Look, Newburyport folks don't agree on everything.
Yes, we love our town. Yes, we think it's the best place in the world to live. We have each other's back if someone needs help.
We care for each other. We really do.
But we don't agree on everything.
An outsider looking in might snicker at our hot button issues.
- Should we have a big park on the waterfront or a REALLY big park.
- Should we have protections for our huge inventory of beautiful historic homes or shouldn't we?
- Should union electricians have been hired to do the work on the expansion of our excellent community hospital?
- Should residents pay $5 a year - or visitors 50 cents an hour - to park downtown?
- Should we change zoning to accommodate the development of land that's adjacent to our commercial sector while preserving 20 or so acres of open space.
The answer to each question involves several shades of gray, but the above give succinct summaries of our larger controversies.
All in all, if those are our major disagreements. I think we're in pretty good shape.*
So let's put up our yard signs. Have spirited discussions. As long as we're respectful and peaceful I see nothing wrong with a little divisiveness.
At the end of the day, this will still be the best place in the world to live. I think we can all agree upon that.
So let's put up our yard signs. Have spirited discussions. As long as we're respectful and peaceful I see nothing wrong with a little divisiveness.
At the end of the day, this will still be the best place in the world to live. I think we can all agree upon that.
*The one issue seems fairly black-and-white to me - the sorry state of our public school buildings. I'm a full support of the debt exclusion questions and I'll post more on this after I've toured the schools. To me, this falls under "having each other's back if someone needs help."
22 comments:
The key to your post is that the answer to each of these questions involves "shades of gray." In conversations I've had with many people, they don't see shades of gray ... it's all black and white. That's the problem I have with the yard signs. Yard signs are like sound bites, and don't lend themselves to identify the subtleties surrounding what are, in many instances, more complicated than some (many?) know.
I don't know. I see yard signs as flags of allegiance.
At the end of the day, if both sides get enough of what they want, they're meaningless.
But they're an important and necessary part of the political process, and I actually like seeing them around.
It shows people care.
why is there no talk of closing the Molin and reincorporating those students back into either the Nock or the Bresnahan if those schools receive the money for repairs/rebuilding?
Not sure....to what end? Wouldn't the roof still leak?
Depends on the nature of the division. If we're debating the difference between charging tourists a quarter an hour or fifty cents an hour, that's fine. The LHD is an entirely different animal, made worse by the fact that the most vocal proponents don't own property that would be affected.
Apples and oranges, Tom.
- The Carrot
Carrot, nice to hear from you.
I respectfully disagree. At this point, without particulars of the LHD plan, opponents are arguing mainly from a point of principle.
They don't want to be told what they can or can't do with their house.
Truth is, the LHD - at least the version that would be acceptable to majority of counselors - probably wouldn't have enough teeth to really affect more than a tear down.
I don't expect any LHD opponents are fighting to tear down their homes. They're only fighting for the right to tear down.
At the end of the day, I posit that paid parking actually would have a greater impact on the daily lives of residents than the LHD, particularly in the south end where some have lost their spots.
And, I'm sure you remember the opponents to paid parking also suggested the city was taking what was their's - the right to park on their downtown streets for free.
But my larger point is this - it's all right to fight.
Depends on the nature of the fight.
Look, if I show up at your kids' school, demand that Intelligent Design be taught, rally a bunch of people behind me and then it's revealed that I don't have kids in the school system you'd probably get pretty bent out of shape, right?
And then, if I repeatedly said that your reasons for protesting were nothing but lies, and then attempted to remove your means of communicating this to the public (by, say, filing vociferous complaints with the editor of the local paper or refusing to allow commenting on the blogs where I claim you're lying) you'd get even angrier, right?
And finally, to add insult to injury, imagine that the plan to teach Intelligent Design to your kids isn't even fleshed out; it's just this vague idea that may or may not cause a lot of personal turmoil, being foisted by people with no dog in the fight...people who, perhaps, would be better off being more productive than being busybodies.
THAT'S the position those of us actually affected by the proposed LHD are in right now. The sad fact is that those of us with homes in the LHD will in all probability see our insurance rates climb while being subjected to a proposal with no firm details regarding what we can or cannot do with our property...and there's some real uncertainty as to the affect an LHD actually has on property values. This is being foisted on us by individuals who won't be affected by the legislation that they're advocating.
We're not fighting for the right to tear our homes down(!)...we're fighting for the right to manage our homes as we see fit.
Gerry and Mary need to find another hobby. I suggest birdwatching, myself, preferably in Tenerife. I think they'd both enjoy it there.
As for the LHD: table it for a year and let the proponents actually flesh out the details, then have an open and honest debate rather than have one side accuse the other of lying (and then failing to back up that particular assertion).
Yeesh.
- The Carrot
tom-if they're going to build a new school, shouldn't they make it big enough to incorporate the 4th graders? so we can get rid of this foolish "upper elementary"? and if not, why can't we incorporate the 4th graders into the middle school? there is no reason to be wasting money on an administration that isn't needed. the only way i'll vote for a new school is if they get rid of the molin.
