Wednesday, March 10, 2010 Duxbury Clipper 11

Town Meeting GUIDE

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ec ion
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A plain-sense voter’s guide to the 2010 annual Town Meeting

I
By Susanna Sheehan and Justin Graeber
After 28 years behind
t’s Town Meeting time! This Saturday Duxbury voters will engage in one of the oldest
the podium, Moderator
forms of democracy–– the town meeting. All registered voters are welcome to attend and
Allen Bornheimer
vote on the important matters for our town. We have prepared this guide to help you navi-
is hanging up his gate the details. The Town Meeting warrant can be confusing, hard to follow
gavel after this Town and often out-of-date by the meeting. To help voters make sense of it all,
Meeting. the Clipper has put together a plain-English summary of all the articles.
It explains why each article is important, how much it will cost What: Duxbury Town Meeting
and who supports it. Articles that could impact your property Where: Performing Arts Center
taxes are noted with extra details that will help you deter- When: Saturday, 9 a.m.
mine your bottom line. Articles which require two-thirds Who: All registered voters
votes are also noted. The recommendations and dollar
figures are up to date as of Tuesday. Any changes made
after that time will be reflected on our Web site.

available funds
state aid
.3% Property
8% taxes

Motion Receipts 78%

13%
Sickness?
Here’s the scoop on voting
procedure at Town Meeting

O
By Allen M. Bornheimer, Town Moderator
ne of my responsibilities as moderator
is to assure that the proper quantitative
vote is applied to each of the articles
which come before us at Town Meeting. For most
Where the money
of our business, a simple majority vote is all that
is required. However, there are a number of situa-
tions where state law or our own procedural rules
comes from
require a larger percentage vote.
For example, Massachusetts law requires a
two-thirds vote: to adopt or amend a zoning by-
law; to incur debt (other than temporary borrow-
ing); to acquire or transfer land or easements,
including leases and takings by eminent domain;
Debt Service
emp. Benefits Public Works
and to transfer money from the town’s stabiliza-
tion fund. Appropriations to pay unpaid bills from
budget. For
4¢
prior years require a four-fifths vote if taken at an Based on FY 2011
art, human
Annual Town Meeting and a nine-tenths vote if purposes of this ch ¢ 7¢
taken at a Special Town Meeting, although I con- services budget is
included in
ent category.
1189¢
fess that I am at a loss to explain the logic or ratio- General Governm
nale for the unpaid bill requirements.
Under our procedural rules, the motion
for the previous question (i.e., the motion to
end debate) requires a two-thirds vote and the
motion for reconsideration requires the same
quantitative vote as the motion to which it ap-
e r e t h e m o n e y g oe s
plies. There are, of course, many other special
circumstances where a super majority vote is W h
required by law, but these situations do not tend
to come before us very frequently at town meet-
ing.
Nonetheless, the moderator and town coun-
sel need to be alert to these special requirements. nt 2¢
51¢
Meeting warra
So far as I know, we have not missed anything Source: Town 11¢
yet. Finally, I encourage any petitioners or other 9¢
voters who are sponsoring, or who are otherwise
Figures may
interested in, an article at town meeting to contact not add up to
me if they have any questions about the quantita- 100 due to
tive vote which will apply to their article. rounding.

Education Public Safety General Govt. Library & Rec.

