A Comment Worth Sharing

This morning I received this comment on a post from June 2008. I wanted to share it here as well as posting it in the comment section.

"Mrs. Farrell has left a new comment on your post "An Open Letter: It Ain't Over Till It's Over"(June 2008):

Please view the video from Bethlehem NH "somewhere over the landfill" at the following link :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbbijDwvR9w&feature=channel_page

Bethlehem has been struggling against Casella for a number of years. In Templeton MA we have recently "unsite" assigned our old landfill that Casella was trying to expand. Good luck with your efforts.

A good contact for Bethlehem NH is Julie Seely.

Sincerely,
Julie Farrell"

ed note--Unable to determine meaning of term "unsite".

Sunday Musing

Music can set any mood. Some music is meant for romancing, some to clear ones head, or fill it to the brim. Other music is fun, sad, and every other emotion in between. We get lost in the notes, and if we let it, music can take us places we been before, or never been to at all.

When I'm driving I usually have music playing. When I'm driving around town, sometimes it is as if He is in the mood to play with my head, and a song will come on the CD player that will be the perfect soundtrack for what I am seeing on the street. Runners are running in time to the melody, the driver in the car ahead of me is bobbing their head in time to the song playing in my car, or I'll pull up along side a car at a light and the old couple in the front seat look as if they are lip syncing to some Beach Boys song on my radio.

Can't help smiling.

The song below is on the Best of Fleetwood Mac CD set Mary gave me for Christmas. I like this song. Besides being a great love song, it has a very distinct beat that travels through the entire song. It's a feel good song.

Now, imagine you are in your car waiting at a traffic light here in town, and suddenly a women wearing purple leg warmers, one of those brightly colored wool hats with ears and long ties dangling down, and pink down vest that is a bit small on her comes into view. She is walking her dog, all 3 pounds of fur dressed in a sweater to match her hat. Her gait is purposeful, and precise. A perfect syncopated rhythm. As the ties from her hat sway, and her unleashed arm swings back and forth, she literally bounces.

All in time to this song coming out of your speakers. Fun is where you find it. For a few moments, He has given you a soundtrack for your life.

And, you can't help smiling.

Everywhere - Fleetwood Mac

If song will not play, click here to go directly to site.

The King

Small towns are neat. All the problems in world still affect us, and we have our own issues, too, but in a smaller format.

In most cities there are occasionally power struggles among mayor, counsel members, and various departments. Most of those issues revolve around jurisdiction of particular boards, departments, and facilities. The mayors office may feel that it is in charge of the schools, the school committee feels otherwise. These are big issues, and will often go on for a long time depending on the personality of the mayor, and those the mayor is confronting.

Here in Sturbridge we have power struggles as well, but since we are such a small town, our struggles are not nearly as dramatic. I mean, really, what is there in town to struggle over? Well, if there isn't anything to struggle over, make something up.

Currently, there is a power struggle involving the dump. The Town Administrator feels he is the King of the Dump, and not the Board of Health. He feels that he has the time for oversight of duties that our part-time Board of Health does not have the time for, including making appointments to the board for inspector positions, and being the ruling authority of the dump. Town attorneys agree with the Town Administrator, but the lawyer for the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards disagrees.

"State law gives boards of health the authority to employ the necessary officers, agents and assistants to execute the health laws and its regulations. The charter does not explicitly or implicitly strip the Board of Health of this authority.", according to the attorney for the Association.

The Town administrator disagrees with this position.

But, why? Why would the Town Administrator be so inclined to want to have ruling authority of something like the dump, and not let it be under the jurisdiction of the Board of Health like it is in other Massachusetts communities?

There's more to this power struggle than meets the eye.

If we are going to go by the Town Charter, and review it for duties not explained fully for each department and board, and have those duties assumed by the Town Administrator by default, then we is in for a world of trouble.

I don't have the charter in front of me, but if we use the argument that the administrator is using then we should look closer at it and move ALL the other duties not specifically spelled out in the charter to his office.

Imagine the mess.

Or, we can behave normally, and assign those duties that involve the health and well being of Sturbridge residents to, I don't know, let's say the Board of Health. Whoa. Now, there's an idea.

