Sterling's response to water emergency not sterling

On Tuesday, routine testing of Sterling's water supply found traces of e.Coli bacteria. When the results were returned on Wednesday, the town issued a boil water order for all residents and businesses that use the town water supply. We are still required to boil our water until at least Tuesday. Unfortunately, word got out in dribs and drabs, and many (if not most) residents didn't get the word until sometime on Thursday, long after the order went out.

The lack of timely information and the spread of misinformation suggests that the town's leaders were not prepared to communicate this sort of emergency to townspeople, and some citizens have begun to wonder if the lack of information has compromised the safety of their families.

According to the date stamp on the official boil water notice posted to sterling-ma.gov, the PDF file was created at 6:48 pm on Wednesday, July 21. We found out about it thanks to a Facebook post from one of our neighbors sometime after 9:30 pm. It looks like we were some of the lucky ones, although our children had drinks, brushed their teeth, and washed up after the boil water order was issued.

Information began to circulate on Thursday. The Telegram and Gazette ran a short item Thursday morning. Incredibly, the item did not give out a local phone number or Web site for residents to get further information. Instead, the phone number it included where people could call to get information was an 800 number for the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

By Thursday morning, electronic tote boards on Main Street and Worcester Road had been erected to tell motorists about the order. Those signs did include a local phone number. Other media also helped get the word out, as local television stations had picked up the story by midday and were including the information in their news reports.

Finally, late Tuesday afternoon -- nearly a full 24 hours after the boil water order went into effect -- we received the reverse-911 call informing us of the water emergency.

Think about that for a minute. It took an entire day to get the phones hooked up and get a broadcast message to the town. 235 years ago, the people of Lexington found out the British were coming in a quarter of the time it took the people of Sterling to find out their water wasn't safe to drink. Perhaps we should hire out an equestrian squad and have them gallop through the countryside in the tradition of Paul Revere. Bet it wouldn't have taken 24 hours to get the word out...

Not that the communication has been much better since then. After updating the Web site on Thursday evening, the town did not post another update until yesterday afternoon. There has not been an update for 27 hours (as of this writing) and it does not appear that there will be any more information for almost 24 hours to come:

As of Saturday, July 24th at 3PM, the boil water order continues to be in effect for all users of the Sterling Water Department System. Preliminary results show no E-coli but some coliform in the system. The water department has been disinfecting the entire water system and will take another round of sampling on Monday, July 26th per DEP directive. Please be informed that it takes 24 hours to receive results of the samples collected.

It would be nice to get a daily update...in fact, I think it is necessary, even if the update is little more than a message stating that nothing has changed. Beyond that, the notice needs to be clear and precise. Reading that closely, it's clear that the earliest the boil water order can be rescinded is Tuesday, July 26 (24 hours after the next round of testing on the 25th). Well, just say it.

Because of the lack of information, people are starting to blame the town for whatever is going wrong with their pets, children, etc. On Friday, I heard a group of parents talking about kids they knew who had been sick that week and they were sure it was the water. I've talked to people who have a sick dog and they figure that is because of the water. Another friend of ours has a 3-year-old with a stomach bug, and she thinks it's because she didn't get the notice until Thursday night and her family was drinking tap water all day.

Maybe they are right. I'm skeptical that every stomach bug and distempered pet is the result of water contamination. Frankly, I'm skeptical that any of it is from the water. But people don't believe they had the information they needed -- and deserved -- to keep their families safe.

The feeling of distrust is a burden that the town departments and leaders will deal with for some time to come.

Forum tonight with Sheriff candidate Scot Bove

Scot Bove, Democratic candidate for Worcester County Sheriff, will speak at an open forum hosted by the Sterling Democratic Town Committee tonight at 7:00 pm at the Butterick Building Room 205, 1 Park Street, Sterling. The committee will hold it's monthly business meeting following the forum.

This is the first of our committee's series of candidate forums. Future forums will include other candidates for office, including candidates for sheriff, state representative, auditor, treasurer, and hopefully governor. If you are in

Each of our forums will be televised on Sterling-Lancaster Cable TV and will be posted on You Tube (and here) as well.

Hopefully you can come down to town hall to catch the discussion later tonight.

Evangelidis is out, Ken O'Brien to run

According to Red Mass Group, Representative Lew Evangelidis announced to his supporters yesterday that he is definitively running for Sheriff. The announcement opens up the seat in the First Worcester District, which Evangelidis has held for eight years. Holden Selectman Ken O'Brien announced last night at the Sterling Democratic Town Committee meeting that he intends to run for the seat, with a formal announcement early in February.*

First, the email from Evangelidis:

I wanted all of you to know that I will be a candidate for Worcester County Sheriff this coming November.  As a former assistant district attorney, assistant state prosecutor and having worked in the private sector for many years I hope you would see me as an ideal candidate for Worcester County Sheriff.  With your help I think that we can break down the old Worcester County political machine and have an independent and professional Sheriff's Department.

In making his pitch last night to our committee, O'Brien said that he is a socially progressive, fiscally conservative Democrat. He said he will make bringing federal stimulus dollars and other state aid to the district a priority. He also said that he will fight to make sure that any future budget cuts do not affect local aid.

He said that his experience as a Holden Selectman and his relationships with local, state, and congressional Democrats make him an ideal candidate for the seat. The district includes the western half of Sterling, along with Holden, Princeton, Rutland, Oakham, Hubbardston, and Westminster.

Although the district leans strongly Republican (For instance, in 2006 Kerry Healey and Christy Mihos combined for 50% of the vote in the district, compared with 42% statewide; in 2008, McCain won 49% of the district, compared to just 36% statewide), O'Brien believes that he can make up the difference through a strong organization and get out the vote effort. He certainly has ties to a successful organization: his brother Joe was easily elected mayor of Worcester last fall.

