Although there was discussion on the first article, each article died for lack of a “second” to the motion.

Zimini’s reasoning was that because the town had asked all the unions to pass up their annual pay raises last year, it would be appropriate for the town leaders to do something similar. “We should take leadership on this,” he said.

Selectman Bob Cox said that he would support a suspension, but didn’t think it was fair to boards in the future to propose an outright permanent cut.

Chairman George Malliaros made the point that a study should be made of other towns in the area for comparison purposes. It was his belief that Tewksbury has a stipend that is already double that of Dracut’s. He made a point that Dracut is in pretty good financial state right now.

He also pointed out that the elected officials have not asked for a raise in at least the last 12 years.. if not longer.

In researching the issue, Selectman Joe DiRocco found that the gasoline reimbursement started back in the 1960’s, and has been given as part of the selectmen’s benefit package since then.

In looking at the issue, I can see a few issues. Zimini is right that the town union members have all been asked to skip pay raises. I’m not sure why he didn’t include the non-union employees in his discussion as well.. they all did the same and should be thanked for thier sacrifice as well.

Selectman Jim O’Loughlin made the point that arguing the line items of the town budget really belongs in a budget workshop meeting, of which he had proposed a number of and the board had already had one this month where this type of discussion really belongs.

All elected officials have the right at any time to not take the stipend if they wish, or do as School Committee Member Mike Miles does, and donate it all for charitable purposes (in his case, for student scholarships).

The issue gets deeper, because there are unintended consequences.

If Zimini had proposed this last year as he says he planned, then he and other members would have lost a year from their earned time towards their pension, as well as cutting others off from their current health insurance plan on a short notice. These are items that that most citizens could care less about (other than financially for the town).. but making such decisions should be discussed and evaluated in more than a moment’s notice.

Interestingly, I was reminded during later discussions that just two years ago, it was Zimini who was proposing a doubling of the Selectmen’s stipend.

Again, I agree with Malliaros that this is not a time for a raise.

I would prefer to see the gasoline reimbursement eliminated and the town just be up front with the actual stipend being $3000 for the Selectmen.  Comparing with what other towns are doing is a good idea.. and maybe the best time to propose this type of change is during the fall in preparation for next year, where members have time to adjust their personal situations in response to the change.

There continues to be a strong disconnect between Selectmen Zimini and the rest of the board. This seems to be rolling over to the fincom as well (I understand that meeting got a little heated this week as well, over the same issue).

At this point, however, the committee has chosen to stop committing funds for studies and investigations until a price is settled.

The Richardson family knows that the more the CPC puts into the project, the more valuable the land is.

The article also reminds us that there is a long waiting list for state money for these projects (we were at the front of that list last year, but passed on the opportunity probably putting us back to the end of the line).

The first couple articles quickly were deferred until June. One was about changing the “envelope” around the APR property Mrs Ogonowski lives within.. the other about the town taking over two sewer lift stations.

The Budget item passed easily. It was mostly a reorganizing of some items, and adjusting the revenue figures to meet the actuals we’ve seen so far. (and the GLTech finally got their cash.. lol). At times I wish we could just “call the question” rather than hear all the details, but then again I would complain if I didn’t hear them.

The contentious article turned out not to be Louisburg (which was basically moot, so it was voted on just to get it over with), but the raising of sewer tie-in fees.

Finance Chair Gary Marsella came out saying that homeowner’s sewer rates were “in peril” if this wasn’t passed.

Bill Morin then spoke in favor of the bill, saying that he had had the sewer commission before the “Government Rules and Regulations” committee to explain this to them. In my mind, I was thinking “is that their role? I thought their position was to review the legality of the wording of new bylaws .. not rule on a recommendation of the content.”

Then the fireworks started (other than the microphone feedback problems).

Selectman Jim O’Loughlin came forward speaking to the need. Nobody had come to the selectmen saying why they needed more money, only that “other towns had done it, so why don’t we.” Tewksbury and Chelmsford, he pointed out, were not an example of the direction he wanted Dracut to go in.

He challenged Marsella on using the “in peril” line as a scare tactic. He didn’t believe sewer fees would be raised while the town studied the issue for a few months first. Nobody showed that the sewer commission needed additional money, only that they had found a way to get more.. at the cost of new home buyers and new businesses.

The rest of the Board of Selectmen had agreed with O’Loughlin, except- of course, John Zimini.

Zimini came out and immediately started mocking O’Loughlin’s statements, and made a great old fashioned Democrat pledge to support the “homeowners” and people on “fixed incomes”.

