Pro-Pay

Through its “pay-as-you-build” Progress Payment System, the MSBA reimburses districts for eligible project costs during construction. After a community enters into a Project Funding Agreement with the MSBA and submits project costs that have been incurred and paid locally, the MSBA audits the submitted invoices and reimburses the district for its share of eligible project costs. The MSBA typically makes payment within 15 days of receiving a complete reimbursement request.

The major benefits to the system are:

• Communities avoid having to borrow the MSBA’s share of project costs, which reduces both the amount of debt on the local books and interest costs related to financing.
• Communities receive the full amount of the MSBA’s share of project costs during construction and its close-out audit.
• The MSBA is auditing projects as they are built, avoiding the many-year delay between project completion and final cost reconciliation.
• Consistent, predictable payments allow communities to better manage their cash flow.

In 2007 the Pro-Pay web-based system became fully operational. It allows districts to enter cost information and submit a request for reimbursement electronically. This system gives districts:

• The ability to enter and manage budgets that better mirror the MSBA process (Feasibility Study, Scope and Budget Agreement and Funding Agreement).
• Budget management functionality, including the ability to request and approve budget revisions.
• Streamlined and simplified cost categories (chart of accounts).

In addition to the benefits of the Progress Payment described above, the use of Pro-Pay on all its current projects allows the MSBA to collect and analyze a wealth of electronic information to continue to support management of the School Building Assistance program.

PRO-PAY TRAINING  

Pro-Pay Trainings are generally offered at our offices once a month on a Friday, but this schedule is subject to change.  Please contact Donna Paul at 617-720-4466 to reserve a spot in our training class no later than noon of the preceding Thursday.  We require that districts have an executed Feasibility Study Agreement or Project Funding Agreement before attending training.  We also strongly recommend that attendees obtain access to our system prior to training.

I hope this gets talked about at future discussions involving the new school. Most importantly is that the Town Treasurer and Accountant not only get trained up in their respective positions, but get trained up in doing business and record keeping with regards to MSBA business. This is important to taxpayers to ensure not only prompt reimbursement, also that all eligible costs are recouped by the TOWN.


Jeff Bennett

Is all really fine in Templeton finance?


Might be time to ask if there really is a problem with finance at the Templeton Sewer Department.


It is believed that this deficit of $140,000.00 has been known or discussed by some Templeton officials for some time. If you look at the record of the most recent Templeton Town meeting, you see reminders of the past, transfers of funds from one account to multiple accounts, such as using funds from debt service to cover cemetery, medicare, retirement, general insurance and building inspector salary. This shows either there was not enough money to have a true balanced budget to begin with and / or the funds were not applied correctly.


Most recently, it has been shown that it is dangerous from a financial stand point, to spend money you don't have or to rely on a promise or an assumption that the funding will come. The playground at Templeton Center and then the talk of $110,000.00 from winter storm emergencies which turned out to be 30 thousand demonstrate this and the consequences. One would think that after the play ground miscue, the selectmen would not have gone thru 300 thousand in about thirty minutes, which turned out to not really be there. Not much talk from the selectmen about the Templeton taxpayer / residents. Things have to get done and funding has to be available but there are proven practices that work and do control spending and especially how money is applied.


Back to the sewer dept. dollar shortage, budget miscue, accounting mistake, spread sheet error, what ever it gets labeled as, should not there be discussion of it in open meetings. The Templeton Sewer dept. probably has the money but may need a town meeting vote to move it. Next question is does this have any effect on the next FY budget, 2016 beginning July 1, 2015.


All this happening amongst the newspaper headlines, new school will only cost Templeton 22 million dollars. Somehow, selectmen worrying so much about town employees and not much mention or effort to watch out for Templeton taxpayers/residents. Regional dispatch, central purchasing, better accountability of what Templeton Town employees do while they work are among things that could do this. When you are working to bring a 50 million dollar debt question to the people who pay the bills, you should probably be doing every thing you can to demonstrate you spend their money wisely and you do not consider spending their road money on equipment.


Jeff Bennett

East Brunswick NJ Fluoridation Debate

East Brunswick Fluoridation Debate


The debate features FAN's Director and environmental chemist, Paul Connett, PhD debating periodontist and former President of the New Jersey Dental Association, Richard Kahn, DDS on the safety, ethics, and effectiveness of fluoridation. The video also features legal expert David Lonsky, Esq, who reviews the legal issues stemming from the practice. 

Watch Video Here

Other Water Fluoridation News:

Government Officials Notified About Fluoridation Failure

The Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Science have failed the public in the performance of their duties regarding the ongoing poisoning of public water supplies with fluoride.  This neurotoxin is dumped into our drinking water in hazardous industrial waste batches that include hydrofluorosilicic acid, sodium fluorosilicate, sodium fluoride and a host of contaminants that include aluminum, barium, lead and more.

Consequently, on April 27th, U.S. IOM/NAS leadership and Food and Nutrition board members were served with a formal notification regarding their failure to perform their duties.  The letter was signed by environmental advocate Erin Brockovich; Daniel A. Eyink, M.D.; the American Academy of Environmental Medicine; Jean Nordin-Evans, DDS; David P. Mathews, JD; and Stephanie Seneff, PhD. 

.pdf of the letter

*****************************************

Full Text of the Letter:

Selectmen meeting, Wednesday, May 27, 2015


Residents of Laurel View Road were told there is no real help available from Selectmen.


Action on Town excavator was put off until the next meeting. BOS voted to agree and support the choice of the elementary school building committee. Some members of the BOS appeared a little confused on what exactly they were voting on, even the ones who were at the previous nights meeting of TESBC. Town administrator announced there will be training on work place behavior to include things like sexual harassment, Insurance bids showed the same coverage offered by MIIA but from a different group and a lower cost in the 60 thousand dollar range. Interim Town Administrator agreed to stay another year and signed a contract saying as much.


With the estimate of 50 million dollars for the school and Town share in the 22 million dollar range, the affect on the tax rate is sure to be the topic of the week, probably the best place to start is the Assessors office where you should be able to get the answer to how much would the current tax rate go up to raise the dollar amount for the school. Keep in mind that back in 2009, the estimate was 32 million and 16 million total cost / town share. I suspect as the process moves forward with more details, the dollar figure could change. Right now this is simply the process to get to the point where the question of town support will be determined.


Jeff Bennett

First Annual Macaroni and Cheese Cookoff on the Common

First Annual Macaroni and Cheese Cookoff on the Common 

Register now to enter the First Annual Macaroni and Cheese Cookoff on the Common Saturday, July 4, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. on the historic common in Templeton Center, Mass., sponsored by the Friends of the Templeton Elders. The event is being held to raise money to purchase comfortable chairs for activities at the new Senior Center in Baldwinville, which is scheduled to open this summer.

