Random Observations from one of Santa's Larger Elves

It's coming to that time of year again.  The Christmas Tree isn't the only thing shedding its balls.

Whether it be a budget hearing or a Candidate's Night, -- and whether it be live or on one of those god-awful locally-televised meetings with the bad lighting, bad angles and distorted audio --  people will soon be sitting in a circle and chanting those all too familiar, yet meaningless, buzzwords: "Transparent", "Community input", "Process", "Transparent",  and the inevitable "Think Outside the Box" !  (Did I mention "transparent" ?)

Nobody wants to be The Bad Guy anymore.  There is little testicular fortitude on display on local cable TV.  Does anybody else notice that the phrase "Pass the Buck" has been replaced by the phrase "Let the Voters decide"?  (Hence, the Christmas tree analogy.)

Town Meeting & Local elections certainly do reflect the will of the voters -- at least those that show up to vote -- and it should not be taken lightly.  But that should not be confused with reflecting the will of the people.   Granted, if people choose not to exercise their right to vote (out or ignorance, laziness, or some legitimate reason), they are effectively making the choice to support the will of those who do choose to show-up.  Unfortunately, that leaves most of the population at the mercy of the special interests who rally their troops to get out the votes and utilize their neighbors' tax dollars to support their personal causes.

Case in point -- after the recent pool override, Poolies proudly credited the miniscule margin of victory to their efforts to get former swim team members to submit absentee ballots supporting the million dollar renovation.

That's comforting.

They encouraged kids who don't pay taxes, probably won't live in Town again, and probably have very little Big Picture understanding of the issue to saddle tax-paying, non-swimming, residents with increased taxes.  AND, they did this without ever asking how much it will cost to operate the pool going forward.  All they knew was that they had fun in the pool when they were in school.   Who cares what it costs! 

(At the risk of sounding like a broken record, nobody has ever given a good answer as to how much it will cost to operate the pool.   The simple fact is that the school budget is relatively fixed -- If dollars are being spent on aquatics, they are not being spent on academics.)

If anybody wants a preview of the coming Budget Season, watch the last BOS meeting.  When told what the vague parameters of the school budget should be, the Superintendent effectively replied (and I'm paraphrasing), "The Budget will be, what the Budget will be and we will go to Taxpayers to support any shortage."

I like Canfield.  His tree is always decorated -- His balls know no seasonality!  He just does his thing and advocates for his schools.  He's got no old allegiances, he doesn't need to worry about evaluations or his next job -- he's already got his pension,  There's no way the morons could try to bag a third Superintendent!  Of course, if I was on the School Committee, I might want to remind him he works for them -- not the Board of Selectmen.  But, since it appears the School Committee has adopted the Harry Potter Cloak of Invisibility as their official uniform -- I guess they're OK getting their Superintendent's Reports via the Selectmen and the Cape Cod Times.

In addition to benefitting from the School Committee's apparent narcolepsy, it appears that the new Leadership of the Teachers Union has been like a breathe of fresh air in a septic tank.  It must be nice to be able to work for the benefit of students without wasting time fending off the constant attack of  a delusional Jimmy Hoffa/Norma Rae wannabee and her flying monkeys !  Maybe the Union will start reflecting the will of its membership.  (Probably not coincidentally, one of the last contracts gave the union the right to collect agency fees from non-union members.  Maybe some of those folks decided that if they were going to be forced to pay -- they no longer wanted to be embarrassed by their leadership?)

Some Legal Observations:

The ongoing case of Johnson Vs. Sandwich has turned into a Fluster-Cluck.  But, that doesn't change the fact that 5 Judges have ruled that Kangas, Crossman, Marshall, Linehan and School Counsel were all wrong and their mistake will cost taxpayers well over $400,000.  I guess they should have gone to court when members Susko, Cahill and Killion asked them to.  Or, maybe their attorney should have followed through when a certain former School Committee member pointed out the appropriate law and relevant legal precedents to him? 

On a related note, if a Judge has ruled that Johnson's contract was illegally voided and that the Town was legally bound to pay her, why shouldn't she be entitled to reimbursement for the legal costs needed to recover what had been illegally taken from her?  Particularly when the Town's attorney appeared to have egregiously abused the legal system by forcing both parties to waste many thousands of dollars deposing former school committee members about topics that were completely unrelated to the legal questions at hand -- particularly AFTER the Appeals Court had already ruled against them.

On a related note, wouldn't it have made sense for Town's Counsel to interview former School Committee members about the questions at hand BEFORE filing documents with the court? Particularly, when said members could have clearly proved that the documents were inaccurate and were serving no purpose other than to increase legal costs and waste the Court's time?

Why is the School continuing to employ the same  attorney whose "interpretation" of the law resulted in expensive losses in both the Johnson and Minkoff cases?

What was the true legal cost of prolonging the Johnson case?  Yes, the Insurance Carrier will be funding something, but Insurance Companies are not charities and will obviously recover those costs with future premiums.  I would like to hear what was paid to Johnson, what was paid to all of the attorneys and how much was initially funded by an insurance recovery.

It's ironic that the Board of Selectmen couldn't legally step in to prevent the School Committee from making an expensive mistake originally but is now stuck trying to clean up the mess and fund the judgement.  BUT, on the other hand, the Selectmen probably could have stepped in and said "enough is enough" and saved many thousands of dollars by settling the case after the State Appeals Court made the final result obvious.

I would be very curious to hear the Selectmen's rationale for not resolving this case -- particularly when the likely outcome became painfully clear.