12
Special Town Meeting articles
T
his Saturday at 9 a.m., Moderator Allen Bornheimer will call the annual Town Meeting to order. He will
then temporarily adjourn it in order to begin the special Town Meeting. The purpose of special Town
Meeting is to allow the town to spend money in the current fiscal year, before the new fiscal year begins
in July. Once the special Town Meeting business is complete, the annual Town Meeting will resume.
SPECIAL TOWN MEET-
ING ARTICLE 1 seeks to allow
specific transfers of funds to and
within different town budgets dur-
ing the current fiscal year. It is ex-
pected there will be at least seven
transfers totaling $380,995. The
transfers include $176,400 to the
unemployment trust fund to cover
unemployment compensation;
$80,000 to the DPW snow and ice
removal budget; $44,750 for pool
salaries; $21,125 for pool expens-
es; $10,000 for fire department
emergency overtime; $15,000 for
ambulance supplies and billing;
and $33,720 for veteran’s services
bills; Money for these transfers will
come from the town’s free cash ac-
count. Other transfers may also be
included in this article. Supported
by Board of Selectmen and Finance
Committee
SPECIAL TOWN MEET-
ING ARTICLE 2 is an annual
article for paying unpaid bills re-
ceived by town hall after the close
of the fiscal year on June 30. Cur-
rently, eight town departments
have submitted bills to be paid and
they total $6,667.34; however this
amount could change at the meet-
ing. All funds will be transferred
from free cash. Voting on this is-
sue within the special Town Meet-
ing allows the town to pay the bills
immediately. If the vote was taken
at Annual Town Meeting, the town
could not pay the bills until after
the new budget year begins on July
1. Passage of this article requires
a nine-tenths majority vote, rather
than the four-fifths majority vote
required at Annual Town Meeting.
Supported by Board of Selectmen
and Finance Committee.
SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
ARTICLE 3 is an annual article
for funding collective bargaining
agreements from any of the unions
in town. This article currently con-
tains $95,000 to fund contracts for
these four school-related unions:
teachers, instructional assistants,
secretaries, and custodians. There
may be two other union contracts
that could be included in this ar-
ticle depending upon whether they
are settled in time for Town Meet-
ing. Supported by Board of Select-
men and Finance Committee.
SPECIAL TOWN MEET-
ING ARTICLE 4 asks voters to
approve an intermunicipal agree-
ment among Duxbury, Kingston
and Marshfield to own a share of a
used ambulance. Housed in Kings-
ton, this extra ambulance will be
used as a back-up to Duxbury’s
two main ambulances
when one of them is
being repaired. The
first year cost is $3,000
and is included in the
fire department budget.
Duxbury Clipper
Annually, the agreement will cost
$1,500, which will be held in a re-
volving fund by Marshfield with
the money only being spent on
ambulance upkeep and supplies.
Scituate, Hingham, Hull, Norwell
and Cohasset have had a similar
agreement for the past seven years.
Supported by Board of Selectmen
and Finance Committee.
SPECIAL TOWN MEET-
ING ARTICLE 5 looks to es-
tablish an enterprise account for
the operation of the town-owned
Percy Walker Pool on St. George
Street. The 33-year old pool, which
is currently undergoing a $2.2 mil-
lion renovation, will re-open by
May. With this type of account,
fees collected from pool users
will go toward operating the pool
and paying all related expenses.
Any additional funds in the enter-
prise account can be set aside and
used for capital expenses when
needed. It is expected the town
will fund this enterprise account at
$377,531, the estimated FY11 pool
expenses. Pool renovations include
state-of-the-art heating and cooling
systems, new mechanical systems,
lighting and plumbing fixtures,
a new men’s locker room and a
renovated women’s locker room.
Supported by Board of Selectmen,
Finance Committee and Fiscal Ad-
visory Committee.
SPECIAL TOWN MEET-
ING ARTICLE 6 proposes to
add $200,000 to the unemploy-
ment trust fund in anticipation of
additional unemployment costs
the town must pay due to the bad
economy. Currently, there is a
$176,500 deficit in the unemploy-
ment trust that will be taken care of
in STM Article 1 for departmental
transfers. Finance Director John
Madden is hoping to avoid running
a future deficit by adding to this ac-
count. Supported by Board of Se-
lectmen and Finance Committee.
SPECIAL TOWN MEET-
ING ARTICLE 7 seeks to use
$29,000 in water department re-
tained earnings to pay off the left-
over debt for the Birch Street water
tank, which became operational
last November. In 2006, residents
approved borrowing $250,000 for
engineering costs and $3.15 mil-
lion in 2007 to construct the new
tank. The $29,000 was required for
additional engineering and instead
of borrowing and paying interest
on this amount, the town wants to
pay it off. Supported by Board of
Selectmen and Finance Commit-
tee.
SPECIAL TOWN MEET-
ING ARTICLE 8 asks residents
to retake their vote of 2007 STM
article 5 so the town can petition
the state legislature for authority
to impose betterments on Gurnet
–– Susanna Sheehan
Road residents in order to recoup
the costs of rebuilding the seawall
in that area. The original article
was approved three years ago, the
repairs completed, and the state
reimbursement paid, but the town
was never able to get the state leg-