In my mind, once again, I was thinking that he was supposed to be the selectmen in support of bringing new businesses to town. An additional $2500 per unit on larger businesses such as those on 113 could cost a new business another quarter to half million dollars. When comparing locations between towns like Dracut, Tewksbury , etc.. its nice to be on the low side of fees and taxes to be competitive.

The town meeting voted not to defer, but to vote on the article, and then quickly voted to pass it (I belive on the belief that it was saving their sewer fees from increasing). I think this was at a cost to the town of future businesses, but like Obama’s “jobs created or saved”.. that just can’t be measured.

Something may have gone on in the Selectmen’s meeting before the town meeting, I’m not sure (I was over at the Salvation Army meeting). But Zimini did not just come out to speak.. he came out angry again. It seems to be his common theme lately.

It almost feels like we’ve got two people running against each other for office here.. with Zimini building his support structure throughout the town committees, while O’Loughlin is using conservative values to build a support base among the general populace.

PS. Props to Selectman Bob Cox for taking his stand on the Louisburg Vote, and then leading the applause for the woman who lives at the building who spoke to the disgust she felt towards the people who spoke as if she lived in a tenement. She loves her home, and feels that the whole Louisburg argument come down against the seniors in town and the opponents should feel ashamed of themselves.

DRACUT — A proposal to bring a Walgreens pharmacy to a busy part of town was shot down last night by the Planning Board in a 3-2 vote.

Board member Brian Bond said the new store would not satisfy any of the requirements for granting the special building permit required by the project.

“Is it in harmony with the intent of the bylaw?” Bond asked. “I don’t believe it was ever the intent of the bylaw to put such a large development into such a crowded area.”

The proposal called for Walgreens to take five lots to build a store next to Coburn Avenue, near the intersection of Lakeview Avenue and Mammoth Road. The larger area is zoned for commercial use, but the immediate neighbors of the development would all have been residential homes.

Despite the fact that current zoning bylaws could have allowed it, some board members argued that the impact to the neighborhood would be too great.

“The people I consider most are the people who are going to wake up each morning and see it,” said board member Robert Donnelly. “I don’t like it. I just think it’s wrong.”

Donnelly added that he thought the store, the lot for which would take up nearly 10 times the square footage of an average lot in that area, was too big and would be open too many hours each day.

Not everyone was against the project. Chairman Phil Thibault and member George Nangle voted in favor.

Thibault said he could see no legitimate reason to deny the special permit under current zoning bylaws. The area is zoned for commercial use, and the town’s master plan calls for lots in a commercial area to be one acre or more. That means the residential homes, the lots of which are all under one acre, are the ones not complying with zoning, Thibault said.

“Is a project of this size appropriate to this area? Our zoning bylaw says it is,” he said.

In order for the board to grant the special building permit, four of the five members would have had to vote in favor of the project, and not enough shared Thibault’s opinion.

Most argued that the project was too big and would draw too much traffic to the area, hurting the surrounding neighborhood.

“It’s a huge building that’s going to be dropped into a tight neighborhood,” Bond said. “The site is unable to provide that level of service.”

When Thibault announced that the proposal had been defeated, the crowd of about 40 residents applauded. Most said afterward that the store would have had too great an impact on town streets.

“It’s hard to say you’re going to stop progress, unless you have a good reason — and the reason is traffic,” one resident said. “It affects the whole neighborhood.”

Also voting against was member Philip Greene.

DRACUT — Town planners may have rejected a plan to bring Walgreens to Dracut, but residents who own the land are now planning to sell their lots so a strip mall can be built at the intersection of Mammoth Road and Lakeview Avenue instead.

And town officials and residents apparently can’t stop them.

“We’re just following the rules,” said Norman Marx, who lives at 1175 Mammoth Road. “We cannot sell it for anything other than commercial and we can’t build any other homes on it.”

Marx can sell the homes on his property to developers who can legally build commercial buildings up to 5,000 square feet without any approval from town officials. There’s enough space to fit several buildings on his property — enough for a strip mall, according to Marx.

“We have to move on with our life. We’re getting older and we have to move to a smaller place. It will be sold,” said Marx.

Marx and his wife Fran live in one home on the property, while his wife’s 93-year-old parents live in an adjacent house. The Marxes plan to sell the entire property so that all four of them can buy one home and they can care for the elderly couple.

Many businesses, including a construction yard, could legally use that land under current zoning laws, the rules that dictate what can and cannot be built, according to Phil Thibault, chairman of the Planning Board.

