Tuesday, September 26, 2017
When the condition of the small play area at Templeton Town hall was brought to the attention of the selectmen at last nights meeting, chairman Caplis stated it was grandfathered so it did not need anything, while selectmen Brooks stated the Town did not have the money to do anything, "we cannot afford it." Well, a quick look at Town finance and one can see that there are some funds available, in the form of money apparently left over from Town Meeting warrant article 18, which included $10,000.00 for merit/equity raises. The selectmen gave out some raises at that meeting and it seems there is some of your money left, which could be used to fund wood chips or some other allowed material for the play area and thus provide for the safety of the kids who do use that area. Perhaps selectmen Brooks could not grasp that thought on the first go round, noting that she often states she does not process things well. Your selectmen not working to hard to ensure the safety of the kids. Maybe they are to busy falling face first into a swimming pool with beer in hand!
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Do you think the parents of some kid will care that the poor excuse for a pay ground is grandfathered, if some kid hits his head on a rock at the end of the slide ? Nothing is stopping the town from spreading wood chips under the play ground they own. I am sure, like Jeff has said there is money to be found, unless more is going to our TA ? Do you think they hired him on a full time basis ? I do ! All that cannabis may have caused cognitive problems, but you would have thought the selectmen could have at least worked to find someone, anyone, but our interim TA to lead the town ! Oh yes, the selectmen are supposed to run the town. Didn't anyone tell them that ?
ReplyDeleteOh, by the way, the above is my opinion. The right the Constitution allows me under free speech.
DeleteThe point that bothered me about that portion of the meeting was how DHB insisted on shutting down Wil from making his comment about the Town Hall playground and liability. It appeared DHB didn't want the "praise for the BOS" to be confused with liability for the town especially when trying to make a statement for the Gardner News.
ReplyDeleteA pretty good job was done in stopping any discussion about the AC's Stabelization Policy. What is the point of their behavior? To run the town into the ground while the DOR sits back to watch ? The credit card mentality is very frightened. Why don't people care ? I guess they will when it hits their pocket book. I do believe they will go for a override. How people will make ends meet is beyond me. I guess the out of towers have more money, but even they may have their limits. How much are we paying our town workers ? Include the really good insurance they get along with their paycheck. So why do we have problems attracting good people ? I do not think it is the pay, maybe more like our unstable government!
DeleteWait till the Stock Market takes a 5000 point slide. The question is what will happen in town during the next economic downturn??? We all know its coming, just not sure of the cause, but a 5,000 point increase in the dow in little more than a year. Thats a 30% increase of the DOW entire value in months when it took 120 yrs to attain the first 17,000, sure........If that takes down pensions, student debt..................kiss it goodbye.
ReplyDeletewere is the check list of inspection for the playgrounds showing what needs to be done? That would be Alan's job. has he taken the state training they do have one. Don't tell us there is no money to fix playgrounds when you can give Alan a raise. WE do have more than one playground not just GW There is a Public playground safety handbook that should be followed. My kids gets hurt and i will sue.
ReplyDeleteAnon. 7:49, And I would not blame you one bit. Bev.
DeleteI wonder if people realize that the library at the high school has closed. Kids were able to go in to do their homework, if they did not have a computer at home, but now that is not an option any longer. The librarian from Boynton Library has tried to get the school to bring the kids over to use the town's library, with no success. The Agricultural course has been discontinued also ! So the big question is where did the money go ?? Learning how to grow plants may not seem important to some people, but some day it may be the difference between life and death. You can add to your income by growing plants, but the cost is high, but it is something. For some people it is relaxing. So for the kids that want to have contact with the land, why get rid of it ?
DeleteAnd somehow money was "found" to install new bleachers.
DeleteIt's all about priorities.
Bev Bart, maybe you should really get your facts straight, the kids have access to the library and I am pretty sure if a child needed to go into the library to do his/her homework nobody would be stopping them. There are people there until 11pm, so any child that needs to stay has supervision.
Delete@Bev.Bart - Can you explain in detail your comment about the school library being closed.
ReplyDeleteAll I can tell you is what I have been told. The library at what was the high school, now the middle school is no longer open. The kids were able to go in before school to do homework. Now they can't unless the teacher takes the whole class. Why would they do that ? Maybe the "powers that be" think everyone has a computer at home, or they can look information up on their computer ! If the kids were going there, then it does seem everyone does not have all the high tech. goodies, that are needed today. The librarian tried to get the Superintendent of Schools to bring the kids to the Boynton Library, more than once, but it did not work. Maybe you should call Ms. School Committee, and ask her these questions. Working for "the children", not !! Bev.
