Some "Green" greenbacks for Peabody

The City of Peabody just received almost $500,000 in blockgrant money for use in creating jobs that reduce energy use or promote green technologies. This is money from the Federal stimulus plan and distributed by the state.

The Salem News: 3 communities get greenbacks for 'green' jobs

I have not heard anything about such a program here in Peabody but think that this is a great move forward! The future is going to be more reliant on renewable energy resources and getting a foot-in-the-door by promoting these new ideas, experiments and business ventures here in the City of Peabody is a big step in the right direction!

Now if only the City Council will get off their collective duffs and begin to tackle the hard job of re-thinking the way we all want Peabody to be like in the next 25 years... think rezoning, planning, infrastructure, etc., then maybe we can become a center for innovation and creativity that will allow us to lead the region into the next decades and beyond.

Time to REZONE the Entire City!

Since the City Council has been reluctant to do their jobs and serve the City residents, it seems some land owners (both residents and big time developers) have decided to take matters into their own hands and ACT to get what THEY desire (in terms of land use - zoning) in the City of Peabody.

These actions are SELDOM, IF EVER, in the best interest of the City... they, instead, are targeting individual concerns or needs over the needs of the entire City. And, of course, all too often our less than courageous Councils and Boards are happy to give them whatever they want.

IT IS TIME TO STOP THIS MADNESS AND REZONE THE ENTIRE CITY OF PEABODY TO A MODERN STANDARD - INCLUDING DOWNTOWN

The City Council is REMISS in their duties on this most important of issues. This should now become the NUMBER ONE PRIORITY of every single member of the City Council. To NOT ADDRESS THIS ISSUE is COWARDLY at best and FRAUDULENT at worst!

Read more at The Salem News: Peabody takes piece-by-piece approach to development

If this City Council is not up to the task that their positions require... they should ALL be voted out of office.

The Meadow at Peabody: OPEN

Just a quick note to all of you craving the return of spring as much as I am...
The Meadow at Peabody Golf Course is open! This is the earliest it has ever opened and, despite the hard winter, the recent good weather has allowed the crews to have it ready to go! After my recent vacation (and taste of weather to come) I am ALL READY FOR THIS! Perhaps all this talk of Global Warming isn't so bad after all? (just kidding about that)

The Salem News: Public golf courses opening early, planning for more business

Should a 9-1-1 call bring ALL the rescuers all the time?

This question arose during a discussion on the Peabody Patriot concerning the purchase (or refurbishing) of a Peabody Fire engine.

Currently (I believe) when someone calls the 9-1-1 Emergency line the operator dispatches all three help and rescue groups to the location - Police, Fire and Ambulance.
Please correct me if I am wrong on this point.

So the question for discussion is...
Does it make sense to send all three responders to each call for help?

I would say that I can easily make a case for both sides in this case.

1) ASSESS THE SITUATION AND SEND ONLY WHAT IS NECESSARY:
This is called triage in the emergency rooms of every hospital (or if you remember that TV show M.A.S.H.) - where by someone listens to the person making call for help, asks questions to determine the need and then they send those services that they see as being necessary to solve the problem.

This would probably work in 99% of the cases involving a call for help to 9-1-1. A professional who is trained in emergency triage would need to be on duty 24/7... and maybe not just one. This might be yet another good reason to consider regional 9-1-1 emergency call centers (but that is yet another debate/discussion topic).

The worry is in that 1%... nobody is willing to have the dropped ball happen when it is your spouse or child's life on the line. In that case... send them all... send the Marines too!

However, as a cost saving move it might end up reducing the need for so much redundancy as well as reducing the load on all members of the 'rescue' teams (only sending 1 or 2 when needed, instead of all 3 all the time.)

2) SEND ALL THREE ALL THE TIME:
When someone calls 9-1-1 it is usually in an emotionally charged state. Something is very wrong, someone is hurt or dying, someone just crashed into their car, the house is on fire, etc. etc. etc. They may or may not be fully aware of the severity of the situation... they may be confused or simply not know how good or bad the situation is.