It's possible that O'Brien might have to get through a primary. Last month, Worcester Magazine reported that Worcester radio and TV personality Hank Stolz is exploring a candidacy as a Democrat. There will definitely be at least one Republican running for the seat. Rumors in the district are that fellow Holden Select Board member Kimberly Ferguson is exploring a run, among others.

*-- Even though Ken O'Brien has not officially announced, since his comments last night were at a public meeting held in a public building, I am comfortable writing about them.

A Standout Tuesday

Despite my disappointment and frustration at the results of Tuesday’s election, I otherwise had a very good day. For the first time, I spent much of the day out at the polls holding signs and greeting voters on behalf of my candidate, and even though she lost, the experience was well worth it.

There is an old adage that lawn signs don’t vote. I believe that. I also believe that standing out at the polls doesn’t actually win any votes. I imagine everyone who came out to vote Tuesday already had an idea who they were voting for.

But I think visibility at the polls saves votes. There were most likely some voters who came out whose support for Martha Coakley was tepid, at best. Had they arrived at the polling place and seen enthusiasm for Scott Brown and no support for Coakley, I can see some of them saying “Well, if she doesn’t care enough to get people out and campaign, why should I care enough to give her my vote?”

But more importantly than that, I learned that the visibility boosts the morale of those who do come out to vote and that—more than anything—made the day worth it.

Sterling is a Republican town. Those who vote Democratic know that, and it’s clear that they are much more apt to go about their business quietly. So it was nice to see so many smiles and clandestine thumbs-up as we greeted voters. A number of voters thanked me and the other Democrats who stood out to support Coakley. Some went as far as to say that they didn’t expect to see any support out there and they were happy to see that they weren’t alone.

By 7:30 pm, I was about done. There were hardly any more voters left to cast ballots, and many of those who did come out were able to park right in front of the entrance to the school, so our signs weren’t visible to them anyway. Every once in a while, someone would park in the main parking lot and walk by our location, but by that time of night, it was very rare.

I had been debating whether or not I really wanted to stand out in the snow for another 30 minutes (I’d been there for seven hours already; I figured I’d done what I could) and was just about to pack up my signs when a young woman heading back to her car stopped to thank me for being out there. She told me that she was so thankful that I had taken the time to stand out there in the weather and that she was happy that there were others who shared her support. I figured that I couldn’t leave after that, so I stuck it out the rest of the night.

The point I took from that was that even if she and others were disappointed about their candidate or the result, because she knew that she wasn’t alone she might be apt to keep voting or volunteering or doing whatever it is that she does when election time comes around. My being there didn’t influence her vote Tuesday, but it might have some effect in the next election.

Another thing that heartened me was that my fellow Sterlingites are, if nothing else, very polite. Knowing that most of the folks who came out to vote were going to be opposing my candidate filled me with a little trepidation, but me and my follow Democrats holding signs were generally treated well.

I tried to greet everyone who came by and for the most part I got a hello in reply. Those neighbors who just couldn’t bear the thought of acknowledging a Democrat walked by with their heads down. There were a couple of scowls here and there, but with a few exceptions, nothing untoward.

One guy came by wearing a yellow windbreaker. He muttered “Communists!” when he walked in to vote and followed by rolling his window down and yelling “Communists!” out the window of his SUV as he left the parking lot. (‘Communists’ is so 60’s. ‘European-style Socialists’ is much more in vogue, all though that is probably too many words for that guy to string together.) Otherwise, the only time I got yelled at was by two Coakley voters who wanted to let me know that they were voting for Coakley because they supported her issues, but that they were disgusted by the tone of her campaign. Fair enough.

I also took some good-natured ribbing from members of the Town Republican Committee who were out to hold signs for Scott Brown. I was wearing my Red Sox jacket and hat and they wanted to know if Martha Coakley thought I was a Yankees’ fan. I actually got that from a few people, now that I think of it, but each time we were able to share a laugh about it.

I had some good discussions with them about the campaign, how good or bad the schools in town were, what our kids like about Davis Farmland...you know, neighborly stuff. With all of the fire and anger that comes through in TV commercials and the internet, it was very nice to know that as neighbors, the difference in our politics wasn’t any different or more contentious than the difference in the brand of car we drive or TV shows we watch.

Even though we lost, the whole experience was worth it. I definitely plan to be out there again in the fall. Hopefully it will be a bit warmer and a bit less snowy...and that we win a few more votes.

One year ago this week

It was one year ago that Mother Nature decided that we'd been having it a little too easy, so she covered everything with an inch of ice and let gravity do the rest. In a lot of ways, we haven't completely recovered.

If you drive North on route 12 out of the center of Sterling you'll notice that the east side of the road was never really cleaned up, and large trees and debris still remain just behind the guard rail. The Municipal Light Department is still working in the northwest corner of town to permanently repair power lines that were patched together last winter. Looking up at the trees in my yard, I still see large branches that are just teetering on the edge of other limbs, waiting for the next round of ice and snow and wind to bring them the rest of the way down.

Coincidentally, the next round may be here soon:

Snow is expected to reach the east slopes of the Berkshires and Connecticut valley between 3 and 5 am Wednesday... and should reach the Merrimack valley between 5 and 7 am. The snow should quickly become heavy at times... perhaps falling at the rate of one inch per hour during the Wednesday morning commute.

The arrival of milder air will cause the snow to change to sleet and freezing rain Wednesday morning... before an eventual change to rain Wednesday afternoon. There is still uncertainty as to how fast this transition will take place.

Snowfall totals of 4 to 8 inches are possible... with the 8 inch amounts likely to occur from the Worcester Hills into southwest New Hampshire. A light coating of ice is also possible.

Be prepared for the possibility of downed tree branches and scattered power outages.

I guess I'll need to get the generator out tonight and fire it up, just in case. I'm not planning on being caught off guard again.

A look back at the 2008 Ice Storm in Sterling.

