Some of these "Politicians" have chosen to spend their campaign funds in town and support local businesses. Others have chosen to buy their materials on the internet to save a few bucks. If you are really concerned about making a difference in town wouldn't you choose to support local business, which in turn supports the town as well with tax dollars generated by these businesses. I guess it is better for the town to have more election signs around and have so many you can make a mural out of them and post them on a main road rather than support the businesses in town. If I was trying to attract voters I would be more concerned in supporting people in town rather than have a few extra signs to put around! In my opinion these candidates BLUE it.

Is this all they can report on, how much is being spent on the campaign. What about the article in the Sun Chronicle of the two-man team hanging their literature on mailbox flags. My buddy said they were on over hundreds of houses on the North end. Being on the zoning board Mr. Sagar should have known the laws or maybe he did and just didn't care. We need people on the board that will abide by the law and not do what they damn well please. Let stick to reading Sun chronicle, at least they report news not high school articles.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Ernie M. As the new editor of Attleboro-Seekonk Patch, I am eager to learn what people of both communities think should be covered on the site. You can email me anytime at jonathan.friedman@patch.com or give me a call at 508-821-8613. As for this story, campaign finance for many years has been a subject of interest for Americans at all levels of government. I am sorry you disagree. Thanks again for sharing your opinion.

This is not the time for the town of Seekonk to override prop 2 1/2 for a 2.5 million dollar senior center which will surely cost more to build and even more to maintain and man! Not sure which of the candidates support this, but the fact is the tax payers should not. There are other options. Fiscal responsibility should be a priority in these times of brankrupt communities...lost jobs...... lost homes and upside down mortgages. Sometimes you have to wait for gratification! A good lesson to teach.

Ginger: The seniors have been waiting since 1999. Many have died waiting. This is not a Prop 2 1/2 override that will permanently raise our tax assessments. It's debt exclusion, paying off the loan over 20 years with the first year costing $8 per $100,000 valuation and declining thereafter. The seniors have waited long enough for gratification. It's time to honor our mothers and fathers and show some compassion for our seniors. If we can't spare 50 cents a week for a handicap accessible building that will have space for confidential counseling, health and nutrition programs, and the social interaction that helps to prevent depression, we've lost our moral compass. Perhaps it's time to give back to our elders. Also a good lesson to teach.

Hi Deb: Thank you for the compliment. The information on the finance reports is not very elaborate, just one line for each item. For Mr. Viera's fundraiser, it doesn't specify what the $100 was specifically for. As for Mr. Almeida's fundraiser, it was not mentioned in this expense report. Perhaps he is waiting until the next report that must be submitted 30 days after the election. I'll try to find out more specifics for you.

I agree to disagree Carol. We could supplement the membership of our seniors to any of a number of health clubs in the area. We could partner with the Rehoboth Senior Center that is approx 4 miles from the proposed Senior Center and pay a portion for the seniors participation in that facility...helping two communities of elderly. Even if we are not on solid ground for another 10 years...we should still wait. I am a senior citizen, but I am also a person who knows how to manage money and going into debt in these uncertain times is foolish and a bad precedent to set.

I am still undecided. My heart sides with Carol. But my head sides with Ginger.
There are currently so many reduced and no cost options to serve the majority of seniors. And human services, in general, may be one of those government functions that would benefit from regionalizing.

Perhaps if we were voting to convert the library into a senior center and relocating and building a new, 21st century library facility which would benefit everyone: (students, stay at home caretakers, seniors, families etc), I might not have reservations.

Right now I am leaning towards a no vote or just not voting on the question at all.

I voted to keep North School open, but that was North vs. South. This is old vs. young so it may have a better chance. If it gets shot down this time you can put a fork in it forever. I will be voting early at the towns only polling location, get out & vote!

The override of 2006(?) brought a huge turnout to the polls. And it failed, BIG. I don't know the demographics. But I would bet the seniors overwhelmingly voted against it, thus sealing the fate of North School.

I don't recall the override being "North vs South". I think it came down to a "heart" vs "head" vote. The greater the stakes (cost), the greater the likelihood the seniors will vote with their head.

to nelson elmedia, it is evident that you are a special intrest stoog for the owners at luxury box and the and the condos behind the old showcase. it well known that they want to fill the open units with section 8 ! and they been backing you. thats o.k. but you claim to be no nonsense but you are full of it. ohhh and that goes for blanchard and sagar too they have the same ideas in mind at north end. THE BASE OF SEEKONK MUST WAKE UP TO THESE CANIDATES ! swallow your vomitt and vote for parker and veiarra, that is theleast pain ! remember , REMEBER THE TRUTH HAS NO AGENDA!

people of seekonk, please take a second look befor voting the senior center, the long term expenses are not spelled out, we need a senior center but with a well spelled out plan for the math. remeber it YOU AND I PAYING FOR IT LETS GET IT RIGHT THE 1ST TIME! let not get into a black hole!

Mr Thomsom slandering people gets you no where. Mr. David viera chose the luxory box because it's a known spot in seekonk. As far as talking bad about section 8 people. Thats is discriminating of you and you should be ASHAMED. I've never met the owners of greenbrier. I'm just a resident there. I'm staying positive and am staying by my words. No NONSENSE from me. Transparency,honesty and a team player is what I'm bringing to the board. Clearly your a negative resident that should stay clear from the positive residents in town

Nelson: Most of us long ago learned to keep our opinions regarding the owners of the sports bar and the south end projects to ourselves. Please excuse nucky. He's just a little rapscallion.

