The article that has the problem;

ARTICLE 6
To see if the Town will vote to appropriate, borrow or transfer from available funds, an amount of money to be expended under the direction of Templeton Elementary School Building Committee for the Schematic Design portion of the Feasibility Study for the Templeton Elementary School, located off Route 202, King Philips Trail in Templeton, MA, known as Crow's Hill, identified as Town Assessor identification no. 2-7-40 and described in the deed recorded at the Worcester County Registry of Deeds in Book 1600, Page 313, for which feasibility study the Town may be eligible for a grant from the Massachusetts School Building Authority. The MSBA’s grant program is a nonentitlement, discretionary program based on need, as determined by the MSBA, and any costs the Town incurs in connection with the feasibility study in excess of any grant approved by and received from the MSBA shall be the sole responsibility of the Town. Submitted by the Selectboard at the request of the School Committee A motion was duly made and seconded to move the question. Passed/March 29th @ 12:51

 On a motion duly made and seconded; the town voted that five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000.00) be hereby appropriated for the purpose of paying costs of the Feasibility Study/Schematic Design work ahead for the Templeton Center Elementary School, located at 17 South Road, in Templeton MA, including the payment of all costs incidental or related thereto, and for which the Town may be eligible for a grant from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (“MSBA”), said amount to be expended under the direction of the Templeton Elementary School Building Committee. To meet this appropriation the Narragansett Regional School District, with the approval of the Templeton Board of Selectmen, is authorized to borrow said amount under and pursuant to M.G.L. Chapter 44, or pursuant to any other enabling authority. The Town acknowledges that the MSBA’s grant program is a non-entitlement, discretionary program based on need, as determined by the MSBA, and any costs the Town incurs in excess of any grant approved by and received from the MSBA shall be the sole responsibility of the Town, and further provided that the appropriation hereunder shall be subject to and contingent upon an affirmative vote of the Town to exempt the amounts required for the payment of interest and principal on said borrowing from the limitations on taxes imposed by M.G.L. 59, Section 21C (Proposition 2 ½), and that the amount borrowing authorized pursuant to this vote shall be reduced by any grant amount set forth in the Feasibility Study Agreement that may be executed between the Town and the MSBA.

 Passed/March 29th @ 12:52

This involves Town money so only the Town can borrow funds. If you take the time to look over past minutes of selectmen meetings, you will see that, as a selectmen, I constantly pushed for selectmen to take charge of this project. Only one name belongs on all the papers, contracts and agreements for this, and that is the Town of Templeton.

Just like reported in annual Town report of 2003, page 28, light commissioners accepted low bid of 1.5 million for construction of 12,000 square foot building. The commissioners took $400,000.00 from MMWEC working capital fund to pay for the increase above the 1.5 million approved at Town Meeting.  So the commissioners at that time, Dana Blais, Gregg Edwards and Sean Hamilton said it would need 1.5 million for a new building but they then went to bid and were off by $400,000.00 and they had a place to raid for the extra money. Where will the money com from if these fellas are off again?  See who the current commissioners are today. If you look at the warrant article for that 1.5 million, you will that it was Templeton taxpayers on the hook if anything went wrong and it is still that way today, be it a water tank or a school.

Jeff Bennett