Convicts who torched "Mary's House" finally put away

Two arsonists from Clinton--whose torching spree culminated in the destruction of Sterling's most famous historical site--have been found guilty of setting fires from Sterling to Florida, Mass. and are headed to the big house for 15 years:

WORCESTER — Two Clinton men were sentenced to state prison yesterday for a 2007 arson spree from Central Massachusetts to the western end of the state that the judge called “random, reckless and unnerved acts of evil.”

Saying they acted with a “sense of impunity” and a total disregard for the consequences of their actions, Judge John S. McCann sentenced John Rousseau [at right] and Michael P. Dreslinski [far right] to 14-1/2 years to 15 years and a day in state prison with 30 years of probation that will begin immediately and keep the two longtime friends, both 30 years old, under the court’s supervision until they reach age 60....

The first of the two local fires destroyed the 18th century homestead of Mary Elizabeth Sawyer, the so-called “Mary Had a Little Lamb House,” at 108 Maple St., Sterling, which was on the National Register of Historic Places.

The fire two summers ago was a really big deal in our neighborhood. The Sawyer House is less than a mile from our home, and the blaze shook up some neighbors who have been living on the hill for decades. Apparently there had been a series of barn fires in the area in the late 1970s, including one barn in our neighborhood that was torched. At least one of our elderly neighbors was fearful that the same thing was happening again.

I guess in some ways the same thing was happening, but at least this burning spree was spread out over the whole state, and not centered in one terrified community.

A real shame in all of this is that one wonders if the destruction could have been prevented. I guess it's typical whenever a serial criminal is finally put away to wonder if law enforcement could have done more. Typical or not, I'll ask the question anyway. Why couldn't these two have been put away before it got to this?

At sentencing yesterday, Judge McCann noted that Rousseau and Dreslinski had a long criminal history, going back to their teen years:

Noting that both defendants had adult criminal records dating back to 1996 that included breaking and entering convictions and arson-related crimes, Judge McCann said neither had shown “a propensity for rehabilitation.”

The judge said in a sentencing memorandum, “Their swath of destruction has grown wider each year and brought us to the present.”

He called the setting of the fires two years ago “random, reckless and unnerved acts of evil evolving over a one-month period of time.” He said the crimes jeopardized the lives of the property owners, their neighbors, firefighters and, in the case of the Florida fire, railroad workers whose communication system was temporarily shut down.

The record is full of missed opportunities. In 2003, Rousseau admitted to police that he had set a series of fires around Clinton that fall. At his trial, the confessions were thrown out and the charges were eventually dropped. Looking back at some of the stories from the trial, the similarities between the 2007 fires and the 2003 fires is stark:

Rousseau, 26, is accused of setting four fires in abandoned buildings as well as in a Dumpster behind High Street. There were no injuries in any of the fires. Rousseau is also charged with impersonating a police officer and four counts of breaking and entering in the night to commit a felony after he allegedly hacked into police radio frequencies and pretended to be an officer. He also allegedly hacked into the CSX railroad frequency and reported false bomb threats and explosions on the tracks in Clinton. He is currently living at his Wilson Street home monitored by an electronic bracelet.

The case was investigated for months by local and state police as well as the state fire marshal's office before the charges were made in November 2003.

Fires in abandoned buildings? Check. Hacking into railroad radio frequencies? Check. Corroborating with Dreslinski? Check. Once the charges in the 2003 fires were finally dropped, the Times and Courier wrapped up the story with a timeline of Rousseau's and Dresinski's exploits, starting with the vandalization of a Bolton school with a swastika.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the end. After briefly flirting with a run for Clinton selectman, Rousseau teamed up with Dreslinski to set fire to buildings in Florida and Greenfield in late July, 2007. Even though the state police had fitted Dreslinski's truck with a GPS and knew he and Rousseau had been in the July fires, they did not arrest the pair until two weeks later, after they had torched the Sawyer house and a barn in Holden. It's too bad that the state couldn't have pulled together the evidence on the July fires in time to stop them from burning again.

For that matter, it's a shame that the authorities couldn't have been just a little more careful when this happened six years ago. I understand that the job of police and prosecutors is tough--certainly a lot tougher than my job. For the sake of our liberties, they have to be nearly perfect when it comes to locking someone up. Perfections is too much to ask of anyone, but a little perfection here would have gone a long way.

At least now there won't be a next time...until 2024 anyway.

Sterling's Gettens to oppose Naughton in 2010. Why, and why now?

At the highest levels of our political culture it’s not unusual for a campaign cycle to begin long before election day. For instance, the first credible candidates for the 2008 presidential election announced in late-2006 and the first primary debates were held early in 2007...almost two years before President Obama was ultimately elected.

For better or for worse, the trend toward extended campaigns has trickled all the way down to the State Legislature’s 12th Worcester District, where Sterling resident James Gettens has announced his intention to run against Rep. Hank Naughton in 2010.

I know Gettens from the fight between Clinton and Sterling (or more accurately, a three-way battle between Clinton, the Sterling selectmen, and the people of Sterling) over the potential sale of water from the Wekepeke Reservoirs. As I have written a number of times I agreed with Gettens’s position that the commercial sale of the water would be illegal. I even posted a number of his opinions and letters on this blog.

More recently, both Gettens and I spoke at town meeting in favor of Sterling taking the first step toward a five-person Board of Selectmen. On the other hand, we have also been on opposite sides of some town issues: at the May town meeting I spoke strongly in favor of spending $52,000 to help develop the Sterling Greenery Park, a proposal that Gettens vigorously opposed.

Having said that, I am a strong supporter of Rep. Naughton and I contributed both time and money to his most recent house campaign. I believe he serves with the district’s best interests in mind, and expect to strongly support him again in 2010.

The announcement of Gettens’s candidacy begs a couple of questions, some which have been answered but many of which haven’t.

1. Why is Gettens running for the house? From the article in the Times and Courier:

Topics Gettens said he hopes to address if elected include limiting salaries to high-ranking state officials, bringing the income tax rate back to 5 percent and working to tighten the expenses of the state’s mandatory health care policy….

