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
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
You Are Kidding Me, Right?
Now, it would be so much easier on this head of mine if I could see a pattern, a rationale, a simple reason, but it is beyond me.
Damn, I hate admitting that.
I'm sorry. Did I say that out loud? I've been muttering ever since I received a few emails from the Town of Sturbridge today. The emails had Board of Selectmen meeting minutes attached to them.
Yesterday I posted about the long time we had to wait for meeting minutes to become available to the residents of Sturbridge. I was flabbergasted when meeting minutes from June 27th were finally released. I expected that it was an oversight, or there was a more legitimate reason for the extraordinary delay. I expected some explanation, as usual, posted in the comment section, but I did not receive a comment, and now I know why.
Today I received more minutes from this months meetings held on the 14th and 4th. Excellent. Minutes from the same month the meeting was held. Awesome.
The other minutes I received today were from October 1, June 6, 13, 20, and May 23rd.
Yes, May 23rd of 2011. Six months ago.
But wait, it gets worse. The last email with meeting minutes attached was the best by far. The minutes were from a selectman's meeting on March 24, 2011.
Yes, eight months ago. Eight months after the meeting, the minutes are being released to the public.
Now, I am done asking why. I no longer need a reason, or excuse, posted in the the comment section of this blog by selectpeople offering a rationale explanation.
There is no rational explanation when meeting minutes from a meeting held twelve days ago are released within the same month as the meeting, and minutes from a meeting held eight months ago are casually sent out in the same batch.
I don't want an explanation. I've been down this road before, and I nodded, accepted, and moved on after that explanation. I trusted that explanation.
This is a simple thing to master, and for there to be an eight month delay in making minutes public it speaks of other more important issues with the board that this is only a symptom of.
No more excuses, and reasons for the simplest things. I'm done with it.
The smallest details always reveal the most, and when the time is right, I have a ballot, and I know how to use it.
For March 24, 2011 Selectmen Meeting Minutes click here
96019 Visits
Today, the little numbers at the bottom of the page say 96019. That is the number of you that have stopped by and read my blathering since 2008. I figure if I include the eight months without a counter the number just may be over 100,000.
No, I'm not a YouTube viral sensation that records 90000 hits an hour. That would be the best. No, I'm far from it. I may not be a national writing marvel, or internet sensation, but I am the appreciative sort, and for those 96019 visits people have made it to sturbridgecommon.com, thank you, thank you very much.
Now, let's see if we can do those 96019 visits in thirty days. That would be really neat.
Go ahead, surprise me. :-)
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Why Do Meeting Minutes Take Months To Share?
Now, there is small town slow, and then there is "why bother?" slow.
Today, I got a "why bother".
I subscribe to the selectmen meeting minutes, among other notifications, through the towns website. I often get notifications of meetings, meeting time changes, agendas, and public announcements. A very handy thing to have. I scan the emails as they arrive. Some times I get mass emails with attachments. Most of those attachments are meeting minutes. A month of meeting minutes arriving by separate emails is not unusual, and the usually come late. One to two months late, and that is frustrating, and aggravating to say the least.
This is how I figure it. The meeting minutes are not only a record of what transpired during the meeting, who attended, who spoke, who said what, what business was settled, and what business was continued, but it is also a report card. It shows us just how the meeting went, and how those we elected to office handled the issues, and handled themselves. If one is satisfied on how they have performed, and handled the topics, and issues before them, one would think that a public record of that would be a great thing to have out there ASAP.
Nope. Not here. Not in Sturbridge. It is almost like the longer they delay the release of the minutes, the more of us will forget what transpired at the meeting.
Naw. That can't be it. Too petty.
Today I received Selectman's meeting minutes in several emails. The most recent meeting minutes were from November 18th. Now, this was only eleven days ago, and although not the most timely meeting minutes, anything delivered in the same month is golden.
The next set were from November 7th, again, a good thing. The other two sets are from October 17 (now we're pushing it a bit in the tardy column), and August 31st.
August 31st. Beyond late. Ancient history late. Previous generation late. No good to me late.
And, again, "why bother"?
I did receive another email with selectman meeting minutes attached. That meeting was held five months ago on June 27th.
(sigh)
I know there is a good reason. I know this because I will be told there is a good reason in the comment section of this post after I post it. I've been told this before, and I was told it was for a good reason.
Let's see.