Once that precedent is established it will insure we don't use teachers to plow the roads, or the rec department to run the waste water treatment facility.

Once a city, or towns leadership decides to assume more responsibilities that would otherwise fall under the domain of other departments because leadership feels that the boards, or departments are only part time, or too small to provide proper oversight, then, now here it comes: common sense, it is then time to: (altogether now) make the department bigger, and go full time.

Duh.

If the town has out grown it's 1950's style of boards and departments, then leadership must insure that our town government grows as does the town.

Mayors and Town Administrators don't have time for running other departments. It's all about delegation of authority to those that have knowledge in the area.

Just makes common sense.

Sometimes I think every town should have an Office of Common Sense, and all proposals, and daydreams of officials must be submitted to the Overseer of Common Sense before they can be officially proposed to the town.

Heck, I'd volunteer. Not as important sounding as King of the Dump, but Overseer does have a ring to it.

Now, I need to review the Charter. Who knows, maybe the Fence Viewer is not officially sanctioned in it, and that's all we need is one more job for the Veterans Agent.


Addendum: The following is from the Town of Sturbridge Charter Revised April 2007:

Section 4-8 Board of Health: Composition; Term of Office; Compensation; Powers and Duties.

(A) Composition, Term of Office - there shall be a board of health consisting of three (3) members elected by the voters for terms of three years so arranged that the term of office of one member shall expire each year.

(B) Compensation - The members of the board of health shall receive for their services such compensation as may annually be provided for that purpose by appropriation.

(C) Powers and Duties - the board of health may make reasonable health regulations and shall enforce the laws relating to public health, the provisions of the state sanitary code and all local health regulations.

'nuff said.



Ed note: The proper name for the dump is the Town of Sturbridge Recycling Center, however it is not as funny as "dump", or "King of the Dump".

We Ain't Seen Nuthin' Yet

"The Great Recession".

That is what these times will be known as. We have never had bad economic times, such as these, since the "Great Depression". Things are going to get much worse, way before they begin to get better.

Well, that's a cheery way to start the day.

I know, and I am sorry for sharing what is shoved down our throats every day on the news here on this space, but I can't ignore it any longer.

Layoffs are being made in all sectors, homes are falling into foreclosure not just from the screwy mortgage situation, but from everyday folks that no longer have the income to pay their mortgages. Things are beginning to shift.

Folks are filling up apartments, and the number of those that are available are getting tight.

Of course, Main Street is being hit hard, but so is My Street, and Your Road. The state is cutting back. Towns will get less state money, and services and personnel will be cut. Some officials have elected to forgo their annual raises. This is a good thing, but one or two people giving up a 5% raise will do little to stem the tide. If we are to maintain the same level of services during these dark times, then everyone on the town payroll has got to take a hit.

Everyone.

Giving up 8% of ones income sure beats the heck out of being laid off, and having no income, and certainly is much better than having the Fire Department go part time, the police cutting back on patrols, the Highway Department only able to go out in a storm to clear the roads once or twice, or our classroom size increasing.

During the Great Depression we know of the sacrifices that people made. Some of us may have heard the stories our grandparents, or their parents told. Recovery eventually came, but during those years prior to our coming out of that Depression, everyone made sacrifices. We need to do that today as well.

We hear that Americans are cutting back on spending, saving more, and buying less. Macy's announced layoffs yesterday. The President wants to give Americans money to spend in the market place to stimulate the economy.

Well, I am not an economist, far from it, but I do have some common sense. If you give $1000.00 to a person that is behind on their bills, rent, mortgage, car payment, where do you think that money will go? Sure as heck won't go to the perfume counter at Macy's, or to Best Buy for a 52 inch LCD TV. That money will have been spent weeks before it even arrives. The money will do nothing to stimulate the economy.

So, how do we weather the storm? Well, as individuals there is little we can do to offset what is happening on Wall Street, but we must be aware that none of us is immune, and take steps to change our behaviors so that if are directly affected by a layoff, or salary reduction, we can survive.