Gettens criticized Democrats in state office, stating, “the spending practices of the Democrats in control of the House and Senate are out of control, and I hope to help change this. I intend to speak out for the individual taxpayers in the district. The people who own businesses and the entrepreneurs — the people who have been exploited by entrenched government organizations.”

“It took 200 years of state history for the budget to go from zero dollars to $12.8 billion, a mark which was reached in 1988-89. The Democrats have been in control since 1988-89, and the Democrats, through wasteful government spending, have more than doubled this $12.8 billion budget in this time,” said Gettens.

A couple of things I find interesting here…first, Gettens proclaims his support for rolling back the income tax to 5%, not for repealing it altogether, which was the goal of the recent ballot question. The difference between 5% and 5.3% is largely symbolic. For a worker making $52,000 a year, a reduction of 0.3% would put $3.00 per week back in her paycheck. And Naughton will argue—as he did in a forum we held before the last election—that the current law already has triggers that would reduce the tax rate based on the state’s revenues.

(As an aside…if the legislature had set a scale that would slide up to 5.95% when revenues are down, and down to 5% when revenues are up—instead of just a downward scale—I wonder if sales taxes, alcohol taxes, meals taxes, etc. would have been necessary.)

Secondly, he wants to “tighten the expenses” of the health care plan. Not repeal it, or cut services, or even change the way the plan works, just tighten expenses. I wonder how such a progressive position on universal health care plays with the more conservative Republicans out there.

And the argument that the budget has doubled since 1988 is a straw man. Converting 1988 dollars into 2009 dollars, $12.8 billion in 1988 would be worth $23.14 billion today. According to population estimates, Massachusetts has grown by 7.6% since the 1990 census. Using 2009 dollars, if we increase the budget by 7.6% to keep up with the growth, we end up with a total of $24.9 billion. So of course the budget has doubled, it would take $24.9 billion just to provide the exact same services per capita as we did in 1988.

2. What are Gettens’ positions on social issues? Right now it appears that the election will be fought on economic grounds, but who knows what will happen between now and 2010. Earlier this week, Attorney General Martha Coakley filed suit to have portions of the Defense of Marriage Act stricken as it pertains to same-sex marriages in Massachusetts. Will this still be an issue in 2010? Gay marriage opponents have indicated that they may again try to petition for a constitutional amendment to repeal that part of the law. Would Gettens vote to support or oppose that effort? Both Gettens and Naughton serve in the Army Reserves. What are their positions on “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell?” Does the Republican support or oppose casino gambling and/or slot parlors in soon-to-be-former dog tracks?

3. Why announce the candidacy so early in the cycle? Was it meant to be a stake out a position to keep other Republicans out of the race? Is it an attempt to get an early jump on raising money (although a check on the Office of Campaign and Political Finance website suggests that Gettens has not yet formed a campaign committee to receive contributions)?

4. Why was the rollout so limited? The only article about Gettens’ candidacy to date is the one on the Times and Courier. There hasn’t been any announcement of it in the other newspapers that serve the region (The Landmark, the Clinton Item, the Telegram and Gazette, the Banner, or the Villager). There has been no posting or discussion on Red Mass Group or the Worcester County Republican Club’s blog. It seems that if a candidate is going to make an announcement he would try to reach as many voters, supporters, and potential donors as possible.

5. What will Lew Evangelidis do? On the one hand, Evangelidis is a Republican and the party is always desperate for fellow Republicans to run for office. On the other hand, I perceive that Lew and Hank are fairly close and work pretty well together on issues that affect the neighboring districts. Will Evangelidis support Gettens enthusiastically and campaign with him? Will he support him in name but not do any heavy lifting? Or will Lew sit it out entirely, effectively telegraphing his support for Naughton by staying on the sidelines?

6. How will Sterling’s town leadership respond? On the surface, having a Sterling resident run for state rep should be a good thing. But Gettens has sparred with the Board of Selectmen on a number of occasions, many times in public forums or at town meeting. Historically, two of the three members of the board have been financial contributors to Republicans running for state office.

Both Dick Sheppard and Paul Suschyk gave money to Republican David Schnaider, the last Sterlingite to run for a seat in the legislature (Nice touch, by the way, for Sushchyk to give $100.00 to David Schnaider before his 2004 senate race against Democrat Bob Antonioni and then give $150.00 to Antonioni a year later). And both have given to Evangelidis and state level Republicans to the tune of over $2,100 combined the last six years. Will they also support Gettens? Or have the disputes between Gettens and the board become too personal for these longtime Selectmen to support him?

(Newly elected selectman Russ Philpot is not listed in the OCPF database as having contributed to any candidates).

7. And finally, will the Republican candidate for Governor have any coattails, or will he follow the Romney-esque path of running for himself, completely disregarding the infrastructure of the sate party as a whole?

A lot of things to ponder. For better or for worse, we have a long 16 months of pondering to go.

Tags: Massachusetts Clinton Sterling Election 2010 State House Harold Naughton James Gettens

Sterling Town Meeting: Vote No on Article 46

Among the articles on the agenda at Monday’s Sterling town meeting is Article 46, which would set guidelines for the erection and use of windmills for electric power. At first blush, it seems like a good idea. But a close reading of the regulations reveals that the proposal would serve mainly to prohibit wind power from all but the largest land owners in town.

Citizens of Sterling should reject Article 46 and ask the Light Board and the Planning Board to come back with a proposal that allows homeowners to pursue wind energy as an option.

The proposed bylaw would set such restrictive rules around the siting of a windmill that it would be nearly impossible to erect one:

Setbacks. The minimum setback for the wind turbine shall be maintained equal to the overall height calculation plus one hundred (100) feet from all property boundaries of the site on which the WECS [Wind Energy Conversion System] is located. In addition, the WECS shall be set back a distance of the Height Calculation plus one hundred (100) feet from any ways, access easements, trails, ascertainable paths and above ground utility lines.