islature to grant it authority to as-
sess betterments on Gurnet Road
residents. This article is necessary
because last January, the state leg-
islature dropped the ball on approv-
ing Duxbury’s betterment bill and
now the issue must be re-voted by
town meeting before the state will
consider acting on it. The amount
area homeowners will pay in bet-
terments will be determined after
a hearing process. Supported by
Board of Selectmen and Finance
Committee.
SPECIAL TOWN MEET-
ING ARTICLE 9 is a proposal
by Finance Director John Madden
for a salary reserve account to be
used by the town to fund union
contracts settled after the close of
Town Meeting. Union contracts
that are settled and ratified before
Town Meeting are funded through
a warrant article either at the spe-
cial Town Meeting or the annual
meeting or both, depending upon
the time periods the contracts cov-
er. However, union contracts are
often settled between town meet-
ings with pay raises being retroac-
tive. Having a salary reserve ac-
count would allow town officials
to fund that retroactive portion.
The alternative is to call a special
Town Meeting and this costs the
town money. There is no funding
associated with this article. Sup-
ported by Board of Selectmen 2-1;
Finance Committee seeks indefinite
postponement.
SPECIAL TOWN MEET-
ING ARTICLE 10 requests a
transfer of $300,000 from free cash
to the Stabilization fund to help the
town maintain the triple-A bond
rating it has received for the past
three years. The Stabilization fund
is a special reserve account cre-
ated for any purpose that the town
might have. Placing money in
this fund helps Duxbury build up
its reserves, which, in turn, helps
it receive favorable interest rates
when borrowing money for larger
projects. It takes a majority vote
at Town Meeting to place money
into the stabilization fund and a
two-thirds vote to take it out. With
this addition, the stabilization fund
will have $1.347 million as of June
30. The town’s goal for this fund is
$2.5 million, or five percent of the
total operating budget. Supported
by Board of Selectmen, Finance
Committee and Fiscal Advisory
Committee.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Welcome
Class
Meeting 101
Some of the terms used at Town
Meeting can be confusing. Here’s
the low-down on common Town
Meeting lingo.
APPROPRIATION: An
amount of money that has been au-
thorized by vote of Town Meeting to
be spent for a particular purpose.
AVAILABLE FUNDS: In Dux-
bury we use the term Available Funds
when referring to the Stabilization
Fund, Library funds, cemetery funds
and Free Cash left in articles voted
at previous Town Meetings.
OVERLAY: The overlay is the
amount raised by the Assessors in
excess of appropriations for the pur-
pose of creating a fund to cover tax
abatements granted and avoiding
fractions in the tax rate.
FREE CASH: This is the amount
certified annually by the State Bu-
reau of Accounts. Town Meeting
may appropriate from Free Cash for
any purpose. Often referred to as
“Excess and Deficiency” or E&D.
TRANSFER: The authoriza-
tion to use an appropriation for a
different purpose, in most cases only
the Town Meeting may authorize a
transfer.
RESERVE FUND: The fund is
established by the voters at annual
Town Meeting only and is com-
posed of an appropriation (not ex-
ceeding 5 percent of the tax levy of
the preceding year). Transfers from
the Reserve Fund are within the ex-
clusive control of the Finance Com-
mittee and are for “extraordinary
or unforeseen” situations, normally
emergencies.
STABILIZATION FUND:
This is a special reserve created for
capital expenditures. The aggregate
amount in this fund shall not exceed
at any time 10 percent of the valua-
tion in the preceding year. Money
may be appropriated from the Fund
only by a two-thirds vote at Town
Meeting.
CHERRY SHEET: Also known
as the state revenue distribution
and assessment sheets. Named for
the cherry colored paper on which
the state traditionally printed it,
the cherry sheet carries the figures
which must be used by the assessors
in county tax and state assessments,
as well as the estimated tax distribu-
tions from the State General Fund,
reimbursements, agency funds, the
sales and use taxes, lottery distribu-
tion and state aid to education.
MOVE THE PREVIOUS
QUESTION: Motion to stop debate
on the current article. Cannot be de-
bated or amended. Requires a two-
thirds vote to carry.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Article 1
Appointments
Article 1 is an annual article ap-
pointing non-elected officials. These
include various committees appointed
by the town moderator, the selectmen
and the town manager. Supported by
Board of Selectmen and Finance Com-
mittee.
Article 2
READING OF REPORTS
Article 2 is an annual article that
allows the reading of reports by town
officers and town committees and the
acceptance of the annual town report.
It is expected that the School Build-
ing Committee will discuss the eight
options they have researched for im-
proving the middle and high schools.
Supported by Board of Selectmen and
Finance Committee.
Article 3
COMPENSATION OF
TOWN OFFICIALS
Position
Moderator
Salary
$40
Selectmen - chairman
Selectmen - member
$2,000
$1,500
Assessors - chairman $2,000
Assessors - member $1,500
Town Clerk $69,000
Total $77,040
Article 3 is a routine article that
sets the compensation of the following
elected town officials: assessors, se-
lectmen, town meeting moderator, and
town clerk. The total amount requested
is $79,040. This includes $69,000 for
