Advisory Committee training costs $1,000.00 plus $350.00 cloud access fee - pro-rated from January 2018 until June 30, 2018 @ $350.00 = total cost to taxpayers for this year = $1,350.00.

Today, Thursday, February 1, 2018 at 5:50 P.M. in the central office: District reorganization advisory committee meeting - it is the first meeting of this new committee.

Watching the board of selectmen workshop of January 29, 2018, I observed master Fortes state "if you do not like my actions, you can vote me out in 3 years" Actually, we do not have to wait for three years, we can throw you out sooner by way of a recall vote.


Another item talked about was ID's for town employees to include committees, boards, etc. Example given was "fortune 500 companies have ID's for security reasons" and a Templeton example was supposedly a couple members of the conservation committee were in someone's back yard and when asked who they were, they said they did not have any ID to prove that. When I was elected as a selectmen, I was given a card identifying me as a Templeton selectmen for a term of three years from here to there. As a member of other committees, I was also given a card listing the committee and term on which I had been appointed. I received this when I was sworn in by the Town Clerk. So this ID thing is not really a new concept, perhaps selectmen are going to include picture on the "new ID's"

Chairman Caplis stated "I was always taught that if I could make my bed, I could make it through the day" Guess I will not be making it through this day as I do not make my bed daily anymore, had to do that enough in the USMC and I am not there any longer. Perhaps selectmen should take baby steps first, such as show up for meetings, then think about ID's. Next, we could have a Town website where all of the Town's boards, committees, commissions etc. are listed with up to date membership. As for the cost of producing new ID's, I guess they can be paid for out of the meals tax or that talked about prop 2 1/2 override? Yeah, Templeton taxpayers give the selectmen more of your money!

Back to the first item, there was also discussion about limiting your access to speak or to be heard at selectmen meetings. Master Fortes, stated this could still be up to the Chairman of the select board, depending on if there is a weak chair or a strong chair. So, what exactly is a weak chairman? One who lets people speak? The point of this discussion seem to focus on making selectmen's meeting more efficient (more focused and faster, so they can get out of there even quicker, if they even show up) So there you have it, make the meetings easier, faster, less participation of citizens and every one have your papers in order!

I am looking forward to the police station remodeling coming before Town Meeting for the third time (?) this spring.

Since there has been mention of this subject, I requested the ist of current members of the elementary school building committee;

Hi Jeff,

The members are:

Dr. Casavant

Hank Mason, School Committee

Rick Moulton, Bldg. & Grounds Dir.

Diane Haley Brooks, Selectman

Kirk Moschetti, Chairman

Nat North, TC Principal

John Caplis, Selectman

Theresa Kasper, Resident

Carter Terinzini, Town Manager

Carrie Koziol, Resident*

*Carrie has recently resigned, because she moved out of district.


I do not have any of this committee's minutes in front of me, so I cannot say how they are presented. I do however know that Jon Winikur and Tim Alex of Colliers are the owners project managers rather than part of the appointed committee. The three individuals from SMMA are the designers/engineers for the project and not appointed members of the committee. Alan Mayo is with public works and I recall the highway department was going to be involved in some of the work on the roads around the project. As for master Fortes, I suspect he is just in attendance. I can double check on the membership of the committee, but the two from Colliers and the three from SMMA are not on the appointed committee.

Speaking of Committees, Capital Planning, which is listed on the Town Website, shows members as Doug Morrison, Wil Spring, Charles Carroll, Lori Matson as the membership. I believe the only one correct is Doug Morrison. This is probably one area where the selectmen should correct first in any attempt to claim transparency in government.


What records of public meetings must be kept?

Public bodies are required to create and maintain accurate minutes of all meetings, including executive sessions. The minutes, which must be created and approved in a timely manner, must include:
• the date, time and place of the meeting;
• the members present or absent;
• the decisions made and actions taken, including a record of all votes;
• a summary of the discussions on each subject;
• a list of all documents and exhibits used at the meeting; and
 • the name of any member who participated in the meeting remotely.