Look on the bright side. If you don't get a seat at the BOS table this time, your neighborhood has the potential to become a very big player in the OTM form of government. Might be time for Seekonk to revert back to RTM.

I have refrained from commenting on the upcoming election because I feel it is not proper for an elected official to go there. Nelson I am glad that you are communicating through the Patch and hope others will too. Communication with the taxpayers is an obligation. Sometimes you deal with people that will not like or agree with you for various reasons. Nucky is a "concerned citizen" and I am pretty sure that you met him at the last BOS meeting.

Robert was not promoring fear, he was echoing how I feel about the senior center. Get it done. Build it big- we want this thing to be expandable over many years. We are not a poor town and you have to invest in both infrastructure and growth for both short and long term. The borrowing rates are fantastic. Now is the time to take action.

I'm staying positive. All candidates have there own good views for our town. I can only ask that we all stay positive and vote for the best candidate that you feel will do the best for our town. Monday April 2nd 7am to 8pm is the voting hours at the highschool.thank you

...

Well I most certainly know one thing. The candidate I am voting for will know how to spell and use proper capitalization of words.

Steve. Welcome to patch. Looks like you only joined today. I'm glad that I'm mature enough to use my real name and been real all along. The patch was intended for sharing news and thoughts but in a positive way to keep our residents informed. It seems to be used as a negative way to slander people which is wrong. Possibly there are some positive residents on patch who are mature enough to see all the childish activity on the patch. Thank you

Is anyone planning to vote for Jeffrey Starr Mararian for School Committee? I like the guy. I wish he was running for BOS!

Why can't we all just get along????

Getting along requires integrity and trust. Emotional maturity? For sure.
Intelligence? Not so much.

"Birds of a feather flock together". This expression tells me that intelligence is not a prerequisite for harmony.

Nucky: Are you a newcomer to politics? How people cast votes in primaries often does not reflect their actual political views. There were folks who are not Republicans who cast their ballots for Mitt Romney because they see him as the most progressive Republican candidate. There were other unenrolled voters who cast ballots for Rick Santorum, figuring he'd be easier to defeat than Romney. Some of these voters were unenrolled Democrats. Do you assume they're Republicans? You can't make assumptions about people's political views based on primary ballots, just as you can't assume a cat sitting in an oven is a muffin, as the old Vermont farmer said.

I am glad I brought up the Senior Center on this forum and we are hearing from both sides. I understand the pro-Center people are organized; with signs, mailings and call list. But in fairness to all residents of Seekonk, an opposing view should have been presented as well. What I am opposed to is asking seniors to make the calls to support this facility. Great marketing, but did the seniors volunteer to make these calls or were they nudged into it. I have spoken to some seniors who actually go to the senior center in Rehoboth and think it is just fine. Seekonk could work out an arrangement with Rehoboth to share the use of that facility that is sometimes underutilized. And I think many people (seniors included) are taken aback by the alleged cost of the proposed new facility ...some, like myself, believing it is much higher than they expected.....and also believing that it will end up costing even more. This appears to be yet another attempt to push something through without all the ducks in a row. I am sorry that perhaps some seniors may not live to see a facility built, but one thing I do know about that generation is that most of them know how to save for what they want. They know how to do without when the situation calls for it.....something the following generations should learn from. I will not support this vote and I hope people will vote with their heads...not their hearts in this uncertain economy.

Perhaps if we start treating out senior citizens like animals they will be able to get the money for their building like the animal shelter got. Don't remember hearing this much bickering over the money for the animal shelter and I believe they had NO plans ready when they got there $1 million.
The seniors deserve much better treatment than they are getting.

Joe, I don't see this as bickering. Just expressing opinions. Everyone is not passionate about the same thing. And we are all not paying attention at the same time. My passion is not going into debt...or asking people who have lost their jobs with no idea when they will be back to work, who are upside down on their mortgages and already cutting back on not just luxuries, but necessities, to finance something that we don't have a full and honest cost for. If we must go into debt...it better be for something that there is no other option for. There are other options for the seniors. Confidential counselling can be done at any of a number of buildings in town. Social interaction .....at the library, the auditorium at one of the schools...open up the pool or the gym at the highschool....and if not in our own town....at the rehoboth senior center. There are other more affordable options that don't put us further in debt. I am not asking you to agree...just consider.

Ginger: I worked at Seekonk Human Services for over 2 years as a senior aide. For the counselors to work at Town Hall on Wednesday afternoons and evenings, requires taking confidential files out of locked filing cabinets, driving taking them over to Town Hall, and taking them home at night when Town Hall closes at 7 PM. If someone shows up at Town Hall unexpectedly that needs counseling, it means calling over to Seekonk Human Services to get the files for that person. We wouldn't want doctors doing this with our medical records. I don't think you've considered the logistical nightmare of trying to implement your suggestions. We certainly wouldn't suggest that in lieu of school buildings we have classroom instruction in different rooms around town, or have our students use the YMCA and private clubs for athletic activities -- but it would save money. Nor would we suggest that the books in the library be spread around to a number of different buildings in town -- all those walls where there could be bookcases. If they were, the library could be turned into a senior center! If your concern is about going into debt, consider how to completely revamp town services and building use so seniors don't continue to get the short end of the stick. Your proposal leaves the reader thinking that you don't care about seniors. I'm sure you don't mean to give that impression.