An earlier clause sets the maximum height of a turbine at 100 feet, so a land owner who erected a windmill of the maximum height in the dead center of her lot could only do so if the lot were at least 400 feet across and 400 feet deep (100-foot windmill height plus 100-foot setback on all four sides).

In other words, a maximum height windmill is only available to landowners with at least 3.67 acres of land if the land is completely vacant. If the lot has a home on it with an above-ground electric, phone, or cable lines; or if the lot has a driveway, then the 200-foot setback would be calculated from there.

(A landowner hoping to erect a 50-foot windmill would need a vacant lot 300-feet square, or a little over 2 acres.)

The main point of requiring a setback should be safety—that is, if the windmill were to fall down (or if ice were to fall from a rotor) it shouldn’t land on any cars, homes, your neighbor’s property, etc. Apparently the crafters of Sterling’s bylaw are worried that a fallen windmill will bounce, roll, dance, shimmy, or otherwise move a distance of twice the fall zone. Either that, or they don’t want any windmills in town.

By comparison, here is the setback provision in the model bylaw proposed by the Massachusetts Division of Energy Resources and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs to assist towns in the crafting of their WECS regulations:

4.1 Setbacks
Wind turbines shall be set back a distance equal to the total height of the wind turbine from all inhabited structures, overhead utility lines, public road or right of way and at least 5 feet from property boundaries.

4.1.1 Setback Waiver
The building inspector may reduce the minimum setback distance if written permission is granted by the entity with care and control over the affected asset.

The state suggests that a turbine needs only to be setback by the height of the structure. It only requires the setback to be from public ways and utility lines (not “trails” or “ascertainable paths”), and it only suggests that it be five feet from your neighbor’s property (assuming that it meets other setback provisions).

The state’s proposed bylaw assumes that wind energy is something to be embraced, and its provisions encourage the use of wind energy. The proposed Sterling bylaw is meant to restrict it.

Now, not every town that has a WCES bylaw is as permissive as the state’s proposal (most that I reviewed included the property line as one of the items required by the setback), but none of the ones I found were nearly as restrictive as Sterling’s. Here are the first ten current or proposed Massachusetts town bylaws that I found by doing a Google search, and their setback requirements:

• Ashby: Total height + 25 feet
• Athol: 1.1 x the total height
• Bourne: Total height + 10
• Hamilton: Total height
• Hardwick: Total height
• Harvard: Total height + 20 feet
• Millbury: Total height
• Paxton: Total height
• Scituate: 0.75 x the total height
• Winchendon: Total height + 10 feet

One of the ten towns requires a setback of less than the height of the tower, four require a setback equal to the height of the tower, and five require setbacks greater than the height of the tower. But even the most restrictive of those only requires a setback of 25 feet.

The Harvard bylaw has not yet been ratified and is before the town meeting this month. Despite setback regulations that are much less confining than Sterling’s, a former member of Harvard’s Wind Energy Conversion Systems Task Force told the Harvard Press that the Harvard proposal was too restrictive:

The way the amendment is currently structured and worded, it is basically a prohibition on residential windmills in Harvard.

The same goes for Sterling. Residents who believe that the town should allow its citizens to pursue alternative sources of energy should join me in voting no on Article 46.

Tags: Sterling Massachusetts Town Meeting Wind Energy

"The bad news was the unions..."

I was looking at the official minutes from some recent meetings of the Sterling Board of Selectmen and I came across this summary of the 2010 budget from the April 1 meeting:

The good news was that there would be no layoffs and no pay cuts.

The bad news was the unions, which ultimately cost the town money and the school budget that increases yearly.

The police, firemen, and DPW workers in town are the "bad news." With this attitude from our elected and appointed officials, I'm guessing labor negotiations are a real hoot.

Tags: Massachusetts Town Meeting Sterling

Recap of Senator Flanagan's Sterling forum

Senator Jennifer Flanagan took questions for nearly an hour and a half at the Sterling Democratic Town Committee's open forum Monday night. The discussion was lively and spirited, and touched on a wide range of topics including the aftermath of the December Ice Storm, the effect of President Obama's stimulus package, and the Transportation Reform bill (which passed the Senate yesterday) to name a few.

A couple of things stood out to me:

• I was struck at how much the discussion has changed since the last time we had then-Representative Flanagan in Sterling for an April forum and for a June debate. At the time, most of the questions were about social issues such as gay marriage and abortion rights, minor reforms like police details, and other topics that seem almost trivial when compared to the financial crisis the state is currently facing. As best as I can recall, there were no questions about any topic except finances in Monday's entire 90 minute discussion.
• Senator Flanagan seems to be unhappy with Governor Patrick. Although she did not explicitly say so, it was clear that she is frustrated with the Governor's budget plan, his gas tax proposal, and the hiring of Senator Marian Walsh to a lucrative post. She seems to think that the backlash to the governor's actions have made it more difficult for the legislature to get things done.
• She said she doesn't think we'll be out of the current budget crisis until fiscal year 2012. That would mean at least two more years of difficulty like the last one.
• She was unwilling to commit to any revenues (gas tax, local option meals taxes, etc.) until after the Senate's reform measures were passed.
• She and the other senators and representatives don't have any specifics on the stimulus funds. She seemed to be a bit frustrated about the process and the lack of information.

There is a whole lot more. The entire forum was taped and has been posted on you tube. Here is Part 1:

Part 1: Public Utilities, Transportation
Part 2: Commuter Rail, Transportation, Pension Reform
Part 3: Pension Reform, December Ice Storm
Part 4: Local Aid, Budget Cuts
Part 5: Federal Stimulus
Part 6: Federal Stimulus, Commuter Rail, Local Option Taxes
Part 7: Budget Cuts, Transportation, Media
Part 8: Budget Cuts and Reform
Part 9: Elder Affairs

Tags: Massachusetts State Senate Flanagan Sterling

The Final Straw

As flat out, bottom-of-the-barrel awful the service at the Sterling Dunkin' Donuts is--have I mentioned that the service is particularly poor?--there was still one reason to give them my business.