The mechanics of recording minutes are pretty standard, and putting them in some readable form for distribution is also standard. Getting the minutes reviewed, and approved, should happen fairly quickly as well.
Unless.
Unless there is a whole bunch of stuff one doesn't want in the minutes, and they have to be tailored for distribution. It's called editing, and there's nothing wrong with that. Making the moment sound better than it was is an art. I've been there. It happens, but it doesn't happen to take five months.
Next April, when we get this Decembers meeting minutes, I would be thrilled to read that something was being done with the system in order to hasten the distribution of the minutes.
Gives me another great reason to wish for Spring.
To read the Selectman's Meeting Minutes from June 27th, click here.
To subscribe to informational emails from the Town of Sturbridge, click here.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
"The Truth Behind Article 48" by Carol Childress
Note: the following are links to supporting documentation.--ed.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Doing Our Part On Small Business Saturday Weekend
A super sized company with a great idea that affects the local merchant in a good way. A rare thing this is. American Express may have started out promoting its OPEN small business unit, but what has happened has been the promotion of all small businesses.
More often than not we head for the plaza, or the mall to "cluster shop". Cluster shopping is attacking ones list by shopping in places that offer most everything on the list. Large stores like Target, Walmart, Macy's, Sears and Kohls are places where ones list can be completely crossed off in a short amount of time. Small Business Saturday is designed to introduce people to the small local businesses that carry many of the things on your list, but not everything. For that you will have to visit a few places. Most of the time, when you are only looking for that one particular thing, a local, non-national store will have what you are looking for.
Supporting small, local businesses keeps our money local, and not in a bank in Bentonville, Arkansas.
We try to do a lot of our regular shopping locally. For those things that aren't offered up the street, we do stray to a large chain as much as we want to support the small businessperson. Somethings just can't be had at the local business level, but for those things that are, we're all over them.
We have been looking for a new washer and dryer for sometime. Each time we are in Home Depot, or Sears, we look over what is offered, and remember the prices. We don't intend to buy a big ticket item there, but will take the information with us, and shop locally. I did that on Friday at Whitco in Spencer, and yesterday Mary and I went over there again to check out my choices.
She was pleased. (whew)
Sometimes a local business can't compete with Sears for big ticket items like a snow blower. The local dealer may be able to offer a snow blower for less than what it usually sells for if offered on sale, but you can be sure that the big store will offer it for far less.
What does one do? $1250.00 vs. $825.00 for similar machines. As supportive of local business as I am, the answer is clear, I will go with the significantly lower price, provided the quality is similar. Last month, I did just that, and went to Sears and bought a Craftsman snow blower on sale. This time the national guy won my business.
Keep in mind, I'm a yankee, frugal by nature, and although supportive as all get out for the local guy, I am a bit more supportive for the little guys in my wallet, like Franklin, and Jackson.
Yesterday, after leaving Spencer we planned on driving up to Gardner, Mass, to check out the furniture stores in "Chair City". Gardener, long known for furniture manufacturing, sells a lot of furniture as well. This would be my first time shopping in Gardner.
We had been to all the local shops, Charlton furniture, Sturbridge Furniture each time it opened and "closed forever" over the past couple of years. Rotmans in Worcester, Bernie and Phyl's, Bob's, and Jordans Furniture we hit last, and sometimes several times, but we still did not find what we were looking for.
So, off to Gardner, an hour north. The drive was nice, and the first store, Rome's, was easy to find. Family owned since 1945, our salesman, Bob, was very helpful, answered our questions, and stayed in the background as we looked for the items that had been eluding us forever.
First up was a living room chair, a Queen Ann type, that slightly reclined. Most that we had seen were ugly, too big, and offered in only one color. This store had several, good looking ones that came in any fabric or color we wanted. Choice, quality, non-ugly furniture, and it was a family owned small business! We found one, put it on the list, and then went looking for an upholstered chair for a bedroom. Not far away, and after several months of looking, we found not one, but two!
We were striking gold. The variety, amount of inventory, and choices this store gave were beyond what is offered in Worcester, Shrewsbury, or Natick. Amazing for a small business. The big ticket item was a dining room set. Rotmans had mostly, if not all veneer top tables, and although they are pretty to look at, they aren't meant for everyday use, and could be easily damaged. The solid wood tables were priced beyond reason, and the store offered little choice. Same at Jordans, and Bernie and Phyl's. This store, Rome Furniture Center, offered many sets, and although we found two excellent ones, the price was a bit beyond our budget. The salesman then referred us to another store in town, The Factory Coop, their sister store around the corner.