Some Other Random Observations:

STEM Academy -- I like the idea, but the answer to every question is not: "STEM, STEM, STEM, STEM ..."

Power Plant -- Why have we not heard more public discussion about the automatic tax increase residents will get when the Mirant Plant goes offline and gets re-valued for tax purposes.  Power Plants' tax value lies in their equipment -- not in their real estate value.  Obsolete offline generating equipment has a minimal tax value.  Are we afraid that discussion of a pending increase could discourage support for the variety of Override proposals currently percolating around Town or maybe -- cause a potential commercial development to slide over to less taxing / less bureaucratic environments in Mashpee, Bourne, or Plymouth??

SEIC -- I have good friends on both sides of this issue.  While I certainly appreciate the fact that real estate negotiations are best done out of the spotlight, this process has been underground a long time.  I think it would go a long way towards calming the electorate if there was a complete disclosure of funds received and disbursed to date, as well as the relevant details of any contractual obligations incurred which will may require future payments-- as well as the expected source of funding for those payments.

Fire Boats -- What's to say?  The F/V Overkill is back on the Coast Guard dock (although with rumored transmission issues) and the original fire boat is out on long-term disability with a seized engine.  I guess the Coast Guard will have to protect us from flaming tankers with dirty bombs passing through the Canal for awhile longer.

The Golden Triangle -- It looks like we may have one more opportunity to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.  From the looks of last week's newspaper, it looks like we're going to start playing Chicken with the only guy in Town willing and able to develop the property.  What can I say, I'm reminded of that great scene in the movie Blazing Saddles -- Cleavon Little holds the gun to his own head and says "One Move and the Black Guy gets it!!"

Happy (almost) New Year !!

'Tis The Season ....

From the Drudge Report morning headlines:

And the other Headline of The Month: 

It's worse -- he also called her a "Ho" three times !!

Merry Christmas!

Coming Soon:  Potential New Year's Resolutions for Local Officials ...

Sandwich Emptyprize locates a new columnist...

I know there's a couple of jokes in here someplace!!

This says it all ...

Now What?

These results summarized from a draft copy of the only actual outside audit done on the Community School.

I understand the tunnel-vision of the Pool Supporters -- they want their pool regardless of what it costs everyone else.  But, is anybody disconcerted by the fact that FinCom supported spending almost a million dollars without asking how the pool could be maintained going forward?

Question of the Day:

If the Community School lost money running the pool -- despite having a healthy revenue stream, how will the School Department run the pool with a reduced revenue stream resulting from substantially reduced public hours?

I don't think I heard that answered last night.

Election day is Thursday, Ballots are also available in the Town Clerk's Office until noon on Wednesday.

(Click Here for a Draft Copy of the 2009 Audit Report)

Dear Santa,

Dear Santa,

Below please find our Christmas list.  Hopefully you will do a better job at granting our wishes than the Easter Bunny and that Leprechaun we caught last Spring!

Let's start with what we consider immediate needs. (OK, some people may say "wants" instead of "needs" but they are close-minded, haters.  So, screw them!).  

1)  $980,000 to repair the pool.  We promise we will take good care of it this time --- And, we promise not to take TOO MUCH money from the School Budget to operate it.  But, no, we still refuse to admit exactly how much it will cost to operate it.  Don't tell me you've become one of those mean-spirited bastards who are actually concerned about spending other people's money!

A Cheat Sheet

I would never be presumptuous enough to claim to write the "Ultimate Guide" to anything,  But here's a thumbnail cheat sheet on Town Meeting and the subsequent Override election:

• Town Meeting is Monday, November 18 in the High School Auditorium at 7 PM
• The Election is on Thursday, November 21 from 7 AM to 8 PM at Wing/Forestdale/Oakridge.
• Or, you can also vote at the Town Clerk's Office until noon on Wednesday, November 20
• The funding articles must pass at BOTH Town Meeting at at the election

Here's the two unanswered questions:

1)  If repaired, what will it cost to operate the pool ?  Does that include all staff, maintenance, utilities, and a reserve for future maintenance?

2)  How will those costs be covered?  Will it be funded entirely from the School Budget?  Will there be a Town contribution?  How much revenue is projected to come from outside rentals?

"I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts." -- Will Rogers

Sandwich Enterprise - Still Available in 2 ply Rolls!

That's it?

The Emptyprize calls me (for the first time in several years) at 9:00 on Halloween night for a "detailed" 90 second interview (90 seconds -- 1,2,3,...90) and that's the best they can do?

So much for "fair and balanced" !

The Town is about to pay out a settlement well  in excess of $300,000 and the Emptyprize leads with the fact the person leading contract negotiations with the Superintendent actually communicated with her?

Huh?  How did they think contract negotiations happen?

I would have assumed the lead would involve Marshall, Linehan, Crossman & Kangas -- and their counsel -- ignoring the requests by so many to seek a Judge's ruling before pulling the trigger. 

Or maybe, the fact that their legal adviser has now been involved in two very expensive contract case losses.

Or, maybe a story on the fact that the first Judge to hear the case had been on the bench less than a month, and was definitively overturned by a three judge state appeals court and then by the State Supreme Judicial Court before being kicked one last time by yet another Superior Court judge.

Or, maybe a story on WHY counsel continued to push forward with the case after the State Appeals Court made it pretty clear the show was over?  I am very curious what was paid out to lawyers on this case -- both by the Town and its insurance carriers (make no mistake-- anything paid by the insurance carrier will eventually be paid by the Town through increased premiums!).