Chefs will be able to enter their homemade from scratch mac & cheese dishes for judging in three categories: Professional, $50 entry fee ($500 prize); Amateur Adults, $25 entry fee ($300 prize); and Youth 12-16 years old, $10 entry fee ($200 prize). Prizes will be awarded based on votes from visitors and a juried panel. Visitors will be able to sample entries and vote from noon-2 p.m., with judging by a juried panel for cash prizes at 2 p.m.Deadline to enter is June 16. For more information, click here to see the flyer.

For an entry form and cookoff rules, go to www.templetonelders.org/macaroni-cheese-cookoff/.

New School "ONLY" 22 million

School Option Selected
Preferred design could cost town $22M after MSBA reimbursement

Preliminary floor plans for the future elementary school

Mr. Poinelli said the selected option will cost a little more than $50 million. However, with the 60 percent reimbursement offered by the MSBA, the town and taxpayers will be responsible for only $22 million.
Eryn Dion
News Staff Writer

TEMPLETON With the project slated to go before the Massachusetts School Building Authority in July, the Elementary School Building Committee on Tuesday night selected its preferred design on a new school that will cost the town about $22 million to complete.

The committee reviewed several designs before settling on the three-story, compact building that will more than double the square footage of both Temp­leton Center and Baldwinville Elementary schools.

According to Phil Poinelli, principal with the design firm SMMA, the classrooms at both elementary schools, which range from 650 to 720 square feet, are “significantly undersized” and fall below state regulations for adequate learning space.

“These classrooms are going to be 900 square feet each, which meets the state’s guidelines,” Mr. Poinelli told the committee and members of the public in attendance.

Breaking down the costs, Mr. Poinelli said the selected option will cost a little more than $50 million. However, with the 60 percent reimbursement offered by the MSBA, the town and taxpayers will be responsible for only $22 million. Housing only pre-K through fourth grade in the new school would knock about $2 million off the price tag, but committee members previously agreed that keeping the fifth grade in the middle school was not ideal.

Reviewing the preliminary site designs, Mr. Poinelli said a considerable amount of effort went into figuring out how to orient a new building on the postage-stamp lot between South Road and Wellington Road while minimizing the impact on residents.

“What we tried to do is keep the smaller portions along South Road where there are residences,” Mr. Poinelli said, adding that the three-story portion of the building will sit on the west side of the lot, along Wellington Road. Templeton Center School will remain open during construction, with fences put up to keep students and parents out of areas being used by contractors. After the building is complete, the school will be demolished.

Preliminary floor plans for the future elementary school

Mr. Poinelli said the selected option will cost a little more than $50 million. However, with the 60 percent reimbursement offered by the MSBA, the town and taxpayers will be responsible for only $22 million.

Local Kids Learn How To Fish

Local Kids Learn How To Fish
Otter River State Forest kicks off its 100-year anniversary
Joseph Benavidez
News Staff Writer

TEMPLETON  Nearly 100 residents came to celebrate Otter River State Forest’s 100th anniversary Saturday morning with a Family Fishing Festival — the first of many events this season.

“We wanted people to go outside and learn about the natural world,” said Jim Lagacy, a representative with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. “Get away from your electronics and be inspired by nature.”

Mr. Lagacy said he was happy to see a large number of families with young children attending the fishing event because he hoped it would encourage the next generation to spend more time outdoors.

To help the younger fisherman learn the basics of the sport, MassWildlife brought fishing instructors, poles and bait. The instructors gave one-on-one lessons and provided tips such as successful wrist flicking and how to reel in a trout without breaking the line.

Ethan Bisbee, 6, of Templeton, said he loves fishing and was happy that the state park was sponsoring an event where he could fish with his mother and brother.

“Fish are cool,” Ethan said. “I like catching them.”

News staff photo by JOSEPH BENAVIDEZ
Brothers Ethan, 6, left, and Brady Bisbee, 9, of Templeton, try to catch some fish during the Family Fishing Festival, held to celebrate 100 years of Otter River State Forest on Saturday afternoon.


Ethan’s 9-year-old brother, Brady, said the brother duo was working hard to catch a fish before the festival ended. Brady said he likes to go fishing because it is “fun to be outside” and that it is good to play in the pond after he catches a fish.

March Against Monsanto explodes globally... World citizens stage massive protests across 38 countries, 428 cities... mainstream media pretends it never happened

 Sunday, May 24, 2015
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger

(NaturalNews) The March Against Monsanto exploded across the planet today as protesters took to the streets in 38 countries and 428 cities to protest the world's most evil corporation: Monsanto. (Tweet this story #MarchAgainstMonsanto)

Protesters from New York, London, Berlin, Paris and even across South America, Asia and India rallied against the toxic agricultural practices of Monsanto, a corporation whose business model depends on poisoning the citizens of the planet, destroying the agricultural ecosystem, monopolizing the seed supply and hiring online character assassins to attack anyone who opposes its agenda.

Protesters worldwide took to the streets today to demand GMO labeling and bans on Roundup (glyphosate), the toxic herbicide chemical that even the World Health Organization recently linked to cancer. "We need to stop feeding humanity such a vile toxin," said one protester.

Mainstream media totally compromised, refuses to cover massive global uprising against Monsanto

As expected, virtually the entire "sellout" mainstream media refused to cover the event, pretending that the citizens of the world aren't rising up against an enormous corporate evil that threatens the future of our planet.

The Associated Press ran a story mentioning local protests in Hawaii but refused to print the words "March Against Monsanto" or to even mention that these protests were taking place in over 400 cities across the globe.

Nearly the entire western media has been infiltrated and corrupted by Monsanto, including the once-respected magazine National Geographic which now functions as the propaganda arm for the life-destroying biotech industry. National Geographic's magazines are now filled with multi-page ads for Big Pharma and Big Biotech, while its editors ludicrously attempt to paint scientists and citizens who have concerns about GMOs as tin foil hat-wearing lunatics.

Once-celebrated newspapers like the Washington Post have also been entirely overrun by Monsanto infiltration and disinformation. The paper's science editors function as nothing more than Monsanto puppets and propaganda mouthpieces, pushing biotech talking points as if they were scientific fact while utterly ignoring the realities of cancer-causing glyphosate, seed supply monopolization, genetic pollution and Monsanto's lawsuit attacks on farmers.

Today, only the Independent Media covers the truth about Monsanto, GMOs and glyphosate. Every mainstream media news source has sold out humanity to pure evil.