Carol: I am reading Ginger's comments and she does not at all impress me as someone who does not care about seniors. Are you suggesting that those who voted no on the permanent override of 2006 did not care about children? That forced the closing of a school.

She is raising valid points that many voter's of all ages might be struggling with.

Ginger: My mother is one of the senior citizen volunteer callers and has lived in Seekonk for 88 years. She was not "nudged" to make calls reminding Seekonk residents to go to the polls. She has done that most of her life. She has taken part in State and local elections for decades and worked at town polling sites during the 50's, 60's and 70's. She spent hours calling people encouraging them to go to the polls. She was there as the Town grew, supported construction of new school buildings, police and fire stations, a new library, the town hall and now a new animal shelter. She remarked about attending classes in the same building as an 8th grader in the 30's and again as a senior citizen in the 90's. However, getting into the Pleasant Street location has become too difficult for her and she can no longer attend activities there. How many others are in the same position as she? The answer is not to ship them to another town to experience a senior center. Seekonk can do better than that. A senior center with multifaceted uses would be another step in the continued growth and development of the town. Your seniors worked to make the town a great place to live and grow a family. Quality of life for all generations and good schools raise the valuation of your property and encourages more people to live there. Imagine Seekonk without big box stores, less traffic and a few more farms. That would be the Seekonk my mother remembers. But I digress.

The voters in 2006 came to the same conclusion that the School Committee did -- that enrollment was down substantially and closing the school would not adversely affect the education of the children in this town. The School Committee didn't want to make the decision, knowing it would be controversial, so sent it to the voters. No one was suggesting at that children should be sent to different geographical locations for classroom instruction, lunch, and recess or that they could spend part of the day in Attleboro or Rehoboth.

Sandra, I can't find my post where I mentioned nudged, but I don't mind seniors calling to remind people to vote. What I do mind is seniors calling to remind people to vote to support the senior center. Your comment is making me wonder if the proponents are getting nervous that someone is finally speaking up against the center at this time.....as the arguments against my comments seem to be more like personal attacks...and I don't appreciate that. If I did in fact say that the seniors were nudged to get people to vote...which I don't think I did say...then I apologize for that. But I believe I said...I WONDER if they were nudged to make the calls and by calls I meant..the calls to get people to support the senior center!! That I think is inappropriate....though not illegal. It was just something I was wondering about.

I got a call today from Lillian Provazza, who regrets that she can no longer attend activities at the senior center -- she simply can't manage the stairs. She's another of the wonderful elders in town who has given so much and would give more if there were a place she could do that giving. We forget that seniors have time, talents and wisdom and are an amazing resource if we could only figure out how to reincorporate them into the life of the community. Instead, we have shunted them aside. Sandra, I'm voting for your mom and Lillian. To me, they're worth 50 cents, even a dollar a week. I'm willing to skip the ice cream or reduce my driving by a tank of gas over the year. It's the best way I know of to say "thank you." I don't take their contributions to this town for granted. How we treat them is how the younger generation will treat us. I want to see smiles, not tears on their faces on Tuesday.

Carol: I left Seekonk 30 years ago and live in a suburb outside of Rochester, NY. In addition to the suburban areas there are many rural areas with much farming. These communities provide much for their seniors and families alike. Each suburb has a center. Some towns built new buildings for their seniors while others bought or leased one floor, empty store fronts which are handicap accessible. Many towns have encouraged privately owned, independent/assisted living developments to be built. The communities are beautiful and vibrant. The thought is to keep seniors living close to their family and old friends. Our elderly have many options. I believe our town government is set up differently in NY. Each town has one elected town supervisor and not a group of selectmen. That person is responsible for running the town and making many decisions. We elected the same gentleman for the last 25 years as he has done an incredible job. He moved our seniors out of an old school building, and the town bought an empty office building which houses the center. There is a full schedule of activities and programs daily. A dance floor was installed for our seniors because you just have to have yoga class and ballroom dancing! When I come back to visit my parents, it is just so disheartening to see the situation there in town. It has taken so many years. I hope that the center is approved. It is an expense, but will be paid for over many years. I believe it will be an asset to the community.

Ginger: Yes, you used "nudged" but do not be concerned about semantics. Many reminder calls at election time do mention candidates, referendums, propositions, etc. So if someone supports a position in a call it should just be considered a hope for your vote. And isn't it nice that some people actually get to speak with a human being on the other end. I am so tired of robo calls at election time! Don't you?

Note to Gary and Robert. Sorry for using your campaign page for this, but I don't know how to get it on a dedicated Senior Center page. There still needs to be a lot more discussion on that topic but people are afraid to oppose it for fear they will be accused of not caring about seniors...as I have been. Dirty fighting and not true at all.

Emcee.....thats like the stories told when they allowed the cell tower on the water department lot. The town needed space to store their extra shovels. It was just a ruse to create a loop hole and get that tower built......illegally. This town had places to store shovels. If all those departments are going to use the senior center than let the seniors use those facilities.

