Jeff Bennett BOH update

Jeff Bennett FB post: 
Absent from the Monday evening, August 12, 2019 board of health meeting; concerned residents about burned out homes in Town. Once again, if you have concerns and care, you cannot just be a face book commando. They only way to really get your concerns noticed, recorded and on the record, is to follow up and go to the meetings. The health agent / development services continues to work on these and may have made a small  step in dealing with one, but it is just a start. 

Again, one of these burned out properties has property taxes paid and is current. Another involves two owners with one wanting to sell and the other, not so much. As for concerns about someone getting injured and the town liable in someway by failing to act; the burned property on Pleasant Street is clearly marked with no trespassing signs.

That is really as much as there is for an update on those items.


Kevin Bird Comment:

Thank you for attending a Board of Health meeting. For those of us that are out of town making money to pay our taxes amongst other necessities, it is much appreciated that an elected official has taken the time to go and make enquiries based upon residents questions.

Facebook is a fantastic place to have discussions, bring up subjects, and potentially enable people to come to a consensus from the convenience of a remote location. You are right that it does not replace actual boots on the ground at a public meeting and that is why I am thankful that some people are afforded the time to make meetings when others cannot attend. As you walk into Templeton Town Hall and by the large wooden eagle let us remember that town resident volunteers saved the town both millions of dollars in cost and repayment of loans for the other plan in play at that time, 252 Baldwinville Road. Instead of spending millions, volunteers took it upon themselves to create a perfectly functional space for the Selectmen and Town offices. One of the only reasons that the town did not end up spending millions of dollars is because of a consensus that was formed on social media and then brought to action at Town meeting. So the genesis and affirmation of an idea formed outside of a public meeting can lead to real change made at a public meeting.


In an earlier post regarding this subject, you brought up a potential grant that is available. Part of the condition was to have a plan for the reuse of the property. In my opinion, 10 Pleasant Street would make a fantastic dog park.

Back Bay is loaded with dog owners who walk their dog daily. I would imagine that the upkeep of such a space would be, at best, minimal. I can also Imagine the appreciation that Dunkin Donuts and Cumberland Farms would have with a destination spot for dog owners being within eyesight of their businesses thus leading to more customers for them and tax base for the town. But even more so, creating a sense of community and ownership of one's neighborhood. As a dog owner yourself I'm sure that you can also understand the need for the socialization of dogs and their owners.

I believe that the concept behind a Village District in Templeton is so that people would get out of their cars and walk around near businesses that are open. A dog park would certainly have people out and walking around the Village District. I would also imagine that that the plans for a dog park would cost a very small amount and could potentially fall within the parameters of a CDBG block grant or the Community Preservation Commission. 

In regards to the town having no liability to injury that may occur on a property that has posted no trespassing, I would say that there are many curious and unattended children in the Back Bay neighborhood who may not understand the gravity of their actions by disregarding a simple sign. 

Also, as the Chair of the Planning Board mentioned in the past, do the abutters' insurance companies realize that the insured live next to an abandoned burnt out building? At the time, he claimed that their cost for insurance would in fact rise should the insurance company note the dangerous situation next door. I am not sure if this is in fact the case but this was certainly a claim that was made by the Chair regarding the old church which Dunkin Donuts in Baldwinville has replaced.

Once again, I would like to thank you for making an effort on the behalf of townspeople to make Templeton a better place to live.