New emphasis on glyphosate (Roundup)

This year's marches featured increased emphasis on the toxicity of Roundup (glyphosate), Monsanto's weed killer chemical that's sprayed liberally on crops.

Glyphosate has been linked to cancer by the World Health Organization, and researchers around the world believe glyphosate is linked to increased risks of cancer tumors in humans and animals that consume GMO crops.

This photo from the Seralini study shows how glyphosate and GMOs caused massive, fatal tumors in laboratory rats:

Learn more about glyphosate toxicity and the dangers of GMOs at these important websites:

http://www.gmoseralini.org/en/
http://www.gmoevidence.com/
http://gmojudycarman.org/

Elementary School Building Committee votes;


The committee voted to submit option C to the BOS for action.
This option is for K through grade 5 with a conceptual project cost of $50,088,996.00 with the Town cost of $22,058,890.00. The difference of $28,030,106.00 to be paid by MSBA. Again this is only early projected cost, which the selectmen will have to vote on. Also, there was a meeting of the school committee which also approved the option voted by the committee. Hopefully there will be clarification about this project being a town project rather than a district one. For those who may have forgotten, the projected cost for this project back in 2009 was about $32 million with the town share at around $16 million.


On another subject, I spoke with Bill Clabaugh and I was given the nickel tour of the completed wood chip boiler project. I was told the present chip cost is at the middle 40 dollar per ton range. If you are interested, a tour of this facility can be arranged and it is worth it.


Jeff Bennett

Templeton Highway Department Excavator;


May 4, 2015 election results: Yes: 270    No: 399


May 16, 2015 Annual Town Meeting: Selectmen make no motion for their article!


Now, what is the need for an excavator? Templeton highway has no real responsibility to dig for any water lines as Templeton Water has separate funding for their operations and separate elected commissioners. I don't believe the Templeton highway has any real expertise for sewer lines and since we have separate elected sewer commissioners, I believe they can and should take care of that item, so what is the real need for an excavator? From the words of at least one member of the Templeton highway dept., the bigger need over there is for trucks to plow snow and to maintain the roads we have. Any argument that the Town has to have an excavator to do road work is misleading at best, the most important item needed is funding, as in money, from which contractors can be used and are used to repair roads, to include repair and or replace drain basins. It will be interesting to see what the selectmen chose to do, especially the newest member.


Jeff Bennett

Meetings the Week of May 25, 2015

Meetings the Week of May 25, 2015

Tuesday 5/26/15

TESBC                    NRHS Library           6:00 pm

EMERGENCY MEETING

Planning                           E. Temp.                           6:30 pm

Wednesday 5/27/15

BOS                                 E. Temp.                            6:30 pm

Historical                         Boynton PL                       7:00 pm

Thursday 5/28/15

TESBC                            Kiva                                    6:00 pm

Sr. Center                        Bridge St                             6:30 pm

Air France flight to New York subject of anonymous threat

Air France flight to New York subject of anonymous threat

A pair of US fighter jets has escorted an Air France airliner bound for New York City after the flight was the subject of an anonymous threat.

US officials said they had received a call claiming that there was a "chemical weapons threat" aboard the plane.

Air France Flight 22, from Paris, was searched after landing in a secure area of JFK Airport.
The FBI said later that no hazards had been found and the plane was cleared.
It was one of several threats, possibly from the same source, made against US-bound commercial airliners on Monday, authorities said.

"Out of an abundance of caution, Air France flight number 22 was escorted to John F Kennedy airport by US Air Force fighter jets following a phone threat," said FBI spokesman J Peter Donald.
"The plane has landed and has deboarded. There were no incidents or hazards reported on board the flight by either the passengers or its crew. The plane has been cleared."

An anonymous call was made to a Maryland State Police barracks at 06:30 local time (10:30 GMT) on Monday and the FBI was immediately told.

Although the threat was not considered credible, two F-15 planes were scrambled as a precautionary measure, joint US-Canadian monitoring force Norad said.

According to ABC News, the planes followed the Air France A-330 jet into US airspace but out of sight of passengers and crew.

The plane was later searched in a secure area of the airport.

A Saudi Airlines flight that had recently landed at JFK was also searched because of another threat, officials said.

Another threat was made against an American Airlines plane flying from Birmingham, England, to JFK, airline spokesman Kent Powell said.

The flight was initially told to land and taxi to a remote area, but officials later told the pilot that the threat was not credible and cleared the plane to go to the terminal, he added.

Farm Has Room To Grow

Farm Has Room To Grow

News staff photo by ERYN DION
Bev Bartolomeo of Bart’s Greenhouse points to tomato hangers.

Eryn Dion
News Staff Writer

TEMPLETON  Frank and Bev Bartolomeo know a thing or two about growing plants.

Growing is in Bev’s family — her mother was a “fantastic” grower and he father oversaw their potato farm. The same goes for Frank, although he admits farming is his second career, one taken up after his own father became too old to work the fields.

The pair ran Bart’s Farm as a small outfit with a greenhouse — that also sold Christmas trees later in the year — for more than 30 years, cultivating a loyal customer base until Bev “dragged” Frank back to Templeton. The intention was to transplant back to town for at least a semiretired life, though looking at their backyard with two greenhouses stuffed with flowers and vegetables, it’s clear that never came to fruition.

When asked about retirement, Bev laughs, saying she guesses they’ll retire when they’re in the ground themselves.

“When are you going to retire?” she shouts to her husband as he mans the farmstand.

“Farmers don’t retire,” he answers after a long moment.

“That’s the way farmers are,” he adds. “It’s in their blood.”

“He’s the best grower in Worcester County,” Bev says of her husband later in the greenhouse. “He really, truly is.”

Tucked so far down South Road you’d swear it was in Hubbardston, the pair’s new business, Bart’s Greenhouse, takes up most of their yard, the long humid greenhouse filled with plants Frank has nurtured himself in the couple’s cellar before moving them outside and under cover.

Memorial Day

HEMMAN IS RETURNING TO 'GANSETT

HEMMAN IS RETURNING TO 'GANSETT
FORMER DISTRICT BOSS WHO RETIRED IN 2008 INKS AN INTERIM CONTRACT
Eryn Dion
News Staff Writer

The Narragansett Regional School District will have a new administrator at its helm come July 1, as Dr. Stephen Hemman has signed a contract to become the official interim superintendent for the next year.

“I’m very much looking forward to this,” Mr. Hemman told the School Committee on Wednesday night.

Committee member Margaret Hughes explained the terms of the contract, which would see Mr. Hemman leading the district from July 1 to June 30 next year. Because of regulations surrounding retirement salary restrictions, compensation will be set at $115,400 divided into two, sixmonth portions.