Then, as I ordered this morning, I was informed that they no longer carry Bavarian Kreme donuts.

They no longer have a reason to exist.

Tags: Massachusetts Sterling Dunkin Donuts

Senator Flanagan to attend open forum in Sterling Monday

Newly elected State Senator Jennifer Flanagan will be attending an open forum at the Butterick Municipal Building in Sterling on Monday night at 6:00. This is a great chance for anyone in the North County to meet the Senator and give her your opinion on the proposed gas tax, how we should use the stimulus funds, the aftermath of December's ice storm...you name it. Anything goes. How often do you get to share your thoughts with one of our elected representatives?

Here is the press release:

The Sterling Democratic Town Committee will host an open forum with State Senator Jennifer L. Flanagan on Monday, March 23, at 6:00 p.m. at the Butterick Municipal Building, 1 Park Street, Sterling.

Senator Flanagan will speak about the Senate's transportation reform plan and legislation she has proposed to regulate utility companies in the wake of the December ice storm.

The forum is open to the public. Citizens are invited to attend and ask questions of Flanagan, who is chairwoman of the Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse and vice chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation.

Citizens are also encouraged to stay for the Democratic Town Committee's regular business meeting, immediately following the forum.

For more information or to get directions to the Butterick Municipal Building, visit the Sterling Democratic Town Committee on the Internet at www.sterlingdems.org.

Tags: Massachusetts State Senate Flanagan Sterling

Run Around Lew

A couple of events scheduled for tonight caught my eye. First, from The Landmark:

The Sterling Republican Town Committee will hold a dinner meeting on Monday, March 16, at Twin Oaks Restaurant, Leominster Road/Route 12, Sterling. Social "Hour" cash bar, 6 p.m.; Dinner Buffet, 6:30 p.m., $17/person; Speaker, Rep. Lew Evangelidis, 7 p.m.; Business meeting, 8 p.m.

And from the Telegram and Gazette:

State Republican leaders are planning a “Hardship Listening Tour” for the public to voice their opinions about the proposed gas tax increase and other proposed tax, toll and fee increases.

One of the first forums will be held tomorrow at Auburn Town Hall, from 7 to 9 p.m. It is sponsored by state Reps. George N. Peterson Jr., R-Grafton; Paul K. Frost, R-Auburn; Karyn E. Polito, R-Shrewsbury; and Lewis G. Evangelidis, R-Holden.

Either the Republicans in Sterling aren't going to be getting their $17 worth, or Rep. Evangelidis won't be hearing about much hardship in Auburn. For Lew's sake, I hope the Staties don't have their speed trap up on I-190 tonight.

Tags: Massachusetts Lew Evangelidis Sterling Republican

Have Republicans already "taken back Beacon Hill?"

Apparently they have. Two months ago, Rep. Lew Evangelidis announced that the seven Republican state reps who voted for him for House Minority Leader had teamed up to create a new Web site that was designed with Republican "activists" in mind:

I'm posting here to make you, as the grassroots activists of our party, the first ones to know about the first step in this initiative.

We are launching a new Web page that is dedicated to taking back Beacon Hill for the people of Massachusetts. We want to take things in a new direction and help to create a legislature we can be proud of, one that actually listens to people and represents them appropriately. And it is specifically designed with you in mind.

I guess it wasn't designed with me in mind, because when I visited www.takebackbeaconhill.com today all I got was this:

Then again, that does seem to accurately reflect the extent of the Republican agenda.

Tags: Massachusetts Lew Evangelidis Sterling Republican State House

The Dunkin Donuts in Sterling is absolutely awful

The Dunkin Donuts on Leominster Road (route 12) in Sterling is absolutely awful. A complete abomination. I haven’t eaten at every Dunkin Donuts in the state, but I am confident that if there were a contest to find the worst Dunkin Donuts in Massachusetts, out local donutry would be a top contender. Just terrible.

(I realize that in an effort to improve my physical health I should probably swear off Dunks altogether, but I’m not ready to take that step.)

I’ve mentioned one of their problems before…mainly, the inability to place a chocolate covered donut in a bag in such a way that the chocolate stays on the donut as opposed to the bag. But over the last few months the performance of the Sterling franchise has deteriorated to the point that I can almost guarantee that something about my order will wrong.

There are only two reasons to even go to Sterling for a donut…it is marginally closer than the dunks in Clinton and for some unknown reason, they are the only franchise in the area that carries Bavarian Kreme donuts. (I love Bavarian Kreme donuts.) And lately they haven’t even been able to get the last part right. Two of the last three times I’ve gone to get a Bavarian Kreme donut, I’ve ended up with a lemon jelly donut. I know they are both covered with powder and their fillings are vaguely similar in color, but if you work at Dunkin Donuts you are paid to know the difference and to make sure that when someone orders a Bavarian Kreme donut you actually give them a Bavarian Kreme donut!

(If I may digress for a moment—and I may, since it is my blog and there is no requirement that I remain topical, or even coherent—what kind of a company sends different styles and flavors of donut to different franchises? For instance, Sterling is the only area franchise that carries Bavarian Kreme, but they do not carry a chocolate stick—if I want a chocolate stick I have to get a chocolate gazed donut instead. Yet the one at the corner of Main and Union Streets in Clinton has both chocolate sticks and chocolate glazed donuts, but no Bavarian Kreme…And don’t even get me started on the change from crullers to “sticks.”)

But the inability to correctly identify donuts is only part of the complete disaster that is the Sterling Dunkin Donuts. I like to be able to drink my coffee sometime within the hour in which I buy it. And I like it somewhat sweetened. So I order it with extra extra skim milk to cool it and two Sweet-n-Low (if you want to know why I’m so worried about not using sugar or cream while I’m wolfing down donuts…well, I have no answer for that). The good folks in Clinton always mark my cup with my order with “XXSK-2SL”. They don’t always get it as drinkable as I would like, but I know they have made the effort. In Sterling, I wonder if there is even a point to asking. It is always too hot and yesterday it was clear that didn’t add any Sweet-n-Low either. They didn’t mark my cup, so I’m not even sure the attendant was paying any attention. At least yesterday I was heading home so I could add more milk and Sweet-n-Low when I got back. And the milk they did put in my coffee wasn't sour, I guess I can be happy for that.