the town clerk’s salary, a $2,000 in-
crease over last year when there was
no pay raise for this
position. Annual sal-
By the numbers
aries for selectmen
$14
and assessors are
$2,000 for chairmen
Est. hourly rate for a
selectman. (Based on 35 and $1,500 for board
3-hr. meetings a year) members. The town
moderator’s salary is
$40. None of these have increased for
many years. While this article includes
these dollar figures, the actual money
will be voted as part of Article 5, the
town’s operating budget. Supported by
Board of Selectmen and Finance Com-
mittee.
Article 4
HIGHWAY FUNDING
Article 4 is the acceptance of state
highway funding, or Chapter 90 money,
for FY2011. This annual article autho-
rizes selectmen to temporarily borrow
money for highway maintenance and
then accept the state reimbursement
for this expense. The amount of state
aid is expected to be $408,895, about
the same as the current fiscal year. Sup-
ported by Board of Selectmen and Fi-
nance Committee.
Article 5
OPERATING BUDGET
Article 5 is the fiscal year 2011 op-
erating budget for the town and schools
totaling just over $54 million, which
represents a 1.3 percent increase over
the current FY10 budget of $53.3 mil-
lion. Most town department budgets
show small increases of just over one
percent, although others, such as pub-
lic safety and the library and recreation
budgets, show decreases.
Notable expenses include $2.049
million for general government (a .8
percent increase from FY10); $ 27.9
Duxbury Clipper
Town of Duxbury Operating budget overview
$60M
$50M
$45.9M
$43.2M
$40.3M
$40M $36.9M
$30M
$20M
$10M
FY00 FY01 FY02 FY03 FY04
million for education, (1 percent in-
crease); $5.8 million for public safety,
(2.6 percent decrease); $3.6 million for
department of public works, (1.1 per-
cent increase); $1.32 million for library
and recreation, (.7 percent decrease);
$489,714 for health and human services
(1.5 percent increase); $2.6 million for
the water department, (2.7 percent de-
crease); $377,531 for the Percy Walker
pool enterprise account: $179,000 for
salaries and $198,531 for expenses;
$9.8 million for town and school em-
ployee benefits and insurance (4.8
percent increase) and $2.4 million for
town and school department debt ser-
vice (2.3 percent increase).
Revenues come from these sources:
$43.1 million from the town’s property
taxes (4.27 percent increase); $4.68
million in state aid (12.77 percent de-
crease); $7.2 million in local receipts
(7.3 percent decrease); and $180,000
in available funds (7.16 percent de-
crease). These figures are current as of
publication, although they may change
at town meeting. Supported by Board
of Selectmen.
Article 6
CAPITAL BUDGET
Article 6 is the FY 2011 capital
budget totaling $1.47 million.
This amount includes $250,000
for school capital needs, including
$211,500 for upgrading computers,
printers, networks and technology, and
$38,500 for other school related items,
such as new carpeting, new classroom
furniture, and white marker boards.
Other capital expenses include
$40,373 for general government, in-
cluding $30,000 for a technology mas-
ter plan; $404,532 for public safety, in-
cluding $200,000 for a new ambulance
and $30,000 for a police station site
feasibility study; $445,367 for public
works, including $175,000 for a new
bucket truck and $153,000 for a new
six-wheel dump truck; $9,200 for the
Council on Aging, By the numbers
including $6,375 for
new dining chairs; $30,000
and $6,900 for li- Amount requested for site
brary and recreation, testing at the proposed
including $4,400 new police station
for a new telephone
system for the pool.
Funding for capital expenses will come
out of the town’s free cash account,
which, in previous years, had been
used to balance the operating budget.
In addition, the water department
capital expenses equal $174,000, in-
cluding $100,000 for PCE pipe re-
placement. These are funded through
$56.9M $56.5M
$54.6M
$51.9M
$49.6M
$46.9M
FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10
water rates. Supported by Board of Se-
lectmen.
Article 7
PERSONNEL PLAN AND
NON-UNION RAISES
Article 7 is the Duxbury Person-
nel Plan and Compensation Schedule,
a routine article used to give raises to
town managers and non-school and
non-union town employees as well as
part-time or temporary workers. Fund-
ed again this year at $50,000, this arti-
cle will also amend the Personnel Plan
to replace it with a new revised bylaw,
which is on file at the town clerk’s of-
fice. The changes to the Personnel
Plan consist of adding a new section
entitled “Family Sick Time,” which al-
lows employees to take up to 40 hours
of their available sick time per fiscal
year to care for an ill member of their
immediate family. Currently, employ-
ees are only allowed to take sick time
when they themselves are ill. Another
change makes part-time employees
working less than 20 hours a week eli-
gible for paid vacation and personal and
sick days. However, part-time workers
hired after July will not be eligible for
this time off. Supported by Board of
Selectmen and Finance Committee.
Article 8
UNION CONTRACTS
Article 8 is an annual article for
funding collective bargaining agree-
ments from any of the nine unions in
town, including police, firefighters,
teachers, and school and government
employees. Currently, there are no con-
tracts to be funded through this article,
so it may be indefinitely postponed.
Article 9
REMOVE UNUSED DEBT
Article 9 seeks to rescind autho-
rized and unused debt. This is a way for