Or, maybe a story about abuse of process and using court Depositions to run up the legal bill while asking questions which were completely irrelevant to the case at hand?

Well, maybe nobody handed them any of THOSE stories!

Speaking of stories that appear to be handed to them, I recently commented on their fawning coverage of the new fireboat and the annual "boater/floater drifting away" call.  The article looked so much like a press release justifying the silly boat that I went running for my Thesaurus to look for an appropriate synonym for "sodomy".  The article was very detailed -- except that it omitted the fact that while the SFD was collecting the wayward kayaker, Fire Departments from two surrounding Towns had to respond to real medical calls in Sandwich.  They also never questioned how the SFD was able to drive from Station One to the Coast Guard dock, start up their boat and still make it to the scene BEFORE one of the faster Coast Guard boats that were already staffed and sitting at the same dock.

I think that would have been interesting -- but I guess nobody handed them THAT story either!

I can't wait to read their coverage of the Pool story (Click here for the two questions I doubt they will "remember" to ask!)

Two Questions

As the discussion of  "Saving" the pool picks up steam, I have two questions:

1) If the $980,000 is spent to repair the pool, what will it cost to operate the pool on an annual basis going forward.  (Total costs -- staffing, benefits, utilities, maintenance -- and a capital maintenance reserve so this doesn't happen again.)

2) How will those operating costs be covered?  (Will it be coming 100% out of the School's operating budget or is there an expected municipal contribution for "public" use?  How much is expected to be recovered from user fees?)

Speaking of maintenance, while SHS looks good in the daylight with the "Blue Knight" flags hanging from the lamp posts -- it was hard to see them (or anything else) at night since most of the bulbs had burned out.  If we had to pay somebody with a bucket truck to hang the damn flags, couldn't we have raised the bucket a foot higher and replaced some of the burned out bulbs?  It would seem to be safer than having kids come out of the school at 9:00 to almost total darkness.

I guess the accreditation committee wasn't  meeting after dark.

Revisionist History 101

I'm not going to waste a lot of  time refuting Judy Koening's weekly serving of inane drivel -- but I would think by now John Paradise and the owners of paper should be damn embarrased to have their names on the same page as hers.  Granted, she is a "columnist" not a "reporter" but that shouldn't free her completely from at least a minimal obligation for accuracy.

The following linked documents may provide a little more complete (and CERTAINLY more accurate) history of the Community School situation:

Minutes of June 21, 2006 School Committee Meeting - Discussion of Community School's FY 2007 Budget raising issues about cost allocations and budgeting methods.

Town FY 2006 Audit Management Letter -- Points out that expenditures are not being approved by School Committee as required by law and that program revenue and expenses are not being properly monitored.

Memo from (then) School Committee member to (then) Community School Director outlining concerns about the program and a proposed action plan.

June 2008 Memo re: need for Community School Restructuring - Why Community School restructuring was necessary.

Minutes of July 30, 2008 School Committee Meeting - Discussion with CS Director about potential changes to CS Program

October 2008 Letter to the Editor from (then) School Committee Member responding to (then) Community School Director's public comments about the reorganization of the Community School.

January 2010 Memo re: status of Community School Reorganization

2009 Community School Audit Report - This was the first financial statement audit of the Community School ordered by the School Committee.  It showed a loss of $180,000 for the year ended June 30, 2009 -- BEFORE the program was restructured and the School Committee began actual oversight.  This report also points out that programs should be self-supporting, Invoices were still being paid and lease obligations were still being incurred without School Committee approval.  Auditors were unable to complete the  audit on Balance Sheet because CS Cash account could not be reconciled to Town Treasurer's records.  No subsequent audit or follow-up examinations have been done (as of March, 2013).

Summary of Community School Financials - FY 2008, 2009 & (Dec) 2010 shows consistent losses (Note these were in-house financials prepared on the cash basis -- revenue is not matched with corresponding costs. (Example -- Summer Camp shows positive income in March-June when prepayments come in; but a loss in July-August when related expenses are paid.  Because July-August is a subsequent fiscal year, these are even more distortive when reviewed on an annual basis.)

If I was to add one paragraph to this morning's Cape Cod Times article, it would be:

Simmons laughed heartily when told of Linehan's comment.  "It's obvious she still has absolutely no grasp of the issues at hand.  Not only were members of the committee and their attorney warned they were making a serious mistake by not seeking a judge's ruling, as an elected official,  Linehan should have actually read the regulations before taking reckless action that will cost the town well in excess of $300,000.  I would also point out that the lawsuit was over her vote to illegally void a contract -- not a questionable meeting posting.

The Times article also pointed out that at least Marshall, Kangas & Crossman were smart enough to shut up. How's that saying go?   "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt"?

Speaking of quotes, I hope Selectmen Pierce was mis-quoted when he said he was "disappointed" by the ruling.  Maybe he meant he was "disappointed" that somebody's professional career was destroyed by four vindictive idiots?  Or, maybe he was "disappointed" that hundreds of thousands of taxpayers dollars were wasted for absolutely no reason?   Yesterday really would have been a good day for Jim not to have answered his phone.

It's interesting to note that this case has now been heard by six Judges in three courts.  The only one that ruled in the Town's favor was the first one -- a former Bristol County prosecutor who had been a judge for less than a month.  That judge's actions were then effectively stomped on by the State Appeals Court, and then kicked to the curb by the State's Supreme Judicial Court before being returned to the Superior Court for disposition.

