Friday, March 8, 2013

David vs. Goliath



The STM is over and the status quo prevails. The townspeople in attendance are more than satisfied with no answers and no transparency from TMLWP. Guess it’s ok to spend millions of dollars on a project like the wind turbine with no accountability. Just hide those costs in another place where no one will find them. Will that turbine ever work again?

Wind turbine? What wind turbine? The one that doesn’t work? So what is the useful lifespan of a wind turbine that doesn’t work? Is that an oxymoron? How do you calculate the payback period if it’s broken? Is this what is meant by “avoided costs”? Can the cost of the turbine be “avoided” if it doesn’t work? When I pass a wind turbine that is spinning, it looks strange to me.


Go ahead! Spend millions of dollars to reconstruct Baldwinville Rd and then dig up the road when the water mains break. Business as usual in Templeton.

Can’t wait for the investigation into the “wrongdoings” in Templeton to begin. Maybe then there will be answers on the legality of Chapter 93 Acts of 2000. Oh yeah, how did the water department end up with that money from Casella- remember that whole deal with the dump? Why did they give that money back without a town meeting vote? Wonder whose idea that was?


Breaking News – There IS a website for TMLWP. Best kept secret in town. Why isn’t it linked to the Town of Templeton website? All that openness and transparency. Can’t wait until they start a blog. Maybe a twitter feed. That might happen …maybe next century, if the state doesn’t sell it off when the town goes into receivership.



By Golly! There’s a TMLWP Water meeting on March 12th that begins at 6:00 p.m. The agenda includes:

The FY 14 water Rate study

FY 14 water Budget
Back bay Updates
Baldwinville Road reconstruction project
Templeton Planning Board Zoning By-laws

Followed by the Light Department Meeting. The Light agenda includes:
Old Business
Templeton Wind Turbine Cost Certification Update
TMLWP website
Reclosers

New Business
2012 Light Financial Audit
FY 14 PILOT to Town
2013 Electric Rate study

The website is nicely designed. But why oh why couldn’t the agendas for these meetings be posted on the website. Look for agenda information on the bottom of the page…in teeny tiny font. You found it! But the agendas for this meeting aren’t listed. Can you say “deliberately obtuse”? Kinda looks like they don’t want the public to know when the meetings will be held. See you there!

My opinions…supported by FACTS ! ! !

Julie Farrell

32 comments:

  1. Why doesn't the wind turbine spin? I had to go to the hospital today, wow the college's wind turbine are looking good and MOVING. My other question is this. At the town mtg a lady stood up and said that she had go on to the Light & Water website and all the rates are there. I can't find the rates. All I could find was about the deposits. Could some tell me where she found what she was talking about. Is there another website?

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  2. WOW! You are just a piss poor LOSER! You say you work for the people well the people spoke and they want to leave this issue be! You are now working against us and that means you need to GO!

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    1. There are no winners and losers here. This is not a game. There are people who want Templeton to be run the best it can. It has not run well in years. Research and information sharing is never a bad thing. I'm thankful for what Julie shares with us. I've learned a lot from her. I've learned a lot from Pauly and a lot of other bloggers here. If you don't like the conversation, then don't come to this blog. If you would like to share some information (maybe tell us what is written here is wrong) and explain why, please do! It would be appreciated. I want to know all the opinions and facts and figures. Then, I figure out where I stand on an issue. So, please share your thoughts. Leave the insults out.

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    2. Hey Dummy, You are a piss poor winner. The vote was for the abolishment of the L&W commisioners and have the BOS take over. Well that was voted down. However that by NO means mean that the issues wirh the TMLWP are over, or that the townspeople want it that way. I do not know who you speak of when you say that Julie is working against "us", because the "us" over here know that to be false. If you mean "us" as in the koolaid drinking echo hill lemings, then you would be right.

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  3. Anon 1:25
    WOW -
    I guess you don't want to sign my citizen petitions for a forensic audit of the wind turbine or to formalize the PILOT payment or to require the water commissioners to provide a report o the water main breaks that occurred on July 14th?

