It seems that all trails lead to Sturbridge, or could if we
are willing to shell out some money. I wish I could tell you how much but it
seems that the Town Administrator is being a little less than forth coming with
the info.
A few months ago there was a presentation by a consulting
company on the local cable access channel about three different trail scenarios
for the town. The most expensive of the three had a price tag of $2 million.
Chump change I know, but indulge me. Well tomorrow night, June 7, there will be
a joint meeting of the Selectmen, the Conservation Commission and the Trails
Committee to discuss this plan. However it seems that there is no information
on the financing and the Town Administrator can’t be bothered to share the
information.
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You know the free money from the state, like the money used
for those pretty brick sidewalks? I have to ask the question, where does the
state get that money? Think about it for awhile, it will come to you. Now I
know, I can see you wagging your finger at me out there and saying, “Well the
money was extra we just HAD to spend it.” Well actually no we could have given
it back. Now there is a unique concept, giving money back to the state. We
wouldn’t want to set any kind of precedent would we?
I guess I’ll head over to the Town Hall tomorrow night and
learn about the trails and about the free money. Here is a prediction: I will
hear how we need to have these trails because they will bring business into
town. And it will be the best thing to ever happen to Sturbridge since the last
best thing that happened to us. And there will be stars in everybody’s eyes, I
can’t wait to see them.
I agree. The taxpayers are still responsible for what the "free" money from the state doesn't pay for when these "projects" are approved. I equate it to a 50% off sale--you still have to pay the other 50%.
ReplyDeleteI've attended several meetings to cast my vote to stop this insanity. However, there is either confusion as in the 6/4/2012 meeting by the TM (who can apologize all he wants for being confused, but he should consider stepping down from the position if he can't run the meeting properly and fairly) or important issues are brought to the voters at a late hour.
It is unfair to let these meetings run past 10:00PM. Again, there is a lack of respect by the FinCom, TA, BOS, TM, and other voters. Many residents have to commute beyond Worcester/Springfield to make a decent wage so they can pay their bills. When I leave for work at 5:00 AM, I am not the only one in town headed for the Mass Pike. It is very difficult to commute 2 hours, work an 8 hour day, and be expected to attend a town meeting for 5 hours until midnight just to exercise your right to vote. It's also disrepectful to the seniors who may not feel comfortable driving that late at night. I voted for Saturday meetings at the December meeting and will again (if they get to it before midnight on June 18th).
The people in this town need to start thinking about their children and grandchildren. They're not going to be able to afford to buy a home in the Town of Sturbridge because of the taxes.
I agree with you about the length of the meeting and i too will vote for Saturdays.
DeleteWe are also taxpayers in this state, so that "free" money comes from us, or others like us in other towns, where we pay for their foolish spending. This is why we need to stop it throughout the state (and country).
We NEED to attend the meeting on June 18th to get town meetings on Saturday! If we were to limit the annual town meeting to three hours, there is the possibility that we would need three evenings to cover everything, allowing taxpayers to speak, and finally taking the votes. It was a shame on Monday night even to see how may people stayed around until 10 pm! By 12:15 am and only 4 warrant articles coming to a vote, we ajourned until June 18th. These evening meetings are nuts!
DeleteRe: Trails - No was has evaluated Return on Investment on this whole trails/eco-tourism thing. There is none or should I say, it would definitely be a negative number. I continue to say STOP SPENDING MONEY! In the end, it still costs us money for extra staff, management, and maintenance. DOES ANYONE OUT THERE GET THIS???????
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