Monday, November 9, 2015

Landlords Inn vs. Elementary School? What?

Landlords Inn vs. Elementary School?
 
Diane Haley Brooks, Selectwoman
Way back in the good old days there was this beautiful Inn on the Templeton Common called Landlords Inn. It was the FINEST Inn around and people came from all over to stay here. The original building was built in 1820 and was destroyed by fire in 1888. A new larger build with 40 rooms was built in 1900 and then in 1910 an additional 60 rooms were added.
I am sharing this photo as this building was a few stories tall and the school will be 3 and the architects have designed it to have the least impact on the surrounding homes. I have heard so many say it's too big, but Landlords Inn was very large and served our community well. I have heard many amazing stories through the years about the Inn, it's owners and how wonderful it was to have in Templeton. As a side note, my Dad used to play hide and seek there as a kid and said it was stunning.
This school will benefit our community as a portion of the school will be able to be accessed after hours and be utilized as it should be. It will encourage more togetherness in a portion of town that many come together at already. The playground will still be accessible along with a new tot lot playground for the smaller children.
A lasting legacy. An investment in our future.
Deborah Kowlzan Koziol, Una Bigelow, Tina Marie Babineau and 12 others like this.
Comments
Diane Haley Brooks, Selectwoman
Diane Haley Brooks, Selectwoman Thank you everyone for your responses. No Beth I am not nuts. I can totally appreciate all that each of you is saying and I have always welcomed other opinions. With what funds will we fix both schools? It's the town's responsibility to do so, not the schools. It is theirs when the costs are below $5,000. When I was first elected I went to the clerk's office and asked for all the town meeting warrants for as far back as she could get me and I looked at them all over the course of several days. I was curious as to why they have not been maintained myself. There were several articles and they were all voted no. There was only one I could find for BES that fixed floors and a couple of other things. Why is that? How will we renovate these buildings?

As for "found" money, you are right as the books have been a total disaster for years. I, for one, am glad we have the right financial team looking at them now. There have also been losses we had to figure out how to accommodate.
Diane Haley Brooks, Selectwoman
Diane Haley Brooks, Selectwoman Sorry, I pressed enter too soon. I have a hard time seeing all the replies sometimes. You have to vote your heart. There isn't another place at this time as I stated previously. If there is other land, no one wants to give it or sell it at this time either.
Beth Provencher Arsenault
Beth Provencher Arsenault This was a private business ... NOT paid for by the tax payers and there were no cars and buses and hovering parents to clog the community center... just saying.
Diane Haley Brooks, Selectwoman
Diane Haley Brooks, Selectwoman Currently there is much a lot of traffic congestion in the center and more fender benders at the country store than I care to see. There are parents/guardians that drop their children off on South Road and that is not safe now, the new plan would make it safer all the way around. The bus traffic flow will be the same and with any cars less risk of accidents due to the lack of vision on Wellington gettig out onto Dudley.

I see your point Beth, but what is the cost to our community of saying no?
Beth Provencher Arsenault
Beth Provencher Arsenault In response to this: better homework on location location location would be one suggestion... it's a poor location and an extravagant plan.
Beth Provencher Arsenault
Beth Provencher Arsenault It's also a historical register community... why wreck it... our Historic land commission should be all over this!!!! NOT the Historical Society, NOT CPC committee the Historic land commission
Kelly Stubbs
Kelly Stubbs I love historical places & enjoyed reading about this beautiful building.
Kevin Bird
Kevin Bird The inn fit in stylistically with the surroundings. Not sure about a condo looking building fitting in as nicely especially when your first view driving out of the center on the new one way will be of the loading dock. You will never drive by the building the way the video does.

2 comments:

  1. There are some who will support this project no questions asked - "It's for the children"

    There are some who will never support this project.

    There are those who simply can't afford a 30 year tax increase because they are living on a fixed income.

    There are those who think this location is a really bad place for a Mega School on a postage sized lot.

    There are those who think $513 per square foot is obscene compared to elementary school projects in nearby towns.

    There are those who believe there is no Plan B, the end of the world as we know it will happen if this plan fails to gain support.

    There are those who believe the world will keep turning no matter the outcome of this vote.

    There are those who believe if this proposal fails at the ballot box, there will be another proposal to repair our elementary schools.


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  2. If I remember correctly the town stepped up for a new boiler at the BES. It would seem money would have been appropriated at town meeting for the clean up of the oil leak behind NRHS but this may have been covered by insurance. East Templeton windows were replaced slowly and tastefully by Principal Vaidulais using money within the budget, it is believed. In my opinion we should fix what we have and use space wisely that is already available such as moving the Superintendents office to Scout Hall and utilizing this space for the children. Keeping the MSBA out of the equation may need to be looked at a little bit closer as the long term thinkers do not always have the town's interest at heart.

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