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| 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!
The Superintendent has now dug in his heels and threatened to shelf plans for the much-discussed STEM Academy if the Town is not willing to help fund the necessary repair work at the High School. In reality, I am sure Town Hall doesn't give a Rat's rectum about the STEM Academy. But, I suspect they would like to see those extra kids shifted to the High School so they can get their hands on the Wing School Property -- hopefully to consolidate & sell existing buildings and not just add to their collection of derelict buildings!
Good for him! It's nice to see somebody publicly fighting for some sort of realistic improvement to the status quo! Maybe the School Committee may want to join in with him?
It's a nice break from the usual political dementia we have been living with recently:
It's a nice break from the usual political dementia we have been living with recently:
People complain about the cost of a new Public Safety Complex ("PSC"), so we propose THREE new stations.
People complain about a "stacked deck" of mostly "insiders" on the PSC Committee, so we propose a smaller committee of all "insiders". (Although I don't disagree with that -- uninvolved civilian membership just added confusion.)
We need to move the existing Police and Fire HQ's because they are about to be swept out to sea. OR, maybe we just renovate them and ignore the high tide in the basements?
We don't have money for necessary Fire Staff; but instead have substantial budget overruns every year to fund overtime -- BUT we won't pursue a potential federal grant to obtain the necessary staffing because it could obligate us to maintain that staffing following expiration of the grant.
AND, we decide to pursue a grant for a Fire Boat that we neither need, nor can afford to operate, fuel, staff, or maintain.
Does anybody wonder why so few people pay attention to Town Government any more?
8 comments:
I agree that the windows need to be repaired at SHS immediately. However, it is important to remember that the Super had excess money last summer that he purchased a multitude of IPads with for incoming Freshman. We were assured that this would benefit parents because it would eliminate the need for the students to purchase graphing calculators with an estimated cost of $125! Also, students wouldn't need to carry all of their oversized textbooks throughout the school day to their classes and then home for studying. Math teachers (albeit a certain few) still require the calculator and it turns out that the textbooks cannot be accessed. My child uses a laptop for papers so she can access Microsoft word. The only time she uses her IPad is for playing games and social networking. This financial purchase has turned out to be nothing more than a boondoggle with no oversight. Frankly, I don't believe for a New York minute that Canfield will cancel his beloved STEM Academy no matter what happens. He has had several staff members working almost full time (veteran teacher$) for the past year and a half to launch his precious academy! If the Town decides to help him out with repairing the windows, they had best manage the funding carefully!!! It wouldn't be the first time, money miraculously appeared in the school budget after they cried poor mouth! The last thing we need is for any extra tax dollars to be poured into that empty cement hole that they call a "community pool"!
Bob here we go again without a logical approach to the towns ongoing forever financial problems.
It may be time that we the taxpayers begin a revolt and put in place a new form of management that realisticaly addresses the finacial problems we as a town face.
Start off with looking at why a five year project by the Sandwich Economic Corporation has not even come close to bringing any new business here into Sandwich, yet past members seem to have been rewarded? If we are going to pay taxpayers money to the Cape Cod Commission to assist us in economic development, why do we even need this group , that operate with out the benefit of an ethical bylaw charge? We have been hearing empty promises ever since this group was started, even some of the present selectmen, that served as part of this group, have never put the time into developing a procces that is open and transp[arent to the general public.
This boat has left the harbor and is sinking in the deep water of reality. The only way to save it would be to start at the beginning and enact workable bylaws that enhance the progress of economic development , rather then hinder it.
It is time that the financial woes of this town be approached from the veiw point that we are one town, and as such all grants, given out by the Community Preservation folks be used to the benefit of the whole town, rather then those who stand to gain finacially around the areas where these grants are given out.
There is absolutly no reason why more CPA money can not be used to address the issues surrounding the beach sand renourishement.
Forget another cash cow study for the old superintendent building, that no one in this town will pay taxes on and spin the need for money to repair it.
We have a commutor train that uses are town to pass through and we can not get it to stop here in Sandwich. Are you kidding me? It may not be a huge flux of money, but it sure beats nothing at all.
The owner of this track also needs to install the proper gates along its route here in Sandwich, the next time some will get killed and it only will speak to the lack of providing a safe coridor for the length of the run. Forget the lights, installing a gate system where needed and having the train stop here can be another economic benefit to our fair town.