“We put a provision on there that if we did go out and search for a new superintendent and find someone willing to start earlier, we’ll negotiate with Mr. Hemman on how that transition will happen,” Ms. Hughes said.

Mr. Hemman served as top administrator for eight years before retiring in 2008. Since then, he has held a teaching position at Fitchburg State and was named executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools. He stated that he intends to resign from a number of positions, leaving himself totally committed to Narragansett come September.

MENTAL HEALTH, ADDICTION TOP CONCERNS

MENTAL HEALTH, ADDICTION TOP CONCERNS
DATA FROM STUDY TO HELP IDENTIFY ROOT CAUSES OF PROBLEMS
Damien Fisher
News Staff Writer

Addiction, mental health and obesity top the concerns identified through the 2015 Community Health Assessment of North Central Massachusetts released Thursday at the Wachusett Village Inn.

The annual assessment, compiled by the Joint Collaboration on Health with the support of several area health care facilities and community organizations, highlights the health, safety and social needs of the people in North Central Massachusetts. This information can now be used to help people through new programs and services designed to address these concerns, said Susan Buchholz of the Joint Coalition on Health.

“This is really the beginning of the conversation,” she said.

Access to mental health services topped nearly every category of findings, according to the report, with people concerned that there are not enough opportunities to seek and get help for depression and other mental health needs. The report found that depression, psychiatric hospitalization and suicide rates for the region are higher than in the rest of the state.

The findings came about through interviews and focus groups with more than 200 people in 16 different groups representing the diverse population of the region.

The region is also dealing with the opioid addiction crisis that has engulfed Massachusetts. The report found that while other behavioral concerns, like binge drinking, have gotten better since previous reports, heroin use continues to rise. The report does not give a clear picture in terms of what is driving the heroin use, Ms. Buchholz said.

“We know there is an opioid crisis, but (the data) doesn’t tell us why,” she said.

Animal protection group: Dog flu suspected in Massachusetts

Animal protection group: Dog flu suspected in Massachusetts

By The Associated Press

Posted May. 22, 2015 at 8:13 PM

BOSTON - A Boston-based animal protection group says it's preparing for a possible influx of canine influenza after a terrier in Massachusetts came down with symptoms resembling those of a dog flu strain that has sickened more than 1,000 dogs in the Midwest.

Officials at the Angell Animal Medical Center announced Friday that they suspect a 5-year-old female terrier from Watertown that was brought to the center's Waltham location May 3 had the virulent flu strain, which doesn't affect humans. They're awaiting test results for confirmation. The center is run by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The terrier is recovering at home.

Veterinarians are urging dog owners to only bring their pets to the vet if they're experiencing severe symptoms such as vomiting and a hacking cough.

State Parks Are Open

State Parks Are Open

TEMPLETON — The Depart­ment of Conservation and Rec­reation has announced that it has opened its state parks for the summer, including Otter River State Park in Baldwinville and Lake Dennison State Park in Win­chendon. Lifeguards will begin staff­ing beaches on weekends, while parks and campgrounds will increase staff for summer activities.

Stink Continues Over Sludge Site

Stink Continues Over Sludge Site
Katie Landeck
News Staff Writer

GARDNER  With warm days ahead, United Water is working on plans to fix the rotten egg-like stench emanating from the sludge landfill site.

“We are working towards controlling and eliminating the odors,” said Matthew LaPointe, the project manager at United Water. “The pilots will hopefully be starting this summer and we will adjust what we can.”

The pilots will test the use of a chemical additive to help reduce the smell of the sludge before it is buried. They are awaiting approval from the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The chemical, a CDR Maguire engineer explained, adds nitrates to the sludge mixture, giving bacteria food that isn’t sulfides — the substance that is the root cause of the smell — to eat.

“It will trap and hold the smell for 72 hours, giving us time to properly handle the mix and cover it without the malodors being released,” said Mr. LaPointe.

Knowing that certain weather conditions, such as hot, breezy days and days following rain, make the smell worse, United Water has also tweaked its work procedures. If unfavorable conditions are on the horizon, Mr. LaPointe said, United Water will pay its crews overtime to get the work done faster.

FLUORIDEGATE BOMBSHELL

FLUORIDEGATE BOMBSHELL

• Documents Show Officials’ Efforts to Control News of Water Fluoridation Harm to African Americans

• Black Pastors Group President, Erin Brockovich, Others Call for Fluoridegate Hearing

Source: Press Release: The Lillie Center for Energy & Health Studies |    May 20th, 2015 | By Daniel G. Stockin, MPH

Federal health officials, in close communication with dental industry representatives, worked feverishly to blunt spread of news that African Americans are disproportionately harmed by drinking fluoridated water, according to recently obtained Freedom of Information Act documents.

The documents show clearly-worried high level Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) employees working with private sector officials after prominent civil rights leaders in Atlanta voiced opposition to water fluoridation.

The documents were released after a nearly four-year wait. Text on a large number of pages was concealed by federal employees prior to release, but the text that is not obscured contains explosive revelations.

A previously uncovered document had shown American Dental Association officials asking Assistant Secretary for Health Howard Koh for help because they felt the issue of fluoridation harm to minorities had “the potential to gain traction.” The new documents show what happened after this request.

CDC official Ursula Bauer wrote, “HHS is very concerned about the community fluoride situation here in Atlanta getting out of hand and escalating into similar situations across the country.”

In the new documents, officials describe unpublished information in their possession showing African Americans experiencing 61% more “dental fluorosis” than whites (58% vs. 36%). Dental fluorosis is a permanent disfigurement of teeth caused by childhood overexposure to fluorides.

About the civil rights leaders’ statements, CDC’s Dr. William Bailey wrote, “This may be a significant threat, especially if other cities / mayors / councils / legislatures see fluoridation as an intervention that creates fluorosis disparities rather than reducing disparities for tooth decay.”

The revelations draw attention to the back-story behind federal officials’ final recommendation last month to slightly lower the amount of fluoride in fluoridated water, ostensibly to reduce levels of fluorosis that were described “in most cases” as being “barely visible.”

Near CDC’s Atlanta headquarters in Georgia, fluoridation opponent public health professional Daniel Stockin of The Lillie Center for Energy and Health Studies questions why dentists dismiss fluorosis as a largely inconsequential cosmetic condition.

Stockin says, “Before the ‘spin’ that fluorosis is a cosmetic condition, the Journal of the American Dental Association termed fluorosis a pathologic condition. This reflects toxicity to hard tissue teeth. Fluorosis is the tip of the iceberg of what fluorides also do to soft tissues.”

The HHS’ small reduction in water fluoride levels to reduce fluorosis was apparently of questionable effectiveness even to CDC employee Eugenio Beltran.