Also, there might be a large time delay if the wrong rescuer is sent when another is needed. What if the car accident simply looks minor, but in fact, someone is hurt badly or fuel is leaking out in an obscure location that no one sees... until it is too late? Or a smell of smoke in an apartment might bring the fire fighters, only to discover the apartment next door has an unconscious occupant due to smoke inhalation.

Lives are precious and can not be replaced. Vehicle engines, transmissions, tires... these can be repaired or replaced.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Perhaps the best solution is a middle ground... where we do some minor level of triage in order to reduce the time, effort and expense on all three groups... but we also lean towards sending MORE rather than less in any case that possibly warrants it. This would probably only reduce the number of responders in 10-20% of the cases... so the question is would this small savings be worth the additional risk of harm to the public in need?

And... what happens when a call is made and someone later sues the City for not sending all 3 in the first place and they suffer some horrible loss?

I look forward to your comments and thoughts.

School Enrollments Shrinking

There has been much discussion on the streets and the blogs about the possibility of a school closure. But now we finally get the first professional analysis (preliminary report) of the enrollment situation.

~~click image for a larger version~~

It shows a 14.39% decline in the student enrollments within the next 10 years time. If these numbers have validity, and I do not doubt that they are indeed accurate, then it seems to only make sense to discuss the possibility of closing one of the elementary schools here in Peabody.

BUT ONLY IF THE EDUCATIONAL INTEGRITY OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM IS MAINTAINED!

Rico Mello Needs to GET IT

* * U P D A T E D * *

** I re-read my original post and felt that I went too far into a personal attack. You may judge for yourself - here is the original. I have modified this post to be more in line with what I would like to see in a political blog.

What exactly is the reason that City Councilor Rico Mello has for wishing to be a representative of the citizens of Ward 3 and the rest of the City of Peabody?

He seems to have a desperate need to be constantly the center of attention in any City Council meeting, which (frankly) isn't the worst thing in the world... but only IF you actually do some work to UNDERSTAND the complex issues facing the City... and not just spout off about whatever pops into your head!?

Councilor Mello considers himself a PROTECTOR of the people and frankly... but this is not what I see. He is often vocal, which is fine, but mostly the result is bluster and grandstanding... and what has he actually got to to show for all these antics?

We have heard all this before... why is it that Ward 3 seems to have such unhappy leaders? It has been said that this has to do with a mindset that is based on an earlier way of life - one that sadly is long gone and will never return. OK. I can accept that it is difficult for some folks to see the old ways passing on. But they do... and they are gone.

Ward 3, and the entire City of Peabody, need leaders who will look beyond petty grievances and differences and embrace the needs of ALL Peabody citizens.

If Councilor Mello (or any civic leader) is NOT a person who can understand the difficult times we live in AND act as an advocate for the citizens... they need to reconsider their role in our government.

Just standing up and saying "NO!" all the time is NOT leadership... it is the easiest of actions - one that seem to be the nervous reaction of a people who simply do not understand the complexities of modern government.

Councilor Mello...

NO! To turning a haz-mat site into a City park for his Ward?????
NO! To the Portuguese-American War Veterans (and the citizens of Peabody)?????

I could go on but you all know it as well as I do...

WHY are you voting against the projects that will be beneficial to the citizens of our community?

So I really hope that if Councilor Mello decides to run again in this years race he will decide to be a LEADER, he will take the time to UNDERSTAND the complexities of city government and be willing to GOVERN with the needs of ALL the Citizens of Peabody in mind.

July 4th: Fun should remain

I have been taking some time to consider the suggestion of Councilor Gamache to cancel the annual July 4th Ward Celebrations.

You can read about the controversy here:
Salem News: Peabody considers suspending July fourth celebrations
Salem News Editorial: Cost no reason to nix 4th of July events in Peabody
Peabody Patriot: July 4th parties... a thing of the past?

