FinComs discuss cost-saving ideas - Sentinel & Enterprise

First thing, the idea of a regionalization for police services for the Town of Ashby is a BONAFIDE JOKE.

Lillian Whitney, the chief problem of the Town of Ashby would like you to believe that it can afford a regionalization compact.

This is hard to believe when Ashby cannot afford to repair a small bridge that could cost the town close to $240,000. That with the fact, that this town cannot house it's Police/Emergency communications center in nothing but a rundown trailer, I don't think that Lillian Whitney, has the right to talk to ANY TOWN for help, or bark about mandates.

Furthermore, Townsend shouldn't be looking for agreements with towns like Ashby that cannot afford to take care of their own Police Department, or for that matter burden their taxpayers for more to pay for towns, with taxpayers that WON'T pay for upgrades to their own town departments.

Lillian Whitney, wants to run Ashby on a 1960's budget, when the town was nothing but a small podunkville town, that was being run on the dollars of rich well-to-do families.

If Townsend wishes to regionalize, Pepperell is the answer, but not Ashby.

After all, one shouldn't be paying for taxpayers, who won't pay for the investments to better their town.

Townsend built a new Police Station in the 1980's under difficult times. Ashby needs to quit bickering, have the chutzpah, and take care of their OWN PROBLEMS.

Lastly, Lillian...do Ashby a favor...Shut the *(&^ up!

School Committee member Sue Robbins said engineering studies indicate the North Middlesex Regional High School building is in need of repairs which is threatening the school's accreditation.

"It may make sense to do (make repairs) one by one, it may make sense to do a partial rehab, it may make sense to start all over again," she said. "I don't know, I'm just getting my hands around it."

Hey Sue, please move to Lunenburg and run for school committee or state rep., your inability to focus on a solution would be much appreciated and supported by all. Hey just support a mega district and we'll send our best to you.

Rolling Stone wrote:

First thing, the idea of a regionalization for police services for the Town of Ashby is a BONAFIDE JOKE.
Lillian Whitney, the chief problem of the Town of Ashby would like you to believe that it can afford a regionalization compact.
This is hard to believe when Ashby cannot afford to repair a small bridge that could cost the town close to $240,000. That with the fact, that this town cannot house it's Police/Emergency communications center in nothing but a rundown trailer, I don't think that Lillian Whitney, has the right to talk to ANY TOWN for help, or bark about mandates.
Furthermore, Townsend shouldn't be looking for agreements with towns like Ashby that cannot afford to take care of their own Police Department, or for that matter burden their taxpayers for more to pay for towns, with taxpayers that WON'T pay for upgrades to their own town departments.
Lillian Whitney, wants to run Ashby on a 1960's budget, when the town was nothing but a small podunkville town, that was being run on the dollars of rich well-to-do families.
If Townsend wishes to regionalize, Pepperell is the answer, but not Ashby.
After all, one shouldn't be paying for taxpayers, who won't pay for the investments to better their town.
Townsend built a new Police Station in the 1980's under difficult times. Ashby needs to quit bickering, have the chutzpah, and take care of their OWN PROBLEMS.
Lastly, Lillian...do Ashby a favor...Shut the *(&^ up!

Sounds like Ms. Whitney is trying to make do with a 1960's budget. the budget in which the town has given to it self. you've got all the asswers Rolling stone why don't you step up and show Lillian and the town how smart you are.

Like Fitchburg, Townsend needs to look at cutting their own waste first, and then go to the schools. All the take home cruisers, fire vehicles, building department, water dept. and others(some even live out of state) need to be cut first.

Then go after the other budget waste(although everyone will say there is none).

After you clean up your own budgets, if you still need more, then go to the schools and demand they do the same.

JIm wrote:

Like Fitchburg, Townsend needs to look at cutting their own waste first, and then go to the schools. All the take home cruisers, fire vehicles, building department, water dept. and others(some even live out of state) need to be cut first.
Then go after the other budget waste(although everyone will say there is none).
After you clean up your own budgets, if you still need more, then go to the schools and demand they do the same.

