: 'This was a turning point … It all started because of Charlie Semprebon and this great gift that he gave the city,'" he added.
Lauzon said completing the bike path is priority number one, but he is already thinking about how the balance of the money could be spent making Barre a better place.
"This is an absolutely incredible opportunity," he said, suggesting there is no shortage of worthy projects in the city and the time is right to leverage favorable federal funding.
"There are more leveraging opportunities that exist today than have existed in the last 10 years," he said.
Lauzon said he envisions holding plenty of public hearings to consider the city's options once the amount of the bequest is known for certain.
"The process needs to be deliberative and inclusive," he said, suggesting Semprebon's family – including nephews and co-executors Shane and Jamie Semprebon – will have a significant voice.
"Their opinion has to figure prominently in the discussion," he said.
Born in Barre, Semprebon, 66, was living in neighboring Barre Town when he died May 24 while on a cross-country cycling trip. He was in Santa Fe, N.M. at the time.
Semprebon had been semi-retired for several years after serving as vice president of Calmont Beverage – the family business that he and his brother, Tom, moved from downtown Barre to nearby Berlin in 1991.
Semprebon never married and had no children. According to the will he signed on Nov. 14, 2007, he left property he owned in Palm Springs, Fla., to his nephew, Shane, and his Barre Town residence to his nephew, Jeremy Grenier of Williamstown.
Attempts to reach family members for comment were unsuccessful.
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