    Only need 10 signatures for these petitions.

    See you in May

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    1. Anonymous 1:25 Like it or not, the people in this town own the Templeton Municipal Light Company, and we are not going any where. Don't like it, too dam bad. We do not live in a communist country. A lot of people have died so we could have free speech. We have every right to attend these meetings, and we will continue to do so. If the people at the Light and Water company do not have anything to hide, there should be no problem. Bev.

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  4. anon 125 I think when you add it all up,I would be willing to say this. As I took out the petition to remove the commission and place it's oversight with the BOS. We were able to win in many ways. Respect from the commission for the people that go to meetings. Response to requests can't anylonger be ignored!
    Fact 1= 25% reduction in customer charge $44,000.00, also a new lower rate than the neighbors that pay to a profit company!we'll share the amount later. A learning experience for all. How to relate to customer requests. How to prepair and not to prepair for ATM. They had their A team and we just had me that was not as Smart about this as i should have been!Their payroll was a little heaver also?
    Past general manager seems to be a good bell ringer for his replacement. Thats a good thing and it's good to point out ways Templeton is being cared for $$$$. Now we can find out more for the Templeton shareholders that care about Templeton's business. The one thing that i made sure to get thru to John was we "were not going away"!
    more discussion about the formula and also the wind money.
    I hope to bring in a man i spoke with about the complaints on it and solution to help Templeton and its citizens both!
    The big win is the flushing out of the information they have shared with the public. A wealth of knowledge if used correctly. The ability to have people interested in the windmill problems. To have them come forward and work together and with a set of goals so we can tame golieth as best we can. John Driscoll and i had a 45 minute talk after the meeting, It was a very good talk for me anyway. I found out i have insulted him and for that i am sorry i don't remember what he said i said. I wish i only knew that some time ago.I'm sure this dialog would have started better. The facts will always be as Bev.says in the wash. People who spoke on behalf of L+W were well versed and programed as to their point. Me i for some reason could not put my hands on the opening statement. I was sure 2 copies were in my binder. But not. I feel it should go on the blog and see the feed back just for the sake of opinions good and bad. The things in it are a part synopsis and gramd scheme of Templeton's past and future.
    The loss of the opening statement was the real loss for me and the people in the meetingand for that i can only say sorry.I'm learning. But I'm a quick learner. If for no other reason to post it it would show people that i was almost going to look a little better than the stupid up there. I don't see the harm and if one person gets spured to look at the information we provide them its another win!
    We only lost a vote. 2 teams won at the meeting and it was Tempelton and the people here! The future is as we will shape it only if we care enought to lose from time to time. We can never always win and only learn from loosing!
    The things that were said to me will be a motivator for resolve one way or another.Like julie said "Just keep trying" Game on! folks "Git er done" enjoy the read it was alot of work to get it to pass the gavel!
    Shareholder
    Dave Smart


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  5. Dave don't sweat it, It does not matter what you said at the meeting, People came to that meeting with their minds made up, nothing you or anyone said would have changed their vote. the bulk of the voters were employees and their families

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    1. I have a friend who told me two women were sitting behind her at the meeting. They talked loud, so she could hear them. One said "I didn't hear about this until last night. Where are the selectmen?? Who is Virginia Wilder??" Sounds like they called everyone and anyone, to come to this meeting. God only knows what they told these people, the selectmen were going to do?? Fire everyone, take all the money and run?? They were mad, and nothing Dave said or I said, made a difference, because they were not going to listen. What Julie said went over their heads!! This was the recall all over. At least they left the nursing home people alone, this time. That is the first time I have met mob mentality, at that level. As they say, there is a first time for everything. Wait until these people realize they have been used again. We won more than we lost, our Light Commissioners will not ignore us anymore. They lowered the chg. to be a customer, and are going to talk about the PILOT, with the selectmen. Too bad they did not do that the first time we asked, none of us would have had to go through the grief, we have gone through. Then again, it was time that someone looked at what they were doing. It has been to long without any over site. Bev.