Delete@Bev.Bart Thankyou for the information I wasn't clear as to which library you were referencing. Who is " Ms School Committee" as I would like to follow up as you have suggested.
ReplyDeleteThat would be Diane Brooks, the one that gloats over every little tiny good deed she may be involved in but yet has totally screwed over all taxpayers with her position.
DeleteThankyou for the identity of "Ms School Committee " .
ReplyDeleteBev, what are you talking about? There has never been a library in the "middle school." The library in the "middle school" building only existed back before the new high school was built. As for the current, and only, library that is located across from the kiva in the high school, it is currently unstaffed. The positions were cut due to budget constraints. However, that does not mean it it closed. It is open for computer use and book rental whenever needed. Also the middle school is now nearly a "one to one" school. Meaning, there are enough google chrome books (laptops) for every single student in every class in the middle school. So not having a computer with internet access in not necessary anymore. So Bev, please do not feed bullshit to people. This isn't the 1960's. They are working for the children.....YOU AREN'T!
ReplyDelete@ Anon 10:53pm " ... library that is located across from the kiva in the high school, it is currently unstaffed."
DeleteSchool Library Journal’s 2015 School Librarian of the Year, Kristina Holzweiss, recently commented that, “The library is a classroom just like others in the school. You need certified subject area and special area teachers….why is the library any different?” The executive decisions of which is to be funded or purchased is indicative of how this town doesn't work for the community.
anom 10:53 when a room is not staffed to the library function is not staffed. All the room is a room to study in not where a person is a librarian who will help the studants.
ReplyDeleteAnon 10:53, Can you please explain "book rental"??? I might be seriously outdated, but renting books to middle/high school kids from the School?
ReplyDeleteI would also tend to think of an "unstaffed library" sort of like a car without a steering wheel or a classroom without a teacher. I know that in 5th or 6th grade I wasn't familiar enough to run a proper search for information.
I think in most cases libraries are becoming obsolete in many ways. Yes, they attempt to stay relevant, but in short order they will offer less and less than is "special" and the cost for storage of paper products will become unreasonable. Few people have nostalgia for paper books, those that do are almost religious about it, but the numbers are diminishing fast. As you stated most kids use chromebooks which replaces the requirement for books or soon will.
I think "book rental" means checking out books.
DeleteAs a certified school librarian, most of my job consists of technology integration within the Media Center and providing training to students and staff.
Because I am a certified librarian, I am able to provide access to electronic resources available from the state through the Mass Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) and the Mass Library System.
My school district has access to the statewide databases Resource Sharing.
As a school library, we are part of a consortium MassCat . Students and faculty are able to borrow materials from over 77 different libraries. We have delivery twice a week during the school year. Our students and faculty have access to the Commonwealth eBook Collection one part of which is Axis 360.
The cost of one eAudiobook is about $85/per title - that title may not be multiuser.
The cost of joining the Commonwealth eBook Collection was $285 for my school this year - a no brainer, in my opinion.
For a school to have access to these resources from the MLS and MBLC, the school is supposed to have a certified school librarian. In Central Mass, many school districts do NOT have a certified school librarian.
But they do have nice bleachers!
I see DHB bashing people in the Federal government as well as people in local government. who is next?
ReplyDeleteAs often said in Templeton, " fiscal responsibility" should be borne by everyone, but at the same time we need to think about what it says about us as a community if we allow our the public school library to be slashed, thus compromising the services they provide. The library is where education continues after school ends. It’s where readers are grown from the time they are young and where doors are open to welcome everyone.
ReplyDeleteSomeone told me that when economic times are tough there are two places you do not close ~ libraries and parks. This is not the time to cut funds to these institutions so drastically that they can’t survive, let alone prosper.
Well, that is a healthy discussion. To Anon.10:53 PM, I am not wrong, now am I. You do not get a printer with a laptop..I am not sure why the kids used to go into the library before class, but they cannot now. Do you think the kids are allowed to wonder in and out of this unstaffed room ? Never mind, the case of if it is in the middle or high school, the piss poor budget they showed us was vague, at best. I think a change has to be made this year. I have been in houses where there is not a book to be seen anywhere. I could not live like that, and it is unfair to kids who love to read. Bev.
DeleteI watched the latest selectmens meeting and was wondering what the result of " we will discuss that issue off line " was. I am referring to the 106 page document presented by a resident to the chair in 2016 .
ReplyDeleteI believe that was a member of the AC. it seems they were given the document because the BOS chair did not a thing about it
ReplyDeleteYes, I realize that. I'm asking what if any action was taken on this as it was said " we will discuss that issue off line " directed at the the gentleman ( Jeff ) that brought up the document. I'm assuming he was speaking to Jeff correct ?
Delete