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NORTHBRIDGE, Mass. – Northbridge voters go to the polls Monday to decide whether the purchase and retrofitting of a building on Douglas Road for use as a Department of Public Works facility should be exempt from Proposition 2 ½.
The polls, all four voting precincts at Northbridge High School, 427 Linwood Ave., will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
At the special town meeting Dec. 4, voters rejected a request to borrow $3.1 million to purchase a building at 371 Douglas Road and retrofit it to DPW needs.
But a special election, needed with any Proposition 2 ½ exemption plan, had already been scheduled. If a majority of voters approve the exemption, the Board of Selectmen or a citizen’s petition could request another special town meeting to address the issue again.
That special town meeting would have to be scheduled within 90 days, Town Manager Theodore Kozak said recently, and it’s something he said he would recommend as he believes it is a good opportunity for the town.
It is also something members of the Building, Planning and Construction Committee agreed they would recommend, noting that a majority of voters at the special town meeting did support the proposal.
With a two-thirds majority vote needed, the town meeting request failed by about 10 votes. In a secret ballot, 139 voted in favor, 82 voted against.
Comments (8)
I find this election unethical. The Dec 4th meeting should have put a stop to the DPW trying to retrofit the Douglas rd location. IMO, It's not the right solution. It's not about the money. I don't deny the fact that a new facility is needed. A suitable solution/location needs to be sought. I don't believe Douglas rd meets the space needs. Voting NO.
Please vote no on this proposal.
This proposal is to buy an office building with very little garage space, so while the DPW director gets a nice office (at our expense) over half of our equipment will remain outside to deteriorate. We need a garage, not an office building.
More importantly, the ballot language does not limit the amount of funding for this ill-conceived project, making passage of this item a "blank check." Please view Selectman Marzec's letter to the editor from last week in the "opinion" section of the Northbridge Daily Voice for more details on this.
Please vote no, then the town can get working on finding a viable solution that would be worthy of our tax dollars.
Blueline1:
This reply will not make any difference to change any "one vote" tonight.
Your three item statement: "This proposal is to buy an office building with very little garage space, so while the DPW director gets a nice office (at our expense) over half of our equipment will remain outside to deteriorate. We need a garage, not an office building." is misinformation and a personal attack.
One: This is a "warehouse" with office space.
Two: Mr. Shuris has, in a very short time,well demonstrated his responsible "caring" character for the Town of Northbridge.
Three: The proposed project meets the approved needs of the Town of Northbridge DPW despite other professional critiques.
My vote had absolutely nothing to do with whether or not the DPW Director has a "caring" character. It has absolutely nothing to do with what is right for him. It's about what's right for the town. I voted No.
We are happy you voted.
"Have a Holy Celtic Christmas"
UPSO:
The current proposal consists of over 6,000 SF of office space, seven times larger than the established need of 800 SF. The current proposal only has 9,500 SF of garage/high bay space as opposed to a need of 13,500 SF. The current proposal can only fit 16 (at most) of our 33 vehicles inside, when we need to protect all of them. The facts do not support your opinion on items one and three.
As for item two, this has nothing to do with the director's performance.
Blueline1,
The interpretation of what the physical content of the current proposal is a professional one that is subject to professional debate. A professional debate is one that is not settled in a democratic process but is usually settled by the user. This does not mean that non-professional can not participate. What it means is that new data must come before the user for consideration not repeated data.
By the your handle "Bluline1" we suspect that you have professional status. If we are correct in our evaluation of your status, please come forward with new data based on some new original research an help solve the dilemma.
This is all moot as the voting is in progress and you nor we shall change the outcome.
FYI
Plus it may look like our Board Of Selectmen may be discussing DPW Facility Options, if you review tonight's BOS Meeting Agenda under Discussion's. On the Towns Website, or on the Local Cable Bulletin Board of the posted Meeting.