“If a mason or contractor wanted to come in there and store construction materials, there’s little the town could do to stop them,” said Thibault, one of two board members who voted in favor of Walgreens.

The Planning Board defeated the proposal 3-2 Wednesday night. Because Walgreens wanted to build a store larger than 10,000 square feet, the national chain needed approval for a special building permit from four out of five board members.

Joseph Clermont, the attorney representing Walgreens for the proposal, said Walgreens officials had not decided whether to appeal the decision. The company has 20 days to appeal after the Planning Board files its decision with the Town Clerk.

The Walgreens proposal began about three years ago when the Marxes began working with Prudential Real Estate broker Scott Reiff to find buyers for their property. Reiff said many potential developers were interested.

“We had gas stations. We had little tattoo parlors, vet clinics and fast-food restaurants,” said Reiff.

Reiff said the Marxes thought Walgreens would be the best business to come into the area. Reiff brokered the deal for several other surrounding homeowners to agree to sell their properties so the national pharmacy chain could build.

“Walgreens had the money to not only buy the land, but they also had the financial means to fix the intersection,” said Reiff.

Walgreens proposed demolishing five houses to build a store next to Coburn Avenue and wanted to install a traffic light at the intersection and widen the road as concessions to the town and area residents. During five months of public hearings, neighbors successfully argued the new store would bring too much traffic and hurt their quality of life.

“Now we just feel so robbed of the opportunity to sell our home,” said Diane Pater, one of the homeowners who hoped to sell to Walgreens. “Where do we go from here? We just feel like it wasn’t fair at all.”

Pater lives at 12 Coburn Ave. with her husband, Michael, three sons — ages 3, 5 and 7 — and her mother. Diane Pater said the family had hoped to move to a bigger home in Dracut to accommodate their growing family. She said she and her family kept a low profile out of respect for her neighbors during the more than two years of project planning, but she is now speaking up.

“I understand my neighbors are upset (about the Walgreens proposal), but I live next to Korner Kitchen. This is not farmland. These are the two biggest streets in Dracut,” said Pater. “If they don’t want anything commercial here, why is it commercial?”

Pater’s home and the surrounding area has been zoned for commercial use for at least 40 years, according to Thibault.

Pater said the town has to make improvements to the nearby intersection because it’s dangerous. Now that Walgreens isn’t footing the bill, Pater worries that her taxes will go up to pay for the project. She said Walgreens would have been good for Dracut.

“Enough is a enough,” she said. “It was going to benefit us. I know a lot of people said it wasn’t, but it was.”

A fundraiser in an off year? I have nothing against that. I encourage more of them.

There has been some talk about town lately that Colleen may not run next year, and a number of people have been showing interest in running. There’s no official word, so for now I’ll bet against it.

From the Sun Column:

Dracut Selectman John Zimini said there is a very good reason he decided to throw a fundraiser even though he is not up for re-election until 2011; It was hosted by Lt Gov Tim Murray.
Bu the two-term selectman said he is not targeting State Sen Susan Tucker, state Rep. Colleen Garry, or any other higher position for that matter. Garry, in fact, co-sponsored the fete.
“I’m happy being a selectman,” Zimini said, explaining that the fundraiser; held at the Village Inn and attended by about 150 people, was just a matter of timing. “(Murray) and I have become pretty friendly over the years and he asked a while ago if there was anything he could do to repay me for my help in his campaigns. I figured we’d try this and see how it goes.”
Zimini, whose term ends in 2011, said the fundraiser was a risky move. A small turnout would lead to speculation that he is no longer relevant and has not support. In Zimini’s case, the sizeable crowd was an encouragement.
“I was very peased with the outcome,” ZImini said. “It could have easily gone either way. That’s the chance you take.”
It also demonstrates that ZImini has powerful friends in high places.

Now, Zimini may say that he is not targeting a higher office right now, but it sure seemed like he was giving a campaign speech last night during the discussion of naming the Canney Recreation facility after firefighters Dillon and McInespie who were lost in the line of duty back in the 1930’s.

“I was in support of firefighters before there were firefighters..” or somesuch speech.. which seemed awfully out of place, while the proposer of the motion, Joe DiRocco (a lifetime firefighter and past chief) had a stack of 1930s newspaper articles in front of him that he had gotten from the families of the deceased firefighters.

Seemed like a “steal your thunder” move to me.

It will be interesting to see if they have any sort of budget worked out yet. This morning’s paper continues to discuss the situation in an article by the Lowell Sun’s Bridget Scrimenti (Dracut’s new reporter) on teachers losing jobs in the recession.