For those who say I lost that cell tower case, be sure to do some research first. I was taking on 5 law firms without my own attorney or any help. I discovered to late that the one big mistake i made was that I never asked the judges nicely if all my evidence could be "entered into the record". No one had the integrity to tell me that had to be done at the time. I thought if it had their exhibit numbers on it, it WAS part of the record. I made the mistake and take the blame. Never said I was perfect. But at least I tried to fight to put the tower on town property so we would get the big revenue generated by these sights. Does thed water departmet or any other site share any of that revenue with the tax payers. They make more money and we read our own meters! Really!

We are right to be afraid of higher taxes. Money problems...over spending....charging and spending with abandon gets a lot of people in big, sometimes unrecoverable trouble. We should think! I would be thrilled if someone came up with a plan to raise revune in this town NOT on the back of the residents.

I can't understand how this page works. I posted something about the additional, unmentioned expenses of this center and dont' see it on here. Am I going blind? These topics included...staffing, insurance, benefits, heat, utilities, lighting, security, maintenance, communication, sound systems and more. Where is that money going to come from...and how much will it be. I need numbers to make an educated decision....all the numbers! And we are NOT getting them.

How much was the proposed cost for the fire department and what did it ultimately end up costing. Once this building starts and there are overruns...there is no turning back!!! Just the facts...this is not a time for emotions to make our decisions. If I won that lottery today...I would have built the senior center for my town. But alas...I did not win.

And Sandra...no I do not like robo calls. But it was uncomfortable saying directly to an elderly person that I did not feel I could support the senior center at this time. I was being as polite and considerate as I could but still felt like I could be hurting her feelings, though she was very gracious. I find it hard and embarassing to turn down anyone who asks me for help....but sometimes you have to say no.

Will the new senior center come with mold like the new town hall?

Tremendous thanks are in order for the Senior Center Building Committee and for the previous Senior Center Committees that helped get us to this point. Their work deserves praise and appreciation. Few voters realize the tremendous amount of time and dedication that goes into efforts like this. Even fewer recognize that the work of earlier committees needs to be acknowledged as the foundation upon which the current proposed plans are built. So, a big thank you to all of you.

Good morning Carol, Ginger and Deb! Watching the snow fly here. Yes, Deb, we pay a lot of taxes in New York. But New Yorkers are the beneficiaries of the services paid for by those taxes. Again, we live in western New York which is a much different area from downstate (NYC). We pay state and county taxes on clothing over $100.00. We pay a higher gasoline tax to the state than you do in Mass or RI. But those monies are gathered by the people using those services and buying those clothes. Using those avenues to gain tax revenue for the state has resulted in less taxes for the property owner. The tax burden is spread out among all the people whether they own property or not. Those monies come back to the counties from the state for services the counties provide. The state sends back much money to the school systems directly. Our roads are good. The streets are always plowed. Our schools systems are highly ranked nationally. There were five separate school districts listed in US News and World Report announcing the top 100 high schools in the nation last year. Just an aside, our two story town hall in our village was built in 1850. It has served us well. Perhaps there is just too much politics in Massachusetts and not enough of your hard earned tax dollars ever gets back to the little towns and counties.

Sandra... "Perhaps there is just too much politics in Massachusetts and not enough of your hard earned tax dollars ever gets back to the little towns and counties."

No 'perhaps' about it.

...also to emcee. You are right...I did drift.... but doing my civic duty as an abutter took up about 10 years of my life and a lot of cash. I was using it as an example....but perhaps shouldn't have gone off topic. Apologies.

I am not looking to creat enemies...just open discussions. There seems to be only about 1/2 dozen of us on this topic, so the world isn't going to change here. No point in making any accusations or wrong assumptions. I believe people who work on projects for the town are for the most part, altruistic......but it doesn't mean there aren't other opinions or perspectives to look at, consider and discuss. I know it is late in the game but it's not too late.

I hope those who have other opinions and perspectives took the time and had the courtesy to take their concerns to this hard-working committee in a timely fashion so they could be considered. If this proposal fails, I hope those who oppose the plan will volunteer to serve on a committee to address the very serious problems at the current facility. All of the meetings have been open to the public. Voicing concerns in a timely manner shows respect for those who collectively put in thousands of hours of volunteer time at the request of Town Meeting.

I would like to know just how many citizens of the town have been to the Pleasant St. school, where the seniors meet and so forth, to see first hand what they, and the great staff that is there, have to deal with on a daily basis five days a week.

Refreshing to see new commenters and lots of input from "old pros". We must face what to do if, as a town, we don't want to spend the money on a new facility. The Pleasant street facility can't be used much longer; advanced age and inadaquate space.(growing population, growing staff, simple need for space to stand). This building was constructed at the time I was a 6th grader (that's a while back).... what will happen when it fails? Will we do something, which will cost more $$$ or be smaller. Will we, like much else that is becoming difficult to support in our culture, just try not to think about it? Tick, tock, tick, tock....0)

The old Pleasant Street School was a mess 30 years ago. I feel bad for Seekonks seniors and don't like the odds of getting the center done. If I had to put money on it, just by talking to many people in town, I would bet it gets voted down. I hope I'm wrong but people have been taxed to death and have had it. If this was 1999, maybe.

Really, paul? I'm still undecided, but I think it will pass. I don't know a single senior personally who needs it for socializing. Their calenders are quite full. Yet they will still vote for. Go figure.
And I suppose if we build it, they will come.

