Sixty miles west of Boston, Massachusetts there is the small New England town of Sturbridge. Located at the junction of I-90 (The Mass Pike), and I-84 it has become known as the "Crossroads of New England". The town was first settled over 300 years ago, and like other small New England towns it has grown just enough over the years to be in a difficult place today. How do we embrace the future without forgetting how we got to our present? How do we attract the right kind of growth, and maintain who we are? And, what about our culture out here in Central Massachusetts?
These pages will cause one to think about how to protect what we have, our future direction, and how to move on in the very best way.
Those thoughts, and other ramblings, will hopefully inspire more thought, conversation, action, and occasionally a smile...
...seems to be working so far
Town Hall has a to-do list that seems rather strange to me. According to the Telegram, the Selectmen are still stuck on the brick sidewalk issue and are thinking about using Chapter 90 funds, as a back-up for buying bricks,without town meeting approval. Read on:
ReplyDelete“I don’t want a delay to cost us more money when there is no decision to reconsider the vote,” Ms. Dowling said.
Mr. Goodwin said the town does have $600,000 in Chapter 90 funds as a “fallback” solution to finish the sidewalks.
“You make these investments and they pay off in the long-term,” Mr. Goodwin said. “The gain is worth it, and I don’t see a reason, personally, to hold off on it.”
Mr. Creamer said he wasn’t sure why the town is in a “holding pattern” on completing the brick sidewalks.
“If there’s no reason to wait, we shouldn’t wait,” Mr. Creamer said.
BUT:
1 - WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT THE HAYNES ST. INTERSECTION? Nothing was reported in the article about the messed-up intersection at Haynes St. and 131.
2 - Chapter 90 funds are funds that we use for Chapter 90 roads, like Route 148 (the road to the high school) for repairs and such. I can't pretend to know if using those funds for bricks is allowable. It well may be, but we all know they're are many more important uses.
3 - WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT THE HAYNES ST. INTERSECTION???
The Selectmen's meeting, in its entirety, will be aired on Channel 12, the cable public access channel some time this week. I suggest that anyone concerned about this, or other important issues in town, watch it, because there's information to be had about a host of items, other than just the one thing you read about in the newspaper.
ReplyDeleteJust because the newspaper didn't write about this particular issue, does not mean it wasn't discussed, or hasn't been discussed.
But if anyone really wanted to know, it's easy enough to pick up the phone and dial 347-2500 and ASK. Then you will actually help others to know about the situation by providing an update. Or would you rather just complain?
The selectman should post their meeting minutes the day after each meeting, not a video a week later. Videos are nice, but immediate information is better. And it is their job to keep us informed, not for us to call them. they have been told, now what are they going to do about it?
ReplyDeleteI have a question for the anonymous poster who is concerned about "complainers." What would you have us do about a situation we know was brought to the attention of the town administrator, DPW head, and, we are told, the selectmen a couple weeks ago, which we consider to be dangerous? - keep our thoughts to ourselves as we individually man the area 24 hours a day, wearing sandwich boards with flashing warning signs? If this issue was given great concern at the Selectmens' meeting, it seems we would have heard about it by now.
ReplyDeleteWhat would I have you do? I already said: pick up the phone and ASK.
ReplyDeleteThis is a legitimate concern, which was explained by the DPW engineer. But if we're going to compare dangerous intersections, how about Hall Rd and Route 20? It needs a light. How about New Boston Rd and Route 20? It needs a light - people have been killed at both intersections.
No, I think Haynes Street Gawker is more concerned with disparaging people than getting to the meat of the issue.
Again, pick up the phone and ASK. Then you can tell everyone on this blog the outcome. Sound good?
He addresses the other intersections again in his next article, but it isn't up to us to call. it is the BOS job to post their meeting minutes if they discuss it, and to have the infomation in the paper. If everyone i town called and asked about everything they wanted to know about the people in the town hall would never get anything done. use the internet, the paper.
ReplyDeleteTo the poster who suggests that we not complain, but just call Town Hall for answers, I say this:
ReplyDeleteTown Hall was made aware of the problem at Haynes St., which was sitting right there, in our faces, with equipment in place, for quite a period of time before we brought up the subject. The only response I know of was from the DPW head who said something about the Town knowing for a long period of time (years?) that further reducing the width of the intersection would be problematic. Okay...so what was done? Who was notified? What warning signs were posted? Where was all the concern voiced in public meetings, so that we would be aware of the problem? Why was this important surgery ignored while such importance was/is given to face lifts? Do you really suggest that a little call will take care of this? "Disparaging people?" Are you kidding me? How are people being treated in this town when safety concerns are treated as unimportant distractions? Neglected? Ignored? Brushed off as a horse switches his tail at the flies?
Sometimes a little lively (not vulgar) language gets attention. Picking up the phone and calling 508-347-2500 doesn't necessarily get the answers. How many times have you done that over the years? What knowledge did you gain? What results? I really would like to hear something from Town Hall related to this road and sidewalk issue, other than, "How can we get the bricks?"
We, the people are the town, we are the state, and we are the nation. We don't like to be ignored, and we don't like to be used.