Monday, June 18, 2012

School days


In my opinion, if the school teachers stayed out of school building committee meeting, things would go a lot better. I went to one meeting and all I heard from Ms. Kozial is that-the kids this and the kids that, the kids need and the kids need. It looks to me that it's all about the teachers need and what the teachers want and how elaborate the new school must be. and the parking issue, does anyone even listen to Ruth Miller?
The town needs an elementary school for 500 to 600 kids, and of course teachers. Where is the plan on paper almost like Bill Claybaugh  showed at the selectmen's meeting. Where is the proposed floor plan? What the architects going to do? Build a big box to their specs and then put the kids into it, one by one? Ken  Case said it right, have our school built with our spec, not someone who just dropped in from Mars or Venus, if you know what I mean. And don't forget, Narragansett high school building has not been a dream come true, it was someone else's idea and we are still paying for architectural blunders as Ken Case says. I don't think Templeton is trying to build a new school, I think someone is trying to build a new town. Did anyone read Gardners Mayor Hawke statements about the prevailing wage issue, wrecking communities, and one state rep says getting people out of Boston brings better workmanship and experience, yeah bull---. Us people here in Templeton have just as good or better skills as workers out of Boston. Just because you belong to a union does not make them better workers or contractors. Other words if you live and work in the Boston area you're worth 75 bucks per hour so if you come to Templeton to work, you are going to get 75 bucks per hour? Boston can afford 75 bucks per hour labor but Templeton can't and that's all there is to it. In the Boston area a person would pay $1800 per month for one bedroom apartment, could we get that high rent here in Templeton? No Way, José. In my opinion, let Boston take care of Boston and Templeton take care of Templeton. And as I say in the past, after you figure, standard wage and standard material cost here in Templeton and then figured the Boston wage in the Boston material charge at 40% to the total, so-called prevailing wage and in my opinion that is what is going to kill the school deal and any of the projects that include the prevailing wage. Ever wonder why the economy is so ---ed up? People go from Massachusetts to New Hampshire to save 6.25% sales tax, that issue builds New Hampshire economy and lowers Massachusetts economy right? Other words if you are asked at town meeting, do you want and $8 million school at Templeton wages or do you want that same school built with prevailing wage from Boston for $12 million. While there is nothing we can do about it, because "Boston" makes the rules. So let's repair and upgrade what we got and save about $10 million. And to you people "taxpayers" that say you don't mind higher taxes for new school, a new police station, new town hall, a new sewer treatment system I hope you stand together at the polls. In my opinion, where is the end to all this "new" stuff without concern about us taxpayers well-being, food, house payments, transportation to our jobs, sky high heating costs, etc. add it all up on a piece of lined paper and it will scare you out of your old worn out sneakers. It's cheap to knock an old good brick or concrete building down but it's big, big, big  bucks to build a new building, no matter for what use and don't forget prevailing wage. And let's not forget the interest payment for the "new" building loan. I for one do not want to ride by one of these new buildings on my way to the welfare office in a Mart Bus get it? One thing I will never forget the other procrastinators saying, it's only $.70 or it's only $.40 or it's only one dollar and never once added up all these projects to come up with the total amount to be added to our taxes forever. And as far as these so-called "grants" go, where does all that money come from? Right-taxes. Don't ever think you are getting something for nothing. It looks that way but figure it out. I just got my household insurance bill, fire, wind, act of God, $1984 for one year, that's $165 per month, now add that to your tax bill and house payment and heating bill and water and sewer bill and electric bill. I just roughly added an average household and came up to about $500 per week and didn't add food or other extras. So you as an average household add up all your expenses and it will scare you to "drink" and don't forget your real estate taxes. Mine are approximately, on my house $290 per month, $3400 per year. So as a taxpayer and of losing your home, it is partly your fault as well as mine, because we, as in taxpayers didn't add up all our costs compared to what we earn before we voted for project that we now know would sink us. So smarten up people, we are not going to hit the lottery anytime soon. So be prepared and this is only my opinion. Thanks for reading-Pauly

9 comments:

  1. here is a good one go tru Westminster on rt 2 where they are doing the bridge work under the bridge on 140 they have civilian flaggers directing traffic that is great saving money NOT there is a police officer watching the flaggers from his cruiser making sure they do the job right ..drive by any time in the day and see for your self

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  2. I love the farm and never had much use for skool. After waching this video now I no why.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okPnDZ1Txlo
    Your gonna have to cut and paste it. Sorry.

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  3. As a graduate from nrhs in 1977 we had a good education and did it in portables!
    I think it was 12 I recall!
    To think they need 12 million $$ now?
    We don't learn from the walls!
    We get taught by the teachers on how to learn.
    I'll bet they put up the portables for less than what the cost studies have costed us for the "nothing" we have to show for it! Home school kids need teaching not buildings. Someone needs to "learn" how to complete a project once its started. Anyone Teaching IT?H5