the town to clean up its books. When
a project is approved by Town Meet-
ing for a certain dollar amount, it often
costs less to complete. This article al-
lows the town to take back the amount
of debt that has been authorized but is
unused. As there is currently no debt to
rescind, it is expected this article will
be indefinitely postponed. Indefinite
postponement supported by Board of
Selectmen and Finance Committee.
Article 10
REVOLVING FUNDS
Article 10 requests reauthorization
13
Human services
Senior center, veterans services
Library & Rec.
Includes pool and golf course
General GovT.
Most town hall departments & boards
Public works
Includes water enterprise budget
Public Safety
Police, fire, harbor & insp. servics
Employee benefits
Includes debt service & shared costs
Schools
Teachers, admin, special ed. costs
Source: Duxbury Town Warrants 2000-2009
of three revolving funds for the Coun-
cil on Aging, the Assessing Depart-
ment, and the Conservation Commis-
sion. Revolving funds are accounts set
up to receive fees for services that are
then used to pay for expenses incurred
to offer the services. The Council on
Aging revolving fund can hold up to
$70,000 generated from fees for senior
center programs. The money in this ac-
count is used to pay instructors or buy
supplies. This amount is the same as
last year.
The Assessing Department’s Geo-
graphic Information System revolving
fund request is for $6,000. Duxbury’s
GIS is a computer-based system that
contains, manages, and presents maps
and information about the town’s geo-
Capital Budget ITEMS
GENERAL GOV.
Assessing Printer/Copier $7,373
Building Floor Plan $3,000
Tech. Master Plan $30,000
GENERAL GOV. TOTAL $40,373
PUBLIC SAFETY
Replace 2005 Ambulance $200,000
Defibrillators (3) $50,000
Replace Chief’s Vehicle $30,000
Turnout Gear Pants and Coats $12,000
EMS Training Mannequin $5,000
Renovate Station 1 Bunkroom $10,000
Replace Harbormaster Vehicle $31,666
Replace Harborm. Expedition $31,666
Harborm. Phone Upgrade $4,200
Police Station Site Testing $30,000
PUBLIC SAFETY TOTAL $404,532
PUBLIC WORKS
Town Hall Reconfiguration $5,065
Replace 1998 Bucket Truck $175,000
Replace 2001 Backhoe $153,000
Replace 1997 Power Plow $15,202
Replace Transfer Station Fence $17,100
Reline Crematory Retorts $80,000
PUBLIC WORKS TOTAL $445,367
HUMAN SERVICES
There are no capital expenditures for Human
Services.
LIBRARY & RECREATION
Library Carpet Replacement $2,600
Phone System Upgrade $4,300
LIBRARY & RECREATION $6,900
SCHOOLS
Network Upgrade $10,000
Mobile Class Comp. System $30,000
Replace Printers $13,000
Replace Computers $110,000
Projectors $38,500
Wireless Tech. Phase II $10,000
Carpet Replacement $24,000
Classroom Furniture $6,500
White Marker Boards $8,000
SCHOOLS TOTAL $250,000
GENERAL FUND TOTAL $1,147,172
Figures are Finance Committee recommendations.
14
Crematory is a
financial boon
D
By Robert Hayes
uxbury’s Mayflower Cemetery is one of the
finest examples of rural cemeteries in the state,
and contains the graves of town citizens from
the mid-1700’s.
We only need spring to renew the beauty of the cem-
etery grounds. However, cemetery infrastructure is tired.
The current public office of the cemetery department is in
need of drastic renovation. Further, the crematory facility
at the cemetery has reached the end of its useful life.
The existing crematory is a modest facility that has
steadily grown in activity over the years and is now the
busiest crematory in New England. In each of the last
two years, it has performed over 3,400 cremations. The
cemetery has returned the crematory’s annual net income
directly to the town, as general town revenue, to assist in
providing other town services; in recent years, that annual
contribution has been over $600,000.
However, the crematory facility, now over 30 years
old, needs to be relocated and replaced. The building and
its equipment are old and inefficient and do not meet cur-
rent applicable environmental, safety, or workplace stan-
dards. Furthermore, the facility is squeezed into a small
portion of the cemetery, surrounded by burial lots, and the
current footprint is too small for modern equipment or for
expansion of the facility.
The town’s Crematory Building Committee is propos-
ing a new facility, to be located at the back of the cemetery,
abutting Mayflower Street and across from the transfer
station exit. Under the proposal, a new cemetery office
will be attached to the crematory, since it is critical to the
busy cemetery that management and record keeping be
located adjacent to the crematory operations. Access to the
cemetery office and the crematory for visitors can be made
through the cemetery, and access to the crematory for fu-
neral home personnel can be made off Mayflower Street so
as not to impact the cemetery.
Following completion of the new facility and the
planned relocation of the cemetery’s maintenance build-
ings to be adjacent to the crematory/office facility, the
existing buildings in the main cemetery would be demol-
ished, and the old site reclaimed as burial lots, thereby
enhancing the beauty and tranquil surroundings of the
main cemetery. The estimated cost of the crematory/office
facility, including site work, is $2.6 million, with the pro-
posal to be structured as a debt-exclusion item. A 15-year
bond period is contemplated. If approved at the annual
Town Meeting and by voters by ballot at the town elec-
tions, the new crematory/office facility would be expected
