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.