There may be some confusion about how to comment to postings on this blog. First, everything goes into a moderation cue. After you hit the post button it may appear on your screen, but if you leave the site and come back, you’ll notice it’s not there yet. That’s because it’s either waiting for approval, or has been filtered out for one of several reasons. Read more »
Read this opinion on an override in Brookline. http://www.onbrookline.com/brookline-ma/myth-an-override-will-solve-brooklines-budget-problems/
Maybe the same things apply in Natick. Some politicians have said that we don’t have enough money to run the town; but in the same breath, they write an article for Town Meeting asking to budget $250,000 to do a feasibility study for a new High School. I think that was done about 9 years ago and a copy of it is in the library. Or maybe they just want to form another committee to spend time discussing how much more they know than the rest of us average folks.
Here’s a link to an article in the Boston Globe concerning a High School possibility.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/02/28/need_for_new_high_school_is_explored/
There was more money for capital repairs a few years ago, but the town didn’t want to put on a new roof because they expected that within 10 years they could get matching funds for new construction. The thinking was, why build a new roof, when you can just put up with leaks and further deterioration for awhile? By then the public would have worn down on spending bigger bucks. Read more »
A couple of years ago, I thought Natick should make efforts to improve the streetscapes, by undergrounding utilities along many of the major roads through town. The section of Route 135 in the Henry Wilson district was an opportunity lost when the state made over that stretch of road. Another lost opportunity was the Speen Street improvements, and many blamed the failure on the fact that the bylaw I advocated for, hadn’t taken effect yet. Some would say you can’t make people improve things unless you legislate it. Others said (falsly) that the undergrounding of utilities would cost the homeowners huge increases in the electric bills as the utilities are regulated against passing along most of the cost. I think the figure was a maximum 3 percent increase for such a project.
When examples to be admired, such as Wellesley’s undergrounding which makes a drive down any major route in that town a pleasure, were pointed out, some offered the excuse that Wellesley generates it’s own electricity, so they can afford it. Again, a false generalization intended to dismiss the idea as beyond Natick’s ability.
I began to wonder why Natick doesn’t have much influence when it comes to obtaining these kinds of improvements the way other towns can. Grafton and Shrewsbury have also undertaken major undergrounding efforts in recent years. Maybe we have officials who work for the cable companies and utilities. Maybe our state rep is ineffective. Maybe we don’t have the desire to improve the way our town looks to the commuter who just passes through.
Then I realized that maybe if Natick could begin a process of taking over control of it’s own resources, maybe eventually a drive up North Main Street could look as nice as a drive along Route 16 in Wellesley Hills. Look no further than the town now run by Phil Lemnios, our former leader. Hull Massachusetts has the right idea. Click on this link and read about a better way to do things.
http://www.emagazine.com/view/?2345
A series of wind turbines in Natick could be the start of something big. There’s enough open space to do it, and the benefits are enormous. Only time will tell if the sincerity of those who express support for roadside improvement is there.
Readers may like to know that a Natick official has sent me 2 identifiable messages, in the past 2 weeks, under the guise of a person running for Selectman, Read more »
There are people who are running for Selectman that know lots about our town, and I keep hoping folks will vote for them. Here’s a detail that the voters should know about. Read more »
An interesting figure to contemplate; there are 216 registered non-profits in Natick with total assets of $174,996,722. Many are legitimate organizations which are there for the common good. Some of these “groups” are simply gimmicks for those who founded them to avoid paying taxes on the revenue. Some non-profits use town services, yet don’t pay taxes. Some are simply “on paper” for a tax break. Read more »
Click on this link to read an interesting piece on the American dream. http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200803/subprime
Click on this link to a great story about the residential component at La Nouvelle:
http://www.universalhub.com/node/11637
The story links to an editorial in the Boston Globe. As you travel through the Natick tunnel on the way to the Penny’s garage, the place doesn’t seem quite real. I guess I’m not used to anything that’s not a replica of the Morse Institute Library, you know, like bricks and peaks. You pass a sign which says “Bus Stop”. There’s never anyone there, and I don’t imagine there’s a regular bus every 20 minutes scheduled to stop there. Maybe a couple of times a day, if a random traveler were to find it on foot. If there were frequent service, where would it be coming from, and what would be it’s destination? There’s certainly not a bunch of shoppers getting off the train from Worcester, or Boston, taking a shuttle to the Mall. Neither are there loads of people taking a bus to work from downtown,,,um I mean Natick Center. (Gasp, heaven forbid)
Imagine yourself standing there, waiting for a bus to .. ….. you’ve just entered the Twilight Zone.
Thats probably what it would feel like to live in a highrise at the Mall….er Nouvelle. If you had the money to buy a condo with places to shop, and places to eat in, like say, an urban environment, why not just get one in Medford Square, or Somerville, or Cambridge or anywhere that was a real place? Unless the bus that brought you, came from..you guessed it.
Here’s another link on the same topic http://pahkcah02.blogspot.com/2007/11/merely-shopping-at-mall-thats-so-blue.html
This last link provides the image that a certain element wants to see develop in Natick. How many times do I have to read real estate speculators say “Natick is becoming like Wellesley?” Sorry folks, you’re not even close.
Click on this link http://ccutaia.wordpress.com/2008/02/19/response-to-some-comments/
and read more excellent reporting from a long time resident. Voters need to read what the vast silent majority thinks.
It’s time to get out the vote, folks.