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    2. I did not have my mind made up prior to the meeting. I have been following the issue however,thus felt I had adequate knowledge. In listening to those speaking in support of the citizen's petition, it was obvious to me that it was very personal. To clarify myself, it was not about watching out for the best interests of the town, but about getting back at those "arrogant commissioners." In perusing this blog and some of the comments made here, my take on the situation was further supported. I am just an anonymous town resident, and that was my impression. I am thinking maybe it was others too!

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  6. i agree with Bev, i think that the manager of the department was telling all the employees to spread the word to all their families and friends to attend the meeting because if it passed, they (all the employees) would lose their jobs and that the town was going to take all the funds... so misinformed and lied to, that it was really a sad situation. if those two women didn't even know who the selectman were, then obviously they have no clue about what is happening in their own town. hopefully, the manager will be more forthcoming with requests. I really feel bad about the windmill, i supported it back then and i continue to support it - it was just not completed properly. to dedicate the windmill to a wonderful person (John LeClerc) was a great idea and i will and always will support the dedication, but it is sad that they didn't do the project correctly-it's almost a disgrace to the dedication - he would want it up and running.

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  7. J 9:57 AM

    I agree. It is a sad state of affairs. I will be posting a separate blog about the wind turbine in Portsmouth RI. Thank you to the person who posted a comment on a different blog pointing out the Portsmouth information.

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  8. I feel really bad, too. I wanted this to be a good thing for our town. Just think how his family will feel when they realize this whole thing has been a mess from day one. Did anyone pick up the paper work the electric company passed out? They do not know why the turbine is clunking. The next scope inspection by gearbox manufacturer Jake is March 15. New gearbox for $650K or environmental clean-up for $1M also possiable first. A question they must have taken off our blog asked it they would raise rats to cover this expense also? Their answer was, "what expense?" These guys are a sad bunch of puppies. Wasn't it wonderful that the only people in the room that knew about rebates, were light and water company employees!! Bev.

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  9. Here's the link to the awesome Templeton Light web site

    http://www.templetonlight.com/

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  10. http://www.nationalgridus.com/masselectric/home/rates/4_default.asp

    This is the link to the National Grid Massachusetts rates web site. Have fun comparing their rates to Templeton. If you do the math you'll be thankful for what you have.

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  11. http://www.mass.gov/hed/docs/eohed/electricity-report-final-7-12-11.pdf

    This is a link to the Massachusetts Goverment 2011 report on electricity. It will explain the $4 charge on your bill, but really all you had to do was look at the back of one of your bills,.

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  12. Wow I greatful for the info another Anon has provided us all with! Thank your for your efforts in the matter!
    As with all I've done to find out info to get answers to on my own and as a group also.I take a open view and result to only the facts in the end.I first ask those involved and proper to answer. My point was the customer charge seen on our Templeton light bills, as you say and i looked prior to asking the commission and the General Mgr. what is the customer charge for?
    1st answer was, We use it for overhead, OK. The next meeting i asked what the amount of customers= 3600@ 4.per month = 48$ a year some pay more but figure is around 160k +
    If you are a TL customer and you look at the back as you
    state, there is not a customer charge listed bill=11/16/2012- If i saw it that would tell me what a national grid bill tells their customers on there bill.
    But Templeton doesn't so i asked and was arrogantly told. after the 3 rd meeting finaly told driscoll would send me a breakdown of the cost to them to have a customer!
    What i find a problem with is we were all customers in 2009 and not charged to be one , an answer i did take as negitive for them to give is the others charge even more than we do!I guess Anon you are "welcome" for the knowledge but you should have looked at one of our bills. It used to be for a meter as a minimum charge. No problem they had a time trying to answer my question!
    Thank you for your involvment and time.
    Rates were told to us to soon be lower than national grids gardner after the reduction. But the lady at the STM said they were lower now??? Was that info wrong? sound like a plant? I wasn't allow any rebuttal.Our people will still look and find the truth to answers we need! No answers mean more questions will follow!
    Shareholder
    Dave Smart

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  13. How do I get a rebate ?

