Friday, June 8, 2018

MEMORANDUM – OFFICE OF THE TOWN ADMINISTRATOR

TO: Board of Selectmen
FROM: Carter Terenzini, Town Administrator
RE: Administrator’s Weekly Report
DATE: June 7, 2018
CC: All Departments


Important Notice to All Departments 

Job Openings:                         Laborer/Truck Driver (DPW)
                                                Fire Fighter/EMT-P R

Reports on surplus item due by June 14 to highway@templeton1.org

5. b. Given our decentralized structure, we found out we had an additional intern after the presentations of early May. This is to acknowledge their contribution to our organization. 

Weekly Report: 
I met with our Financial Advisor and our Finance Team to begin the compilation of our several bond offerings for the Police ($2.475M) and Schools ($12M+/-). We look to have these on your agenda for 07/11. You will see in August a renewal of the Sewer Pump Station Ban. The Finance team and I met with Counsel on our 130+/- Tax Title properties looking to move about 13 to Land Court (after we have an initial file search for any potential hazardous waste issues by Police, Fire, BoH, and DPW). We will begin our initial batch of 10+/- lands of low value for submission to DOR for certification which is a far speedier – and less costly – approach than going through Land Court. We had a conference call with the MRPC and environmental scientist relative to procuring funding for added research on the 20+ American Tissue properties. Our goal is to clear more lands than added each year by the time of the fall tax-title process to – slowly but manageably – reduce the list. We had a telcon with the Conway School of Design to secure their design services ($1k+/-) for the old Town Offices site in Baldwinville to try to move this project forward. We met with our tax mapping firm to look at various upgrades we want to make for better document management and making those documents available to the public. I had several conversations with Laurel View residents over the “Red List” letter they got about needed repairs before we can continue plowing this private rod. I’ve arranged a full neighborhood meeting for 06/18 here at Town Hall.


Since these residents already pay real estate taxes and since public money can be spent on private roads for improvement, why not, in the name of public safety, lay out a plan and make this road a public way. If this is not done, what happens if those so called needed repairs do not happen and there is a fire or a medical emergency; would that mean the town resources woulld not respond? A precedent has already been set; if the town now refuses to plow this road and there is a fire with medical emergencies, would this put the Town at legal risk? 

The people who live there will be paying for the recent tax increase for services but now the selectmen are going to deny them those services? Time for town management to accept that Laurel View residents were given a "bill of goods" and do right by them. Accept the road as is and put in for CDBG grant money and what ever other resources that can be gained and do the road, sidewalks, drainage, etc., over and be done with it. They are town residents, they pay taxes and they should receive something for their dollars. It is time for taxpayer money to go for something other than employee raises.  

3 comments:

  1. Bravo Mr. Bennett!

    The Town was involved in the entire process to create Laural View I would assume since Building permits, Concom approvals, etc are involved throughout.

    The way I see it is that if Laural View is in such terrible condition based on construction the town holds some liability. We dont pay building permit fees for nothing. Who signed off on this stuff?

    The taxpayers on Laural View deserve safe, access to their homes. If I was a resident of Laural View I'd attend this meeting and demand that my Elected and appointed Town Officials figure out a resolution since it was the town processes that contributed to the situation.

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    1. I do agree with Jeff and Bob. Someone screwed up and these people should not have to pay. They should be able to feel safe in their homes. That is the bottom line. It is a lot different when you buy on a private road. You know what it is when you pay down your money.. Suck it up Selectmen and make this right !

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    2. Just had a thought . Maybe the policy for the developer finishing his job wasn't followed ? A policy that is not worth the paper it is written on, can you imagine that ! Lol.

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