Paul working for you.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
another anonymous email from an anonymous blogger
Just a bunch of questions that maybe the bloggers might have answers to. What is going on in the Town when vandalism is done in our Baldwinville cemetary - pulling up and destroying the new streeet signs with names on them such as Houghton Rd. and then proceeding to the Senior gardens to do more damage. Maybe we need a night watch of citizens to keep the Cemeteries protected. I'm sure Bob Sans is on the watch. Thanks Bob. How come the windmill only turns some of the time? Did you notice it doesn't turn sometime even when the wind is blowing. Blows my mind. Another water break! Give me a break. And they all happen between 2:30 and 3:00 p.m. Does something happen to the pumps at this time? Sooo... as Pauly would say. Let's get some answers. Come on bloggers. Don't forget Advisory Board meeting on Wednesday, September 5, atd 6:30 p.m. on Patriots Road. We can't stop going to these meetings. It's for the good of the town.
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I didn't know about the vandalism. Was it reported in TGN? That is the kind of info that needs to get out right when it happens. Maybe someone saw something and can remember when its fresh in their mind. Wait a week or two and memory fuzzes. I thought that was what the police FB page was going to be--getting word out when things like that happen. Yesterday I noticed the sign was gone at the library. Is it missing or being fixed? Thanks Pauly Blog for letting us know about the vandalism. If the senior center needs anything I hope they let the public know. Would love to donate something.
ReplyDeleteThis is good a time as any for those of you who do not think," We are not doing any good for the town" to come to this meeting to see for your self. It is good to seperate what is coffee shop talk, or barroom talk from the truth. The members of the Advisory Board, are building a base for the town to grow from, one that will be used for a long time to come. This is not small potatoes, this town was as close to being broke as it has ever been in 250 years. This is not something to be proud of. When you buy your newspaper, do you stop to wonder why there is "no news" in it? It is a sad day when you have to come to Paulys blog., to find out what is really going on in your own town. That is ok, you will read on this blog, the truth you will not find in the Gsnooz, and the Telegram. It is fine with us, and I think its ok, if I speak for the C4T, if you do not agree with every thing we blog. The only way our, {that means your} town will be ok in the future is to never go backwards. This is my opinion, Bev
Deletelets take a look at the charts and see if they show spikes in line pressure, see when the pressure spikes may tell a story about what was going on then!All water employee's log daily duties and actions as a check for ron to use to see what may be behind this? check and balance!
ReplyDeleteIf there was vandalism at Greenlawn, I'd like to know about it. My family is buried there, and I'd gladly help the restoration efforts. These water breaks also concern me. I know most municipalities deal with breaks, to some extent, but there is a frequency in Templeton that does not seem right.
ReplyDeleteI think the BOS should ask for a vandalism update form the Police Chief. I don't like getting blindsided by people asking me what I'm going to do about the vandalism on the Common or other areas in town. Maybe if we got the word out, more people would be aware of the problem and report it.
ReplyDeleteAs for the water breaks, I think the water system needs to be assessed and analyzed. If you look at the map of the water system in town(in your water report) there are two sections to the water system. I think it is difficult to balance the water system the way it is currently designed. The design and the age of the system are problematic.
Templeton has some of the highest water rates in Massachusetts. Adding to the $28/quarter service fee is NOT going to address the issue of a structural budget deficit in the department. Instead of using the decrease long term bond payments for salary increases, that money should be set aside in a water enterprise reserve account. Even if the TMLWP commissioners set aside $10,000/year it would add up and maybe the water department could purchase their own wrench to fix the water main breaks instead of borrowing Gardner's tools...just a thought.