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    1. The answer you got on the customer charge was as good as the one we got about how the PILOT was figured. I thought JD was going to crap his pants. Not one of the people at the desk had a answer, because they did not know!! How is that for the truth! Just like not one of them knew EMWIC had information on rebates. Oh, why not?? Templeton has been a member of EMWIC since the seventies. Can you imagine how much money, the people from our town have lost out? Just because no one told them!! Seems strange the Light Company people were the only ones, that had gotten rebates. This is your Commissioners working for who?? Bev.

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    2. Hey dumb dumb! Its MMWEC!

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  14. I believe in order to get a rebate, you need to be employee or family member of TMLWP

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  15. A numb 837 i hear the barn door will be open tomorrow,check in!

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  16. When I last purchased a more energy efficient refrigerator I received a $50 rebate from Templeton Light. I believe that was when the state was also offering rebates and was 3 or 4 years ago. I have no affliation with Templeton Light but I do have over 35 years of great service.
    Trying to get rid of the light commission is like my being upset with the Planning Board and petitioning to get them under the Board of Selectmen. A waste of taxpayers time and money. How much did it cost the town to have that special meeting? Not to mention the aggravation of having to attend a meeting to protect one of our town's most well run operations.

    I get a sense of retaliation and too much emotion coming from this faction of town, Our town politics have made us a laughing stock at other town meetings. We are the poster town for lousy town politics. People should do more research before they start voicing their opinions. I just hope someone like that Ken Robinson, who spoke at the town meeting, has taken out nomination papers.

    I choose to be anonymous for fear of retaliation by those in power who are verging on abuse. I find Ms. Farrells blogging to be inappropriate for a person in her postion. She should save it for those rowdy BOS meetings.

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    1. Hello Anon 10:30

      I will respond to your post even though you find it inappropriate.

      Fact - The Special Town had already been scheduled for other important reasons. Maybe it slipped your memory, but the REASON for the STM was to correct illegal votes from the last annual town meeting in May and the STM in November ( brought to you by a different, inept BOS). You may want to revisit the warrant articles 1-5. Setting the tax rate was not an incidental reason for the STM. It was the REASON the STM was called. ...which you might might have known had you done more research BEFORE voicing your opinions; But that is the beauty of blogging. Everyone is free to voice their opinions here on Pauly's blog! Even I can write blogs and respond to comments. I do not give up my rights as a citizen because I am an elected official. You don't have to like it. I don't need your approval. Don't like it, don't read it.

      Since my successful re-election in May, the BOS meetings have not been rowdy. People attend the meetings and ask questions; I think that is referred to as public participation. I don't remember a meeting where there were 6 police officers in attendance since my successful re-election.

      Have an awesome day! It's beautiful outside.

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  17. You knoe more then our commissioners did when we asked them!
    we were told they only havebulbs and only the big companies like mass electric and national grid ca offer them!
    We asked first like always! The STM was no cost burdin from me and my petition as the town was to have it anyway!
    The ATM was what my goal was and only moved up due to the budget issue,th DOR prompted Thanks to the previous lawyers,and coordinator alike! my opinion.
    I unlike you are not going to live under a rock and hope it will only lead to a more open response for people to voice their opinions and get involved.You will not be recognized if your anonymous. Don't hide your discounted if you do! Information is the key and we all need it even under the rock some hide under!
    Thank you Julie Your efforts are helpful for those who care about Templeton's future!
    Keep up the good work! We stand for Templeton, Not hide.
    Shareholder
    Dave Smart

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  18. I couldn't help but notice where the man sat!
    Not a surprise!

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  19. I would like to address Bev Bart's comment "I thought JD was going to crap his pants" First, I assume by JD you are talking about John Driscoll, the General Manager. Secondly, when you ask a question that is not expected of anyone, you can't expect them to know the answer and it's polite to give them time to find out and not be so judgemental.