to be operational by early 2012.
Consultants were hired by the town in the fall of last
year to help in the planning, and extensive work has been
done on cost and market projections. The consultant’s pro-
jections conclude that the project is viable, and indeed, that
the new crematory is projected to operate in a non-deficit
condition from its inception and will at the end of a 15-
year bond period, have amortized the bonds and interest,
and provided to the town a cumulative net income of $5.5
million.
Cremations are projected to increase significantly in
the coming years. Competition, as well as opportunity,
should therefore be expected to increase, although the
town’s experience and low costs should put it in a strong
competitive position. However, the Crematory Building
Committee believes that if the town wishes to continue to
provide cremation services, it needs to build a new crema-
tory now. It is believed that the proposal is advantageous
to the town and should be approved.
Mr. Hayes is the Chairman of the Crematory Building
Commitee. The Committee is the proponent of Article 14.
Duxbury Clipper
crematory design concept
graphic features, infrastructure and other relat-
ed land-based information. The GIS revolving
fund holds fees paid by users who request cer-
tain electronic data and/or plans from the town’s
GIS system. This money provides a dedicated
revenue source to upgrade and maintain the GIS
system.
The Conservation Commission’s revolving
fund request for $20,000 is $5,000 more than
last year. This account contains money generat-
ed from the sale of Christmas trees on the town-
owned Jaycox Christmas tree farm on West
Street. A forester is hired to spray and shear the
trees and mow the property. Supported by Board
of Selectmen and Finance Committee.
Article 11
BEACH LEASE
Article 11 requests $400,000 for the town’s
annual lease of Duxbury Beach from its owner,
the non-profit, Duxbury Beach Reservation,
Inc. This amount is the same as previous years.
The lease pays most of the Reservation’s costs
of managing the part of the beach the town
rents — the residents’ parking lot beach and the
four-wheel drive-on section. Last year, it cost
the Reservation $327,000 to maintain this sec-
tion. From the lease funds, the Reservation pays
the salaries of the harbormaster’s endangered
species officer and his assistant, as well as the
costs of hiring piping plover monitors — sum-
mer workers who watch and protect these feder-
ally endangered shore birds, that nest annually
on Duxbury beach. The lease also helps pay for
dune repairs, new snow fence and cable fenc-
ing, beach road maintenance, debris clean-up in
the spring and fall, daily trash removal in the
summer, geological studies and Audubon Soci-
ety oversight of migratory birds. The town has
been leasing the beach since 1919. Supported by
Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee.
Article 12
JULY 4TH PARADE
Article 12 is an annual article asking for a
$10,000 appropriation for the July 4th parade
and celebration. The much-loved town parade
and weekend bonfire and beach party costs over
$50,000 annually. The Fourth of July committee
raises more than $23,000 per year in donations
and is able to use approximately $18,000 from
a town trust fund to help pay for the Fourth of
July festivities. The contribution from Article
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
This is a 3D rendering of
the proposed new $2.6
million crematory.
What’s my bottom line?
Replace
crematory
Here’s how
much the
new crema-
tory building
debt exclusion
article would add
to your annual
property tax bill at
the assessed values list-
ed below. The FY12 tax amount is based
on the rate of $11.81 per thousand.
Debt Exclusion amount: $2.6 million
Home value FY12 Tax Extra cost
$400,000 $4,754 $30.16
$600,000 $7,131 $45.25
$800,000 $9,508 $60.33
$1,000,000 $11,885 $75.41
$2,000,000 $23,771 $150.82
This tax increase would last for 15 years
12 allows the committee to book bands and acts
early in the season, making for a fun, festive
Fourth.
Article 13
HOUSING ALLOCATION PLAN
Article 13 is an annual article that seeks
adoption of the FY2011 Housing Allocation
Plan. This plan outlines how money in the Af-
fordable Housing Trust Fund can be spent for
affordable housing. The article states that these
funds can be used for a first-time home owner-
ship program, or to convert existing properties
into affordable units or to acquire or build new
affordable housing units. Supported by Board of
Selectmen and Finance Committee.
Article 14
CREMATORY DESIGN
Duxbury’s crematory was one of the first in
the region and is the busiest in New England.
However, the building is now over 30 years old
and officials say it has reached the end of its
useful life.
Article 14 is asking voters to approve a debt
exclusion to design and construct a new crema-
tory/cemetery facility at a cost of $2.5 million
(see sidebar for the effect of the exclusion on
the average tax bill.)
The current crematory, built in 1979, is inef-
ficient and does not meet current environmen-
tal, safety or workplace standards, say members
of the Crematory Building Committee. Where
the building is located is surrounded by burial
lots, preventing expansion.
The new facility would be located at the
back of the ceremony, abutting Mayflower
Street across from the transfer station exit.
The new crematory would be 3,000 square
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 Duxbury Clipper 15
feet and would include a new office measuring