Thanks, Joe, for your invitation for people to visit. Maybe they should go over on Monday morning before they vote. If it doesn't pass this time, the town will wait for a tragedy or lawsuits before it takes action. I was there when there was a fire drill. It took two staff well over 5 minutes to get a single frail elder down the stairs and out of the building. That was when there was no event. I asked a firefighter whether we should stop to close windows and doors if there were a fire. He said, "No, run like hell!" The COA/Human Services space is a veritable no-man's land -- a town department in a school building leased to the South Coast Collaborative. No one is responsible for maintenance. It took well over a year to address a problem with paint peeling from the kitchen ceiling -- the Collaborative wouldn't do it, the school department wouldn't do it, the town wouldn't do it. Finally, a local contractor came on a volunteer basis and did the scraping and the town did the painting. No one's responsible for addressing poor air circulation. We had a staff person pass out and called rescue; they took her to the hospital. Once she had adequate air, she was fine. No one's responsible for the electrical wiring. Two of us were there on a Friday just before closing and smelled something funny. The fire department came and discovered that the server was overheating. There's no way of adjusting the heat -- it's either too cold or too hot. We should be ashamed.

Carol: These are the risks people take when they sign on to such a committee.

Ginger displayed the characteristics of a good citizen by bringing her concerns to the attention of Patch readers. And agree or disagree, she has legitimate concerns.
Someone on the committee could have easily set up a blog weeks ago with the singular purpose to debate the pros and cons of this project. No one did. So if it fails, you can't lay all the blame at the feet of those who did not voice their concerns sooner. The committee had the resources, including Patch, to do some outreach.

Deb, you said it better than I ....the committee should have set up a convenient blog for open discussion on this topic. And Carol, you are right, anyone with concerns should have got involved sooner. I am very guilty of procrastination. I did make an earlier attempt to find a place where this topic was brought up. I did try to contact the person in charge of the patch, but don't know if my inquiry ever went through. I do appreciate all the work done by the committee, but there should have been more transparency......and more discussion. Whether by the committee...or by the selectmen.

It is my understanding that a law passed a while back that all buildings open to the public had to be handicapped accessible. I thought that applied to all public areas in the building. There are many buildings...that in case of fire...electrical emergencies or other catastrophes that require people to use stairs in emergencies. It's not inevitable. In the case of a fire in any building you would not run around closing windows or doors. Carol, I understand your passion but don't know why you continue to blow the need for this out of proportion. Yes...I would love Seekonk to have a brand new state of the art senior center. I would love a bike path through town with benches and plantings along it. I would love a gazebo surrounded by beautiful landscaping where free concerts could be held for all Seekonk residents. You can't always get what you want, just when you want it.

to Carol...if no one is maintaining the current building, who is going to maintain the proposed new building. Why isn't anyone responsible for the current building? That makes no sense. Someone has to be responsible for it. Buildings do not take care of themselves.

And to William; Why is a smaller building out of the question? It's not like we don't want to spend the money...what we don't want to do is to go in the hole to borrow money we have to pay back without a real definite bottom line..and with an economy that is shaky at best. It's called being cautious...being fiscally responsible. Setting an example ...we should be able to find a way to satisfy the needs as best we can with the resources we have.

And if contractors volunteer to do work on the present senior center...good for them. Contractors have done very well in the town of Seekonk and the fact that they are willing to give back a little...I thank and appreciate them. I am sure there are many good people in town who do what they can.

People are talking about spending money. What about when we did the Atkin and Jr. High school's and spent money for those billboards out front of each one. The notices stay up for weeks after the events, or whatever happen. Also the High School pool. Why did we have to pay for such a big pool that is in the school budget discussion a lot because the school dept. needs money more and more because they need to keep painting the overhead beams every couple of years. Tell me how that is money well spent. Oh yes what about the $19,000.00 that the superentendant wants for a digital sign board because all of a sudden, after many years, the one at the corner of Arcade Ave and Ledge Rd. is a safety hazard. How many people have been hurt posting on that sigh over the years???

Ginger: The problem with maintenance at Pleasant Street School is that the school department owns it and leases it to South Coast Collaborative. It's not a town-owned building. Through some agreement for which there seems to have been no paperwork, the town is allowed to use space in the building. South Coast Collaborative claims they are only responsible for maintenance in the part of the building they use. It's been an absolute nightmare to try to work through. I'm not sure who's legally responsible, but I tried to persuade the Selectmen that they are morally responsible for the working conditions for their employees.

The town is responsible for town-owned buildings. The schools are responsible for school-owned buildings. It relates to personnel and budgets. Everyone tries to pass the buck. The new Senior Center would be a town-owned building, eliminating the haggling over who's responsible for the building, who paves the parking lot, etc. The same problem over maintenance would occur with North School.

Ginger: It turns out it's a violation of our union contracts to have people volunteer to do the work. I volunteered to scrape and paint outside the Old Town Hall and was told loud and clear that that would not be allowed. A great deal can and would be done by volunteers if it were permitted. But it's not.

Joe: The signs!! The pool!! THAT POOL!! I completely agree with you.

The pool was sold to us as "community pool". Never happened. I knew it wouldn't happen. As for the sign at the high school, what a joke. Kids can crash into each other during a football game. Young cheerleaders can be thrown into the air with the hope a teammate will catch them before they hit the ground. Yet the high school sign has been condemned because it is too dangerous to change the message?! LOL!!