Here's a few highlights from the Justice Muse's very detailed ruling:

--  Even if notice of the April 30th meeting was not filed with the Town Clerk forty-eight hours in advance, there was sufficient public notice of the meeting's continuation and that any violation of the letter of the law was strictly "de minimis" and had no impact on the intent of the law. 

-- The Town waived any statutory right of appeal because no interested party brought an appeal within the twenty-one day period.  (Where have I Heard THAT before?)

--The court recognized that the behavior of Marshall, Crossman, Kangas and Linehan was "petty and demeaning" but not to the level tortious interference.  (Not surprising, since being elected does not bestow any  knowledge, professionalism, or magical power -- frequently it just means the winner stood in the rain longer at the dump, ran a damn fine bake sale, or had absolutely no competition for the seat!!)

Seriously?

A "Save The Sandwich Pool" group started on Facebook today -- and already somebody from Osterville wants to know if they can vote to increase the taxes of Sandwich residents to repair the pool for their own use!  

Now What?

The Town of Sandwich just took another kick to the groin this week.

Two hundred pound windowsills began falling from a 15 year old school building necessitating $500,000 in repair work.  Engineering report says $500,000 to fix -- including sealing windows.  I guess we found out what happens when you wait 15 years to re-seal a window that needed to be re-done every 5 years!

While you're at it, can you throw another $150,000 on the tab for some school reno work?

The $30,000 re-grouting which had been discussed and delayed for several years finally shut-down the pool last year  when the water drained out of the pool during a power outage.  (Don't ask about the emergency generator!)   The engineer came back with a report stating that, in addition to re-grouting to stop the leak, the pool also required a new HVAC system.  But, no problem -- nothing that $980,000 won't fix. 

And then Justice Muse issued a ruling that echoed exactly what many people have been saying 

WTF?

Well, it must be Pulitzer season.

The Emptyprize -- the local rag of record if you want to see who got arrested this week, see a local sports picture, house-break a puppy, or wrap a fish, has admitted to taking a brave editorial stand.  They will no longer publish letters questioning Global Warming -- which they (The Emptyprize) have now deemed to be proven fact.

Thank God.

Because you know what a tremendous influence a letter on Global Warming has on the local "news" audience!   Those letters usually serve as good indicators that somebody's homework assignment was to write a Letter to the Editor -- or that somebody has no job and absolutely nothing significant with which to fill their day.

Now that they have got that Global Warming crisis under control, maybe they could do something about Judy Koenig's delusions ?

A Coincidence? I think not.

The Times had two interesting items this morning.

First it talked about yet another Town-owned building that has fallen into such disrepair that the occupants have moved out, and the presumed buyer has decided they could not afford the cost of the required renovation & repair work needed to restore the property to its proper function.  The fact that the property is in the Historic District, and is subject to various preservation restrictions further complicated the process.

The interesting part of the story is that the property was actually acquired by the Town through eminent domain in 1973.   The Town thought it was "in the Public Good" to acquire the property, but apparently not to prevent it from turning into a pile of mulch on the shores of Shawme Pond.  It was unusually brave of the Town to finally admit they couldn't afford to maintain it and attempt to sell it in 2011 -- but at that point the damage had been done.  And, even then, The Usual Suspects got up to argue WHY the Town needed to keep the falling down building.  

It's too bad the Usual Suspects hadn't made an effort to generate some real revenue for the Town over the past few decades.  It doesn't take an advanced economics degree to realize the Town has almost no commercial tax base, leaving the vast majority of the tax burden to fall on homeowners.

You Don't Need To Be Carnac to see this lob coming ....

The Cape Cod Times is reporting this AM that the engineers are proposing two options to repair the infamous SHS Swimming Pool -- one for $662,000 and a second for $856,000. But .... these are only their base prices.  They also proposed a few add-ons which could certainly drive the price up further.

AND .... that still doesn't fix the leak.  Getting some water to stay in the pool is estimated to cost another $35,000.

Gee ... the pool needs grouting and some major mechanical work.  Where have I heard  that before?

What happened to the now famous battle cry:   "In 1974 ... blah ...blah ... community access ... blah blah ...The Pool makes money ... blah blah ... I have a sore knee ... blah blah ...why can't strangers pay $50 to walk naked with high school kids ... blah blah ...we'll have a fundraiser ...blah blah ... you're a Bastard ... blah blah ..." ?

Well, many of those folks have gone home to Marstons Mills, Cotuit and Bourne; others are probably busy trying to figure out how to resolve a certain lawsuit that could surpass the cost of rebuilding the pool (or almost as much as the SS Overkill, our new Fireboat).  

The School Committee is sitting quietly (possibly even lying down?) and allowing the Superintendent to take this issue to Town Hall and the Voters.  Not exactly a Profile in Courage move -- but who wants to be associated with a million dollar pool Override -- especially at the same time voters are being asked to fund $500K for falling window sills?  No wonder the Teachers Contract was settled so quietly -- the new SEA President is obviously brighter than her predecessor when it comes to interpreting public sentiment!

Welcome to Judy-Land .... (By Anonymous)

(NOTE:  This contributor asked that her/his name be omitted from this article.  Unfortunately, like many others, he/she is reluctant to publicly criticize others.  Perhaps, our little sandbar would become a more rational place if the Silent Majority were more willing to call a spade a spade -- or point out when somebody is using their own head to perform a do-it-yourself colonoscopy!    BS)

It’s got to be pretty interesting going through life as Judy Koenig, Sandwich Emptyprize staffer, observer and opinion expresser on all things Sandwich.