While I understand that we are in a fiscally difficult economic situation... and that practically everyone is also facing a similar economic crisis at home and at work... I simply must say that this is the wrong move at the wrong time.

I do not agree with the posters who have been saying that it is from Mayor Bonfanti's lips to Councilor Gamache's ear... Gamache can think and act for himself. However, I think that this was simply one of those times when we all wish he hadn't.

While I would certainly love to see a check for $12,000 show up in my mailbox, the fact is that this is a tiny amount of City funds that goes to making neighborhoods and families feel more connected to each other and the City. I know that the City spends more on paper clips than $12,000 each year.

We really need to get our priorities straight when dealing with this financial crisis.

Many others have suggested that the Council members could simply cut the $150/month stipend that they receive and save more than $19,800 each year. Now I am sure that they have already made plans for these funds (or not, but they get the money in either case) so they don't wish to lose it. The money for the Ward celebrations, however, will not affect them personally in any way.

So I simply think that Councilor Gamache was looking for a way to look good while losing nothing. And frankly, it might have been fine if he were not screwing the little kids of Peabody (which are the ones that these celebrations are for in the first place.)

Now others have postulated that the Councilor(s) are actually hoping to get rid of this event - as it ruins their personal vacation plans and causes them to do lots of work planning, fund raisng and running these events... but I'm not so sure of that. If someone has any evidence of this... let us all know.

So, yet again, The City Peabody looks like a fool in the newspapers and in the hearts of its citizens. All because people do not THINK about the consequences of their actions (or simply proposals in this case).

:::Caveat:::
Now all that being said... IF (and only IF) the City is actually in such DIRE FINANCIAL STRAITS that it really can not fund these 6 celebrations (for $2,000 each) then I am ready to talk about a great many OTHER CUTS that would need to be made before this one.

This amount ($12,000) is 0.0000909% of the budget ($132,000,000)

IF we can't afford this amount for something that is a long-term event that brings kids and families and neighborhoods together... we should really think about what is truly important in this City.

~ps: I fixed the erroneous number of celebrations from 11 to 6!

What price a sense of community?

I hate that my inaugural post here at the Roundtable is on something so (relatively) trivial, but, hey, Dave Gamache? What's the idea? $12,000 for some events that build community, allow families to have some fond memories (some of them perhaps even patriotic), and commemorate the founding of our country.

Probably if a couple of councillors dropped their ridiculous perk of full-time health benefits for part-time work, the City would save enough to ensure the continuation of this tradition. Why is building a sense of community in this town being represented as a "frill" that can be cut? In a day when there are lesssened ties between people and neighborhoods, why cut something that so many find enjoyable?

I challenge the mayor and city council to find some other $12,000 to cut with lesser impact on families and our collective enterprise of celebrating our Americanness (even if it's only with silly parades, games, and BBQ). George Peabody opened his house in London every July 4 to expatriates and American tourists who happened to be in town. From all accounts, it was quite a party. In this town named in his memory, let's honor that spirit.

Crystal Lake - Cleanup Soon?!!?

The cleanup and dredging of Crystal Lake and Elginwood Pond seems to be one BIG step closer to getting underway with a report to the City Council from Assistant Planning Director Blair Haney.

The Lynn Item: Peabody pond dredging projects estimated below price expectations

This is very welcome news indeed! Haney told the councilors that not only was the project going to cost significantly less, but the estimated time to complete the work is mush less as well!

And Haney made the STRONG POINT that all the studies that were performed during the past few years have PAID OFF WELL in determining the causes of the vegetation and how to control them in the future.

Score one for science and logic. Kudos to the Community Development Department on this one.

Despite some folks fear that this project will not happen until they are in the Torigian Center (wink @ OG) it looks like progress (and pride) is alive in Peabody still.

Another Bad Moon Rising?

The recent article in the Salem news highlights a little known situation which, while not unique to Peabody at all, still will have a severe impact on our near-term, and long-term fiscal viability.