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  4. Always well said & right on point, Pauly. These people who want all these "New" bldgs & other things are already making big bucks. No problem for them & it's no big deal for them to spend Other people's money but, they never take into consideration the DOR report that says the average Templeton ANNUAL wage is ONLY $23,000.00 per year per family. That is not much & leaves No room to foot the bill for any new things!! And you are correct, these Grant's are Not "free"!! We pay for them & they come at a higher price because you sell your rights to Boston govt. machine to make your own decisions based on community wants & needs. Oh yes, that teacher's Union has now become so huge that they keep wanting more. There was a day when teachers didn't make what they were worth but not the case anymore. Just look at those massive salaries for working part of the year & all the perks that go with them!! Not a bad gig. We are all worth more but can we get it, No! There are just a bunch of Spoiled rotten people who WANT, Want, Want all the time. And you are right again, as usual, about the spiel that the new school is all for the kids. Bull...T, I agree with you absolutely 100% again on that one. At one time the unions were good but got ruined like so many other things with union bosses & wanting all the "huge prevailing" wages. Stop the madness, I say. We are not as stupid as they think we are, nor do we have the money they think we have to fund all these unnecessary projects. Again, I am with you Pauly, let's use what we have, get the expertise, help & labor that is available right here in town!! Yep, Boston, you take care of you & we'll start taking care of ourselves once more. All my opinions in agreement with Pauly. Thanks for your site. Have a good evening.

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    1. Hi guys, you know at one time my taxes on the house on South Road were about $800. a year. Bart put up his barn, and they are $920.79 a quarter. Ok, so we have to dig real deep to pay our share, to keep our town going strong. Ha Ha. I do not get a single thing more now than I did then. What is the deal, I see a school bus going by with 1 kid in it. Ten minutes later another bus with 1 kid in it? They can't find a better plan? No of course not, especially if we keep paying. Why oh why, do they insist on putting flat roofs on any building in New England. I'll never know. One year, not so long ago, My friend wanted to set up at the school craft fair. We walked in the cafeteria and the floor was covered in buckets. I almost died! The dam roof was leaking every where. Do you guys know how many times we have put a new roof on the high school building? I'll be it is atleast three! This last time they did not have the money to complete the job. I think I'm right. At any rate, 30 years goes by so fast, alot of this stuff could have been prevented if they had designed a roof with a peak in the first place. I spoke with Will Spring, I think he has the right idea. We need a 5 year plan. There is no way we can do everything we need, and still have people living in our town. I still can not figure out what the hell I get for $920.79 a quarter. If you can tell me, please dp. Bev.

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  5. First off, people should go walk thru Templeton center and Baldwinville schools. Then think if these buildings are still of use as schools. According to a study completed in 2003 - 2004, the then estimated cost to bring the building up to code was around $400 thousand dollars. Now 8 years later it is probably at least in the million dollar range. Rememeber once we remodel, the buildings have to be completely handicap accessible. Top and bottom and we can really not expect students to go outside in the winter to accomplish this. Certainly the 99,000 square foot design originally talked about is way over size. The enrollment has been going down and the msba recognizes that most schools built recently were over sized which = higher than needed cost. We need an accurate sized building with the middle ground gross square feet per student needed. Then decide on a design and material. I would suggest a steel building would be the cheapest, quickest and simplist way to go, but I could be wrong. What we do not need is some buidling designed all fancy multi shaped serves no real purpose building for a school, simple straight forward on the outside. I do not believe it is as easy as cleaning up what we have in the long run, as is sometimes the case, it may sound that way on paper or here on the blog, but in reallity, it may not work. From a labor cost and maintenance cost point, new may just be cheaper in the long run. One boiler to maintain has to be cheaper than 2 old boilers. A review on the number of personnel employed at the school needs to be looked at. My opinion is there are way to many techer helpers and para professionals etc etc. I do not want to put people out of work but we cannot put a burden on the taxpayers just to keep people working, it ends up a dog chasing his own tail and no one wins.

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  6. Templeton Center was estimated to cost around $400 thousand and Baldwinville was estimated at around $600 thousand. So in 2004 dollars it was a million dollars for two schools, probably three or four million today. Taxpayers allocated $550,000.00 to come up with a plan and so far there seems to be no plan in place and I believe it is time for taxpayers to speak up as to whether they wish to continue or stop because the town either wants a new school or they don't.

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  7. Wow, think what that WASTED $550,000.00, as well as, the $600,000.00 blown on that useless 252 bldg. could have bought!! Whether it was toward a new school or some of the maintenance costs you mentioned on the existing schools, that money would have gone a long way to completing either project. That is a lot of "lost cash" spent on just "looking into" it! My opinion

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  8. I like Will Spring's idea of coming up with a 5 year plan for the town in which it could be figured out what projects are realistic and how to fund them in a reasonable way. (I believe Mr. Keaney also suggested this 10yrs ago too) It would be the smart thing to do. With a plan like that to work with, then everyone will be on the same page...no misuse of funds...no need to argue. I, too, am cash strapped and do not want more taxes. But, I'm willing to pay my share for a new school--and I do not have children. I know that a strong community has a good school at the heart of it. I don't think we can afford a new school with all the bells and whistles (extra large classrooms, elaborate facade). We need to make sure that the school plan will meet our basic needs first and then past that, make the money stretch as far as possible to accommodate as many as the extras as the budget will allow. It would be great if the construction was done by local workers, not shipped in expecting top dollar wages. But I don't know how that works. Police station at 252 Bald. Rd. with module building sounds economical. Town Hall at ET school economical. So, what could Bald. school be used for after new school is built?
    Anonymous #15

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