Thank you for sharpening my point more precisely. View Comment

To "Liberal".: I am saddened that you have the chutzpah to make assumptions about me and predict my behavior, as well as to so confidently state your opinions as absolute fact. Yet, apparently not having the courage of your own convictions you are too cowardly to use your actual name in your commentary. View Comment

At the risk of dignifying your nasty comment with a reply, I must point out that the railroad tracks flow THROUGH a residential neighborhood. A propane storage facility is a STATIONARY, STATIC installation. No one is fighting what might be ON THE TRACKS moving THROUGH town. Have you seen the site? Since you are not one of us "Grafton people" and claim to have information we hicks are not privy to, please provide the detailed address and contact information for an LPG Intermodal Storage and Transfer Terminal facility in the middle of a residential area. Also, just a reminder that the EPA regulations clearly state the psi blast radius for that quantity of propane as .6 miles. The elementary school, library, park, and residences are all well within that area and therefore such storage is prohibited. I'm also wondering why YOU are so angry. View Comment

January 14 9:00 am US District Court, 595 Main Street, Worcester. Park in the garage across from the federal building and Hanover theater. Let's show a presence! Justice Timothy Hillman (President Obama's appointee seated June 2012) has apparently expedited a "jury-waived bench trial". Contact John Kerry's office, Jim McGovern's office, Mike Moore's office - just google their names and get all their contact information. I wish there were also to be a jury of citizens. Please attend to demonstrate our interest and commitment. Carpool anyone? I'm "in"! View Comment

The only long term effects of the ignition of that quantity of propane would be the devastation of nearby homes, library, school, and park. Storage of propane in that quantity is not transportation. And if he is not going to fill the tanks, what is his hurry! View Comment

I STILL maintain that the STORAGE of a total of 320,000 gallons of propane is not specific to RAILWAY activity. Transporting any material via the railway is directly related. Transferring any material from rail cars DIRECTLY to trucks would be a railway activity. But Mr. Priscoli is STORING 320,000 gallons of LPG for an as yet undetermined period of time. At the meeting last week he and his consultant claimed that the "safest way "to transfer the gas from the train cars to truck tankers is via the intermediary storage tanks. I think its probably more economically advantageous for Mr. Priscoli to deal in such large quantities, ie the 320,000 gallons stored onsite. View Comment

Side note: Where is Mr. Priscoli's business registered? Potentially this whole project, if completed is a net LO$$ of revenue for the town. Clearly surrounding property values will DEcrease, and therefore tax revenue will DEcrease as well. What about our VOLUNTEER fires department? Bless their souls. How many towns with storage operations this size have a volunteer department?? Will we need to staff up a fire department on the taxpayer's nickel? View Comment

The Town has no standing to interfere with the OPERATION OF THE RAILWAY. That is according to the representative from the STB at last week's meeting. However, does STORAGE of 320,000 gallons of LPG constitute "OPERATION of the RAILWAY"? I think not. Transportation via the railway clearly pre-empts local and state laws. But does STORAGE of 320,000 gallons of LPG in a dense residential area, within .6 miles from a library, park, and elementary school, as well as close proximity of offsite residences constitute "RAILWAY ACTIVITY"? This would appear to me to be the question to address at the State and Federal levels by the regulatory bodies that govern storage sites for LPG. View Comment

The entire design and appearance is completely out of character with the nature of Grafton. It looks like it should be an addition to the ICA in Boston. Could an entire fascade - or how about trompe l'oeil making it appear to be the front of an historic building facing Providence Road??? How about appealing to local aspiring artists to design a trompe l'oeil - it could be a competition for the honor of doing such a large scale project and making it look like it belongs here? Right now the sight of that ugly, inappropriate thing sitting there just rubs salt in the wounds caused by the tax bills. SERIOUSLY, look at the Town House, the Grafton Suburban Credit Union, and even the Fire and Police palaces - they are all beautiful. How about a similar appearance on that giant canvas facing 122 for the mere cost of a small monetary award to a chosen artist?? View Comment