Referring to HHS calling for a small reduction in fluoride levels in water and use of the water to make infant milk formula, he speculated, “I am not sure if the reduction… in Georgia may produce an effect if there is no change in the feeding patterns.”

He hypothesized that increased fluorosis in African Americans was not due to swallowing more toothpaste, but rather that “higher consumption of fluoridated water earlier in life” could be the cause.

Consumer and environmental advocate Erin Brockovich has called for Fluoridegate hearings, as has Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King Jr. The President of the Coalition of African American Pastors, Rev. William Owens, also recently called for hearings.

In a 2006 report, the National Research Council designated kidney patients, diabetics, seniors, children and outdoor workers as “susceptible subpopulations” especially vulnerable to harm from ingested fluorides.

In a letter calling for hearings, Rev. Owens voiced alarm about fluorides. He stated, “There are more patients with kidney disease and diabetes in the black community, and this is all the more reason federal officials should have told us that kidney patients and diabetics are especially vulnerable to harm.”

“Fluoridegate is about officials being more concerned to protect water fluoridation at all costs than protecting the health of the people they serve,” Stockin says.

Reference Links / Sources:

* 320 page Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) document

* ADA letter to Asst. Sec. of Health Koh

* Ursula Bauer quote, page 267 in FOIA link above; all page citations below also refer to the FOIA link

* 58% fluorosis in African Americans compared to 36% in Caucasians: page 116

* William Bailey quote on fluorosis disparities: page 43

* HHS recommendation to slightly lower fluoride level in fluoridated water systems, referring to “barely visible fluorosis.

* Fluorosis termed a pathologic condition: Journal of the American Dental Association: Floyd DeEds, PhD; April 1936, Volume 23, Issue 4, Pages 568–574

* Eugenio Beltran quote: page 59

* National Research Council susceptible groups: see bottom p.350 & p.351

* Letter from Rev. William Owens

* Previous Freedom of Information Act and other documents

Contact:

Daniel G. Stockin, MPH
The Lillie Center for Energy and Health Studies (an IRS 501c3 organization)
www.nextstagescience.org
P.O. Box 1051 Ellijay GA 30540
Ph: 706-502-4348
Email: stockin2@yahoo.com

 

Joint Memorial Day Program

Joint Memorial Day Program

On Friday, May 22, Narragansett Regional High School and Narragansett Middle School students will assemble at the Arthur L. Stuart Memorial football field to observe Memorial Day.

The program, co-chaired by Stephen Babineau, retired teacher, and Jim Brehio, will begin at 1 p.m. A firing squad fro the Lt. Roger P Warfield American Legion Post 373 in Baldwinville will be on hand for the program, which will consist of a wreath ceremony, flag folding, gun salute, and taps. 

High school teacher Mary Tierney will play a bagpipe selection. The combined Middle School and High School bands will provide music. 

Guest speaker for the event is Major Mary Harrington who is the public affairs officer for the 104th Fighter Wing, Barnes Air National Guard Base, Westfield MA.  The theme of this year's observance will be "It is the Soldier" from a quote provided by Maj. Harrington.

The public is cordially invited to attend this program. In case of rain, the program will be held inside the Elinor Putnam Gymnasium at the Senior High School

Route 101 update

Rt101 will be closed to thru traffic today and Wednesday 5/27.

It will be open to all traffic tomorrow and the entire week end

Man charged in TDC death slated for July Hearing

New Date For Competency
Man charged in TDC death slated for July Hearing
Damien Fisher
News Staff Writer

TEMPLETON/WORCESTER — The man charged in the 2013 death at the Templeton Development Center is set to have a hearing to determine his mental competency.

Anthony Remillard, 23, is facing trial in Worcester Superior Court after being indicted in September on one count of manslaughter, one count of assault and battery on a person over the age of 60 or disabled resulting in serious bodily injury, and one count of assault and battery on a public employee.

Mr. Remillard was scheduled for the competency hearing earlier this year, but the dates were set back as both the commonwealth and defense gathered information heading into the hearing.

The new date for the competency hearing is July 15 in Worcester Superior Court, acc­ording to court records. The commonwealth was recently app­roved access to Mr. Rem­illard’s records at the Worcester Recovery Center.

Mr. Remillard had been assigned to the developmental center after being arraigned on 2012 charges of arson of a dwelling and breaking and entering in the daytime with the intent to commit a felony. That case went to the grand jury and resulted in indictments. A trial on those charges is still pending in Worcester Superior Court.

Route 101 Project Kicks Off

Route 101 Project Kicks Off
Road to be closed for several days this week and next week
Eryn Dion
News Staff Writer

 
TEMPLETON  One of the main stretches into town will be getting a major overhaul this week, as Highway Superintendent Bud Chase said he is ready to reclaim and repave Route 101, also known as Gardner Road.

Because of the extensive work involved, Mr. Chase said the road will be closed to through traffic for much of Thursday, Friday and next Tuesday as the surface is milled, castings adjusted, and an overlay of new pavement put down. Crews will be working from about 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Commuters should seek alternate routes during those times.

“We’re encouraging people to use Route 2A during work hours,” Mr. Chase said.

The highway superintendent said he is trying to keep the disruption at a minimum and that traffic will be allowed to visit local businesses along that route through much of the construction. He also said the road will be kept open through Memorial Day weekend.

Road Discontinuation Approved

Road Discontinuation Approved
But state could still bypass vote by Town Meeting
Eryn Dion
News Staff Writer

TEMPLETON  As part of the ongoing saga between local and state officials concerning the decommissioned Templeton Developmental Center and surrounding property, Town Meeting voters approved the discontinuation of 8 lane miles of road running through the campus, though whether the decision will legally hold water is up for debate.

Planning Board Chairman Kirk Moschetti explained that discontinuing the roads will effectively turn them back to the property owners — in this case the state Department of Develop­mental Services and state Division of Capital Asset Mana­gement and Maintenance.

“The state owns every square inch of property touching those roads,” Mr. Moschetti told Town Meeting members. “There are no private entities up there.”

Five roads wind through the rural complex sitting off Route 202 — Freight Shed Road, Hill Road, Norcross Road, Elliot Road and Fernald Road. These roads, with their steep hills and winter snow drifts, represent an unfair burden on the town, Mr. Mos­chetti argued — a burden from which the town is unlikely to see any returns.

“There’s absolutely no value to the town up there,” he said. The developmental center has been in the process of partial closure and restructuring for years, and state officials had planned on turning the roads over to the town starting July 1 on the basis that, before the center was built, they were recognized and accepted town roads. Mr. Moschetti and other local officials have disputed this fact on the basis that the state has yet to produce proof the roads were once town property.

