First off, I wish the debate (s) that happen here, on other blogs or mediums would happen at Town meeting. I wish selectmen would not use any means available to stifle or outright stop that debate. If you do not think that happens, you need to watch one town meeting where selectmen Brooks did exactly that. The possible debate involved the new school and perhaps a good portion of the "talk" concerning the school (s) could have been dealt with if that debate had been allowed to take place. Of course, some of the blame for a lack of town meeting debate has to land at the feet of the citizens who go to Town Meeting. Rather than talk about a bedroom community or not, perhaps we should really talk about how do we want to operate this entity called Templeton? Do we want an open Town Meeting or not? Do we want a representative form of Town Meeting? Do we want selectmen making the decisions or do we stand by while one individual seems to run things? Where is that full time one individual by the way? Rather than start at the middle of the book, lets start at the beginning, where is the full time Town Administrator/ Where is the certified, experienced Town Treasurer/Collector?  Do you know one person meeting that criteria applied for the position of collector/treasurer with municipal experience but was passed over for someone with no municipal experience. What could the reason be for not hiring an experienced, previously certified treasurer/collector? I am not a conspiracy theory guy but that is an interesting question.

Back on the schools, three things come to mind; 1. having a conversation with a previous school superintendent, I asked about the leaking roof at Templeton Center school and why it was not repaired? answer: "We did not think we could get a new school if the roof was not leaking"
2. The regional school agreement contains an item where if any repair is over $5,000.00, it is the responsibility of the town, a few years back, the district did several different repairs to the schools and then lumped them together and presented a bill for about $12,000.00 so those repairs would not have to come from the school budget. That superintendent now or was employed west of Templeton.
3. There were several questions for a debt exclusion to replace the roof at Templeton Center over the years, from a "low" of about $75,000.00 up to about $175,000.00. All of those were rejected by towns people at Town Meeting, so the people have to admit failing to provide funds for the often talked about maintenance of buildings.