Evidently, Judy is allergic to both fact and reason. This has to be a challenge to her daily living. Judy’s ability to survive despite her truth-based aversions is, I guess, strangely admirable. It’s nice too that the Emptyprize keeps publishing her unique, imagined, one of a kind perspective. 

Last week, Judy decided to write about the Community School. In Judy’s world, that public enterprise was once “profitable.” It’s really something that Judy can imagine and pretend “profits” and “cash” into her own odd reality. For the rest of us, two or three written reports and letters from the Town’s Auditors were enough proof of the school’s long-standing dire fiscal state. 

More Questions than Answers

It appears that, once again, The Emptyprize is more interested in accepting spoon-fed information for a public relations puff piece than they are on providing any "real news".  Their latest stories on the Fire Yacht, SS Overkill, raised many unanswered questions in the minds of folks -- including some who were on-shore watching that day.  

When was the Coast Guard notified?

Did the Sandwich 911 Operator immediately notify USCG when the call came in?   Witnesses say a USCG boat was on the scene seconds after the SFD -- maybe somebody didn't get their invtation to the party on time?  If USCG (as the agency with rescue assets closest to the scene) wasn't dispatched first for a water rescue, somebody needs to be fired.

What about the ambulance?

Because the first fire crew arrived from Station 1 in an SUV, a second crew had to be dispatched from Station 3 in Forestdale with an Ambulance.  This left the remainder of the Town without any Fire or EMS coverage.  Will this be standard procedure for all boat calls?   I'm not pushing for carpooling, but is there any reason the first crew couldn't have ridden over in an ambulance?

What about our neighbors?

Because the entire department was tied up on this call, two Sandwich medical emergencies needed to be handled by the Bourne and West Barnstable Fire Departments.  While mutual aid is an integral part of emergency service, according to the last Town Report, we received aid from surrounding Towns 158 times but only provided aid to them 68 times.  (The prior year we received aid 150 times and only provided it 50 times.)  We are obviously under-staffed, so why are we exacerbating the situation by duplicating a service that is already handled very well by the Coast Guard?  What if we can no longer rely on the generosity of our neighboring towns to pay to provide emergency service to Sandwich on a fairly regular basis?

What the Flock?

This week's Emptyprize provided so many unintentional guffaws that I almost felt bad about only buying it to line the turtle's cage!  In no particular order:

The Sandwich Cheerleaders are holding a fundraiser that involves groups of pink flamingos and signs indicating that the recipient has been "flocked" by the Sandwich Cheerleaders.  I'm not going to dwell on this -- but what would happen if a Football Player wore a Tee-shirt saying I "flocked" the Sandwich Cheerleaders?  A quick change of attire and sensitivity training for all no doubt!  Did the Superintendent/School Committee really approve this?

Everyone's favorite "Columnist" (never, ever, to be confused with a "reporter") showed that her head is still firmly planted where the Sun don't shine by claiming the Community School made a profit and dragging up that now-famous fable about Town meeting proclaiming 40+ years ago that there would forever be subsidized swimming in Sandwich for all that chose to travel there -- regardless of how much school budget money had to be illegally diverted! (This statement is frequently accompanied by the waving of a 40 + year old program -- but there was no video available this time!)  She was right to question why the Rec Dept. is being charged a higher rental rate than some outside groups -- but then even a broken clock is right twice a day.  (I also suspect that there is a lot more to THAT story -- I doubt it is completely accurate.)

Our new Fire-yacht, the S.S. Overkill finally went out on its first call.    As predicted earlier, this would be the annual "drifted too far from shore" call.  Usually its a kid on a boogie board -- this year it's a guy on a kayak.  Unlike most rescue calls, this one was very publicly documented with photos, response times, and extensive quotes from all involved.  Has the boat been staffed with a full-time publicist?

Mark your Calendar!

In just 8 days, the Teachers Union will have been without a contract for 1 full day.

Get your count-down clocks ready!

Click Here for a copy of the current Contract.

Are They That Stupid? (or, do they think we are?)

If nothing else, this quick analysis shows the farce of "wage freezes".
 Obviously, some people managed to recover nicely from "taking the zero!"

This week's Emptyprize points out a great example of what is wrong with Local Government -- a Departmental Manager who believes that all taxpayers should be forced to absorb the cost  of entertaining just a few people.  In fact, he was so "outraged" at being charged to use the facilities paid for out of the School Budget that he actually cancelled the programs completely because he couldn't "in good conscience" pass the actual cost of operating the programs on to participants.

Apparently it would not bother his conscience to continue to take money from the school budget to subsidize the entertainment of  the "70-80 children and 40 adults" noted in the article?

And in the interest of accuracy, according to the last Town Meeting warrant, the Rec department budget is $93,746 -- not the $12,000 mentioned in the article.  This budget represents an increase of 6.4% from the prior year.  The largest part of the budget is the Director's salary which increased 22.5% between 2009 and 2012.

This budget figure does NOT include the value of pension, health, and life insurance benefits.  Nor, does it include the operating costs associated with the Rec Department's pond-side buildings at Oak Crest Cove.

What was the School Budget increase last year -- maybe 2%?

News Item of the Day

In a related story, a Great Hills Drive resident announced they would be
 running for a seat on the Sandwich Historical Commission ...