Enough said for now
Why have we not looked at using a private ambulance service. It works for other municipalities. One fine example is Plymouth. Lets face it, its not the dozen or so three alarm fires that occur in Sandwich that is stressing the departments resources to the max, its the number of ambulance calls. If the fire dept is so maxed out, whos bright idea was it to purchase a fire boat (through the beloved grant) and get into the marine assistance business. The Coast Guard station at the canal is manned 24hrs a day. We have a harbormaster, and environmental police assets at the marina. Do we really need coast guard assets, fire dept assets, and the police to respond to every incident in cape cod bay. If the fire dept manpower is streched to the limit. It was a poor decision to introduce a marine unit in my opinion.
Bob you need to read todays edition of the enterprize.
It seems that the rec department was going to have to pay for the space they used at the school, so they decided to drop all the programs they did on the school grounds.
The rec director and town manager mention we are one town, why should they pay to use the school grounds. Because it comes out of the schools budget,and not the towns
The super indicated he would operate the programs the rec department would no longer be doing.
It will be interesting to see where this one goes.
This blog story points to two of the biggest issues us tax payers wrestle with: (1) Government is mostly run by well-meaning but incompetent volunteers; and, (2) most town employees (like Guy and Bud) can’t quite grasp the concept of pricing services to cover all costs.
A related problem for us taxpayers is that service takers (think rec program participants or pool swimmers) have come to expect to be able to enjoy their hobby but are unwilling to actually pay for it themselves.
Slowly, very slowly, certain harsh economic realities are creeping into the operation of municipal government. Eventually, many years from now, folks in town hall will manage budgets so that revenue and expenses are aligned. And, they’ll ask what something costs and really care. For us taxpayers – that day can’t come soon enough.
The whole Rec Department saga outlined in the Enterprise this weekend has me wondering: Do you suppose the day camp at Oak Crest Cove run by the Rec Department actually pays for the Oak Crest Cove facilities they use? I bet not.
I’ll bet some other Town budget absorbs the cost of electricity, building maintenance/upkeep, trash, etc. at Oak Crest. So, once again, the Town creates a “for profit” business that really doesn’t profit at all. And, once again, it’s us taxpayers who are picking up the difference between what the Rec Department charges its customers and what the service actually costs.
The Rec Department and Community School are run exactly the same way. Essentially they’re charities – they provided jobs and pensions to town employees and heavily discounted services to a few happy customers all at the expense of taxpayers who have been purposefully misled into believing that these departments generate real revenue and actually cover their costs.
So, maybe us taxpayers could take a charitable deduction for money spent on the Rec Department, Community School, and Sandwich Hollows. Fair and right to point out that none of these so-called town businesses are actually being run as for profits.
I think people are a missing the point. The rec director was not given the option to negotiate a reduction in fees that was offered to the youth sport leagues. Why should he have to pay a higher amount then other groups who use the school grounds? Seems like a different standard is being applied.
As far as the camp kids go...they use some cabins when it rains. The rest of the time they are at picnic tables or swimming in the pond. Not much facility usage and the keep the place very clean'
To 1;19 Me thinks you have missed the entire point of this discussion. The rec director is being paid by taxpayers money , unlike the youth sports league. You can correct me if I am incorrect on that?
The rec director has a budget to work from, but he is also obligated to assure that any program he operates is at least breaking even or making a few dollars from the programs he operates. That includes all costs, the taxpayers property he uses at Oakcrest cove, along with the nice building our tax dollars have improved upon, all electrical bills and heating bills as well. Those are just for starters. Now how about the cost of all the paper copies handed out in the programs, the cost of removing the trash along with cleaning out the septic systems. I ask why should the taxpayers have to pay those costs, which we do now ? Those costs all need to be calculated into the operating cost to run any program by the town and it should not come at the cost of operating the school budget. That has been the way it has been operating for a very long time, just like the way the pool was being operated on the backs of the educational dollars for the children of our district. You say they use some cabins when it rains, who do think gets to pay the bills to keep these cabins habitable? You would be correct it is our tax dollar at work once again. Who do you think get to pay for the showering areas at the camp site, it sure is not those using the space. I await your responce .
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