With all due respect Carrot, the LHD issue is what it is - a zoning fight.
The entity representing the community appointed a panel of citizens to devise some protective measures of a valuable community.
City did the same thing on the waterfront lots when it created the Overlay Districts to manage what sort development can go on down there.
Now had the property owners down there cried foul and declared, "You can't do this, this will cost us money!" we would have all said, that's too bad. This is what the community wants.
Now I admit this issue is more complicated because 1) we're talking about people's home and 2) these people vote but, in a nutshell, the fight is the same.
I don't think it's correct to suggest this is some wild campaign by a bunch of busy bodies.
Incidentally, as I'm sure you know, the chair of the committee does live in the proposed LHD area, as I'm sure a few other committee members do as well. So it's unfair to say they're affected by the proposal (unless you're just talking about Mary and Jerry.)
I haven't been keeping score on the truth, but there were some early whoppers being tossed around by the anti-folks. Lots of unnecessary scaring being done in my opinion.
That said, clearly this process could have gone more smoothly. I don't know where mistakes were made - if any - but this is getting sticky.
Your proposal is interesting but the feeling I get is there is NO acceptable measure for the anti-folks. So I'm not sure if the year would benefit anyone. You're comment gives me hope that I'm wrong.
To my point about fighting for the right to tear down, I merely meant this:
At the end of the day I believe the measure will be more watered down than it already is, so much so that people will largely be able to manage their own homes with one exception, no tear downs.
And I suspect even THAT would spark a fight.
Every town has their issues. As a local Newburyport roofer we've become very familiar with the town, residents, and issues. Bottom line is that Newburyport is an amazing town and a great place to live and raise a family.
Gotta give you props for such personalized spam.
why is there no talk to convert the brown school into a senior/community center?
Oh, i don't know if this is the same anonymous.
Don't know the answer to either. Regarding the middle school, I'm guessing the addition of the kindergarten kids will put enough kids in the new building.
Regarding the Brown school, I'm sure whatever reason we didn't turn the Kelley School into a Senior Center applies to the Brown, in spades given the lack of parking.
the kelley school wasn't up to code, the brown clearly is, plus if you use the play ground as parking you'd have plent. as far as the middle school, the belliville had k-4 for years, don't see that as being any issue. if you're building a new school, why not build it big enough for you needs and maximize your tax dollars?
Can't see how anyone can vote for a plan with some many unanswered questions and wholes in it. Rushing to approve this feels an awful lot like when Moak rushed to get the solar panels installed on top of the Nock. Which, incidentally, will be removed and rendered unusable if the renovations to the Nock are approved. Just throwing tax payer money away hand over fist...
I actually asked someone about the solar panels. I was told they could be reinstalled.
a city worker told me they could not, that by removing them, they can't be used again.
Worth asking about at the hearing tomorrow....7 pm at City Hall.
But I have to admit, that sounds iffy. I'm no expert, obviously, but I can't understand why solar panels would be effective on one roof and not another.
Technical questions aside, I doubt any school would sign on a solar panel deal knowing they could never replace or repair a roof.
Doesn't really add up.
Might it be more likely the city worker didn't favor the debt exclusion?
Anyway, maybe someone official will answer.
And if they don't work again, I really can't penalize our kids for John Moak's error. Are we never supposed to repair the roof at the Molin because of someone's egregious error?
that isn't the point, the point is to not rush into a situation with out exploring all the consequences. The fact that these fairly basic questions haven't been asked or answered by anyone should be a bit of a red flag that perhaps we're moving to fast. The last time we built a new school it was very nearly a disaster and the school is still too small to support the class sizes, why are we rushing into a similar situation?
You brought up the point.....
How do you know they haven't been asked? I just told you the solar panels aren't an issue, and I was told that by someone in charge of the committee.
You're asking ME these question. I have no idea what has been asked an not been asked, and that's the response you're getting.
How do you know the Brown School is up to code for a senior center? Did a city employee tell you that as well?
And who are you to call the Molin school foolish? Is your opinion based soley on your focus on the adminstrators' salaries (btw, I have no idea how many salaries there are so I'm not even conceding that point.)
I'm not going to pass on the opportunity to get kids a decent, non-toxic building in which they can spend the bulk of their childhoods.
Given the demographics in Newburyport, I don't see a surge in student population happening any time soon since the percentage of residents with kids is dropping. There's also very little land that can be developed into housing so I wouldn't worry about a pending bubble.
Anyway, tonight, 7 pm, City Hall. Ask the mayor.
Dear Anon, not sure if you attended but I did (at least at the start.)
I asked the Nock architect about the Solar Panels. They'll be removed for the repairs and then put right back.
And, with the switch away from electric heat, they'll be able to supply a bulk of the school's electrical needs.
well, that's good news at least. any other points raised?
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