April 12, 2013 - Southbridge Evening News

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16 SPENCER NEW LEADER • Friday, April 12, 2013 CPA supporters, opponents to host meetings over next two weeks CAMPAIGNS Investment vs. tax The Friends of the Brookfield Town Hall are behind the drive to bring the CPA to Brookfield as a way to finance the renovation of the century-old Town Hall. But, Friends President William R. Simpson said Sunday, April 7, it won’t just be the Town Hall project that benefits. He said money would also be used to increase the amount of affordable and senior citizen housing in Brookfield, or possibly for improvements at Lewis Field. “It’s really about investing in Brookfield’s future and doing it in a very smart financial way,” Simpson said. He said last fall the Community Preservation Coalition, a Bostonbased group that helps cities and towns implement the Community Preservation Act, estimated Brookfield could raise up to $150,000 each year. “Our primary concern with the CPA is quite clearly it is a tax upon a tax, and that’s why we’re opposed,” said William Gillmeister, chairman of Citizens Against Taxes Upon Taxes. His group’s presentation on April 15 will feature a couple of people from towns that rejected the CPA: Paul Ferro, a former Marlborough city councilor, and John DiMascio, an activist from Watertown. Gillmeister said it’s no accident Ferro and DiMascio will speak with Brookfield residents on the deadline for filing federal income taxes. “Aside from the fact that it is a tax upon a tax,” he said, “I bel, and our group believes, while it is possible to repeal the Community Preservation Act — that is, take it away, get rid of it after five years — we don’t believe that’s ever going to happen. So we believe it is a permanent tax increase.” For example, he said, the CPA cannot be repealed if the money raised through it will pay off debt. He cited Sturbridge as an example of the CPA staying in place, despite an effort last year to repeal it because residents felt the money was being mismanaged. OPEN HOUSE AND TALKS Five days after the Citizens Against Taxes Upon Taxes presentation, the Friends of the Brookfield Town Hall and the Brookfield Cultural Council will host an open house for the building. It will include question-and-answer sessions with Simpson, guided tours of Town Hall, performances by the Brookfield Youth Choir (made up of Brookfield Elementary School pupils), a children’s coloring contest, door prizes, light refreshments and an ice cream social starting at 1 p.m. “The idea [is] to just to let people see the Town Hall,” Simpson said, “because that’s our mission is to raise the visibility of what we have that people don’t know about’ Three days later, on April 23, the Municipal Facilities Planning Committee (which has been working on plans for renovating Town Hall) will host a hearing and information session on the CPA at Town Hall. Asked why Brookfield residents should vote “yes” on Question 1, Simpson replied, “The fact that any money we raise through the CPA is matched by the state 100 percent is potentially very financially responsible for the town. That’s what really brought us to it, because we were looking at the Town Hall and finding a way to put the project together in a way that impacted the taxpayer the least. The Community Preservation Act came up as the way [to get] the best bang for our buck.” He said the CPA would open up additional opportunities for the Town of Brookfield to get grants for the Town Hall project. “It can fund half of the Town Hall renovation at a quarter of the cost,” Simpson said, “and does so with the least amount of impact to the property owners in Brookfield.” Plans for Town Hall include installing an elevator from the basement to the Great Hall on the second floor, with a stop on the first floor, making the building handicap accessible in other ways, and creating more office space. “The money and the purpose of the money, it makes clear we’re invested in our community,” Simpson said. “The Town Hall is now an embarrassment and we don’t want to end up in a situation where the Town Hall is condemned” like in North Brookfield. “This is an incredible opportunity to keep it.” DEBT AND ‘INTRUSION’ Gillmeister said the Citizens Against Taxes Upon Taxes group, which has about 30-35 members, is “not taking a position on the Town Hall one way or the other. It may indeed need renovation, but as a group we believe that the Community Preservation Act is not the method to fund that renovation. It really ought to be funded through the normal mechanism” of bringing a proposal to Town Meeting and seeking a debt exclusion. “Those are the proper mechanisms for funding the Town Hall,” Gillmeister said. “The CPA is not the way to fund the Town Hall renovation.” Simpson said a debt exclusion would still be needed for the Town Hall project — and that, like the CPA, would face votes at both Town Meeting and an election. Gillmeister also expressed concern that “there’s no guarantee” Brookfield would get the promised 100 percent match from the state (with money raised from a surcharge on transactions that go through the Registry of Deeds). He said — and proponents agreed last fall — that the state’s matching rate has not always been 100 percent. For communities that did not adopt the 3 percent property tax surcharge, the rate has dipped to around 25 percent. Gillmeister also called the method of applying for the income and senior citizen exemptions, and the documentation needed to prove them, “intrusive.” He said residents would have to apply every year for the exemptions, “which is very intrusive. It’s an invasion of privacy, and just to get an exemption for it. And we think that is wrong. A lot of people