Well it has been a few days, hasn't it. I was a bit tempted to make it a few more days.
They say it is easy to break a good habit, and much more difficult to break a bad one. Following that simple standard, I suppose blogging would be good, although I might agree that it could very well be the exception to the norm.
Anyway ....
Looking back on the year that was, it has been an interesting one. The Board of Health race, Parts I and II. Someone could right a book on that. Of course it might not make the best seller list, but ....
What seems to have become a foot note is the result in the Selectman's race. Outside of a handful of people, no one seemed truly surprised by the outcome, although the margin was an eyeopener.
The turbines dominated much of the year. Indeed the turbines will remain a story I think for several more years. How that story continues to unfold will be determined by a few things, not the least of which will be an existing lawsuit and whether some other threatened lawsuits materialize.
What historically would have been a story for the year in review for next year, is in fact a story for the year in review this year (did you follow that?). With a new start date of December 2nd for taking out papers for the April town elections, we have seen the incumbent Selectman do so along with a sitting BPW member.
In the last ten years or so, we have seen BPW members have some success at running against a sitting selectman. Of course on both occasions, it happened to be the same sitting selectman. It could be an interesting race, for now it is what it is and no more.
Let us not forget the event of Town Meeting authorizing a Town Government Study Committee. A committee that has voted to embrace the Town Administrator concept, but still working on the details for the same.
We had the round robin tournament on the issue of town counsel; dealing with committee appointments, disbanding committees, and new committees.
We the finger pointing and back biting over the associated costs and increase for the sewer and water rates.
Let us not forget the great pot debate. Our founding fathers must have been smiling over how this one evolved into involving discussions over federal vs. state laws and authority. Another matter not quite done with.
On the more humorous front, we can't forget the great call for sanctions to be imposed on yours truly in his appointed capacity and another individual in his elected capacity by two elected BPW members before the elected elected selectboard which had absolutely no authority over any of it. If you need a recap, see the March 26, 2013 blog.
Okay well that's just a few examples. Let's hear your highlights or low lights for the year in review.
If someone had started out this time last year with an agenda listing the events that have played over the past 12 mos. you probably would have thought it a script for a weird fantasy show. But there was no agenda written out because as I have said numerous times before, you just can't make that kind of stuff up.
That's it for today. Blog lite.
Be safe.
The oddity of situations and events listed above are not much different than those of many families. Families consist of a set of complex characters each with an opinion of what and how things should be done. And at times when things don't go a particular way, there's conflict before compromise.
ReplyDeleteReflecting on the year John, a new neighborhood, the Welcome Street ten family subdivision that will be joining us late this year. They will instantly have traffic issues with turning movements on to busy route six. With the lax speed enforcement in East Fairhaven I see life threatening trouble there. I wish our law enforcement left the petty thefts at Wal-Mart and Kmart to private security, paid by those businesses and focus back to speed enforcement, which is actually life threatening. Route six is our only east-west regional transit at the local level. Maybe some single lane chicanes would encourage more choices to travel I-95 instead. Only kidding? It was actually proposed in 1996.
ReplyDeleteThe chicane on Oliver Street issue has resurfaced, yet again. Now we hear it’s dangerous because of the blind curve. It’s not dangerous at all, if you obey the laws. Otherwise it is a nuisance to you. It requires you to slow to the design speed, which many do not wish to do. I think a few well placed orange barrels on the non-compliant radius curve would alert drivers a few hundred feet sooner. Remove any plantings that could conceal a child, with more curb cuts, problem reduced.
The Knowles property is in play again, but at requested hundreds of units in a newly increased floodplain zone, coupled with Route Six, problems are glaring. These families would also become the closest homes to the wind turbines to date and while its buyer-beware; they would easily become hundreds of new signatures on petitions, if they perceive problems.
Water quality of Nasketucket and Little Bays directly links to desirability of our town. We have miles of coastline that must cohabitate with fragile waters. New flood maps will also become part of our code. Residents are going to struggle to live in traditional ways.
The major plazas and Route six regional corridor show symptoms of the continued economic depression. While maybe not true blight, we have a serious problem and one that cannot be corrected by the planning department. We have to guard against further regression by dollar type stores, bargain outlets or cheap fast foods, as these will add to the problem and detract from certain businesses perceiving the local consumer base.
A moving of CDGB infrastructure projects northward is welcome news in a part of town yearning for upgrades. An empty school sits at the heart of a neighborhood that needs a future plan.
The conflicting, traditional uses along the industrial waterfront are continuing to emerge. One look at what is occurring on the New Bedford side leads me to believe the Fairhaven side is going to want to take part in a new major intermodal interchange and marine services.
The Alden Road industrial zone will probably change quite a bit and very quickly, as traffic counts from the north steadily increase and underused property is thrown into the mix with no underlying plan for the area. I have some reservations about the proposed RMD operator, if what one Selectman said on video-date Dec.12 at 1:40:00 is true. I don’t think anyone was begging for a drug addiction and substance abuse treatment center at the forefront and abutting a major corridor with our last industrial build-out available. The town needs a plan for this area as it is quickly being utilized as small business and not industrial, by improper zoning language.
There are many vacant or underutilized lots or parcels that could radically alter local neighborhoods if the town does no re-examine what we are permitting by zoning or reusing empty public buildings with noncompliant uses. Fairhaven has changed in your and my lifetime more than any of our abutting communities and progress will continue, better or worse, depending on our next set of choices.
All issues that need to be addressed.
DeleteI absolutely agree with your last paragraph by the way. Not sure I can agree with your law enforcement statements. As to the petty thefts, how does one actually leave those things to a private security force? Give it full arrest powers, empower it to detain and jail and transport?
Speed enforcement, well no arguing that speeding and basically all traffic enforcement is an issue. Absent adding more officers or turning over police functions to private security, the best you can do is tweak the enforcement I think. Personally, cameras at red lights, with a few more red lights would go a long way too, but that is for another day.
As to what was said at the point in the tape you mentioned, you and I both know that the RMD is not a substance abuse center. The RMD by-law does not address nor allow a substance abuse center, and the fact a discussion at that meeting went off on a entirely different track only shows the let's say the confusion over an RMD. I was absolutely baffled at the use of the term "substance abuse" and one or two other terms.
Your zoning concern are certainly legitimate. I caught some of the tapes for the subdivision that is coming. I caught one about the rezoning that may or may not be requested. I even caught some of the chicane stuff. For all of it and more, what I have said in the past I will state again. Decisions, be they for initial approval, complete change or alteration or amendments should be made in accordance with existing standards, rules and regulations, not to mention that pesky thing called legal requirements.
If not allowable and justified, than don't do it; and, if warranted and justified than of course do it. It seems all too frequently now, decisions, be they a yes or a no, are being made as a result of political expediency.
Sorry, but I think Wal-Mart, the Dollar Tree, and cheap fast food chains DO reflect the local consumer base. What's wrong with those businesses? Do you think our community could support... say... Lord and Taylor?
ReplyDeleteIt's one thing to move into a home near an existing turbine, but completely another to have one built in your preexisting backyard. Unless the buyer is deaf and blind- it should be buyer beware.
ReplyDeleteIt went from pricey turnkey housing to maybe the average senior might afford to downsize in the community. He is a prime example of greed being the loser for a change.In regard to the RMD FIASCO one only needs to read he article about Colorado an its acceptance of te weed issue.It looks like a lot of money to be made by the state an local towns..PAY ATTENTION FAIRHAVEN NAYSAYERS....
ReplyDelete