Sounds like a Showdown!

Oh, does Sandwich High have a Bowling Team?

Very interesting story in the Broadsider this week.  Not surprisingly, MSBA has said the Schools could not use grant money left over from the Forestdale and Oakridge roof and window work to repair the defective windowsills at the High School.

So ... for those keeping score, the pool is closed because it leaks and there's no money to fix it.  The A Wing remains barricaded by chain link fencing because the granite windowsills are falling out and there is no money to fix them.  The school grounds and parking lot look like downtown Beirut, because there was never money to finish them properly -- let alone maintain them.

We won't even mention a certain lawsuit which will be surfacing next month that will likely cost the Town more than all of these problems combined (and could easily have been avoided.).

But, at least we will be paying to study a potential Cultural Center in the old Dewey Ave. Building  --which was abandoned by the School Department because it needed extensive repairs and (say it with me, people!)-- we didn't have the money to fix it!

So much for Progress ...

In an effort to maintain complete hysterical accuracy, The Sandwich Historic District Committee has demanded that a local property owner design the new mixed-use commercial building proposed for the Marina area to look exactly like the derelict, falling down freezer plant that was formerly on that site.  There is no word yet if that will also require the return of the rats, asbestos, and leaking ammonia.

The Committee also voted to approve the demolition of an old barn which had already been demolished at the direction of the Building Inspector -- on the condition that the replacement structure look similar to the original -- presumably before it was declared unsafe and destroyed.  After reading this, my inner 10 year-old said, "Or, what -- Are you going to make me put it back together?"

In a related story, The Committee also announced the formation of a Task Force to study why people do not want to do business in Sandwich.  They also formed a second Task Force to study potential uses for the land surrounding the Marina.  It is expected that residents will actually be able to purchase a cup of coffee in the Marina area sometime in late 2016, assuming all environmental impact studies have been completed, and all stakeholders (both real and imagined) have had an opportunity to hear themselves talk.

The World's Largest Bake Sale ....

The Empty Prize (Motto: "Now available in 2-ply rolls!") is reporting that the projected cost of repairing the pool will likely exceed $100,000.  And that the problem was caused by (get ready .....) lack of maintenance - specifically lack of re-grouting.

For several years, there has been discussion about the need for pool grouting and the risk of not maintaining it.  People who raised these concerns were then generally surrounded by a charming crowd of delusional folks reeking of chlorine, holding pitch forks and torches in their shriveled fingers, leaving wet footprints on the carpet and claiming how much money the pool was "making" for the District.

Some of these folks even liked to start their monologues by stating what foreign land they were from -- as if there was a UN Treaty someplace that required the taxpayers of Sandwich to provide our Mashpee, Bourne, or Barnstable neighbors with free recreational services!

Sandwich -- Detroit with Trees and a Beach? (and a lot more NorthFace Jackets!) ---- By Bob Guerin

For those Sandwich folks who've been watching Detroit’s bankruptcy proceedings on TV or in the newspaper AND paying attention to our towns’ budgeting processes, a few similarities are as alarming as they are striking. Here are just a few:

In both Sandwich and Detroit municipal payroll and retirement obligations are growing faster than tax revenues. 

In both Sandwich and Detroit a lack of industrial/commercial tax revenues is shifting a disproportionate tax burden onto residential homeowners.

In both Sandwich and Detroit reliance on debt financing (i.e. bonds and borrowing) for what has historically been an annual operating expenses (like building maintenance and repair) has become routine.

In both Sandwich and Detroit overly ambitious and expensive municipal construction projects have been championed by government as needed, necessary and affordable.

Detroit is in bankruptcy. Sandwich in not; but that’s surely not for a lack of bad management practices and poor planning choices.

I think the difference between Detroit and Sandwich is Town Meeting. 

In Town Meeting right thinking taxpayers have time-and-time again rejected nonsensical debt offerings and over-the-top construction requests. Too bad Town Meeting can’t be responsible for ratifying (or rejecting) all municipal payroll and retirement obligations as well! 

Sandwich isn't Detroit; but it’s certainly not as far from it as a map might make you think. 

Five Coast Guard Boats and the Barnstable Rescue Boat surround the
 new Sandwich Fireboat ("White Elephant One") at the Marina this week.

Another Proud Moment .....

The Cape Cod Times is reporting that the Town has been forced to evacuate the Assessing Department from the lower level of the Town Hall Annex to the Jan Sebastian Bldg (aka "The Annex Annex") due to continual flooding.

On the bright side, the Fire Department now has some place to park their new fireboat, the USS Overkill --- if only they had enough people to drive it over to the Annex during the next high tide!

In a related story, a resident of the Service Road area has complained to Selectmen that he would have liked to have some input on the subject before the water was pumped from the Assessor's office.  He had already complained to the Cape Cod Commission -- who responded, "Where's Sandwich?"

Finally, In yet another related story, Sandwich Girl Scouts will be shaking their coffee cans in front of Stop & Shop this weekend -- in order to raise funds to buy dry socks for Assessing Department employees.

Welcome to Calcutta? Pimpin' the kids? (by Anonymous)

This topic was addressed  by an anonymous contributor in this space almost three years ago, but I thought it was worth posting an update (from a different, equally anonymous contributor).

During a visit to the local grocery store this weekend, I couldn't help but notice a young girl accosting exiting customers with a coffee can looking for donations of some sort.