I brought home a ham, egg, and cheese sandwich on an English muffin for Michelle. After she took her first bite, she remarked “you know, these sandwiches would probably be better if they would toast the muffin.” They didn’t toast the English muffin? Have any of the Wolfgang Pucks at the Sterling Dunks ever eaten an untoasted English muffin? Might as well chew on a block of Styrofoam.

What a miserable place to get something to eat. If you happen to be in the area and need a pastry, head up the street to Gerardo’s. Or, if you absolutely have to have something from Dunkin Donuts make your way to Clinton or Leominster. But for your own sanity, don’t stop at the Dunkin Donuts on route 12 in Sterling.

Tags: Massachusetts Sterling Dunkin Donuts

Wekepeke: Here we go again

I suppose it was inevitable. After a summer and fall or relative peace surrounding the Wekepeke Reservoir, Clinton Selectman Anthony Fiorentino has decided that it might be time to revisit the issue again. From this week’s Times and Courier:

Clinton - Anthony Fiorentino remains concerned with how Sterling views the Wekepeke lands, even as that town’s selectmen chairman says his constituents want action taken sooner rather than later.

“We’re left with trying to get a deal with the town of Sterling to try and collaborate and trying to maintain that property as it should be,” said Fiorentino, a Clinton selectman, citing Gov. Deval Patrick’s 2008 mid-year veto* of $250,000 in state money earmarked to repair Wekepeke dams. The state had earlier mandated that Clinton repair the dams, an estimated $1 million job.

Fiorentino said Tuesday he remains in favor of exploring new ways to generate revenue on the 564-acre Wekepeke parcel, owned by Clinton but largely located within the town of Sterling.

“I look at water as a renewable resource. The Wekepeke is something that we need to explore and not forget about,” he said, adding, “The town of Sterling has expressed interest in that water. The town of Clinton needs to protect that. It should be something we actively consider.”

This issue is never going to go away as long as the leaders of Clinton and Sterling see the water on that land as a money-making venture. Every last bit of “renewable resource” has not been placed on this earth so that it can be exploited and sold to bridge the budget gaps. It’s OK for a piece of property to be left dormant. Open space is a good thing.

It’s bad enough that some of the leadership in Clinton see the Wekepeke Reservoir and aquifer as nothing more than a money maker. But the Sterling Selectmen have been little better in voicing their opposition to Clinton’s plan. Long after Clinton rejected Nestle’s initial bid the Sterling selectmen finally decided that yeah, well, maybe selling the water wasn’t such a great idea so we’ll oppose it.

Opposing the plan when it was still a going question would have been the responsible thing to do, but Sterling’s selectmen dragged their feet to see what Sterling could get out of the deal, only to finally oppose it after a decision had been made and after months of near-unanimous opposition from those in town who voiced an opinion.

But when it comes to deciding what to do with the land, the Sterling selectmen have been all over the place. I don’t blame Fiorentino for thinking Sterling has designs on the reservoir, because this board of selectmen has tossed out a number of ideas on what to do with it. They’ve talked about hydro-electric power, forestry management (i.e., logging), and leaving it alone among other ideas. The fact that the Sterling selectmen can’t come up with their own proposal and stick to it understandably leads to distrust.

Ultimately, the only option that will gain widespread support in Sterling is to keep the land as it is and to upkeep the dams. No commercial development, period. Earlier in the year the Sterling selectmen mused about what it would take to buy the land. My proposal at the time was to purchase the land from Clinton for the same amount Clinton would have received had it contracted with Nestle, minus the $1.5 million to repair the dams, payable over the terms of Nestle’s original proposal. But I and others would strongly oppose even that plan if Sterling were to try to turn around and develop it.

The first step to solving the problem is for the Sterling Selectmen to strengthen their opposition to Nestle by extending it to all commercial and revenue generating activities. The parcel has been a passive, open space for over 40 years. It should stay that way.

*As an aside, the $250,000 was not cut by the governor’s veto, but as part of a round of Section 9C cuts. State law mandates that the governor reduce the budget in an effort to balance it if revenues come in below budget. A veto can be overridden, a 9C cut cannot. The governor did not veto the earmark when it was passed as part of the FY2009 budget.

July 3: Naughton's Wekepeke earmark in final budget
June 19: Write the state house to support the Wekepeke
June 19: Clinton signs Wekepeke restriction. Now what?
May 2: Naughton secures funds for the Wekepeke
April 29: Might the Wekepeke restriction have teeth after all?
April 25: What would Sterling accept at the Wekepeke?
April 11: What does the Wekepeke Restriction actually say?
April 11: Clinton does the right thing
April 9: Sterling should offer to buy Wekepeke at Nestle's price
April 6: Sterling selectmen to oppose Wekepeke plan, but to what extent?
April 4: Vermont looking to restrict Wekepeke-style projects
March 27: This can't be helpful
March 25: Tough decision ahead for Clinton
March 21: Nestle's proposal could change everything
March 21: Nestle nominated for "Corporate Hall of Shame"
March 19: Sterling Selectmen disappoint at Wekepeke forum
March 16: Sterling should oppose Nestle...the right way

Tags: Massachusetts Clinton Sterling Nestle Wekepeke

Was Evangelidis robbed, or is he a sore Lew-ser?