Route 101 Update

Rt. 101 (Gardner Road) will be under construction from 7 am-4pm
on Thursday, May 21 st ,
Friday, May 22 nd , and Tuesday, May 26th


All businesses on the road will be open and accessible during these times, however, please be prepared and allow extra time for delays.

Thru traffic between East Templeton and Gardner in both directions will be re-routed to another road during these days/times, Rt. 101 will be completely open for the holiday weekend !


The Town appreciates your patience during construction!

Interesting sidebar from an earlier post

Sunday, May 17, 2015
Annual Town Meeting Templeton
Annual Town Meeting Templeton

The Annual Town Meeting  took place on Saturday. Business was concluded by 2:30 pm.

All 27 articles were acted upon. Interesting side notes:

Article 16 Cook Pond Estates Pump Station was discussed at length and then voted down due to the ambiguity of the article. Discussion  resumed under Article 24 Cook Pond Pump Station citizen's petition. Mr. Columbus made a motion to pass over the article before discussion began on the article. Whether you agree or disagree with the article, discussion should take place before a motion is made to passover the article. Let's hope the details ( deed restrictions, costs, useful life of a pump station...petty details) are ironed out so this can be discussed at a special town meeting in the fall.

Article 20 Discontinuation of Templeton Town Roads passed after discussion. No legal research has been done to determine if these roads were/are town roads. End result will probably be that Templeton will still get screwed over by the State, but at least we didn't screw over ourselves this time! Good job Templeton!

Article 23 Trench By Law - passed but was amended by Kenn Robinson so that it be completely ineffective in addressing the costs to repair road cuts made by utilities ...like the water department or the sewer department. Isn't that a change?

All of the citizen petitions went down in defeat. See you next year! You can go back to sleep.

Maybe Dennis O'Brien was right?


Comments:
david smartMay 17, 2015 at 8:12 PM

Was Dennis correct? Did the people who are exposed check the info they were given and see for their self. I think not as they would rather be a group like the BOH that hides behind a single word like "minimal". On the one hand they tell us there is no risk and then we hear the risk is minimal. IS IT? Would they tell us if it was more than minimal? Would they own the lies of the past? If we find out the truth and we try to get the legislature to act will we vote it down like the last meeting did?
Templeton is again asleep and thats when the town is most at risk.
Without a PILOT is the Light Dept. being fair to the town?
Without a financial report in the town report is the commission being fair to the town?
Do we pay a higher rate so big business get a bigger break?
Why would we care if the fluoride works Dennis is right!
Thanks to all who went to the meeting and at least voted.

Reply
Replies

Bev BartMay 18, 2015 at 9:53 AM

A new member of the "Politically Corrupt" has come to age in our little Town of Templeton, right before our very eyes !! How does a person sign a petition, go into a rage when their family member is harassed, because the petition was signed in the first place, only to stand before their Town members and whistle a different tune. I saw no broken arms, or bent elbows. Did the well oiled political machine make a offer that was to good to be ignored ?? I am willing to bet the answer is yes. Voting for someone, who we think should know the difference between right and wrong, didn't matter at all. It will all come out in the wash

Kenn RMay 18, 2015 at 12:22 PM

Bev, as you are aware, I do not post on this blog, but since you have decided to publish outrageous, slanderous, and potentially legally actionable accusations against me in this forum, I feel compelled to respond, as your patently false accusations against my character may impact me financially and professionally as an attorney.

The difference between me and some of the selectmen that you have had in the past, apparently, is that I do not make decisions for the TOWN based on MY personal feelings. Yes, I was livid when two town employees gave a member of my family a hard time, thinking that he had signed your petition when I was the one who signed it. However, I'm not going to support an effort that has already failed once on Beacon Hill to re-open old wounds and turn town government back into the circus it was just a few years ago, just because I'm outraged at the behavior of two town employees. As I have stated previously, I signed your petition to prove a point that it was more appropriate as a citizen's petition than as a selectmen's article - a fact which I clearly stated on camera when we discussed the warrant articles. I spoke-out against rehashing these decade-old issues on camera at that same selectmen's meeting. Why you would think I was going to support your article on town floor, is beyond me.

Two years ago, when I spoke in support of a similar article, it was because you and others said that if the town would support you this one time, it would put an end to this drama and you would let the town move on. That was clearly not true, as you stood in the same spot on town meeting floor and made the same promise two years later - just vote for this once and we'll let the town move on.

Dealing with citizens like you, who make false accusations and try to drag names through the mud rather than acknowledge that someone who could be doing much more pleasant things with their time is sacrificing that time with loved ones to try to help the town, is the exact reason that I will not be seeking reelection on the Selectboard next spring.

What exactly do you think the Echo Hill Crew or anyone else could offer me to change my opinion? Clearly that crew has little ability to win elections any more. To be honest, as recent elections have shown, getting support from either your crew or theirs is a political liability, not an asset. And, as was also apparent from your post, if you are implying that I was bribed, I have spent years working hard in school to accomplish what I have. I do just fine for myself - not going to risk my career for anything.

They say that you get the government you deserve - if that is true, then perhaps the Hatfield v. McCoy, Us v. Them days were a better fit for you."

Reply
Replies

Kenn RMay 18, 2015 at 12:25 PM
And yes...I emailed Dave Smart with confirmation that this is Kenn Robinson. Feel free to call the number listed with the Selectboard's office for confirmation as well.





Mrs. FarrellMay 18, 2015 at 6:27 PM
Welcome to the blog, Kenn!

I might have missed something, but I don't know if you are the person Bev was referring to. I don't see any names mentioned in her post. It is apparent that you feel Bev's post is directed at you.

Threatening legal action against an elderly person ( protected class) on a public blog might not be the best way to garner support if you make a run for elected statewide office. As unfortunate as it is, as an elected official you are held to a higher standard. Right or wrong, people can take pot shots at you.

I think there was an expectation of your support for the citizen's petition...probably because you signed it. This could probably be avoided in the future if you say what you mean and mean what you say. To sign a petition and then speak out against the very same petition sends a mixed message to people in town.

Wish you the best.

ReplyDelete
Replies

huff n puffMay 18, 2015 at 10:53 PM
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

Rt 101 Closure

Rt 101 Closure

Route 101 (Gardner Rd) will be closed May 21st, May 22nd and May 26th for re-paving.

Businesses along Route 101 will be impacted. If you were planning on purchasing flowers for Memorial day from Valley Florist, please plan ahead.

This repaving project is made possible due to pothole money from the state. This pothole money is above and beyond Chapter 90 money. The pothole money must be used within a certain time frame or the town will lose the money to repair this road.