Once again, the school department was less than helpful to the press.. “The school superintendents office could not provide numbers on how many teachers were laid-off and how many will be hired back,” she wrote. Well, the number laid off should be public information, so I don’t see why anyone should have to fight to get that. How many will come back, that will only be known if we ever get a budget from the schools.

The Board of Selectmen’s meeting on Tuesday looks most interesting. The meeting is being held for the first time at Harmony Hall. Lets hope they all remember the word “Harmony.”

We have DATV coming in to visit. I’m sure that will be a very fun exchange. They’ve been “invited” to discuss their operation during that exchage a few weeks ago regarding the filming of a meeting over at the town hall.

Also up for discussion, hopefully for the last time, will be additional lighting for Veteran’s Park. This in itself will probably turn into another long discussion that has to be had, but needs to get settled.

I hear that we also have a couple local businesses being brought in for selling liquor to minors again.. at least one of them is a repeat.. that always brings out the best in our boys.

Update: I am told through my underground sources that 70 letters of layoff went out at the beginning of the month

The Open Space Committee is going to hike the new trail through the Meadow Creek Golf Course this Sunday, 22nd March, at 2:30PM. If you would like to join us, please park near the clubhouse and be dressed for hiking.

The golf course has a great walking/hiking trail that is open to the public (as part of their permit for operation in town I believe).

This is a great opportunity for the townsfolk to check out the golf course and the available walking trail.

Piendak is hoping to whittle that down, using contributions from the town school budget, Greater Lowell Technical High School and money from the FEMA disaster declaration in the wake of December’s ice storm.

“That gets us down to about $149,000, and we continue to identify savings,” Piendak said, adding that another $3,300 was saved when the printing fee for excise tax bills was recently waived. Smaller cost-cutting measures, such as the elimination of all bottled-water purchases, also have been implemented.

“Superintendent (W. Spencer) Mullin has already given us confirmation that we will get back $75,000 from the School Department,” Piendak said. “Whether we get the $25,000 from (Greater Lowell Tech) remains to be seen.”

And while layoffs do not seem imminent, town employees can expect a hiring freeze and no salary increases for a while. This drew criticism from board members who learned last week that the School Department has hired 53 people since July. In addition, the School Committee recently approved a salary increase for teachers of about 8 percent over the next three years, and a 5 percent raise for school administrators.Selectman Joe DiRocco made a motion to send a letter to the School Department, as well as Greater Lowell Tech, asking them to institute wage freezes for one year.

]]> http://www.dracutforum.net/2009/02/15/town-is-handling-fiscal-crisis-so-far/feed/ 0 http://www.dracutforum.net/2008/11/15/shaw-responds-to-sun-article-this-morning-on-980-wcap/ http://www.dracutforum.net/2008/11/15/shaw-responds-to-sun-article-this-morning-on-980-wcap/#comments Sat, 15 Nov 2008 14:28:18 +0000 admin http://www.dracutforum.net/?p=1704 Warren spoke this morning in reaction to the front page article in yesterday’s Lowell Sun regarding his and Kathy DiTillio’s taking the health insurance retirement benefit.

His issue was not the article itself, which he found to be accurate and complete (except for a small correction they printed this morning), but the tone taken regarding the issue and the placement of the article on the front page.

There is nothing quiet or secret about this. We have spoken publicly and argued the issue back and forth for years. Many times, live on the air, where anyone is welcome to call in and question him about it.

Brian covers the story as well at his Dracut Politics blog.

And although I didn’t think it necessary, in the next segment we once again covered the issue itself of elected officials have a retirement health care benefit.

I take the point of view that we should not offer it. Not to any elected official, and probably not for while they are in office at all.

I don’t see a lack of people running for office.. though the number does seem to be dwindling.

I do not, however, want anyone running just to get the benefits.

A stipend for some of the positions I do understand. There are costs involved in holding an office. Both in terms of time spent away from family, as well as your not being available to work overtime or a second job if needed to support your family.

The amount of the stipend is decided publicly every year at the June town meeting. Anyone at that time can recommend changing the amount. It seems a fair enough system.

However, Elected office was not meant to be a career. We should not encourage the continued creation of this aristocracy by creating long term retirement benefits as if it is.

But when those who make the decisions are also the once who make the decisions as to what the benefits are.. I’m not sure how the situation can be fixed.

]]> http://www.dracutforum.net/2008/11/15/shaw-responds-to-sun-article-this-morning-on-980-wcap/feed/ 1 8:35 no No