I agree with all of your points. This is why the proposed senior center as described is not the "no brainer" some would like us all to believe it is.

Deb: Actually, you're wrong. The Committee was told it couldn't promote the Senior Center ballot question because of some court case in Boston. The brochure and mailing was done by Friends of Friends. No employees and no town committees are allowed to speak or write about ballot questions or candidates for electoral office. Pretty dumb when you think about it. Town Meeting asks for a Building Committee to be appointed and appropriates $50,000 for a design, but the Committee can't then say they'd like to advertise what they've done. This is what we refer to as democracy. We have an Open Meeting Law but closed communication. The Senior Center Building Committee has often had to meeting in the sardine-can-size lunch room at Town Hall, where the meetings can't be televised, because the Selectmen's meeting room and Planning Board room are in use. We don't have adequate meeting space for town boards and committees.

So some of you are going to go on spouting absolute lies about the pool, the high school sign, the collaborative, in some twisted attempt to promote your views about the proposed senior center.

Well sorry to spoil your agenda, but the pool is a great resource for our town and is cost effective (do a search on Patch because I am done pointing the reality out over and over again). The sign was old and in need of replacement and yes climbing a boulder to adjust the sign is not the safest setup out there. The sign went to vote and was not passed but for some they still feel the need to complain. I agree that a more reasonable price and setup is in order and I made that position clear. But to say it does not need to be replaced? Drive by that sign and tell me how proud you are to be from Seekonk with a sign like that. The collaborate does wonders for our most needy children. Whether you support the senior center or not- trying to divide people or create dysfunction is sad. Leadership is about making a decision and getting things done. This includes planning for the future of our town. A community center should be a part of that. The reality is you do not pay a lot of property taxes compared to everyone around you. The annual cost of this center to the average household is about one nice meal out a year. If you think that is too much to bear then don't vote for it, but stop the blame game.

Dave: No lies spouted about the Collaborative. The maintenance issue has been at Pleasant Street has been a problem for years. The Collaborative would be the first to acknowledge this. They feel, and probably rightly so, that they shouldn't have to maintain the part of the building that the town uses. The schools and town have batted this back and forth for years, with Human Services/COA caught in the middle. It's not the Collaborative's fault that the town and schools haven't successfully resolved the issues. There should have been a memorandum of understanding years ago. We inquired of TA and also of School Department and it seems it was an informal agreement. What was to be a temporary arrangement seems to have become permanent. Why should the Collaborative have to pick up costs for a town department? It doesn't make sense.

Ginger, Deb and Carol: You are right about a law requiring buildings to be handicapped accessible and safe! The law is Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), enacted by Congress and signed into law July 26, 1990 by President George H.W. Bush. You know, the old days when Congress got something done! The Pleasant Street location is not in compliance in any way shape or form with Title III of the Act--Public Accommodations (and Commercial Facilities). The building is in direct violation of Federal Law. The Law has requirements for new buildings being built as well as old structures that need to be handicapped accessible. The only buildings exempt appear to be private clubs, some religious buildings and those deemed historic properties. I do not know what the BOS of Selectmen have been doing there, but they are way off base and should have made sure that they secured a safe place for seniors and veterans years ago. Read the Law. Can the Town get monies from the Bristol County or the State of Massachusetts for this building? Or perhaps a group there could contact the Federal Government on this issue and have pressure placed on the State to fund some of this. I know some people think the Federal Government is just in too many places and has too many regulations, but this Republican President made sure people were protected on this issue.
But I digress. If the senior center does not pass something is urgently needed to secure a new building for these

Carol when did this happen because in the three years of my term not once was this topic on a meeting agenda or discussed. That would include the tri-board meetings, which would be the perfect time to sort out who handles what. If this was such an issue, like the peeling paint, I am trying to figure out why it has not been on the radar.

Deb: I live in Pittsford, New York, County of Monroe. We are 20 miles NW of Palmyra along the Erie Canal. Town tax is assessed at 32.25 per $1,000, most dollars supporting schools. Suburb rates differ but services are same. Pittsford town has 2 high, 2 middle schools, each with 4 lane pools, 4 elementary schools with gyms, All have athletic fields as does the town, including playgrounds. We have our own school buses. We have bike and walking trails, festivals, Memorial Day and little league parades, etc. The County runs the library system with main branch in the City Rochester and a branch in each suburb, all open 6-7 days a week. Our town built a new library and court house in the village 5 years ago. Our 1850 City Hall houses only offices such as Town Supervisor, Assessor, Tax Collector, etc. Our senior citizen center is just outside the village in a one floor office building. Town Supervisor moved seniors from old school building to new location 15 years ago. We have two fire stations, many volunteers, EMS and ambulances. The Town contracts with the County for police services as do most of the suburbs here except for very large suburbs and the City of Rochester who have their own police departments. Town provides sewer system in much of town, lawn/tree debris removal from front of house, leaf pick up, incredible snow removal, etc. We get free mulch in spring! Housing prices are good! Milk is 2.00 a gallon. No yearly tax on autos! Just one sales tax when you buy it!

Perhaps I am wrong, but it is my opinion that when a commitee is formed to work on any project..it is not about hiring an architect and putting forth a positive spin on a project. I expect a committee to look at all sides of a proposal and present the pros and cons. To give accurate fugures for and against. That's why a lot of people probably sit back. They think the committee is made up of people looking at EVERTHING. That is not the reality. It's a committee to build a building.

