What's on your mind today? Mine is pretty blank at the moment. It is a dark empty canvas.
Kind of wiped clean this morning.
Friday's are suppose to be buck-up days, right?
Anyway ...
Today will be a what's on your mind day. Open line format for comments you want to make. Let it rip, within the rules of comment though.
I suppose my mental block this morning is a result of actually too much thinking. One too many conversations yesterday about certain things.
Too many reminders that we have far too many people with solutions and far too few working on the actual problem.
One such discussion was on the topic of being proactive vs. reactive. I really need to clean out the attic of my mind, because for the life of me I simply do not understand how locking the barn door after the horse has escaped is a proactive step. Certainly such a step does keep it from happening in the future. But when you only have one horse in the barn, and its gone, what's the point?
I know, what the heck am I talking about. Everything and nothing.
Kind of why I am asking what's on your mind today.
The last rambling for today is on the bag full of lemons situation. You get stuck with the lemons. You can either simply bite into the lemons, or if you are smart you use them to make lemon-aide, maybe a lemon meringue pie, or even lemon-pepper chicken. Put a little effort into it and you might turn something sour tasting into something very palatable.
The thing you have to remember though is you can squeeze those lemons has hard as you want, you can add whatever ingredients you desire to the liquid, mix and stir night and day, take whatever steps you want, but you are never going to make orange juice from the lemons.
It is not surrendering to fate when you use those lemons. It is dealing with reality, and on your own terms.
That's it for today.
Be safe.
ReplyDeleteI have been giving a lot of thought to your point about a bylaw being in place prior to the effective date of 105 CMR 725.000 on January 01, 2013.
From what I can tell, there were no towns in 2012 with RMD bylaws in place. Maybe I am wrong on that. The few towns that seemed to have the inside track on discussions were along the lines of Wakefield and Westborough, enacting bans in 2012-13.
The Fairhaven Planning Board was only beginning to react in early 2013. I would like you to see what we were saying, as the minutes reflect.
Feb. 26 Brief discussion brought by Francis Budryk on Medical Marijuana.
William Roth said that he felt it was premature to think about any zoning regulation for that because the State DPH has not even come up with rules and regulations.
and
April 23 In other business, Rene Fleurent, Jr. asked that the Medical Marijuana Situation be put under Long Term Planning for future meetings. Mr. Fleurent said that he didn’t want this situation to be upon them in the 12th hour, and have no information on it.
William Roth said he has been in discussions with Wayne Hayward and there has been a lot of misinformation and misconceptions
Rene Fleurent said that CTPC did offer a course regarding the topic, and he just wanted to bring it up, ahead of time.
The board’s work is usually very dynamic and fluid. Matters are seldom black and white. What the board did do on October 22 is also to be compared to what it didn’t do. Parties on both sides always have options, on any issue. Some proclaimed the issue was dead and denied that night, as if we had denied a special permit, which we did not. Then hours later you find the horse is still loose and just seen running up Route 24.
Some other town officials object to my ruling on a negative main motion, being out of order. I am sorry they feel that way but it is my decision as chair alone and the board members agreed with that decision. The members could have challenged my decision. But instead they calmly moved with an affirmative motion. That horse should be locked in the barn right now!
Personally, I have listened to everyone who has offered something to me and I will continue to listen. Zoning is not a quick study as some are finding out. But I have the capacity to act quickly when appropriate.
105 cmr 725.00 covers quite a bit on the rules regulations ,etc,dont see where anything isnt covered.Hopefully this MM clinic is passed ,because many of us need to mellow out a little bit...
ReplyDeleteNot sure what thought you were giving to the matter, neither or nor anyone else that I know of has said you should have had a by-law in place before January 1, 2013.
ReplyDeleteWhy an attempt is being made this late on a moratorium was the issue. Specifically why a moratorium was not sought sooner.
Since you seemingly have been discussing the issue since at least February, at a minimum why wasn't an attempt made for the Special within the Annual? Seems to me the need to grab more time to insure a proper study when the regs were released could have been thought of earlier.
Quite honestly I was extremely surprised there was not a moratorium article in May for the Special. That would have been proactive.
You actually cost me a buck on a bet. I figured with all the press stories about moratoriums in other communities being proposed late last fall and winter, it was a sure thing we would be dealing with one in May.
You note in April one of your members was concerned about the matter having to be dealt with in the 12th hour. Yet 6 months later the 12th hour in fact arrived and it seems some still don't have the information necessary to deal with siting.
That horse may still be running up rte 24 but it is pulling up a bit lame. Truth be told, I was imagining a unanimous vote from your board, which would have provided a much bigger problem at the state level.
Fortunately, the split vote, along with the feelings of the police chief, board of health and selectmen and a 66% approval on the ballot in town, will in fact go a long way in negating the recommendation for a moratorium.
I really have no concern or care how you require your motions to be made. I will readily acknowledge some procedural motions need to be made in the affirmative. You are the chair, you rule, your decision. That horse wasn't let out of the barn here on this blog, but hey it is open line day so you want to state the point, no problem.
In general, I would agree with you that zoning matters are not a "quick study". but sometimes circumstance create situations where some things can in fact be dealt with after a quick study. You can't keep them out, like you yourself stated. So, whether you have a line in your by-laws that defines a RMD or not, they become a permitted use because you can't keep them out. The only issue is where you might want to limit them too. No one wants them in residential. Some of the industrial zones are too small in your opinion. Not in agricultural from what I seemed to get from the hearing. Not in a business zone. Okay fine, so what is left?
I know you disagree, however it is clear enough in my mind and apparently others, that this facility does fit under existing zoning. If for no other reason you can't keep them out. The state has told you and every other planning board in the commonwealth they can be sited in any community. All you can do is put them someplace specific, if you want too.
But you are in the driver's seat with your other members on that one.