On a motion duly made and seconded the Town voted to appropriate the amount of Forty-Seven Million, Five Hundred Sixty-Three Thousand, One Hundred Eighty-Four Dollars ($47,563,184) for the purpose of paying the costs of designing, constructing, originally equipping and furnishing a new Templeton Elementary School located at 17 South Road, Templeton MA, including the payment of all costs incidental or related thereto (the “Project"), which school facility shall have an anticipated useful life as an educational facility for the instruction of school children of at least 50 years, and for which the Town, through Narragansett Regional School District, 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; and to meet this appropriation, the Treasurer, with the approval of the Selectmen, is authorized to borrow said amount under M.G.L. Chapter 44, or pursuant to any other enabling authority; The Town acknowledges that MSBA's grant program is a non-entitlement, discretionary program based on need, as determined by the MSBA, and any Project costs the Town incurs in excess of any grant approved by and received from the MSBA, through the Narragansett Regional School District, shall be the sole responsibility of the Town; provided further that any grant that the Town, through the Narragansett regional School District, may receive from the MSBA for the Project shall not exceed the lesser of: (1) Sixty-Two and Eighty-Four Hundredths Percent (62.84%) of eligible, approved Project costs, as determined by the MSBA, or (2) the total maximum grant amount determined by the MSBA; provided that any 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 of borrowing authorized pursuant to this vote shall be reduce by any grant amount set forth in the Project Funding Agreement that may be executed between the Narragansett Regional School District and the MSBA.

Passed by 2/3/November 9th @ 8:14

from the special Town Meeting of November 9, 2015. While watching the meeting of January 23, 2018 of the school building committee, there was a presentation of invoices, with one being from the school district's attorney (as stated by the OPM for the project) so my question is why is the district's attorney rather than the Town's counsel looking over contracts for this Town of Templeton project?

from Templeton's general by-laws:

Article III – Town Officers
Section 1. The Selectmen shall have the general direction and management of the property and affairs of the town in all matters not otherwise provided for by laws or these By-Laws.

Article VII – Legal Affairs

Section 1. The Selectmen shall be agents of the town to institute, prosecute and defend any and all claims, actions and proceedings to which the town is a party or in which the interests of the town are or may be involved.

Section 5. It shall be the duty of the Town Counsel to conduct the prosecution, defense or compromise of claims, actions and proceedings to which the town is a party, and the prosecution of actions or proceedings by or on behalf of any town officer, board or committee as such; to conduct the defense of any action or proceedings brought against any town officer, board or committee as such when the Selectmen, having determined that any right or interests of the town are or may be involved therein, shall so request, to conduct proceedings brought by or against the Assessors before the Board of Tax Appeals; to assist in the prosecution of complaints for violation of any by-law of the town, when requested so to do by the board of officer enforcing the same, to examine and report upon titles to all land to be acquired by the town; to prepare or approve contracts, bonds, deeds, and other legal instruments in which the town is a party or in which any right or interest of the town is involved; to appear at any and all hearings on behalf of the town whenever his services may be required; and generally to advise and act for the town officers, boards and committees upon and in legal matters touching the duties of their respective officers.

I have to wonder if the current selectmen have ever looked at these by-laws? By passing off or allowing a separate legal entity, the school district, to control such a large Taxpayer funded project, I have to ask if this makes the selectmen derelict in their duty?

Information from Town Hall:

Snow & Ice spending from week ending October 10, 2017 through January 7, 2018;

Labor -     $31,412.62 - allocated - $45,000.00

Services - $34,246.73 - allocated - $87,500.00


So now you can see what you have spent on getting your roads plowed or sanded, equipment bought or repaired. You may decide if that was money well spent or not.

With regards to the licensing issues, if any, with the former MBW site, as well as the proposed or current goings on there; it may appear to be illegal at first glance, as has been the case before in Templeton, but they usually turn out to be shady, grey, right on the line but not technically illegal.

The one thing that may make people pay, if there are some questionable items, is the conflict of interest, which as I recall, cost one former Templeton selectmen a $1,000.00 on my complaint. So, if you feel strongly that there may be an issue, take the steps and file a conflict of interest complaint, it may work or it may not.

The only way to change this is to vote out of office the involved parties, so that is on the people of the Town. That may mean that you have to step up and run and become involved.

This particular item could make for an interesting public comment at a selectmen meeting, so perhaps Bob Adams will show and make that comment. Personally, I am sitting back watching the people who voted for the planning board members, voted for the police station upgrade, the people who say they want business in Town, the people who allowed chapter 90 money to be used for equipment rather than actual road repair and on and on, and now those same people want to question the process, the people involved and the taxes they pay. Well, once upon a time, the Town had a chance to make a few changes that could have have helped Templeton's financial direction but they chose the status quo; which is fine and was their choice, so now, deal with it as you got what you wanted. Remember, you voted for it!