As for the pool at the highschool. In RI and MA. particlarly...we need to teach our children to swim and I think the pool is an asset. I spent many a night working bingo's in smoke filled rooms to keep that pool open as it was...only to have it upgraded a few years later. We should keep the pool...but open it up to the public for a fee. There are so many ways this town could make money that they ignore.

As for maintenance of buildings...the "it's not my job" attitude disgusts me. I was told that if the public works department has extra patch products..they can't fill holes at our school parking lots with the excess. They have to disgard it. I am sick of the way things work. I am sick of the waste. I am sick of the stupidity. Until we can manage the town in a way that we would manage our famiilies....responsibly...I will oppose any expenditures that will put us in debt, which includes the senior center. Forgive spelling and grammar errors. Very little patience left.

Dave: I don't know whether it ever got officially onto a School Committee agenda. The Director of Human Services had conversations with Superintendent, School Committee chair and Town Administrator. I had meetings with the Town Administrator. I went to a Selectmen's meeting to tell the Selectmen I thought they had both a legal and moral obligation to their employees and to the public the department serves. I wrote letters and memos to Selectmen, Building Inspector, Health Department, Fire Department about overcrowding, air quality, peeling paint, wiring, etc. I personally called to have the DPW bulIdoze the edge of the parking lot so the lot wouldn't be a skating rink. I proposed to the DPW a plan for access to the parking lot to avoid head-on collisions between in-coming buses and exiting seniors. I requested that handicapped spaces be clearly marked and painted. I suggested that the woodworking projects just outside the rear door used by seniors be removed because they blocked access for public safety personnel and also posed a danger for senior citizens trying to navigate their way into the building. It's been nothing but frustration and left staff and the people they serve feeling hopeless. The Collaborative does a terrific and valuable job. It's just that Human Services doesn't belong on the second floor of the same building. Town Meeting recognized that back in 1999 when they voted to establish the first COA Building Committee. We owe staff and seniors better.

Ginger: You are right. The "it's not my job" attitude is deplorable and has turned much of country to ruin. I am perhaps very fortunate to live in a place where our town highway department still collects Christmas trees and leaves from the front of our homes and grind them into free mulch for the community. The highway department also allows our Girl Scout troupes to receive truckloads of cookies at cookie sale time and we cookie moms organize thousand and thousand of boxes to be distributed. The pool in Seekonk is an absolute asset! I learned to swim there in 1968 and on through high school. Mr. Mayer was a tremendous coach! It fostered my desire to make sure that my three children learned to swim and all of them have been on swim teams here in Pittsford, NY. I got a great education in Seekonk, paid for by tax payers at that time. I went to college, married and followed my husband for education and work to this part of New York. But Seekonk was where I spent half of my lifetime, and I hope and pray to see things improve for the people who still live there....

Sandra....love Ellis Mayer. Great coach...great man. Asset to Seekonk. My daughter was also on his swim team....much later. I was in DR in 1968....and wished we had the pool seekonk had. And here we are drifting away..but a nice memory. I have been lucky to be in Seekonk for many years. My cousins gave me a connection to seekonk before I ever moved here and I have had lots of good memories of this town. But I have also seen a lot of things I wish I hadn't. I am not jaded...just cautious. I have seen groups of people try to muscle things through this town...and I don't like it. The powers at be spent years trying to build a fire station on what was a totally illegal spot. They lost...but not for trying. Even to go as far as trying to change the wording of the zoning by laws. That was defeated by a very small margin....despite attempts to postpone that vote until the very end of a meeting when most people had left. Seekonk politics at it's worst.

Whatever the outcome of the senior center...and I do hope it is voted down at this time....I will be glad I live in this town and will continue to try to do what I can to support it and make it a better town ....within the parameters of our financial capabilities.

I'm for having a senior center, because I know if I live long enough in 20 years or so I'll be a senior myself. Just like I'm for the schools to have the equipment, teachers etc that they may need to benefit my children because they are our future generation. However, with these economic times, it's been tough. It has expecially been tough for us these past couple of years. Everytime I get the trash bill, I cringe, because I see that little extra fee that needs to be paid & how many more years is left to pay on it? ugh! I also curse everytime I have buy those stupid blue bags that cost me big bucks. Since when do bags cost $11 for 10 for that price I can buy 50 white bags. Where does the sale of those blue bags go to? Going back to the senior center: Why can't we try to use a building within the town like a store front & purchase it ourselves or rent it? Since Pleasant Street is rented out to the seniors. Looking at the plans for the building it's huge, why does it need to be THAT big? I know many seniors and they don't use the facility now and it's not because of the condition of the building, they just don't have a use for it. They don't participate in any activities that is offered (that doesn't mean others don't, but not every senior does either). I'm against the politics of this town, I don't agree when people vote at a town meeting and it's against the article that later on at night after everyone's left & gets brought forward & voted again. Respect our wishes.

I hear you Chris and Deb as well. I to know many seniors having lived in Seekonk forever. Many I have talked to are against it saying all they do is play cards. We already have church halls, the library, YMCA, Rehoboth & East Prov. senior centers, health clubs, etc. and they all are free or have discounts for seniors. If we build it they will come but it is not a must or a slam dunk. The blue bags are for the controller at the dump to make sure Seekonk trash is only from Seekonk with no commercial junk mixed in. The Senior Center is the new North School.