Call me crazy, but isn't the town accountant responsible for advising the town on how to handle their money? Should he have been more vocal about seeing the reserves dwindle and go to salaries and raise a red flag? Everyone blames GS and gang but shouldn't the town accountant (who by the way was employed for the past ten years) share some of this responsibility? Where were the financial plans? Where was the financial discussions? People like GS should never have been given the chance to cause so much financial damage if someone was there to say "hold up, wait a minute. this doesn't add up." Wasn't the Advisory Board of the early 2000's suggesting a 10 yr. financial plan and warned if the savings was going to continue to be used the way it was (salary, retirement) that the town would be broke? How come the accountant didn't push this further? I'm so glad that there is now a new accountant in town. I look forward to hearing their assessment of town finances and their suggestions for getting back to a more realistic and stable financial footing. I'm also thrilled to see today's Advisory Board being properly utilized and furnished with fiscally responsible members. They are going to be the key to fixing this town. Now all it takes is for the BOS to listen to their suggestions. Hopefully, BOS Chair will ignore infighting and pressure from others and simply take actions with a business mind.
Delete7:57.....you just answerd your own question. The accountant may have very productive advice for the town finances, but, he/she works for the selectmen "through" the Town Coordinator. Who was the TC and who were the BOS in the past ten years? I'm sure all of those suggestions were stifled if it didn't serve the personal agendas of that time.
DeleteWho is the new accountant? Last I heard it was an admin assistant from the selectmen's office PT, and another PT person, accountant maybe.
ya, who is the new accountant? and are they required to attend advisory board meetings as part of their job responsibilities?
Deletewhere can you find out who sat on past boards? any place to look up town history w/o submitting oml request? want to know all bos members, accountants, treasurers, attorneys and advisory board members from 2000 to present. i would like to understand on who's watch this financial mess occurred. sorry. new to this conversation.
I think Gardner has a private company running their water system. Anyone know how that works?
ReplyDeleteMore than a few communities have privatized their water supply. Gardner, Leominster , Winchedon to name a few. Leominster has one of the lowest water rates around.
DeleteNot sure if privatization is the way to go with the water system.... Pretty sure Leominster's water system is bigger than Templeton( ~ 2500 Templeton water customers) . Pretty sure the superintendent in Leominster doesn't make over $80,000 a year! Pretty sure the foreman and other water department employees in Leominster don't pull in over $60,000 a year (Look in the Templeton Annual Reports!).
Even with the inflated salaries, should Templeton privatize the water department? Maybe a better solution would be to form a DPW and share resources and personnel. Just a crazy idea!
less cost to rate payers,for sure!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 7:57AM, Didn't you notice how fast our last accountant left town after he found out that CS, was not coming back? The night Will. Spring literilly ran to the front of the room, to volunteer to be on the Advisory Board, it was being run by a kid who just got out of high school. The people on that board, [very nice well meaning people], had no idea of the rules, or what they were doing! GS had set himself up very nicely. That next meeting was when Bubba, went before them,[A.B.] to ask for $9,000. to pay CS. When they paid Mr.Ritter $14,000., they left no money in the account to pay CS, OOPS. Mr. Spring told Bubba no! The account that Bubba tried to raid, was for emergancies. Their failure to do simple math was not an emergancy. Bubba came back a second time, to try to find money to pay CS. Thankfully, because of Mr. Spring he struck out a second time. If Will. was not there, Bubba would have gotten what he wanted, no sweat! It is time to note, this board had been existance, for atleast a year, as this was before the annual town meeting, meaning they had not known what they were doing all this time, and GS had the keys to the bank. Mr.S.,had "bought off," anyone he needed to get what he wanted, or to be sure no one got in his way. Not all of this was illegal, he paid people very, very well. [check the salries for the light and water dept.] It is enough to make you choke! The worse part of this story, is there was no plan, there was no one to say stop, there is some thing wrong! All of this took place right under our noses, and we did not see a thing! As sad as this story is it is the truth. We, every one of you reading this blog, can never forget this painfull lesson. I have heard from a good source, that our town is not going to have any real money to spend, until 2015. The Lions Club, heros' GS and Bubba, worked over time to suck the life, and every cent they could out of our town. This blog is a mixture of the truth, and my opinion. Bev. WE CAN NEVER GO BACK, AND WE MUST LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES!
DeleteEyes are wide open now and the glasses are on. still looking for other problems and believe me, theres more!
ReplyDelete