I was curious what deadly disease or major natural or man-made disaster would motivate a mother and child to stake-out a piece of sidewalk on a very humid 90 degree day during the Fourth of July weekend.

Cheerleading.

Seriously, they were collecting money for cheerleading.  

Granted, it could have been one of any number of sports teams that routinely beg at doorways around Town -- but today, on this very hot holiday weekend somebody thought it would be a good idea to accost shoppers to pay for their kid's hobby.

What lesson is this teaching the kid?  If you want something, just head to the local Stop & Shop with your coffee can and a cute outfit?  

What about the concept of paying your own way or earning something for yourself?  Why should you expect anybody to pay for your kid's entertainment?  I raised my kids already (and paid for their activities) -- and while I don't mind paying for a school system I no longer use, I am annoyed that people expect me to contribute to THEIR kid's entertainment.

I know...  nobody was twisting my arm to contribute.  And, Yes, I could certainly have just smiled and/or ignored them.  

I'm thinking about getting my own coffee can.  I wonder if my 27 year old would wear a big pink bow and go with me?

Now What?

At a recent School Committee meeting a very vocal anti-pipeline person got up to speak-out against the proposed gas transmission line.

Later, during the same meeting, the same person put on his very vocal pro-pool person hat to speak in favor of getting the pool open as soon as possible.

The Superintendent, as usual, handled the situation very smoothly and said the problem was being reviewed and that they were also looking at improving energy efficiency, and possibly installing a gas heating system in the pool area.

Uh oh.

Now What?

Does he support the Superintendent's potential renovation plans which could certainly increase natural gas usage at the High School?  Or does he standby the "Gas is Bad - We're all going to be incinerated"  mantra?

Granted a 20" gas transmission line is not the same as increasing the gas flow on the feeder line to the School Pool --- but the gas in the feeder line probably made most its trip across the Country along a 20" transmission line --- which must have gone by the end of somebody's street!

So,  is the issue still just safety?

Oh look ..... something shiny!

It doesn't take much to derail local attention.  Nobody seemed concerned when approval was received several years ago to dig up the Service Road and plant a 20" gas line in the middle of it.  Nobody seemed concerned when the new gas line crossed under Route 6 and meandered to a terminal point on Route 130.  Nobody even seemed very concerned when the gas company ran some very loud and colorful tests last summer that made the intersection of Routes 6 and 130 look like the Entrance to Hell -- or at least Northern New Jersey.

But, when the Gas Company agreed to cooperate with a local government request and file plans and paperwork to move the gas line off the roadway and into the wooded buffer zone between Route 6 & The Service Road -- that's when some locals became concerned that the proposed gas line relocation would "improve their view" of Route 6. 

Unfortunately, the period to complain about aesthetics had passed -- because (not surprisingly) nobody had been paying attention.

So the new battle cry became the Fear of Incineration!

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration reports there were a total of 42 fatalities from gas transmission pipelines between 1993 and 2012.(See their report here).

But, the U.S. Census reports that almost 34,000 people were killed in traffic accidents IN 2009 ALONE.  (see their report here).

Why aren't they calling for the elimination of motor vehicles or the closing of Route 6 ?

We have seen Selectmen's meetings and, most recently, a School Committee meeting unabashedly  hijacked by a small group of hysterical residents convinced that their impending incineration is inevitable,  It was made even worse at a recent School Committee meeting when residents assured Committee members that they could be responsible for entire school bus loads of little children being incinerated on contact and that hundreds of other kids could be burned alive as they walked to school or waited for their bus.

Their solution?  Put the line near somebody else's house!  

Dewey Ave. Back from The (Almost) Dead ..... Again .... (By Bob Guerin)

This week’s Sandwich Broadsider includes an article about the Sand Hill School aka Dewey Ave.

Avid readers of this blog know that Dewey Ave was declared surplus property by a former School Committee several years ago and the building was returned to the Town in an effort to consolidate school operations, save day-to-day operating costs as well as avoid costly capital repairs and improvements. 

It was hoped that the Dewey Ave building could be quickly sold to a private developer, moneys collected would be invested in much needed capital repairs to other town-owned properties and Dewey Ave would be returned to the active and paying property tax rolls.

This week’s Sandwich Broadsider reports that eager and well-meaning do-gooders are angling for tax payer funded Dewey Ave development planning and tax payer funded repairs and finally a public private partnership for ongoing building operations perhaps as an "Arts Center" – meaning: taxpayer funded operations (that’s the public in public-private partnerships). 

Dewey Ave is a lot like Count Dracula. Dead, decrepit, ugly and a huge burden inflicting misery on all the local residents but still it lives. What’s its magic? Like Dracula himself, its old and it seems that in Sandwich being old makes all the difference. 

White Elephant One has arrived!    Still no word on funding for operating costs and the local share of maintenance and training.  Will it effect response times if the crew from Station One is following the Coast Guard Boats around instead of operating on dry land?    (see related story )

A Study in Contrasts / Time to Stand Up !

Whitey Bulger was arrested on June 23, 2011 and will be going on trial for 19 murders next week, 713 days later.

Mary Ellen Johnson's filed a lawsuit on November 4, 2010 and it will remain unresolved for 944 days by the time Whitey heads in for jury selection next week.

The cases obviously have nothing in common.    But -- so much for speedy due process!

Both the State Appeals Court and the State's Supreme Judicial Court have ruled the District Court judge made an obvious error in dismissing the case and that Dr. Johnson's contract was never invalidated --- yet the Town is apparently still unwilling to resolve the case.