PRODUCTIVE WEEKEND: Budget Funding Approved

PRODUCTIVE WEEKEND: Budget Funding Approved
Eryn Dion
News Staff Writer

TEMPLETON  A $13.4 million budget was given the green light by voters during a sparsely attended Saturday town meeting, though not without heated debate.

The meeting got off to an unusual start, with Templeton Police Sergeant Derek Hall assuming the gavel after being elected as temporary moderator when David Bergeron, the winning write-in candidate from the town election, declined the position.

Before tackling the budget, interim Town Administrator Bob Markel briefed the room on the town’s financial situation, explaining that as a result of last year’s financial crisis and the town’s monetary records being left in disarray, the town had neither a bond rating nor certified free cash available.

Town Accountant Kelli Pontbriand has been working on straightening out the financial data full-time for over a month now, and Mr. Markel said he expects the audits to begin in late summer or early fall, with free cash certification coming by the end of the calendar year.

“Any large borrowing projects are probably not going to happen until 2017,” Mr. Markel said, when the town will likely have their bond rating restored.

Allaying any lingering fears, Mr. Markel assured residents that both the current and next year’s budgets were balanced.

Tell the U.S. Forest Service: Stop Nestlé's Water Extraction Profiteering

Tell the U.S. Forest Service: Stop Nestlé's Water Extraction Profiteering

Dear Friend,

This is unbelievable. An investigation by the Desert Sun newspaper has revealed that the Nestlé corporation has been sucking water out of a Southern California national forest for its bottled water with a permit was last reviewed 37 years ago1.

For 27 years, the U.S. Forest Service has failed to re-evaluate Nestlé's 10-year permit issued in 1978, allowing the company to continue operating by default. That means since 1988, Nestlé -- the largest bottled water producer in the world -- has been profiting by extracting water in one of the most drought-stricken areas in the country, while the U.S. Forest Service has been totally asleep at the switch.

The Forest Service must immediately halt Nestlé's water withdrawals and stop allowing corporate profiteering in the middle of California's drought.

Tell the U.S. Forest Service: Stop Nestlé's Water Extraction Profiteering. Click here to sign the petition.

As the world's leading bottled water producer, and owner of the Perrier and San Pellegrino brands, Nestlé already has a dismal track record on water conservation and human rights. In 2013, Nestlé was forced to back down after fighting a decision in Ontario, Canada, that would limit its water taking in times of severe drought. That same year, Nestlé's CEO famously challenged the human right to water.2

We don't know how much water Nestlé has been extracting from California for private profit because in 2009 the company stopped submitting annual reports to some local water districts about the groundwater it extracted for its bottled water.3 And furthermore, no state agency currently monitors the amount of water Nestlé and other private companies have been extracting, or its environmental impact.

What we do know is that Nestlé is profiting handsomely by extracting water from public lands.4 In Sacramento, for example, Nestlé pays the same rates for water as average residential users, and then turns around and sells this water for literally thousands of times more than it pays.5

During a time of increasing drought, this lack of oversight and blatant profiteering at the expense of the public interest is simply inexcusable. Tell the U.S. Forest Service it must immediately stop giving Nestlé a pass to take our water.

Tell the U.S. Forest Service: Stop Nestlé's Water Extraction Profiteering. Click here to sign the petition.

Thank you for your activism.

Elijah Zarlin, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets





"Bottling Water Without Scrutiny," The Desert Sun, March 8, 2015.

"Organizations Denounce Nestle's New Human Rights Impact Assessment as a Public Relations Stunt," Food & Water Watch, December 19, 2013.

"Little oversight as Nestle taps Morongo reservation water," The Desert Sun, July 12, 2014.

"Nestlé's despicable water-crisis profiteering: How it's making a killing — while California is dying of thirst," Salon, April 7, 2015.

"Nestle Continues Stealing Water During Drought," MintPress News, March 20, 2015. 

School Committee Meeting
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
KIVA @ 6:30 PM

Meetings the Week of May 18, 2015

Meetings the Week of May 18, 2015

Monday 5/18/15

Conservation             E. Temp.                7:00 pm

NOI   Kirk Moschetti    252 Baldwinville Rd

Tuesday 5/19/15

Veterans                  Am. Legion              6:30 pm

Thursday 5/21/15

Cultural Council      E. Temp.                4:30 pm

Sr. Center                  Bridge St              6:30 pm

Beer

www.nvtc.ee

Fluoride is a toxic waste that is purchased from countries like China and injected into our water supplies. The substance comes from the aluminum manufacturing process, of which it is a byproduct. Foreign countries are eager to sell us the toxic waste, as it is expensive to dispose of safely, and unlike in the United States, is not added to their public water supplies.
The sedative qualities of fluoride are inarguable, as it makes up roughly 94% of the drug Prozac. In addition to these behavioral effects is the increased risk of cancer linked conclusively to the toxin. So it goes without saying that with all the health and safety risks already associated with alcohol, throwing a cancer causing neurotoxin into the mix is certainly less than helpful, at least for those of us who don't have tons of a difficult to dispose of toxic waste substance laying around.
Luckily for those who'd like to leave cancer off the already lengthy list of alcohol dangers, lists have been compiled by like minded people, helping to inform the public of the fluoride content of their favorite beers, and hopefully factor this information into their purchasing choices. An excellent resource is the website ffbeers.com, which has published a list of the fluoride content of many popular beers, using the FL700 fluoride meter, made by ExStik.
Predictably, since almost all of Europe does not poison their water supply with fluoride, many beers brewed in Europe, such as Heineken, ranked comparatively low on fluoride content. An exception is the Italian beer Peroni, which was found by ffbeers.com to contain 0.9 ppm of fluoride. Fluoridated toothpaste contains roughly 1 ppm and displays a warning instructing you to contact poison control if more than a "pea sized amount" is ingested. So presumably, Peroni beer is just one tenth of a percentage point away from requiring one to contact poison control after drinking a bottle.
While non-thinkers and conformists continue to stubbornly insist that fluoride is "safe and natural," it is important to acknowledge the cynical manipulation of language they are using in order to make such a claim. Fluorine, from which all fluoride compounds are derived, is indeed listed on the table of elements and is a naturally occurring substance, albeit a poisonous one. However, sodium fluoride is really used as a catch all term for a number of varying substances, and the specific substance added to American water supplies is fluosilicic acid, which is of course, an unnatural toxic waste. All forms of fluorine are poisonous to the human body, naturally occurring or not.
Among the beers that scored well in ffbeers.com's list were those made by California's Sierra Nevada brewing company, who's beers contained little to no fluoride, which is consistent with their claim of using "pure water" during their brewing process.


You may wish to try a beer from Sierra Nevada, a Rye IPA called Ruthless.

