The MBTA has just licensed the town to take its granite blocks to use as seats at Straw Hat Pocket Park. Small details remain to be accomplished, like getting the MBTA a certificate of insurance. However, we are well on our way to having historic seating with a relevant town connection to use in Straw Hat Pocket Park.
Posted in Downtown
I had written to Senator Timilty to ask that he oppose the bill before the State Senate that had already passed in the House that removed local control over the siting of cell towers. This morning I got his reply, indicating that he is working to sop passage of that bill.
Thank you for contacting me regarding your opposition to Senate bill 2183, An Act updating mobile broadband coverage in the commonwealth. I appreciate your concern about this important matter.
Please know that I am also strongly opposed to this bill. I have serious concerns about its impact on the local control of the siting process for telecommunications equipment and what that would mean for the towns I represent. I will be working with my colleagues to ensure that the bill will not be engrossed by the Senate in either its current form or as an amendment. I am hopeful that I will be able to convince them of the dangerous impact of this legislation.
Once again, thank you for your input. Please do not hesitate to call or email should you have any questions or require more information.
With every good wish,
Senator Jim Timilty
Bristol & Norfolk
Chairman, Public Safety and Homeland Security
State House, Room 507
Boston, MA 02133
(617) 722-1222
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Posted in Legislature
An email from Bill Massaro this morning affirms that the town’s special legislation for the purchase of the Medfield State Hospital has once again reverted to being emergency legislation (and as such would be effective upon signing by the Governor, instead of 90 days after signing). I would love to know the back story on why the emergency preamble got removed, but there appear to be many things in the legislative process that just remain unstated. The last time we were seeking special legislation, because that bill was late filed (i.e. – not filed at the opening of the legislative session) the bill had to go through the Rules Committee, and the Rules Committee Chair, Angelo Scoccia, of Roslindale simply refused to allow it to come up for a committee vote, without ever stating any reason, except something about maybe we would get a better deal from the next governor. The result that time was that the legislative process, and therefore the town lost a whole year, without the state rep having to go on record as to why. A good example of why change can be hard to effect via legislation.
Pete,
Just saw your blog on the re-instatement of the emergency premble. I checked the MA legislature website for H4050 and the preamble is now back in on the on-line copy.
Thanks,
Bill
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Posted in Medfield State Hospital
Bob MacDonald, the operator of the Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP), attended the Energy Committee last night and explained to them that he has obtained a $180,000 DOER grant towards the cost of installation of a solar PV array at the WWTP. Bob indicated that he needs to get hard cost and payback numbers.
The Energy Committee already has a $12,000 DOER grant to analyze three potential solar PV sites in town, including the WWTP, so once that survey is complete, the WWTP should have the hard numbers Bob is seeking before he will bring the proposal to the town meeting to see if the town wants to install a solar PV system at the WWTP.
Kudos to Bob MacDonald for getting the grant monies for the town.
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Posted in Energy Committee, Green, Water & Sewer
The emergency preamble to he Medfield State Hospital purchase legislation had mysteriously been removed within the past couple of weeks, and Rep. Denise Garlick reports that it has been put back in today. The emergency preamble allows bills to take effect immediately upon signing by the Governor, as otherwise there is a 90 day waiting period before it becomes law.
I had emailed Rep. Garlick and Rep. Dooley yesterday, after being alerted by Bill Massaro to the change, to query why the emergency preamble had been removed.
Per email from Mike just now ==>
Representative Garlick just called to advise that the emergency preamble has been added back to the proposed legislation on the sale of the hospital property to the Town. she said that everything is moving along smoothly on that bill. Mike Sullivan
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Posted in Medfield State Hospital
Clark Tavern owner, Ms Linnert, shared with me this evening that their ZBA approval to convert the former residence into a tavern has been appealed. Generally, such appeals can delay the permit for about a year., until the court can conduct a trial. The appeal rights are to either the Superior Court or the Land Court at the person’s option.
Posted in Uncategorized
General Motors (GM) knew it would only take 57 cents to make its cars safer, but it chose to put profits over safety. GM was ultimately driven to safety by grieving parents and their attorney, who held GM accountable in the civil justice system.
But if GM had its way, the public would never have known about its deadly ignition switch scandal. For over a decade, GM used court secrecy clauses to hide its wrongdoing in order to keep its dangerous cars on the market and continue to profit while American lives were threatened.
Court secrecy endangers consumers and allows corporations to hide wrongdoing.
CLICK HERE to tell Congress to support the Sunshine in Litigation Act (S.2364 / H.R.4361) to keep corporations from hiding dangerous products and to motivate manufacturers to correct these hazards earlier instead of waiting until more deaths and injuries occur.