Cutting back on the extras, saving more of our income, refinancing our mortgages to a new lower rate, retraining in another field are just some of the ways to prepare, and volunteering more. In order to maintain the same level of services schools, hospitals, senior centers, and other town departments will make cuts. Maybe if enough of us fill those paid spaces with volunteer hours, the cuts won't be felt as much.

I am not immune. I work in health care, and health care is one of those "safe" industries the experts keep saying. Not entirely true. Cambridge Hospital is closing their Pediatric Unit, Tufts Medical Center has laid off, and other hospitals around the state doing the same. We need a back up plan. Like you, I pray that my services will continue to be needed, and I would be willing to accept a cut in my salary in order to maintain our mission. We've already had some layoffs.

Everyones situation is so different. Priorities vary from household to household. Only those that live inside of the houses on our streets know just what they need to do. If they don't know the specifics of how they can survive, then they must be aware that this economic crisis is going to affect everyone, and they need to make a plan now.

I guess the only thing I can actually do at this end is to wish us all good luck, and pray that the light at the end of tunnel is not the Acela.

Monday Morning Rants

I am far from bring a member of Green Peace, or a true tree hugger. I do have a great respect for nature, and preserving it. At the same time I am also very much in favor for making nature enjoyable to all, not just to pack it up and store it on the shelf away from the influence of humans. What would be the point? Why then conserve nature if we were to restrict its use by man?

It would be like not having it all.

So, about these dams on the Hammant Brook. I would like to keep them. We bought the property with the ponds in it, and it made for a beautiful tract of land for the town to purchase. Now we must change that to something else?

OK, so the state biologists say it will be healthy for the fish and the Quinebaug River to allow the brook to flow free. Hasn't seemed to hurt either one yet, though. And if we are going to use the same argument for restoring the health of the brook, and the river by removing the dams, then all dams that hold back brook and stream waters flowing into the Quinebaug should be removed.

After all, it is for the health of the river, and the stream itself.

Let's start with the earthen dam at Pistol Pond. That old dam holds back a great deal of water that eventually flows into the Quinebaug River. The source of the water is in the wetlands north of Walker Pond. A stream from the wetlands flows into Walker Pond, and out the southern end of the pond, under the ramps of the Mass Pike, under Route 20 and into Pistol Pond. Once in Pistol Pond the water fills the pond, and the excess flows over the dam into Hobbs Brook and on into the river.

This is a whole lot of geography that would be affected if we took down this dam. Many wildlife species that have come to make the are home because of ponds would be displaced. The water level of Pistol Pond would be dramatically lowered, as would the water level of Walker Pond as well. The wetlands would suffer as well. It would be like pulling the stopper in a bathtub.

But, it is a good thing, right? We will have restored the streams to the the way they once were, way back before man came along and messed with the ecosystem.

But, here is the issue: man is here. We chose the area to settle, and to live in. When we came here, we made changes to the landscape to support our settlement. If we change things to the way they once were, how will that affect us, and our way of life?

Something to think on.

As far as I can see, there is no large fish kills from the dams on Hammant Brook, the wildlife is not being adversely affected. Maybe some fish aren't allowed access to the river, and the water temperature, according to the biologists, is not what it could be, but that water temperature is affected by a number of other factors as well. Storm runoff into the river, and the flow from the East Brimfield Dam can alter the water temperature as well.

Seems that it comes down to money. Restore the dams for one amount, or remove them for another. Each has its supporters.

I don't think that the Town would opt for removing the Pistol Pond dam for the same reasons as it is considering for the Hammant Brook dams. There's no money there to fund its removal, and the people that live upstream would light torches and storm the Town Hall with pitchforks if it was ever considered. Hammant Brook has no real abutters, except the wildlife that has come to live on and around the ponds.

Hmm. Take the "free" money now to remove the dams, and be done with them, or spend other money to restore them and maintain them?

How about we just leave them alone? Why bother restore them at all? Why not just leave them as they are?

Maybe, just maybe, the this money from the co-generation plant further down river could be better off spent on taking care of the river downstream from it. The plant sends heated water into the river, and that is a concern, maybe the money should be spent where it is needed more, and not for some "feel good" act way the heck upstream.

OK. I'm done. Enough ranting for a Monday morning.