Just in case you are a consumer who cares;
Who regulates fluoride in bottled water?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates public drinking water (tap water), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates bottled water products under the authority of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. For more information, please visit the FDA bottled water fact sheet for consumers .
 Top of Page
Does bottled water contain fluoride?
Bottled water products may contain fluoride, depending on the source of the water. Fluoride can be naturally present in the original source of the water, and many public water systems add fluoride to their water. FDA sets limits for fluoride in bottled water, based on several factors, including the source of the water. Bottled water products labeled as de-ionized, purified, demineralized, or distilled have been treated in such a way that they contain no or only trace amounts of fluoride, unless they specifically list fluoride as an added ingredient.
 Top of Page
Is the amount of fluoride in bottled water always listed on the label?
The FDA does not require bottled water manufacturers to list the amount of fluoride on the label unless the manufacturer has added fluoride within set limits.
 Top of Page
How can I find out the level of fluoride in bottled water if it's not on the label?
Contact the bottled water's manufacturer to ask about the fluoride content of a particular brand.
 Top of Page
What FDA regulations for bottled water relate to fluoride?
As set forth in 21 CFR 165.110, FDA has established standards for the maximum amount of naturally occurring fluoride or added fluoride allowed in bottled drinking water. These levels are available here .


posted for your convenience by


Jeff Bennett

In case you are interested
How to Remove Fluoride from Drinking Water  

How do you remove Fluoride from tap water? Or any water for that matter?

 

Ways to Remove Fluoride from Water
 

Reverse Osmosis FiltrationThis process is used for purifying some, but not all types of bottled water. Reverse osmosis systems is typically not affordable for personal or general public use.

Activated Alumina Defluoridation FilterA home water filtration solution. But it's quite an expensive solution at approximately $30/filter and the filters require frequent replacement.
 

Distillation FiltrationCommercial distillation filters that can be purchase to remove fluoride from water. While the fluoride can be removed from distilled water, it still may have other impurities that could prevent it from being unusable as drinking water.
 

Brita, Pur, and other FiltersThese filters do not remove Fluoride. If you check the websites, and labels, the descriptions state that fluoride is left in the water after filtration.
 

Will Boiling Water Remove Fluoride?No, this will only concentrate the fluoride rather than reduce it.
 

Will Freezing Water Reduce Fluoride?No, this method has no affect on the presence of fluoride.

Annual Town Meeting Templeton

Annual Town Meeting Templeton

The Annual Town Meeting  took place on Saturday. Business was concluded by 2:30 pm.

All 27 articles were acted upon. Interesting side notes:

Article 16 Cook Pond Estates Pump Station was discussed at length and then voted down due to the ambiguity of the article. Discussion  resumed under Article 24 Cook Pond Pump Station citizen's petition. Mr. Columbus made a motion to pass over the article before discussion began on the article. Whether you agree or disagree with the article, discussion should take place before a motion is made to passover the article. Let's hope the details ( deed restrictions, costs, useful life of a pump station...petty details) are ironed out so this can be discussed at a special town meeting in the fall.

Article 20 Discontinuation of Templeton Town Roads passed after discussion. No legal research has been done to determine if these roads were/are town roads. End result will probably be that Templeton will still get screwed over by the State, but at least we didn't screw over ourselves this time! Good job Templeton!

Article 23 Trench By Law - passed but was amended by Kenn Robinson so that it be completely ineffective in addressing the costs to repair road cuts made by utilities ...like the water department or the sewer department. Isn't that a change?

All of the citizen petitions went down in defeat. See you next year! You can go back to sleep.

Maybe Dennis O'Brien was right?

Winchendon voters to consider $16 million in budget requests Monday night

By Paula J. Owen Telegram & Gazette Staff 

WINCHENDON — Voters will consider requests for $11 million for the town's operating budget and $5.2 million for the school department at town meeting Monday night.

Town meeting starts at 7 p.m. at Murdock Middle-High School, 3 Memorial Drive.

This town meeting comes after the annual and recall elections earlier this month when voters replaced all selectmen with new candidates after recalling selectmen Elizabeth Hunt and Fedor Berndt.

The group “Stand Up for Toy Town” headed up recall efforts following the discovery of a $3.8 million deficit that required cuts to the town and school budgets in this fiscal cycle and the passing of deficit legislation. The group alleged selectmen did not listen to voters who wanted them to hold off on renewing former Town Manager James M. Kreidler Jr.’s contract in the middle of the debacle, until more information was received. On April 6, voters overwhelming approved buying out Mr. Kreidler’s contract 294-93 for nearly $300,000 that ran through June 30, 2018, following a heated special town meeting Nov. 24, when voters approved firing Mr. Kreidler in a secret ballot 290-135. His last day was May 1.

Selectmen supported Mr. Kreidler throughout the ordeal and said they had no cause to fire him. They said he was not responsible for the town’s financial distress.

Selectman Michael Barbaro, who left the School Committee after 11 years to take the post, said officials learned at a meeting with the Department of Revenue Thursday night, the deficit is larger than originally thought. It is closer to initial estimates made last year by the DOR, he said.

“We found out we’re another $1 million to $1.2 million in the hole,” Mr. Barbaro said.

Poker Run May 16th

Poker Run May 16th

ATM Article 27

ARTICLE 27

CITIZEN’S PETITION: REQUEST TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

To see if the Town will vote to petition the General Court for special legislation as set forth below; provided, however, that the General Court may make clerical or editorial changes of form only to the bill which shall be within the scope of the general public objectives of this petition, or take any other action relative thereto:

An Act Relative to Request a review by the Attorney General into the Following Incidents in the Town of Templeton.

A review with written recommendations into the activities of the Municipal Building Committee to include all transactions regarding the purchase of the 252 Baldwinville Road property and the USDA loan application process.

A review with written recommendations into the procedures and activities to allow the settlement and return of a gift of $369,681.40 to Casella Waste Systems on November 13, 2008.

A review with written recommendations into the activities and actions of the Templeton Board of Selectmen and the Templeton Light Department to enact Chapter 93 Acts of 2000.

A review with written recommendations into the activities and actions of legal counsel, Kopelman & Paige, regarding case 02-2424C heard before Judge Cornetta of Worcester Superior Court as well as the settlement of the Templeton Waste Water Treatment plant lawsuit and the Writs of Attachment.

A citizen’s petition submitted by Beverly Bartolomeo and 12 others 



Please support this article at town meeting. Successful passage of this article will resolve many of the underlying problems of the town and how it operates. 

Just as the DOR review provided the town with a blueprint for improving  town government, a review of these incidents by the Attorney General will provide additional ways to improve town government.