    I have a copy of the 'New Rates Effective January 1, 1983' for Schedule A-Residential. It states a minimum charge of $3.00 per month, whether you used electricity or not, and discounts would not be used against this charge. One would assume that this is a basic overhead charge.
    The charge did not show up on the bills and I assume was part of the total rate of .038 cents/KWH. There was also a fuel charge adjustment that was about 20% of the total bill. The bills remained that way until 1990 when the bill showed usage, a pansy credit and a purchase power adjusment. The back of the bill stated the discount did not apply to the minimum charge, so even though the minimum charge did not show, it was built in to the rate. Then in 2000 they tried another bill form which once again did not show the customer charge but did have the notice on the back about discounts not applying to minimum charge. Then in 2001 they came out with the bill we have now, which is much more detailed about how our rates are determined. Here there is no mention of a customer or minimum charge. The word customer charge first appeared on the Nov-Dec 2009 bill but no amount appeared with it until the Nov-Dec 2012 bill. It did not catch my eye at the time because my total bill had not changed. What did change was that the transition rate was lowered from .06 to .0544. So all they did was break down the bill into even finer detail.

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  20. First, let me say there were police officers at selectmen meetings last year during the recall period as a result of a letter from the former superintendent of schools. She stated with so many people attending, she thought it a safety issue and demanded police be there if the town wanted to use school facilities for meetings. Now for the meetings being rowdy, well people get a little upset when they attend meetings and ask questions then watch selectmen virginia wilder tell a police offcer (s) to "remove that whole section over there" apparently virginia did not do any research on how publice meetings are suppose to be run and on the procedure to ask or have someone removed. To top it all off, the chairman at the time actually asked Julie Farrell, who was in attendance, if this was the right way to do something. Imagine a chairman who led a recall effort against Ms. Farrell then ask her if this is how it is done. I do not have to research this as I was sitting at the table at these meetings as a selectmen. Apparently the people were not to impressed with Mr. Columbus' tenure as chairman because they fired him in May and rehired Julie Farrell. I believe the meetings have been pretty quiet and pretty much police free since then. Like it or not, elected people do not lose their rights as citizens just by being elected. Electronic communication has just made it easier for people to speak on their opinions which sometimes works for them and other times, not so much. I myself blog quite often and have no plans to stop. The STM was called for the specific reason to cear up an issue so the Templeton tax rate could be set. BOS had voted on the articles for last years ATM and they had already been sent to legal for review then selectmen columbus, wilder and mullins voted to bring back carol skelton who decided on her own, selectmen never had a public meeting to vote on this, she mad changes to some warrant articles and had meetings with our former town accountant and yes I have copies of the warrant articles with dates and changes, I got them off the computer in the coordinators office which as a selectmen I am authorized by law to look at at anytime. So as someone who was there for the whole fiasco so in my opinion, before you toss out the old retaliation thing (which is what ole bob columbus wrote in the gardner news) you may wish to do a little research. How can trying to bring good town governance and free open acess to public records be a bad thing. Now you can think on this, to my knowledge there is no record of Julie Farrell bullying anyone employed by Templeton but there is of bob columbus and that is a division in Templeton, those that support a bully and those that do not, who do you want representing you?

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  21. To anon 1030 am/THANK YOU. I have had 42 years of excellent service from the light and water dept.Responce time for power outages is 20 to 30 minutes. EXCELLENT SERVICE. Thank you both.

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    1. They may have excellent service in the field, but where is the excellent service to the town? Where is the sense that we all are part of this town? Where has the fomalized PILOT been? Where have all the rebates been? Oh wait I forgot, friends and family of the L&W knew about and received those. The fight is NOT about the field service. It is about everything else, but that. Pay attention, you might learn something.

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  22. They had a power outage!
    omg when,Quick call the recloser people and fast!
    The water Department was a poor operation till 2000 when L+W fixed the problems that proves that was a lie too!
    at least 17 years you say it was great!
    Must be office girl talk!

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