It’s time for another open thread. What’s on your mind this week, Southborough?
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(Photo by Susan Fitzgerald)
Does anyone know why all the water levels in the surrounding reservoirs are so far down?
Someone asked me in an email about low reservoir levels. I didn’t know what she was referring to since they didn’t seem low to me. Then I drove by Framingham this weekend. Wow, it’s low.
I forgot to look into it until your comment. But a quick google search brought up a story on Framingham and Hopkinton lowering their levels to kill invasive weeds.
Milford Daily News explains the problem with the weeds:
For more, check out their post.
Guess I could have done that! Didn’t even think of googling. Thanks for the info.
I read in the newspaper that the intent is to kill the roots of the invasive plants in the water by freezing them. The water levels will be brought back up at a later date.
good luck freezing the plants!! Maybe January!
FWIW I drive by the Cambridge Reservoir in Waltham (by the Winter St. exit) and the reservoir is even lower than the ones in Southborough.
I have a problem with the town making Mac’s wraps take down his covered entrance because of a zoning or building issue. The town has granted dozens if not hundreds of waivers for large builders, and others, for almost every project I can think of. How many waivers were given to the Deerfoot Estates, Park Central, Neary-Trotier complex or any other development built in town? The owner of the land allowed him to do this and it bothers no one else. It just doesn’t sit well with me, and doesn’t seem right.
I had no idea this was in town. Great reviews on Yelp. Will have to stop in for some good food. Pulled Pork Barrito – got to give that a try.
When I saw that he put that up I wondered if anyone was going to make a stink about it. That’s too bad. For Dec. – Feb. they should give him a variance.
Do you know if a waiver was applied for and denied? I haven’t seen it on an agenda or discussed at either the Planning Board or Zoning Board of Appeals.
I don’t know what happened here, but was surprised to see something being built when I hadn’t seen it come back before the Planning Board for a modified site plan review.
It’s a shame, hopefully it gets sorted out. Mac’s is the only decent lunch food in the town, really. Pulled Pork burritos till I explode!
It turns out that assumptions the issue was zoning are false.
With so much interest, I followed up with the Building Commissioner Mark Robidoux . He clarified that the issue was serious safety code violations:
I have to disagree–macs is ok but as sOmeone who works nearby, I prefer other options. You have to try Mauro’s if you haven’t been lately. Maybe due to more competition, but they have upped their game. All Boarshead meats, great wraps, and new specials all the time. Red Barn (both Southboro locations) are also great lunch choices (great steak chili!!). And that Japanese place near Dunkin Donuts is really good and they have great lunch prices. Southboro finally has food options. Now if we could just get the pizza place in the old fire station to improve their pizza and salads….
It is a shame. Mac’s Wrap’s is excellent, and his pulled pork is fantastic. Great food all around. Best in the downtown sboro area.
Mac’s Wraps is the only decent place to eat in Southborough, period.
This is all a matter of opinion . . . and likes/dislikes. I, for one, do not like pulled pork and I definitely do not like wraps. So you eat at Mac’s and I will eat at Mauro’s Cafe, known by the oldsters in town as “the Spa”. Much better food, ambiance and variety particularly since Dean is the new chef.
As a side note, I think the ownership at Mauro’s Cafe has done such a lovely job sprucing up the exterior of the building. From the plantings and arrangements in the beds out front, to the windows and new awning, it really looks nice. As someone who grew up here and loves to complain about the sorry state of our downtown area, I am so grateful to see things looking better for a change.
I wonder why…
An interesting thing, worth far more discussion, happened on the way to figuring out if we could afford a new Public Safety Complex. The Advisory committee formed a subcommittee to study the long term budget and our borrowing capacity.
When the committee did their analysis they had to do 2 things.
1. Figure out what other large debt needs there might be over 20 years
2. Build a long term model of town finances. This is the interesting part (ok, I am a numbers nerd).
First the good news, Even if we decide to build a new Library (partly state funded like schools) and a new Rec/Senior Center we can afford to build a public safety facility. It is within our prudent capacity to fund if we choose to do so.
Now the Bad News. There has been a decades long trend for the cost of Government to rise faster than the value of the Tax Base. The solution to this has been an ever increasing tax rate. Our current rate is in the $16 per thousand of assessed value. In the advisory analysis, this rate will continue to rise (it was $8 or $9 when I moved to town nearly 20 years ago). The committee believes that in the next 13 years it will rise to $25 (Take your current tax bill and multiply by about 1.6).
Regardless of whether you think of the tax rate increasing to to $25 is a good thing or not. Prop 2.5 does not allow the tax rate to increase beyond this level for operating budgets.
Borrowing or not borrowing the money for a public safety facility changed the day or reckoning by about a year but that day is coming when, absent a change in prop 2.5, the cost of Government will not be permitted to rise faster than the value of the tax base.
This issue deserves a lot more discussion and visibility.
https://southboroughadvisory.shutterfly.com/26/1206
I’m assuming the topic came up at last week’s BOS meeting.
I have been too busy – haven’t had a chance to watch the debt and public safety discussions yet. And while I plan to watch and cover it – I’m not sure I can fit that in this week.
The meeting was captured by SAM here. The first debt presentation by the Town Treasurer begins at about 1 hour 46 minutes in. The Advisory Committee’s Debt Report follows and ends around 2 hours 26 minutes in.
Al, for interested readers who don’t have 40 minutes to watch those full presentations – are you able to pinpoint time frame of the projected tax rate discussion(s) any better?
For anyone who is interested in a non-video summary, the link that Al offers at the end of his post provides access to a short presentation (.ppt file) that summarizes the same points that Al makes in his letter. The spreadsheet analysis, not designed for light reading, is also on the Advisory website. The analysis was discussed at some length at the last Advisory Committee meeting (not video recorded) at which members of the Board of Selectmen and Public Safety Committee were also present. It was re-presented, in summary form, at the last Board of Selectmen meeting.
The main point, as Al says, is that the analysis says that we are headed toward $25+ tax rates, which may be regarded as an intrinsic problem and which clashes with current law. Advisory Committee has not taken up the topic of what can be done about this.
As I see it there are only 3 possible solutions
1. The legislature changes the law and effectively negates this part (or all) of Prop 2.5
2. The legislature does not act and our operating expense is effetively capped (look for massive pressure to “revalue” the tax base in this case.
3. Town Meeting begins to say NO. There will be no internal pressure to innovate, become more efficient, or make hard choices until the Towns Legislature begins to reject budget proposals. We do not have a track record of doing so.
Southborough will not be the first community to hit this wall.