Instead of working to negotiate a reasonable settlement, the Town has allowed their insurance company's attorneys to drive the financial bus by wasting months of very expensive legal time filing inaccurate motions, and deposing former School Committee members for several hours each about topics that have had absolutely nothing to do with the case at hand.

This isn't fact-finding, this is retaliation.

Yes, I know, the Town has litigation insurance.  The attorney is working for the insurance carrier -- not the Town,  Does anyone seriously think that the insurance company will not recover the fortune they are paying out in legal fees by jacking up the Town's premiums?  Does anyone  think the eventual pay-out will get any smaller by delaying it? Even if the lawsuit outlives Dr. Johnson (who looks damn healthy!), I have no doubt her counsel will continue the suit on behalf of her estate -- if for no other reason than to recover the fees he's built up responding to the Insurance attorney!

So what's the point?

Regardless of posting process, constructive notice, or de minimus standards, the State Appeals Court, and later the State Supreme Judicial Court made it very clear that this stopped being an Open Meeting Law case 21 days after the contract was approved by one School Committee and not properly cancelled by a subsequent Committee.  It's now a straight-forward contract case.

Like so many other issues in this Town, somebody needs to be willing to stand up, and do what needs to be done -- regardless of whether or not the decision is a popular one.

Dr. Canfield has done a good job at doing the right thing -- he's tackled the Community School, The Pool, The Lunch Ladies, and the Athletic Director issues and he has made it clear he will soon be resolving the school facilities usage issue.  All tough issues -- but issues that needed to be resolved.  Unfortunately, given the budgetary restrictions, and the magnitude of the dollars involved in this case, its unlikely he can do much to help this situation --- except maybe to extol the virtues of stepping up and doing The Right Thing --- and sharing his bottle of aspirin.

The 2010-2011 School Committee may have made this mess, but its going to be up to the 2013-2014  Board of Selectmen to clean it up.

There are no Free Lunches !

U.S. Coast Guard boats stationed at Sandwich Marina

I need to start this with my standard disclaimer that I am not questioning the performance of the Fire Department.   I am questioning the inability of our local leaders to ask  more "Big Picture" questions -- and then listen carefully to the answers.

My family and I have had many occasions to utilize the services of the Fire Dept. over the past decade and we have always been pleased and thankful for their rapid response and professional service.  (I can still remember a night during our first winter here when a 911 call brought Police, Fire, EMS and a snow plow to our home in a high speed parade of revolving lights.  I can also remember a morning when an SFD dispatcher "talked down" terrified parents waiting for an ambulance after one of the kids collapsed on the kitchen floor.)

I certainly recognize and appreciate the service provided by our local police and fire departments.  I also appreciate the importance of response time and the  fact that I live moments from Station 3.

I have never questioned the need for a new Public Safety Building.  I have no arguments over the proposed location.  I do have concerns over the originally-proposed $30 million cost.  I also have concerns that the "public outreach" appeared to be far more of a marketing campaign than a "listening tour".  I am annoyed that the Town meeting presentation seemed to assume voters were stupid -- Question:  Do the Chief's have private bathrooms?  Answer:  The Building has the minimum number of bathrooms allowed by the Building Code.  For God's sake -- just say "Yes" and move on!  Who cares?  Just answer the damn question!

I am also shocked/amused that the newest Selectman (who was also a member of the PSC Committee) could claim to be "surprised" by the public sentiment she heard at Town meeting.  

 But enough about the damn building.  

In the Fall of 2011, it was announced that Sandwich had been given a Homeland Security grant to purchase a new 40' Fire/Rescue boat.  The Feds would be kicking in almost $1 million for the boat and initial training and maintenance -- although the Town would be responsible for matching those initial maintenance and training funds and then picking up all future operating costs.

To date, there has been no public discussion as to how the Town will fund its share of  training and maintenance, or the cost of ongoing staffing for the boat -- which would presumably be docked at the Sandwich Marina (where it would likely take space that could be used by a paying customer who may have been on the waiting list for years.).

There has also been no discussion of any actual public safety need for the boat.  The U.S. Coast Guard, the Sandwich Harbormaster, and The Massachusetts Environmental Police, all have boats stationed at the Sandwich Marina.  The Army Corps of Engineers will also soon be upgrading to four new high speed patrol boats operating in the canal.  There are also usually 1-2 tugboats in the canal equipped with water cannons.

If we can't staff our existing stations, and are forced to frequently rely on surrounding towns for mutual aid, can we really afford to spend the time and money to properly  train and equip firefighters to race across Town (From QMH and Cotuit?) to jump in a boat to follow the Coast Guard out to bring in the annual stupid kid on an inflatable raft, or the very occasional boat fire?  

It seems other local governments are having similar concerns about the costly strings attached to "free" boats:

Council Uneasy About Purchase of New Fire Boat -- The purchase of a new fire boat with grant money left some councilors uneasy.

Fireboat costs cause Port to pause -- Commission agrees it would be an asset, but members fear operational costs

New fire boat coming to the rescue? Vancouver City Council will decide Monday whether to accept $2.6M grant for vessel

Mystic Fire Department Receives New Fireboat

Since I doubt anybody will be willing to step up and kill this boondoogle -- lets start a contest to name it!

Potential names:

Albatross One
The White Elephant
Deferred Maintenance One
The Overide
More Mutual Aid
The Gilded Lilly
Overboard
Oversight
Over-the-Hill
Striper Rescue One


SEE RELATED POST