At the Factory Coop we found a solid wood set made by Amish furniture makers in Ohio, and the price was half of that offered by the large stores.
Half.
We spoke to the salesman, Kevin, and the stores manager for a long time, and they assured us that our preferences for color, wood, and style would be adhered to, and they went to extraordinary lengths in writing up the order.
So, this weekend we supported the small business person very well. Our choices were better, and our prices were much better. Quality, and service were just as good, if not better than the big boys. All in all, we were very pleased, and I strongly recommend Gardner to anyone looking for furniture to check there first, and Spencer if you are looking for appliances.
Word of mouth can either grow a business, or ruin it, especially small businesses. When all things are good, and separating ones self from ones money isn't painful, and filled with remorse, then the word of mouth can only be good.
One more thing. We worked up an appetite shopping most of the day, and were talking amongst ourselves about looking a place for lunch after we closed the furniture deal on the table and chairs. The salesman overheard us, got up and walked across the office and returned with a brochure for a local restaurant in Westminster, The Old Mill. Each of the people in the office said it was great, and run buy the same family that started it in 1946 just after WWII.
We went to the restaurant, and the ambiance with the brook running around the building from the mill pond right outside its front door, to the excellent food within were well worth the trip. Put The Old Mill in with those other recommendations. You will not be disappointed.
Local small business supporting local small business, and both reaping the benefits, and both very successful.
It works for the consumer as well.
Friday, November 25, 2011
A Better Deal At Dawn
I watched as dawn turned into day.
That little bit of time in front of the kitchen window was far more pensive, and sedentary than rushing out blindly hours earlier to wait in line at Target in order to save 30-60% on a Blu-Ray player. It was also more rewarding. I saw things this morning that others may not have.
No, I didn't save 80% on an electronic book reader, or 52 inch LCD TV. No, I did not save any money at all, but I am a lot richer now than I was before getting out of bed this morning.
Starting off ones day a bit wealthier than the previous day is a great goal. Well worth the effort, and if you do it right, it doesn't cost a thing.
And, that's the whole point. This morning I did it right.
"When the Frost is on the Punkin"
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock, | |
And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin' turkey-cock, | |
And the clackin' of the guineys, and the cluckin' of the hens, | |
And the rooster's hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fence; | |
O, it's then the time a feller is a-feelin' at his best, | 5 |
With the risin' sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest, | |
As he leaves the house, bareheaded, and goes out to feed the stock, | |
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock. | |
They's something kindo' harty-like about the atmusfere | |
When the heat of summer's over and the coolin' fall is here— | 10 |
Of course we miss the flowers, and the blossoms on the trees, | |
And the mumble of the hummin'-birds and buzzin' of the bees; | |
But the air's so appetizin'; and the landscape through the haze | |
Of a crisp and sunny morning of the airly autumn days | |
Is a pictur' that no painter has the colorin' to mock— | 15 |
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock. | |
The husky, rusty russel of the tossels of the corn, | |
And the raspin' of the tangled leaves as golden as the morn; | |
The stubble in the furries—kindo' lonesome-like, but still | |
A-preachin' sermuns to us of the barns they growed to fill; | 20 |
The strawstack in the medder, and the reaper in the shed; | |
The hosses in theyr stalls below—the clover overhead!— | |
O, it sets my hart a-clickin' like the tickin' of a clock, | |
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock. | |
Then your apples all is gethered, and the ones a feller keeps | 25 |
Is poured around the cellar-floor in red and yaller heaps; | |
And your cider-makin's over, and your wimmern-folks is through | |
With theyr mince and apple-butter, and theyr souse and sausage too!... | |
I don't know how to tell it—but ef such a thing could be | |
As the angels wantin' boardin', and they'd call around on me— | 30 |
I'd want to 'commodate 'em—all the whole-indurin' flock— | |
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock. |
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The Reasons For The Day
© 2011 W.J. Hersee |
Making changes can only only be done when we acknowledge what needs to be changed. It's that simple.
So, a day for giving thanks accomplishes two things. One, the intended purpose of giving thanks, and another, more stealth like purpose, the acknowledgement of things that we would like to change.