Salem News: Retirement Assets dip as market fails

Now, I will begin this post with a big admission... I don't know much about this... not much more than I read in the SNews.

The story in a nutshell - and feel free to let me know if I am getting this wrong somewhere...

Cities are required to fund the accounts that they plan to use to pay for employee retirement. However, they don't actually put in the $50 each week that employee X and Y are going to get in 10 or 15 years.

No. That would be logical. And safe.

So the Cities PROMISE that they will have the money for the retirees WHEN THEY RETIRE... but not before. In other words, the City will use these funds to do as they please (now I am sure that some is set aside for the retirees) but they don't need to come up with it until they actually retire.

This was a good scheme... until somebody noticed (or maybe someone retired somewhere and the City didn't have the dough?).

So the powers that be enacted a deadline (2028) where by the City must be fully funded for all retirees.

But the Cities didn't really want to put all their (our) money in the retirees bank accounts... they wanted to Play the Market and make a profit so we would have more funds to spend on City needs.

Unfortunately things are not so pretty in the market... in fact the S&P 500 has averaged -1.59% since 2000.... and is down -37% for 2008.

So... in order to still be able to meet the 2028 deadlines, all the Cities and Towns are going to need to be putting in even more tax money into these retirement accounts to make up for the bad investments made over the past few years. This is going to result in EVEN LESS WORKING CAPITAL FOR THE CITY.

Again, this is not problem unique to Peabody, nor was the fancy financial solution... in fact, it probably kept our level of taxes lower and services higher over the past several years... but it just adds one more straw to the camels back... and the sag is already starting to show LOTS of strain.

Walnut Street Park gets 9 thumbs up from City Council!

Lynn Item: Peabody council OKs purchase of vacated property
Salem News: Council OKs park to revive fouled lot
Salem News Editorial: Green replaces industrial grime in Peabody

Well despite the silly grandstanding protestations of Councilor Mello, and the NO vote from both him and Councilor Sinewitz. the saner minds on the City Council passed the measure and now the City can fully pursue the property.

This is a great opportunity for the neighborhood and the downtown area in general. Let's hope that this is just the first move in a rethinking of what the City of Peabody can do for its citizens and its downtown.

Goodbye Jorge Peabody

I have had one last exchange with The Peabody Patriot's Jorge Peabody. He has handed the reins of the Patriot to another and is planning a more subdued life as a visitor rather than a blogger.

Jorge was the latest in a long line of folks to man the helm of the Patriot. Now Jorge and I did not always agree on things, sometimes we did, but often we didn't. And that never seemed to bother him or me. And I found that to be a refreshing stance from the Patriot.

Jorge did a very competent job and I for one will miss is presence. Jorge, you are always welcome to come and participate here.

I look towards the newest rendition of the Patriot with a bit of skeptical intrigue... will it devolve back into a room full of cheap shots and yelling? Or might it continue down the path of civilized and thoughtful discussion of the important topics of the day?

We will all wait and see.

Unhappy with your government? - - - - - Here's your chance!

Salem News: Clerk outlines city election calendar

Each and every day we hear someone else grumbling about how unhappy they are with the City government here in Peabody. Well City Clerk Tim Spanos is waiting for you to come a'knockin.

All it takes is to take out papers from the City Clerks office, get 50 certified Peabody residents to sign, and return them to the Clerk.

I urge folks who really do have a passion for making Peabody a better place to live, work and play to take out these papers and give it a shot! I have great respect for anyone who is willing to put themselves out there and try and make a difference... if they are serious about it. In fact, I will sign ANYONE'S NOMINATION PAPERS, even if I disagree with them, because I am a believer in the democratic system... flaws and all.

Election Calendar

Monday, March 2: Nomination papers available at city clerk's office

Friday, July 31: Last day for taking out nomination papers

Tuesday, Aug. 4: Last day for filing nomination papers and petitions with Board of Registrars

Tuesday, Sept. 15: Primary election

Tuesday, Nov. 3: General election