Holden selectmen to discuss water leaks

Holden selectmen to discuss water leaks
By George Barnes TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
george.barnes@telegram.com

HOLDEN — Selectmen plan to meet soon to talk about issues with the town water system, including water losses.

At a meeting of the Board of Selectmen Tuesday night, resident Ed Meyer told the board he is concerned that taxpayers have lost more than $400,000 because of water leaks. His suggestion was to hire a high school student for $100,000 per year part time to test hydrants to detect if there are leaks, implying that the town would still save more than $300,000 per year if the leaks were found.

Mr. Meyer said the town developed a plan to detect water leaks that failed to find leaks.

In the part of the meeting in which selectmen have two minutes to address the board, Selectman Mark Ferguson said the water leak problem is getting worse and it needs to be dealt with.

"Businesses have to pay for water they are not getting," he said, adding that the town is losing one of every four gallons of water it pumps.

Appleseed Country Fair

Yes, it's here. The end of summer. But the fun is continuing on in Appleseed Country! Fall is a most beautiful season in our area and what better way to celebrate that with the Country Fair? And what better fair than our very own Appleseed Country Fair? This fantastic festival takes place September 6th from 10am-6pm and September 7th from 10am-5pm at Red Apple Farm, 455 Highland Avenue, Phillipston.

Town officials offer up optimistic fiscal outlook

Town officials offer up optimistic fiscal outlook
Eryn Dion
News Staff Writer

TEMPLETON — After last year’s fiscal rollercoaster following the discovery of a half-million-dollar budget deficit, Templeton’s new management team has begun to takes steps to bring the town back onto financially sound footing, with interim Town Administrator Bob Markel releasing the first draft of next year’s revenue projections to the Board of Selectmen.

“We think there is financial stability at this point,” Mr. Markel said.

Where officials were struggling to close the Fiscal Year 2013 books before the March Special Town Meeting, interim Town Accountant Matt Angell has kept the town on track with the state Department of Revenue’s schedule for this year.

Mr. Markel said representatives from the revenue department are ready to meet with Templeton officials to go over this year’s finances and offer suggestions for the coming fiscal year.