Coverage rule
1,300 square feet. This is larger than the current What’s my bottom line?
2,000 square foot crematory and 1,000 square
foot office. Fire station
Drawings presented at a recent Board of Se-
rehab
needs updating
lectmen meeting show a natural shingled Cape
By the numbers Cod-style, dormered office
attached to a larger shingled
3,400 building. The crematory would

Cremations performed have four retorts, or machines
in Duxbury over the past into which a casket goes for
two years cremation. It would be ex-
pandable to six in the future.
Cemetery visitors would access the facility
from Tremont Street, while employees would
enter from Mayflower Street to limit impact on
the cemetery.
The plan is to bond the debt over 15 years.
The facility, if approved, is slated to be opera-
tional in early 2012.
The crematory is a financial boon to the
town, and has contributed $600,000 in recent
years, said building committee members. They
pointed out that competition will increase with
demand (Plymouth recently built their own cre-
matory) and a new complex would put Duxbury
in a good position moving forward. Supported
by the Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee
and Fiscal Advisory Committee.
Article 15
FIRE STATION DESIGN
Article 15 requests $292,000 to pay for de-
signing an upgraded fire headquarters on Trem-
ont Street. The money would buy architectural,
engineering and design services and prepare
contract bid documents. The Public Safety Fea-
sibility Committee is looking to design a project
similar to the plans presented to town meeting
last year but this station is
See page 18 for smaller — 7,200 square feet
an opinon on the vs last year’s 8,000 square
Fire Station work feet— and is 14 percent less
expensive —$4.47 million
vs. last year’s $5.2 million price tag.
Initial plans indicate that the current fire-
fighters’ crew quarters on the building’s north
wing would be demolished. In its place will be
a two-story addition with administrative offices
on the lower floor and new crew quarters on top.
The existing apparatus bay will remain but will
gain an additional 20 feet.
The $292,000 will be on the March election
ballot as a debt exclusion override, or a tax in-
crease.
If the design funds are approved, the com-
mittee plans to bring an article to next year’s
Town Meeting for construction funding, which
would also be funded as an override. The reno-
vated station could open in August 2012. This
article is supported by the Board of Selectmen,
Finance Committe and Fiscal Advisory.
Here’s how much the
Fire Station rehabilita-
tion design costs debt
exclusion article would
add to your annual prop-
erty tax bill at the assessed
values listed below. The FY12 tax
amount is based on the rate of $11.81 per thousand.
Debt Exclusion amount: $292,000
Home value FY12 Tax Extra cost
$400,000 $4,741 $17.33
$600,000 $7,112 $25.99 to allow for control of this storm water runoff and that
$800,000 $9,483 $34.65
$1,000,000 $11,853 $43.32
$2,000,000 $23,707 $86.63
This tax increase would last for two years.
Article 16
LOT COVERAGE CHANGES
This article, coming to Town Meeting by
citizen’s petition, is a revisiting of a similar pro-
posal floated last year and defeated on Town
Meeting floor. That petition sought to ease what
local business owners consider a restrictive
lot coverage bylaw in Duxbury that stipulates
only 50 percent of a property can be “covered.”
This means all buildings, parking lots and other
paved areas can only take up half of a lot, and
the other half must remain open space.
Last year’s petition sought to increase the
amount of space that could be covered to 75
percent. That was defeated at Town Meeting.
This year, proponent Dr. Scott Oliver tried
to soften the proposal by staggering the changes
to the bylaw according to how big the property
is.
For example, the ar-
ticle proposes that three
acres or less can be
80 percent covered by
structures and parking.
For three to five acres
parcels, the coverage
would be 65 percent; for
CITIZENS’ PETITION
land over five acres, the
coverage would be set at
50 percent. Proponents say the change would af-
fect less than one percent of the land in Duxbury
and would not have an aesthetic impact.
T
By Dr. Scott Oliver
his year the Town of Duxbury has an opportu-
nity to help out our environment and our small
business community in one Bylaw change,
Article 16. Over the years, because of our antiquated
bylaws, many commercial lots have been allowed to use
gravel coverage for parking. The Environmental Protec-
tion Agency has recently declared that the major concern
for our environments is not factories’ contaminants or
failure of septic systems, but runoff from storm water.
The EPA has now recommended that all parking be paved
this water be contained and treated in water treatment
systems before release into our wetlands and waterways.
This concept is supported by the Duxbury Conservation
Commission and our top environmental official. To ac-
complish this, an increase in our commercial coverage is
necessary.
Every town must have some commercial enterprise
for the needs of citizens: for food, healthcare and some
retail stores. The entire commercial lands in Duxbury
cover less than 2 1/2 percent of the entire town. Cur-
rently our bylaw allows for only 50 percent coverage of
a commercial lot; this means that only half of the lot may
be covered by building and paving. This old bylaw is one
of the most restrictive in the Commonwealth. The new
bylaw proposal allows for small lots of up to three acres
to be covered by 80 percent, and lots from 3 to 5 acres to
be covered by 65 percent. Any commercial enterprise of
five acres or more would still have the restrictive bylaw of
50 percent (last year’s proposal did not have this “cap”).
This bylaw change affects less than.78 percent of one
percent of land in town since it affects only those smaller
commercial lots. This bylaw proposal would allow those
lots that have gravel coverage to have paved parking with
the required satisfactory water treatment facility for the
storm water.
The Town Moderator and Town Counsel have noted
that this bylaw proposal is unique from a proposal last
year. This bylaw is the first to promote a sensible re-
sponse to our changing environmental requirements, and
should be followed in the future by more bylaws concern-
ing parking. The proponents would accept the elimina-
tion of the “3 to 5 acre” clause and even accept reducing
the commercial coverage of the small lots of less than 3
acres to 75 percent or 70 percent. In this small town, it is
important to work together on local issues that affect all
of us.
Dr. Oliver is the proponent of Article 16