Good idea with the take home vehicles. but the town again is its own worst emeny. some of the these vehicles are contractual agreements. others are out of necessity, on call fire officer for instance.

Lunenburgian wrote:

School Committee member Sue Robbins said engineering studies indicate the North Middlesex Regional High School building is in need of repairs which is threatening the school's accreditation.
"It may make sense to do (make repairs) one by one, it may make sense to do a partial rehab, it may make sense to start all over again," she said. "I don't know, I'm just getting my hands around it."
Hey Sue, please move to Lunenburg and run for school committee or state rep., your inability to focus on a solution would be much appreciated and supported by all. Hey just support a mega district and we'll send our best to you.

At last evening's school committee meeting our world class superintendent, Dr. Maureen Marshall, stated that our students are unable to get the education they deserve because of the building. Honest, I'm not making it up! North Middlesex MCAS scores are indeed the armpit of the surrounding area!(because of the building) And, our school committee members sit there like muppets rubber stamping everything this charlatan can come up with (ie additional administrators and squirrel courses). Our children are being denied a basic sound education in the process.

Eric wrote:

<quoted text>
At last evening's school committee meeting our world class superintendent, Dr. Maureen Marshall, stated that our students are unable to get the education they deserve because of the building. Honest, I'm not making it up! North Middlesex MCAS scores are indeed the armpit of the surrounding area!(because of the building) And, our school committee members sit there like muppets rubber stamping everything this charlatan can come up with (ie additional administrators and squirrel courses). Our children are being denied a basic sound education in the process.

The high school is in serious need of renovation.
It is in the same condition Nashoba Tech was before their renovation earler in this decade.
This is probably what will happen. http://www.salemnews.com/punews/local_story_3...

What is needed is a few clear heads to stop the hysterics.

A renovation with an addition.
Not a big deal. THe state will pick up 50-60% of the cost.The district picks up the rest.

Observer wrote:

<quoted text>
The high school is in serious need of renovation.
It is in the same condition Nashoba Tech was before their renovation earler in this decade.
This is probably what will happen. http://www.salemnews.com/punews/local_story_3...
What is needed is a few clear heads to stop the hysterics.
A renovation with an addition.
Not a big deal. The state will pick up 50-60% of the cost.The district picks up the rest.

Interesting post. Clever, but interesting. Somehow Observer goes from the high school in need of renovation to "A renovation with an addition" not being a big deal. The thirty eight million as the district's share of the cost is no big deal? Why the addition with our declining enrollment and enormous excess capacity?

"What is needed is a few clear heads to stop the hysterics." Translation is: agrees with administration. Most likely the "addition" is simply a straw man for Dr. Marshall and accomplices to knock down in favor of yet another new school.

Paying attention wrote:

"What is needed is a few clear heads to stop the hysterics." Translation is: agrees with administration. Most likely the "addition" is simply a straw man for Dr. Marshall and accomplices to knock down in favor of yet another new school.

rotfl....straw man...
The Danvers article was an EXAMPLE of an addition and renovation project to an existing school. It took a long time for them to get to this point. Clear heads and not hysterics got them there. Nashoba tech added some classrooms when they renovated 7- 8 years ago so it is not unreasonable to think that their MIGHT be some addition to the existing building when it is renovated.
Any school project must have a time line of 30-50 years. Fortunately this will outlast the existing Central office administration and their hysterics of how our students can't get a quality education or how the state is forcing us to regionalize.
(The state just moved the Lunenburg HS project into the next step as well as supporting the Ayer-Shirley regionalization. So much for "we have to regionalize or the state will not give us any money" ) If was a teacher busting my butt at the HS ( They are there, they helped my kid get an excellent scholarship to top notch college) I would be pissed.
The school age population is set to start to increase in 5-7 years. This will be the grandchildren of the baby boomers. This is for whom the high school will be sized for.
There will be a new supt in 3 years. The present school committee should take control of the high school project , separate it from the ridiculous notion of regionalization with Lunenburg, and plan for the future.