This whole area was seriously polluted. A few years ago a water line was paid for by Wyman Gordon's as a good citizen gesture while claiming no responsibility, because the peoples' private wells were contaminated. (This is well documented by DEP and in the general press.) While I know that Shrewsbury has invested a little money in clearing up Flint Pond , it is not an area that I personally would like to see encouraged for recreational purposes. I think it should be cleaned up and capped off and used for industry as it is also one of the few industrial zones left in town. Hovey Pond is accessible by a town right of way at the end of Anderson Lane, off the bottom of Second Street. With one or two portages, it is now possible to make your way by water from Hovey up past Irish Damn and onto Flint Pod if you so choose to go there. But I prefer my tax money not be used to buy land near Flint Pond. I'll look forward to the scheduled hearings. View Comment

My inquiry at the liquor store where Mr. Obama is allegedly employed informed me that he does not, nor has he ever worked in Grafton. He (allegedly) is employed by the owner of the liquor store - Conti Liquors of Framingham, who owns 3 stores. Two are in Framingham, and one here in Grafton. If Grafton had not been erroneously mentioned in the press, we would not be even having this conversation. How about the drunk driving illegal that tragically killed the young man in Milford? We should keep the immigration issues and the drunk driving issues separated, as both are complex and under the jurisdiction of many different government agencies. The higher level problem to be addressed here is that of who has jurisdiction and authority to enforce our laws. Many professions and agencies have a legal mandate to report violations over which they have no legal authority. This also should be implemented for all law enforcement, DMV, INS, ICE, MA, and IRS employees; perhaps being a "mandated reporter" would bring some personal responsibility to the issue of enforcement, instead of an attitude of "it's not my job" or that's a different department's responsibility. Also, I learned that you do not have to be a citizen to get a number to use in lieu of a social security number for tax reporting purposes. The agency issuing these numbers has no immigration enforcement responsibilities. Their job is to collect taxes. It is the INS and ICE agencies who are supposed to enforce immigration laws. Our government is too disintegrated to manage anything appropriately, at the state or national level. Lastly, President Obama's name has only been on the national radar for less than 5 years. So during that time period, the uncle would surely have been given special treatment NOT because the President asked for it, but because law enforcement would handle him with kid gloves as they do all other presumably "connected" individuals. But what explains the previous 44 years?? A system that encourages everyone to be concerned only with their own piece of the pie, and getting the biggest piece they can possibly get is the real root of the problem. View Comment

Yes, Paradise would be ...... Paradise would be to live in a town in a state in a country where everyone in the community gets all the same opportunities and benefits of citizenship in a civilized society. Jorges Luis Borges was educated in Switzerland, and if I'm not mistaken, higher education there is obligatory "free". Public education through college level would be Paradise. Paradise would be libraries available and accessible to all, not just in particular locations. Paradise would be library services that did not require VOLUNTEER staff having YARD SALES and bake sales to support them! Paradise would be having affordable, quality healthcare available to everyone. Paradise would be having reliable power. Paradise would be having streets free of debris and giant potholes. Paradise would be the availability of quality public transportation. Paradise would be public funding for the Arts. Yes, Paradise would be all of these things and so much more. But we obviously do not live in Paradise. We live in Grafton, Massachusetts, USA. As an educated person, who by the way uses the library regularly and did not have to take a tour of the center library to then advocate to expand it ... I have to say now is not the time nor the place for this library expansion. And for me, its the principle of it all that informs my opinion..... other options were not advertised, other options were not seriously entertained, discussion was cut short at Town Meeting before people could speak, and a recount of the vote was denied. I wonder how many expansion supporters are even aware of the Nelson Library availability and the fact that it has been run by volunteers since the town moved the staff to the center?? I love libraries. I love the way books feel, and I especially love the smell. I love the quiet whispers and murmurings of watchful librarians offering their expert guidance to patrons. But we do not live in Paradise. Please vote "no" for the center library expansion. Let's use the money already available to make the center library ADA compliant, and lets make better use of the resources we already have available in existing public buildings. And although I never imagined I'd find myself opposing a library expansion, I am not afraid to post my name here. It's the principle of it all.... Wanda Hendrix View Comment