Grommit, first things first. I never wear knickers. They bind me up. Think about that as you eat your chicken pot pie.
What I would love to hear you wax non-poetic about is how exactly a shared garage works for an entire town? Before you can put a shovel in the ground, what are the land acquisition costs? And what about a feasibility study for what is a combined structure? Further, how much more in fuel would a town pay when the garage is not centrally located? And are there two separate garages to repair the vehicles and two separate fuel tanks to gas up the equipment or is it shared? And if shared, how are the costs split - both materials and labor? And how are construction costs split as the towns are both geographically and economically different? Does Grafton pay more because it might be better off economically/has a more diverse tax base? Or is Northbridge saddled with a larger expense?
And since you asked the direct question, a corrugated steel building for the garage and brick front structure for the office/meeting/break room space is the most feasible. It's not the Taj Mahal. It's a reasonable structure for a town's first responders. And one that is a reasonable investment for a town and would last longer than a wood/steel/block building.
At some point a pre fab building is not cost effective for everyday operations. Salt storage, yes. Small sign companies, yes. For storing 25+ pieces of equipment, storage of other materials, and a workshop/machine shop/repair facility probably not. And when you combine the fleet of two towns and the needed accessories (like a maintenance area) it makes even less sense. I will concede that your pre fab and my corrugated might be one and the same.
Maybe we could meet at a bar on the town line and discuss this like to educated individuals rather than banter back and forth on a periodical's website.
Yours without knickers,
Voice of Reason View Comment
Townspeople of Northbridge. First, let me apologize for Grommit from Grafton. Every village needs and idiot and Grommit fits the bill to a tee for us here in Grafton.
A DPW barn is a very expensive undertaking and one that should not be made light of. Your town has needs beyond just a new DPW bard. Similarly, so does Grafton. Capital improvement projects can divide a town (see: New Grafton High School, proposed new Grafton Library, new Grafton Fire Department, etc.). One item to note is that like the police and fire, your DPW workers are first responders; they are there in snow storms, hurricanes, and anything else Mother Nature decides to throw our way. The Grafton DPW barn is a deplorable situation - no fire sprinklers, no proper muster room/breakroom for the employees (currently they use a bay in the barn that's neither heated nor cooled), and the building isn't properly ventilated for when all the trucks are started up.
$8M is expensive. Very expensive. There may be other options that are feasible and not as expensive. In the end, what is done for the DPW will be in the best interest of the town and it's current (and future needs).
Best of luck weighing the DPW issue. View Comment
Mary do you wanna is the spice of the devil. How dare this town even think of bringing Satan and his evil workings to our good people. We have no bars. We have no dancing. We have no sig y are ettes. Why or why would we allow this? It's the devil. The DEVIL! Next thing you know we'll be wanting to spend tax revenue on pet projects of the TA or buying tracts of land to protect the BoS members who are abutters. View Comment
Hopefully it doesn't become a certain two members of the BoS using their "political muscle" to have their friends voted in versus acknowledging that some of these candidates will work in the best interest of the town and not rubber stamping the TA's desires. Good luck to Mr. Flynn and all of the other candidates. View Comment
Hopefully it doesn't become a certain two members of the BoS using their "political muscle" to have their friends voted in versus acknowledging that some of these candidates will work in the best interest of the town and not rubber stamping the TA's desires. Good luck to Mr. Flynn and all of the other candidates. View Comment
Grommit. I think everyone agrees the DPW building needs to at the top of the list for capital improvement projects. It's a wonder the building hasn't been shut down at this point. A few years ago, a dedicate group of Grafton residents reviewed some 80+ parcels in town and came up with two that were feasible to build on. When the sites were further examined, the current DPW site was rendered too challenging to build or renovate on and also conduct the business of the DPW; there's too much wetlands to adequately do both. So the site being further explored is not an all or nothing, rather the result of many, many hours volunteered to determine what is feasible for the town and it's taxpayers.
That said, it is a head scratching situation, when Mr. Adams - who sits on the current DPW Building Committee, claims that the Worcester Street parcel should not be used for the Super Park as it's in consideration for the DPW. View Comment
I know Bruce personally and he will do an outstanding job serving the needs of our town. And while I don't know Robert Nault, I suspect this year's BoS race for the open seat(s) will be fair, honest, and enable both candidates to speak on their merits versus the dirty contest last year's race turned into. View Comment
Oh a five year high? Wow. Stop the presses. Barry is the best president since, Chavez. Your guy claimed to be for the middle class and vowed to continue bringing control to the evil empire known as Wall Street. Yet, gas is through the roof on speculation alone and in turn, it's the middle class that bears the brunt. Guess Barry and Mother Warren really have the middle classes interests at heart. View Comment
It would have been nice if the BoS stipulated when he needed to move by. Moreover, it would have been better for the reporter to clarify whether it was or was not stipulated.
I hope he moves quickly. Yes it's hard to uproot a family. Though from a taxpayer's perspective, I would rather not be paying for the gas guzzler; especially after gas has risen more than 10-cents a gallon in the last week. View Comment
It would have been nice if the BoS stipulated when he needed to move by. Moreover, it would have been better for the reporter to clarify whether it was or was not stipulated.
I hope he moves quickly. Yes it's hard to uproot a family. Though from a taxpayer's perspective, I would rather not be paying for the gas guzzler; especially after gas has risen more than 10-cents a gallon in the last week. View Comment
Peter, thank you for all your service to this town. I can imagine at times it was not easy, yet you made the decisions based on the best interest of the entire town and not simply for a select few. Hopefully the person elected into the seat you are vacating will continue leading the town in the manner you so ably did. View Comment
Kind of? I think it has become one - both those who are getting to know our local law enforcement officers and many posting on the GDV website. View Comment
Good for you Chuck D. And I suppose you voted for the Gov too, who ran on the platform of no broad base tax increases, yet is killing the middle class in the Commonwealth while he goes home to his Milton mansion every evening and then takes a police escort to his Western Mass mansion on the weekend. View Comment
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