Chris...thanks for that information. I thought that swim program ended when Ellis left. He was a fantastic coach. He did teach my daughter to swim before she was in school and she stayed in the program and was on the swim team for her four years in HS with him. Love that the pool is open to the public..and I agree...that is where people should go to swim. I will have to look into the pool hours of operation. By any chance...are you familiar with any operating hours of the basket ball courts. Off topic, but I have a son in law who visits from NYC and he breaths basketball. Always looking for a pick up game. Any number to call to put that together would be appreciated.

Newspapers sit in at BOS meetings and report on them. Many occasions the TV's in that room "weren't working" during many zoning meetings that I can attest to. The meeting room with the televisions can not be being used 7 days a week. There must be free times. I am not sure just how secretive the committee meetings had to be for the senior center, but any secrecy is wrong. I agree that town employees should maintain a neutral position on any subject, but providing factual information is not voicing an opinion. And if they couldn't get the information to the town...perhaps they should invite the paper (patch) to their meetings to report (hopefully without bias) what went on.

As I've said...I am not very knowledgable about the computer world...if I were I would find a way to have this senior center discussion under it's own headline rather than Sagar's campaign headline. But doesn't Seekonk have a home page where the minutes of the committee's meeting could be published. Or where people could express their opinions on the subject for the committee to consider before a lot of money is spent on something perhaps many may not think we can afford right now. I don't know if I am expressing myself correctly here...but in this connected world we live in...more discussions like these should have taken place. As for the sign on arcade and ledge...never liked the looks of that. Landscape around the rock and call it a day. Send memo's home with kids. Word will get out.

As a Patch blogger, I will add a blog for it...just not sure it will get approved in time.
Carol I will look into the issue tomorrow, my last day and see what is happening, but again this is the first time I was made aware of it and it has never been an agenda item on my watch.

1. There is a link on the town website: http://seekonk-ma.gov/pages/SeekonkMA_Bcomm/Senior/index Licenses for pages on the town website are restricted. Additional ones must be purchased, and people authorized and trained to maintain them.
2. All meetings are public and have been posted, with members of the public welcome for input and to ask questions. Those who have expressed interest to the chairman Dave Bowden receive e-mail notices of all meetings. There has been no secrecy.
3. The press has been invited to meetings and has been otherwise contacted for coverage. Seekonk Patch under Abby Crocker used to cover more than just the Selectmen's meetings.
4. Some of the meetings have not been televised because they've been held in the lunch room, with the BOS meeting room and Planning Board room occupied by other meetings.
5. The committee has to meet when its members are available. Three work full-time and are not available for daytime meetings. Like others, they spend weekends with their families.

We keep saying what THEY should have done. We are Monday-morning quarterbacking a hard-working committee. Is there anything different WE might have done?

To have a discussion under it's own headline, you simply e-mail Jonathan Friedman, the editor. He has had a standing invitation on the Patch home page to contact him.

Blog approved...should be up in a few minutes.

The blog is up. I will also have a piece up about some of the facts later today.

emcee...a little negative on the regional sharing of senior centers. I've been to the rehoboth one and it is not overly utilized. I think they would be excited with any seniors using it to justify and/or help defray the cost of their own building. The more people using it...the better deals can be negotiated for day events, trips and excursions. I understand the Y membership is expensive. I don't believe every senior feels a need to go to a senior center to socialize. For the ones who do...we pay a portion of their membership to either the Rehoboth or East Providence center. And an accurate record should be kept of that participation so we can see how cost effective building a senior center would be when the times comes that the economy is in a better place....when people have jobs to go to.

And David..I got a message to the patch to run a separate piece on the Center, to avoid comments under this campaign ad. Don't know if they will. I don't think your having a blog and everyone else having to e mail you to post their position is a fair way to do it. You are a SUPPORTER and we have no way of knowing if you hold back on posting an opposition that doesn't sit well with you. Or if you just choose to flood the blog with letters in support. Not saying you would...but there would always be doubt. We need a headline...just like this ad campaign..and we can write in...at our whim. That is the only fair and open way. We don't have many days left!

Paul: Thanks for your comment in the FOR or AGAINST blog! I'm not sure why people want to send folks who are in their 80s and 90s to other towns, some of whom are infirm, no longer drive and have to count on rides. One of the frequent participants at COA programs is Dr. John Erhardt, a former beloved history teacher at Seekonk High School. He's struggling with alzheimer's but very much enjoys the programs. I'm not sure why, given what he's contributed to Seekonk, people want to ship him out to another community.

Ginger, I have no control on who posts in the blog. I put the blog up so we have a separate area to discuss it. The only thing I asked for an e-mail on was materials about the proposal. By that I mean flyer's or other informational material that can be added as an attachment. People should have all the facts regardless of an opinion. Again anyone can and should post a meaningful dialog.

Sorry dave...I thought you were asking for comments to be sent to you for the blog. As I have said....computer lingo is not in my repetoir...don't totally understand how it works. But you understood my point considering my perspective. Thanks.

Dave: The brochure that was sent out is on the Town's website under Boards and Committees. Perhaps you can upload to your blog?

I'm protecting the cats so they won't be confused with muffins and eaten.