Anytime we can focus on the good in our lives, acknowledge them, and the need to improve the things that aren't so good, it is a great thing, no matter the day, or the reason. Having a special day is just a way of getting the majority of us all on the same page at the same time for all the right reasons.
And, for that, I am thankful.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Thanksgiving Traffic Will Be Heavy As Usual; Plan Ahead
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/11/aaa_more_travelers_for_this_th.html
Learn How To Map Your Neighborhood
DATE: December 8. 2011
TIME: 7 – 9 p.m.
PLACE: Sturbridge Public Safety Complex
What is a disaster? Disasters, by definition, are events that overwhelm police, fire, and medical 911 emergency responders.
Why MYN? MYN (Map Your Neighborhood) helps us organize a timely response to disaster when 911 services are unavailable. All of us, working together, can reduce the serious consequences of disasters in our neighborhoods.
What will we do?
We will learn a 9-step Neighborhood Response Plan that immediately helps us know what to do – both at home and in the neighborhood – to respond to power outages, injuries, fallen trees & building damage, and assisting people with special needs or who may be alone and frightened. The process is proven, fun, and easy.
We will identify the skills and equipment each neighbor has that are useful in an effective and timely disaster response.
We will know what resources are willing and available in our neighborhoods to respond, taking much of the burden off Public Safety in the initial hours following a disaster.
*“Map Your Neighborhood” (MYN) was selected by FEMA as the best program for neighborhood / community preparedness out of 188 submittals in 2011.
The reality for the Sturbridge area is that neighborhoods may need to respond to floods, tornados, snowstorms, power outages and other disasters. This meeting will help you to prepare, organizae your neighborhood and respond. Please join us.
To register for training or for more information contact:
Sgt. Kevin Mercier
Map Your Neighborhood Coordinator
Sturbridge Police Dept.
Phone: 508-347-2525 Ext. 117
Email: kmercier@town.sturbridge.ma.us
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Phone Hoarding
My reasoning for keeping the line are good. I want to have a telephone line available in an emergency. Often when the power goes out the phone line will still work since it does not get its power from the house. The phone company also has the lines wired in a way that if a line to the north of you is down, the line to the south of you will still carry your calls. The damaged area is just circumvented; not true with the electric company.
Another reason to keep the land line was a fool proof way to contact 911 especially with enhanced 911 we have here in Sturbridge. Enhanced 911 gives the callers address to the dispatcher if they cannot answer on the phone. This is a very important lifesaver.
Cell phones can call 911, too, but most often the calls are going to a State Police barracks, and being rerouted to the police in your location. All this does is eat up critical time, and I prefer not to use that system unless I have to.
Until recently, Reverse 911 calls were not available for cell phones. Reverse 911 calls are very useful in an emergency, and being without that information would not be our best interest. Now, the Reverse 911 calls are available for cell phones, and that has eliminated a big concern.
So, what to do? Do I continue to have redundant services because I can't give up the house phone, or do I step up, and just rely totally on cell service?
Well, this most recent storm, and the hurricane before it, knocked out cell service in our area for a few days, so that rules out going completely without a land line. So, it looks like I would need to keep a lesser version of Verizon. There are a couple of less expensive plans available, one for a little under $20 per month, and one for around $12.00 each month. Each has a different cost per call, and free calling area, but that area is not listed online, and the site advises you to call and talk to a representative to determine the exact area for free calling.
A pay per minute plan would be ideal since we hardly use the phone, and it would still link us to emergency services if ever needed, or when the cell service goes out.
Always good to have a an option, a Plan B.
I plan on calling Verizon, and getting more information in the next few days, and when I do, I will be sure to share the information with you.
Letting go is never easy, but changing it up a bit is something I can handle.
Now, next thing to consider is to let go of trash pick-up at the house. Is it really worth $100 every 3 months? Would I really save a lot by using the recycling center?
Something else to think on. Any input from those of you who have taken the plunge to abandon the trash man, and are only using the Recycling Center would be appreciated. Let me know how you are doing.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Cell Phones Can Now Receive Reverse 911 Calls
Please know that the “Fiskdale” section of Sturbridge is not listed and therefore residents residing in that section of our community should simply list Sturbridge as their primary town. This will not impact the cell phone notifications.