Despite my generous support of State Rep. Lew Evangelidis, he failed earlier this week in his effort to become minority leader. After losing by a 9-7 vote, he released the following statement to PolitickerMA.com:

"The most disappointing aspect of today's caucus was the way the process was conducted attempting to shut down all debate," the Holden Republican said. "Our caucus always laments how the majority party abuses its power and authority to serve their own particular needs, not the voters of Massachusetts. Unfortunately, that was the tact that was taken by the leader of our caucus. There was a refusal to allow the clerk of the court to come down and rule on a procedural matter of whether or not we had to adhere to the existing house rules. There was a refusal to have this election conducted by secret ballot and our current leader offered no plan when given the opportunity."

A couple of things…first, I challenge you to understand what Evangelidis is talking about without going back and re-reading it once or twice. You can’t do it. It’s a bunch of procedural gobbledygook. For someone who wants to be the public face of the Republican Party in Massachusetts, it’s an awful statement. If he keeps talking like that, no one will listen.

Second, it’s not a “tact that was taken” it’s a “tack that was taken,” as in, a course of action or conduct. I realize Evangelidis was running for Minority Leader and not spelling bee champion…but again, if you want to be the public face of the Republican Party, you should know what you’re saying.

And third, complaining about not having a secret ballot may have its merits in many situations, but not when you lose by one vote. The whole idea of having a secret ballot in a caucus like this is so that the members don’t have to fear retribution if they vote against the eventual winner. But in this case, a change of one vote would have deadlocked the caucus at 8-8, so what would someone who might change a vote have to lose? If one of the nine who voted for Brad Jones was a secret Evangelidis supporter, casting a vote for Lew would have actually changed the outcome. In this case, there was no reason to vote secretly because there would be no repercussions against a member for their vote. Complaining about this just looks like sour grapes.

Given Evangelidis’s public response to the vote, I wonder if reelecting Minority Leader Jones wasn’t the best thing for Republicans after all.

Tags: Massachusetts Lew Evangelidis Sterling Republican State House

Hungry like a wolf

Apparently there is a wolf-like animal roaming Sterling. From the Telegram & Gazette:

STERLING — The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife has set a trap to catch a possible wolf-dog hybrid that’s been wandering around East Waushaccum Pond since Saturday and was last seen near Chace Hill Road around 6 last night.

“It plausibly is a wolf hybrid but we haven’t ruled that yet because we haven’t caught it,” said Thomas French, assistant director for Fisheries & Wildlife.

Looks like a fierce beast, eh.

Tags: Massachusetts Wildlife Sterling

Putting the icing on a long week

A few stray thoughts about the ice storm, as I slowly die from shoveling the 22 inches of snow we received since Friday…

WTAG was absolutely awesome. The radio station was on the air nearly non-stop with constant updates from local town officials and messages from listeners. It would have been very easy for them to stick with their regular programming and just cover the storm during its local shows, but they have preempted their day time talkers to keep people informed. (OK, Jim Polito and George Brown could recite the Worcester phone book and be more informative than the Glenn Beck Show…but I digress.) And it’s not like WTAG was unaffected by the storm. For quite a while they were broadcasting with only a single cellphone as their means of receiving information—the shows those first couple of days consisted of the anchors reading text messages they were receiving since the station had no phone service. Even so, they kept at it and provided the only source of real time information to most of us in the affected area.

******

Karma really is a bitch...you just never know when it’s going to present itself. After riding out the first strike of Hurricane Katrina while we were in Florida three years ago, Michelle and I watched landfall in New Orleans from an airport where we were waiting for a flight home. I remember remarking that we live in just about the perfect place: We’re far enough inland that we are spared the brunt of most hurricanes; we don’t live near a river, so we won’t be flooded out of our home; we almost never have tornadoes; we don’t have to worry about large brush and forest fires; we don’t live in the fear of earthquakes…the worst that ever happens is a huge blizzard, and even then we might lose power overnight. So much for that…

******

It’s really odd going to the gas station, pulling out the gas can so that you can fill up the generator, and seeing that every other car at the pumps is doing the same thing. No one is gassing up their car.

******

Ah yes, the generator…I finally decided Monday morning that I’d had enough of living like a refugee and that I was going to find some way to get power if it was the last thing I’d do. I got really lucky. I searched the online sites for stores throughout New England and finally found a Lowe’s in Newington, Conn. that showed the possibility of having some in stock. I called and was told that they were out—all of the generators in the area were being shipped to stores farther north. So on a whim I called Home Depot in Leominster and the woman who answered the phone told me to get in my car and get up there right away as a shipment of them was just pulling into the store.

It took most of the afternoon to set it up and I still wasn't particularly confident about it, so while Michelle and I spent the night at home, Jackson still stayed with my parents. Jackson slept in his own bed Tuesday night for the first time in five days and he was very happy about it. Watching him singing and dancing to a song on "Thomas the Tank Engine" with a huge smile on his face after being out of sorts for nearly a week was worth the $800 or so I paid for the generator.

******

Oh, and one more thing...anyone who says facing adversity and roughing it and all of that makes one tougher or builds character is full of baloney. It makes one cold and tired and frazzled. I fail to see the upside.

Tags: Massachusetts Ice Storm Sterling Winter Weather

Please, no.

Still no power. Michelle called the power company to see if they had an ETA on getting electricity back and the attendant said our neighborhood was in such bad shape that she wouldn't even try to guess. She told us to call back in a couple days just to get an update.

This can't be helpful:

Forecast for Northern Worcester

Tonight
Cloudy...snow...mainly after midnight. Snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches. Lows in the lower 20s. Northeast winds around 5 mph. Chance of snow 90 percent.

Wednesday
Snow...sleet and freezing rain in the morning...then a chance of freezing rain...snow likely with a chance of rain in the afternoon. Total snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches. Highs in the lower 30s. Northeast winds around 5 mph...becoming north in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation 90 percent....

Friday
Snow likely. Heavy snow accumulation possible. Cold with highs in the upper 20s. Chance of snow 70 percent.

I'm afraid that if we're not back online by Friday, it could be a very long time.

Tags: Massachusetts Ice Storm Sterling Winter Weather