are not going to take advantage of it because it’s intrusive.” “You have to prove your income to get the exemption,” Simpson responded. “Otherwise, anybody could apply for it. It’s similar to an abatement.” He added the application would be a “couple of page[s],” and not much would change from year to year. continued from page 1 Friends get $750 percent, while the remaining 5 percent can be used for expenses for grant for CPA implementing the act. advertising BROOKFIELD — The Friends of the Brookfield Town Hall announced last month they got a $750 grant from the Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association to promote the affordable housing aspect of the Community Preservation Act before the April 30 ballot vote. “The Friends will be using these funds to advertise the importance of affordable housing in Brookfield,” Friends President William R. Simpson said in an email to local reporters. “Currently Brookfield does not have a housing production plan, which is an important tool in managing [Chapter] 40B [affordable] housing projects as they come forward. The CPA will provide dedicated funds that can be used to create this plan and support any other affordable housing projects.” Simpson said anyone with questions on the Community Preservation Act can call him at (508) 867-6897, or visit the Friends’ website at www.friendsofthebrookfieldtownhall.com or the Community Preservation Coalition’s website at www.communitypreservation.org. David Dore may be reached at (508) 909-4140, or by email at ddore@stonebridgepress.com. NB Animal Control to give out dog, cat food NORTH BROOKFIELD — North Brookfield Animal Control has dog and cat food available to residents that may need assistance with their dogs and/or cats (to include the feeding of feral cats in their area). If you or someone that you know needs NEWS BRIEFS food, please call Officer Christopher Donais at the North Brookfield police station at (508) 867-0206 to arrange delivery or pickup. Warren police to hold drug take back program WARREN — On Saturday, April 27, the Warren Police Department will be participating in its fourth National Take Back Initiative. It will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Warren Fire Department at 1012 Main St. (Route 67) will be the drop off point for any prescription drugs that you may want to get rid of. This is a “no questions asked” program. This national initiative provides an opportunity for the public to surrender pharmaceutical controlled substances and other medications to law enforcement officers for destruction. Expired, unused or unwanted controlled substances in our homes are a potential source of supply for the increasing abuse of pharmaceutical drugs in the United States and an unacceptable risk to public health and safety. This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. FREELANCE REPORTER WANTED Do you have a nose for news? Are you a writer at heart? Do you love to capture the moment you’re in with a photograph? Do you have an interest in the goings on in Auburn, and want to get involved in your town? The Auburn News, your best source for weekly local news, is looking for a hard-working, flexible freelance reporter to cover Auburn. Job will include writing four to six stories per week, photography, information gathering and networking — you will be the face of the town you cover! Candidates must be able to work nights and weekends. Experience in newspapers and with AP style is desired. Residence in southern Worcester County is preferred, but not required. The is a freelance position and paid by the story. Stonebridge Press is an equal opportunity employer. So what are waiting for? Send your résumé to Editor Adam Minor at aminor@stonebridgepress.com, or mail to Auburn News, ATTN: Editor, P.O. Box 90, Southbridge, MA 01550 Many Americans are not aware that medicines that sit dormant in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, theft, misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are increasing at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses because of these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, many Americans do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medicine, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away — both potential safety and health hazards. “Your active participation and involvement would be most beneficial to our mutually shared goals of educating the citizens of our communities about the dangers of prescription drug abuse,” said Warren Police Chief Bruce Spiewakowski. “Not only will the ‘Prescription Drug Take-Back’ provide a mechanism for individuals to surrender unwanted and expired prescription drugs, it will also raise drug education and awareness, thus lowering the current demand for these drugs, and provide other useful tools for information-sharing. Targeted groups or individuals are people who have expired medications or no longer needed prescription drugs and who have no safe means of disposal. By providing a safe method of disposing of unused prescription drugs, we in law enforcement will help close one method in which users obtain drugs.” Email Us! Email your thoughts to: SoundOff Spencer@ stonebridge press.com We’d Love To Hear From You!
Friday, April 12, 2013 • SPENCER NEW LEADER 17
Page 1 and 2: JAMES J. OSTROMECKY, D.D.S. Patient
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Page 21 and 22: B Section INDEX Relay for Life Auct
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Page 31 and 32: AUBURN NEWS BLACKSTONE VALLEY TRIBU
Page 33 and 34: Friday, April 12, 2013 • THE EXPR
Page 35 and 36: APRIL 10, 2013 ☎ TOWN-TO-TOWN CLA

April 12, 2013 - Southbridge Evening News

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