Thank you,
Lt. Mark Saloio
Old Sturbridge Village Hosts Christmas By Candlelight
Christmas by Candlelight
Performance Schedule(As of 11/17/2011. For complete list, see www.osv.org)
Bob Olson's Holiday Magic
Full Gael Celtic Christmas
Old Sturbridge Village Dancers
Tantasqua High School Choraleers
Woodstock Academy Hill Singers
Andrea Caspari and Firefly Shadow Theater
Geoff Brown ~ A Mandolin Christmas
Lynnfield Pioneer Singers
Shepard Hill "Mystique"
Bob Olson's Holiday Magic
Jaques Ave Five
Old Sturbridge Village Singers
Quintebrass
Friday, December 9:
Bob Olson's Holiday Magic
Brookfield Elementary Band & Chorus
Full Gael Celtic Christmas
Hickory Strings
Old Sturbridge Village Dancers
Full Gael Celtic Christmas
Stow Fife and Drum
Treblesome Barbershop Quartet
Old Sturbridge Village Singers
Prolatia Choir
Quintebrass
Worcester State Chorale
Full Gael Celtic Christmas
Merrimack Valley Ringers
Old Sturbridge Village Dancers
Stafford High Madrigal Singers
Tantasqua Faculty Handbell Choir
Boston Jazz Voices
Elm Street Handbells
Pawtuxet Fife and Drum
Tantasqua Brass Quintet
Worcester Men of Song
Leicester Town Band
Old Sturbridge Village Singers
Oxford High School Band
Rose Thorn and Fiddle
Quintebrass
The Process Preserved
The Worcester Telegram article had only one side to the story, the school committees, and not the selectman's. Well, as expected, that particular board responded last night. Tom Creamer left an explanation as to why the article was not included in the warrant.
It was good to read Tom's explanation. Now, we have both sides to the story, and the information to decide which side of the road we will want to travel: the school committees, or the selectman's.
Agreeing with Tom, or the school committee, is not what matters most this evening. What matters now is that both sides have shared their opinions with us in order for us to make an informed decision.
All part of the process.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
2nd Annual Winter Tree Scavenger Hunt
One Side Does Not Make A Story; Let's Hear The Rest Of It
According to the School Committee they submitted an article that was to be placed in the town warrant that would have changed the procedure of how vacancies on the school committee would be filled from now on.
“The Board of Selectmen can put it on the town meeting warrant,” School Committee member James P. Ehrhard said. “They did not do it this time. There is no reason to think that they will in June.
The above quote from the Worcester Telegram was included in an article by Craig Semon. The article referred to the appointment of Ms. Waters to the school committee by the BOS, and that that particular action, against the school committees wishes, may be the reason the article, submitted to the selectmen for inclusion on the town warrant, was not placed on the warrant.
So far, it is a lot of he said, he said. What's missing are some facts, and some other voices.
Was the article for the warrant submitted on time, and in the correct format? Who submitted it? Was the article written by one person, or by all of those on the school committee? Who was the article submitted to? Was it submitted via the mail, in person, faxed, or email?
See, if one is going to make an accusation that the BOS did not add the article to the warrant, and they may not later in 2012, then it lends a nefarious air to the matter without it actually being said, and maybe that is on purpose. One school committee member did state that in all his years as a selectmen in Wales he could not imagine the BOS denying any other board the right to place an article on the a warrant. We don't really know if the BOS denied the school committee from the information we have thus far.
So, the School Committee is upset that their article was not included in the Warrant, we get it, but we still don't have answers to the questions above. Those answers will add much more to the story.
Oh, and another thing, the article does not have: an interview with the Sturbridge Selectmen.
Seems that the article was written without completing some basic interviewing. It is almost as if someone was ticked off, called the reporter, vented, and the reporter wrote the story way too late in the evening to corroborate it, and then, simply emailed it to his editor. The result was what I read this morning. A one sided, incomplete story without a word from any member of the Sturbridge Board of Selectmen. Very obviously one sided. Intentional or not, still poor form.
In all fairness, no matter how one feels about the situation now, or last summer, we need to hear from the BOS before we can get a true feel for just what happened.
Now, that being said, if the BOS does explain themselves well, then fine, let's move on, and take it the next step in the process. If the BOS doesn't want to talk about it, gives reasons that are not acceptable, some multi-paragraphed double speak, or just silence, then we can all be a ticked off, do some venting to the press.
Getting pissed off is only therapeutic, and beneficial, when all all the facts are in, otherwise one just looks silly.
Believe me, I don't need any outside help in that department.
For the entire article click here.