Julie sent this as a comment but I thought is was important so here it is as a blog.
When I was a TMLWP Commissioner, I had to make a public record request for MSDS (material safety data sheet) for the fluoride that is used in Templeton for water fluoridation.
There is more than one type of fluoride. TMLWP uses fluoride from WEGO chemical. This type of fluoride is labeled sodium fluoride...not pharmaceutical grade. It comes from China and it contains heavy metals like arsenic and lead.
WEGO Chemical & Mineral Corp
239 Great Neck Rd
Great Neck, NY 11021
1-516-487-3510 phone
www.wegochem.com
As far as the AG's Office goes, there are petition sheets to ask the attorney general to investigate a number of "wrong-doings" in Templeton. They will be distributed shortly. We should have a special town meeting in November sometime.
and I have a few questions - can we get a list from John Driscoll of all the water main breaks in the few months? I'll pay for it!!
If the same water is in the hydrants (fluoride etc.) when the hydrants are flushed why is this allowed to go into the wetlands, onto peoples lawns etc.(I'm check my ConCom book on this one) I noticed that when Gardner flushes their hydrants it goes into a tanker truck.
If just about everyone I know on town water buys bottled water and does not drink the town water, why do we waste money putting fluoride in the water. I'd like to do a survey at the schools as to how many kids actually drink the water from their tap at home.
and lastly - has anyone heard about the water main breaks causing damage to peoples property and the water dept either refusing to fix it or charging the homeowners to fix it? let us know.
Thanks for reading - weak but still here hee-hee-hee Pauly
Well, it will be interesting to see if the BOS Chair will address the water main breaks tonight at the meeting. I wonder if the meeting will even happen if there are more than 39 people. Not sure why its being moved back to the mold smelling 690 Pats Rd. conference room as attendance has been high for about a year now. And I doubt it will subside as more and more issues are coming to light. I've only lost water once. But if I was someone who has lost water more than once in the last couple months, I'd be at the meeting demanding action.
ReplyDeleteThis is the beauty of having selectmen as our type of government. We have the right and the ability to go to a meeting, to speak to these people, and ask questions. I think this is lost if you have a town manager, or like in Leominster, a city council. Bev.
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Can someone tell me with the water main breaks and the time we had no water in back bay due to construction why my water bill went up $50????!!!!??
ReplyDeleteApparently its going to take way more citizens to go to the BOS meeting to put pressure on the BOS to press the L&W Dept for answers on water main breaks, solutions for future breaks, and unexplained charges to water bill. The subject of water main breaks was brought up and was quickly dismissed and the meeting was adjourned. A letter of questions from Julie was given to Chris (BOS Chair and L&W commissioner) who gave it to Mr. Driscoll last week. No word or response as of yet. As far as why all of a sudden our water bills went up this period, I guess citizens will have to go to the next Water Dept meeting and try to get some answers there. It makes no sense to me and it doesn't seem to be a priority of the BOS Chair (also L&W commissioner) to address the concerns of the citizens regarding anything with the L&W Dept.
DeleteAlso, the question was asked "does the town get a discount on electricity used by the town" and the question was not answered. Something's rotten in the state of Templeton.
It seems to me, our light and water department will just keep their nose down, and not look up, until the taxpayers, and the people who are light and water customers get their attention. So get their attention! You pay too much to be ignored! So don't let them ignore you! If you can't understand why your bill has increased, without a good reason, go ask. If you want your neighbors to go to the next light and water meeting, let Paulys Templeton Watch know. We will gladly send along a message for you. No you do not have to give your name, if you don't want. There is power in numbers, use it. What is that old, old, saying? " He who gets walked on, has to lay down first!" The economy is too hard right now for anyone to be paying for things, they don't really owe. Bev.
DeleteIt was so disappointing to see how the Chairman of the BOS choose to respond to Julie’s letter at last night’s meeting. Almost under his breath, there was an acknowledgement of the letter and the fact that he gave the letter to the TMLWP manager. He tried to move on to another subject quickly. When asked for details on what he was talking about, Chairman Stewart gave a brief overview of Julie’s letter, and yet stopped himself when he was going to tell about his own feeling on the subject. All he could get out was something like“if you have a problem, go ask the water dept.” This subject is obviously a hot potato that he does not want to hold. And yet he is a commissioner for the L&W dept as well as the Chairman of the BOS. He did not come across as someone in charge, with an opinion, with the energy to take on a glaring problem. Go ask the water dept, he said. How about you, Mr. Stewart? You handed Julie’s letter to Mr. Driscoll, are you just a message boy? You asked, yes asked, to be an elected official for this town. You asked on Election Day to represent us, the tax and rate payers. If you feel one way or another on a subject, let us know. You are in a role of leadership, so lead.
ReplyDeleteOne other note about our Chairman of the BOS – A question from the audience regarding the interim Fire Chief’s vacation and whether he was paid for it came up. FYI – the interim chief was NOT paid for this vacation time. This is not the point I want to make.
DeleteWhen asked by the audience member (who raised his hand to be recognized by the Chair), Why was there so much discussion about this subject, Chairman Stewart said “that was all you people”. “You people”? Really? Again these are NOT the words of a leader. They are divisive. “You people” indicates at least two different sides, us and them. Chairman Stewart should realize that he represents All townspeople. By saying “you people”, he is showing what side he is on. I am pretty sure it is not mine.
Again, there is a relationship between how hard Chris Stewart works and how much he gets paid. It's clear his allegiance is now with Light and Water, as that's the only stipend he's getting.
ReplyDeleteWell it won't last for long. He will lose his TMLWP elected position next time around with this performance.
DeleteI kind of have to smile at the above comments. How would you feel if you were refered to "as one of Julies people?" We get a good laugh out of that. Last time I checked "Julies People" were all very capable of making their own decisions. All kidding aside, this is a tough job. Not everyone is cut out for it. Remember Bubba? Chris needs to think before he speaks, and he needs to chose his words more carefully. Bev.
DeleteWe need to get more people interested in running for public office on the local level.
ReplyDeletePlease start thinking of people who might be suited and agree to run for office!
I can say from experience that it is not a lot of fun to have your name dragged through the mud; to have people go door to door telling lies about you because they disagree with you or the actions you have taken to try to help save the town; to have people gather signatures from nursing homes and the TDC in order to recall you.
That said, Templeton needs more people to run for elected office. Local government works best when people with different experiences and skills participate and run for office.
Public service is not easy. At Monday's BOS meeting, it was not a lot of fun to vote down the new loader for the highway department. It is much easier to say yes, but it is not always the right thing to do.
In my opinion, I actually thought it was a very good discussion about the front loader purchase. I wish there were more discussions like these on town purchases (like 252 Bald. Rd.). Everyone had an interesting viewpoint to share. Bud has good points. Kirk has good points. Julie, I think you made the right decision, as hard as it was to make. I'm just waiting to see how many people start bitchin when the snow falls and the roads aren't cleared fast enough for the people who haven't paid attention to this discussion. The Highway Dept has tried to deal with this issue as best they can. And I'm amazed at what they've done with the crap equipment they have. Maybe there is someone out there in the private sector that can find a lead on a used loader. Its going to take the whole community to work together to get through this dark time. We can't simply leave it to the elected officials to solve all the problems. Staying informed and going to meetings is of vital importance more than ever. I wish more citizens would realize this.
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