Eric wrote:

<quoted text> Interesting post. Clever, but interesting. Somehow Observer goes from the high school in need of renovation to "A renovation with an addition" not being a big deal. The thirty eight million as the district's share of the cost is no big deal? Why the addition with our declining enrollment and enormous excess capacity?

It is not a big deal, it is just a lot of work that needs to be done and It isn't getting done properly.
$38 million for a new school amortized over 20 years for a building built to last for 30-40.
And no, Sterilite won't pay for this one.
Low interest rates, can't drop the FED rate any lower.
Capital expenditures on infrastructure is the way to go.
All sorts of "green initiative" money floating out there for public building projects.
Declining enrollments are temporary.

observer wrote:

<quoted text>
It is not a big deal, it is just a lot of work that needs to be done and It isn't getting done properly.
$38 million for a new school amortized over 20 years for a building built to last for 30-40.
And no, Sterilite won't pay for this one.
Low interest rates, can't drop the FED rate any lower.
Capital expenditures on infrastructure is the way to go.
All sorts of "green initiative" money floating out there for public building projects. s are temporary.

Perhaps it's me or my age? I think $38 million as the district's share, amortized over 20 years, would be a quite a big deal for Pepperell. Pepperell would absorb more than half or average $1 million additional per year. Probably considerably higher in the first few years? I know it's only a debt exclusion and if those cranky old people at the senior center will just cooperate and give up a starbuck's coffee we could have another new school.

This is getting scary. The dicussion is now over the relative sigificance of $38 million? The "hysterics" have stopped and "a few clear heads" have presupposed some form of $80 million project is required for the high school?

Eric wrote:

This is getting scary. The dicussion is now over the relative sigificance of $38 million? The "hysterics" have stopped and "a few clear heads" have presupposed some form of $80 million project is required for the high school?

The Danvers high school was an example of a renovation with an addition. It was an EXAMPLE, not a cast in concrete blueprint for North Middlesex, hence the requirement for cooler heads and no hysterics.
Leominster high school prelimnary renovation is $40 million.
In 2003 Nashoba tech renovation and expansion was $23 million.
Preliminary engineering studies have shown the need for renovation at the high school (2004), heating system, electrical distribution, asbestos remediation ( touch anything and it must be brought up to code), science labs.
So on the low end $20 -30 million to $40 million is a REASONABLE guess with 55-60 % state reimbursent. This is a back of the envelope calculation. A detailed estimate is in order and would be done a a normal course of the project. There must be a balance between what is wanted and what is needed and the cost to the district towns.
The NMRSD should be focusing on the high school project and pushing aside the Superintendent's ill chosen focus on regionalization. Several schools in the area are making progress on their plans while NMRSD is paralyzed with the "regionalization" mantra..
If you time it quickly and get started before interest rates increase, and construction costs start to increase, this will save the taxpayer's $ and get the most bang for the buck.
Hence the requirement for a few "clear heads" and less hysterics

Let's recall our current inventory of unneeded empty school buildings as well as our duplicate high school administration and declining student population. It's as if we have several unneeded almost new vehicles about to rust away and "Observer" builds a very convincing case to buy a used Lexus rather than yet another new one.

"Observer" says, "There must be a balance between what is wanted and what is needed and the cost to the district towns." Yet what we see is our selfindulgent administration reaching over an impovished district for a third helping of chocolate cake. I'm reminded of utilitarian philosoper John Stuart Mill regarding wants and needs. He said, "Better to be a Socrates unsatisfied than a pig satisfied." And, our administration and school committee have absolutely no interest in addressing legitimate educational deficiencies.