Tell Congress Americans have a right to know about hazardous and defective products! CLICK HERE to make your voice heard today!
777 6th Street NW, Suite 200 | Washington, DC 20001 | 202-965-3500
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Posted in Legal
The letter below from the Trustees of Reservations (TTOR) President and CEO tells Medfield residents that we have to just put up with more mosquitoes because TTOR has decided to not allow spraying on its properties.
Norfolk County Mosquito Control (NCMC) is telling the town that without the larvicide spraying early in the summer, that there will be no effective way to control the large numbers of mosquitoes that we can expect to get later in the summer if there is a flood and the many eggs hatch into mosquitoes. NCMC also tells the town that teh larvicide they use is some sort of thing that acts only on the mosquito larva, and is bonded to corn I believe it is, so that there is really no risk.
Norfolk County Mosquito Control tried to have its scientists speak to the TTOR scientists, but that does not seem to have resolved things so as to allow spraying on TTOR lands.
Dear Medfield residents,
For those of you who frequent our local properties, Rocky Woods, Noon Hill, Rocky Narrows or others in the Charles River Valley area, you may know us and may even be a member. For those of you not familiar with us, The Trustees of Reservations is the world’s first regional land trust and one of Massachusetts largest conservation organizations with over 113 properties spread across more than 26,000 acres statewide. Our mission is to “hold in trust” (preserve and protect) “reservations” (properties) of scenic, cultural and natural significance for public use and enjoyment.
Recently, we have received several requests from Medfield town officials to allow preventive mosquito control on The Trustees of Reservations’ Medfield properties. We have considered these requests seriously since the health and safety of our visitors is of utmost importance to us, as are the fragile ecosystems and wildlife habitats located on our many reservations. We acknowledge that mosquitos are a nuisance and that there may be health risks associated with them in certain areas of the state, including Medfield.
In our recent conversations with selectmen, public health officials, and county mosquito control agencies we discussed our decision to opt-out of the town’s chemically-based control measures. This decision is guided by our own science-based mosquito control policy as well as the guidelines of the Mass Department of Public Health and the Norfolk County Mosquito Control District. We understand that chemically-based measures may become important in the case of a public health emergency declared by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), and our policy supports this action should it be necessary.
In summary, we are concerned about the potential health risks associated with the mosquito population and will continue to be in dialogue with public health officials and review available data that might inform our policy going forward. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we evaluate next steps.
In the meantime, we hope you have a healthy, safe and active summer and remember to use necessary precautions and protective measures when enjoying our properties and being outdoors in general. Outdoor places contribute to the overall quality of life in our communities and we remain committed to caring for our special places so that they are safe and enjoyable for everyone. For more information on upcoming area events, programs and fun family activities please visit: www.thetrustees.org.
Thank you,
Barbara Erickson
Trustees of Reservations President and CEO
Posted in Nature, Open space, Safety
I signed up for a webinar in two weeks on putting the town’s budget online. This outfit would cost the town $7,000/year to do it. Then everything is easily available and everyone gets access.
OpenGov | 650.422.3642
Mountain View | Boulder
www.opengov.com @OpenGovInc
June 18, 2014 (3:50pm)
1. Cost is based on size of town’s annual budget =
a. Under $100m cost $7,000/year
b. Below $50m is $4900/year
This was the email from OpenGov –
Please have a look at New Haven’s new OpenGov site:
Business Intelligence – Visualize trends and gain new insights that you can’t get from a spreadsheet or PDF. Bring your financial data to life!
Transparency – Give citizens self-service access to interactive financials and proposed budgets for a more informed, productive dialog.
OpenGov is easy to set up – there’s no installation and no integration.
Regards,
Owen Silver
Mike Sullivan reported at the Board of Selectmen meeting last night that Gatehouse, the developers of the 92 unit 40B apartment complex planned for West Street have been meeting with Town of Medfield officials about the preparatory details required for them to be able to start construction. I understood that they had been meeting with Ken Feeney, Superintendent and John Naff, the Building Commissioner, and further that Gatehouse is expected to be breaking ground in July.
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Posted in Affordable housing / 40B
Medfield Select Board member
I started this blog to share the interesting and useful information that I saw while doing my job as a Medfield select board member. I thought that my fellow Medfield residents would also find that information interesting and useful as well. This blog is my effort to assist in creating a system to push the information out from the Town House to residents. Let me know if you have any thoughts on how it can be done better.
For information on my other job as an attorney (personal injury, civil litigation, estate planning and administration, and real estate), please feel free to contact me at 617-969-1500 or Osler.Peterson@OslerPeterson.com.
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