Where is Templeton?

Telegram & Gazette Staff@CraigSemon

Posted Dec 10, 2019 at 5:25 PMUpdated Dec 10, 2019 at 5:25 PM

Worcester received nearly $20,000 for fire safety gear and gear cleaning machines from the state.

In all, $920,000 in grant money was awarded to 174 Massachusetts fire departments for gear and equipment that will reduce firefighters’ exposure to cancer-causing chemicals on the job, Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito announced Tuesday in Marlboro.

Worcester received $19,223.

Other area fire departments that received grants for turnout gear include: Ashburnham, $2,520; Ashby, $2,850; Athol, $2,490; Barre, $5,915; Berlin, $2,610; Bolton, $1,260; Boylston, $2,465; Brookfield, $2,540; Gardner, $2,465; Hudson, $2,447; Leicester, $5,355; Leominster, $3,184; Lunenburg, $2,500; Marlboro, $3,840; Mendon, $4,758; Northboro, $2,500; Northbridge, $3,135; Princeton, $4,340; Southboro, $2,415; Spencer, $2,280; Sterling, $1,860; Sturbridge, $850; Upton, $3,400; West Boylston, $2,064; Westboro, $2,484; and Westminster, $2,535.

A proposed bond bill would authorize $25 million for similar grants for equipment including turnout gear and washers/extractors.

Department heads are salaried employees, they need to be relentless in grant approaches; to easy to just go for taxation money.

My opinion, going after every grant out there, which has potential to free up some tax dollars, for infrastructure investment, can show perspective business, Templeton is serious and active in improving things that could affect our business if we decide to locate to Templeton.

The hits keep coming; latest in Templeton, Town of, the ole Ethics Commission come a calling; where are your required by law Town employee/volunteer committee members/elected reps paper work? Required once elected/appointed/hired to take online ethics training and print out or submit certificate of completion, signed receipt of conflict of interest law summary and signed receipt of Open Meeting Law material. Elected/appointed peeps suppose to complete this within two weeks of that. Apparently, the required material has not been collected and forwarded as required by law. I have copies of my certificate and receipts, signed of open meeting law and conflict of interest. I turned them into town clerk, but it is the town Ethics Liaison who is responsible to forward these items to the big state agencies. Gots to do the job, as no job is finished without the paperwork!

Consider this a public service announcement on the operation of the government you pay for. I try very hard to always be on the job, but if I am not on point, I let you know, as the saying sometimes goes; "the cover-up is usually worse than the crime/deed." In this case, it would be lack of carrying out the job/deed.