Another shoulder shrug

The Board of Selectmen heard from residents in the center near the shipyards concerning complaints relative to noise and air born particulates.   There has been some grumblings about how this group gets a hearing before the selectmen while another group gets shutout.

Well, as best as I can surmise, this was the first time in for this group.  If we are looking to compare apples with apples, the other group has appeared previously.  It has indeed been awhile, but it did happen.  So I suppose that is why.

I will also surmise that at some point the "other" group will be before the board again, but that certainly is not going to happen within the next two weeks.

Back to the matter at hand.  Two pronged issue.  First sticking point is the noise.  Pretty much shipyards operate dawn to dusk.  Sometimes longer.  Have for centuries.  We have a working water front.  If we want to maintain a working water front, we pretty much have to have the shipyard.  The shipyard will generate noise.  Sometimes very load noises.  Nothing new.  Been doing it for a long time. 

Without delving into the finer points of grandfathered rights and limitations, I am guessing as a matter of course that the noise and activities have indeed increased over the last several years as the economy, although slowly, has seen an upturn.

Whether an existing operation has exceeded its grandfathered protections on the noise front is well beyond my actual level of expertise and I would add well beyond my desired level of commentary.    

The air particulates matter is another story, but one that apparently is being addressed on the state level.  Enter the board of selectmen to wade through the matter.  

It will be interesting to see this one unfold. It was in fact an interesting meeting.  Interesting in that the extent of the complaints somehow seems to just recently became known.  Interesting in the sense  that an odor issue came up.  That was a new one to me to be honest.

Not sure what you can do about that even if it was a shipyard caused problem.  Not sure how that would be.  I do know, that if you want a good whiff of mother nature the harbor has always provided that.

Unfortunately that hearing was the point of my attention span last night (can't remember whether the discussion about the credit card payments was pre or post shipyard.  Think is was pre).  I know they tried working at a number of things because I woke up later in the evening to see them wrapping up.

Kind of upset at myself because if I heard right, at the end of the meeting there was some discussion about the special town meeting articles.

The plus, meetings were scheduled for public hearings on the DOR report.  April 10th and 24th if I remember correctly.  What I am not certain on, and maybe this was addressed while I was counting sheep, is what are these meetings intended to be about.

If the discussion is simply going to be a more detailed presentation of the taped show about the report, what's the point.  If the discussion is going to be about what to do, well I think the selectmen have all ready voted on what they intend to do. If the discussion is going to be about how to do it, well hopefully we will see the selectmen's proposals in detail soon.

Time wise I am guessing we have reached the absolute minimum for any provision to be able to pass muster.  Not because the matters proposed may not be needed, but the public involvement factor.

Change in government structure should involve the public. It should occur in a meaningful way, and in a manner which lends some confidence to proposition it is government of, by and for the people.

Enough of that for now.  Did you catch the Director of Finance/treasurer/collector (maybe) interviews?  I did.  Very curious as to where that process left off.  Not quite sure if I understand that.   It seemed as if the board decided to allow negotiations to start between the two finalist before a decision on who to hire is made.

Don't like it.  You may actually create a situation where the first choice of a collective board is not going to be left standing at the end.

Just simply weird as to the reasoning given for this little procedure.  What happened in the past was a result of many things, not the least of which was the contract negotiated.

You will also forgive me but if you are going to now have the exec sec and one selectman deal with this, I think you have just tainted the process. When you reach the point of final interviews, you are suppose to have completed your due diligence.  Not that the final interviews required to be held in open session were earth shattering.  It just seems those interviews now weren't the final ones.

But based on those interviews you have to wonder why it would take a week to decide.  You have to wonder why at this point the candidates haven't been vetted specifically on the issues of specifics as to the what when where and why.

Anyway, it now is what it is.  Hopefully that is nothing more than a little weird.

I just hate it when anything deviates from the SOP of the real world based on a suggestion at a meeting that is immediately adopted.

Don't forget tomorrow night's candidate's night.  Weather is bad this morning so really make an extra effort to be safe.