DON’T FORGET TO VOTE!

T
he debt exclusion arti-
cles for the new crema-
tory building, as well as
the design funds for the fire sta-
tion project, will appear on ques-
tions on the ballot during the an-
nual town election.

When: Saturday, March 2

Where: Duxbury Middle School
Hours: 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
16 Duxbury Clipper Wednesday, March 10, 2010

The Planning Board opposes the Towering question: What a Duxbury wind turbine might look like
article because members claim it is too
similar to the article defeated at Town
Meeting last year. There is a state law
that says any petition defeated at Town
Meeting has to wait two years before it
can be resubmitted. The Finance Com-
mittee supports this article. The Select-
men voted 2-1 not to endorse it.

Article 17
GREEN COMMUNITIES ACT
In 2008 Governor Deval Patrick
signed the Green Communities Act, a
comprehensive energy reform bill. The
act was designed to encourage energy
efficiency and green power at the state
level but has benefits for cities and
towns as well.
If voters approve Article 17, it will
insert “renewable and alternative ener-
gy research and development” into the
approved uses of property in a Neigh-
borhood Business District 1.
Proponents of this change, at a re-
cent hearing before the Planning Board,
said adopting the act could make grant
money available to Duxbury. Support-
ed by the Finance Committee and the
Board of Selectmen. course, police and fire stations, etc.
According to the Web site duxbury-
Article 18 wind.com, a $1.25 million investment Bright ideas
A
in a wind turbine would yield $150,000
WIND FACILITIES in annual savings and would be paid ccording to the Massachu-
Article 18 asks voters to adopt a by- back in approximately six years. setts Technology Collabora-
law that would clear the way for mu- A similar measure was proposed last tive, a single 660 kW turbine
nicipal wind turbines in Duxbury. year, but that bylaw included wind tur- displaces 1,300 tons of carbon dioxide
The Alternative Energy Committee, bines on private land. That article was each year. Over 20 years, to generate the
which is sponsoring the article, says not supported by the Planning Board, same amount of electricity, 17,000 tons
that such a turbine would supply clean, but this year’s proposal is. of coal would need to be burned (a line
inexpensive electricity to municipal de- The proposed bylaw would allow of 10-ton trucks 7 miles long).
partments within the town such as the turbines only in the town’s Publicly
schools, Town Hall, pool, library, golf
continued on page 18

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Meeting on Saturday.

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Preservation Committee’s operating budget.

continued from page 16
Owned Land Overlay District, excluding the
Dunes Protection and Wetlands Protection dis-
tricts. The bylaw would give the Zoning Board
of Appeals the power to issue a special permit.
Fire station
This is $1,595 less than last year. This account
pays for the board’s administrator and consul-
tants, as well as other fees. Any unused money
is returned to the general account. Supported

The maximum height of a municipal tur-
bine would be 250 feet, and any turbine would
have to be set back a little more than twice its
own height from any surrounding property. A
community-scale wind facility would also not
be allowed to add more than 10 decibels to the
ambient sound level, in accordance with exist-
ing state regulations.
The Alternative Energy Committee hasn’t
identified any specific sites for a future turbine,
but chairman Frank Duggan said three parcels
being considered are a large plot off Mayflower
Street, one site close to the DPW yard and an-
other near the North Hill Golf Course.
The proposed bylaw will also allow the
funding of a comprehensive wind resource fea-
sibility study, including the construction of a
temporary meteorological tower that will help
gather data.
The bylaw will also help Duxbury become
eligible to receive funds through the Massachu-
setts Clean Energy Center (previously known
as the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust).
This article is supported by the Finance Com-
mittee. The Board of Selectmen voted 2-1 to en-
dorse it.
Article 19
SITE USE BYLAW CHANGES
This article is a housekeeping article that
cleans up language in the town’s site use bylaw,
striking references to “religious” and “educa-
tion” facilities and adding a sentence at the be-
ginning of the article that clarifies the purpose
of the bylaw. This article is supported by the
Board of Selectmen and the Finance Commit-
tee.
Article 20
BYLAW VIOLATION FINES
Article 20 increases the town’s ability to
penalize non-criminal violators of the town’s
bylaws. Specifically, this article affects the
Conservation Commission’s ability to issue
fines. Previously, the penalty was $100 for the
first offense, $200 for the second and $300 for
the third. This change would strike all that lan-
guage and simply make all fines $300. This
article is supported by the Board of Selectmen
and the Finance Committee.
Article 21
CPC: ADMINISTRATION
Article 21 requests $76,405 in Communi-
ty Preservation Act funds for the Community
by Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee and
Community Preservation Committee.
Article 22
CPC: ALLOCATE FUNDS
Article 22 proposes to allocate the required
ten percent of the Communi-
By the numbers ty Preservation Act tax sur-
142 charge to accounts for each
of its three purposes: open
Number of towns that have
adopted the Community
space protection, histori-
Preservation Act cal preservation and afford-
able housing. This year’s
allocation will be $152,810
for each account. Last year, the amount was
$156,000. Duxbury residents pay a three per-
cent surcharge on their real estate taxes to fund
projects recommended by the Community Pres-
ervation Committee and approved by Town
Meeting. The surcharge is expected to net al-
most $1.2 million with a 28 percent match from
the state of $334,000. Currently, there is a $1
million balance in the CPA undesignated funds
account; $67,000 in historical preservation;
$169,000 in affordable housing; and $81,000 in
open space. These account balances are totals
before this year’s ten percent allocation. Sup-
ported by Board of Selectmen, Finance Com-
mittee and Community Preservation Commit-
tee.
Article 23
CPC: FIRST PARISH WINDOW
RESTORATION
The First Parish Church on Tremont Street
has applied for $50,000 in CPA funds to restore
the ten huge double hung 36-over-36 pane win-
dows that line the church’s sanctuary. The win-
dows measure 8 feet wide by 14 feet high and
there are four on each side of the building and
two in the back. The total cost of the project is
work a must
By Andre Martecchini
Why do we need to renovate the station? Based on a fea-
sibility study prepared by the Carrell Group, an architectural
firm specializing in public safety buildings, the station has
numerous deficiencies, including:
• The crew quarters are in very poor condition and are
inadequate to meet current staffing requirements for 24-hour
shifts. There are no separate facilities (toilets/showers) for
our female staff.
• The administrative offices are inadequate to meet cur-
rent program and document storage needs and the offices are
not handicap accessible for the public.
• There are numerous building and safety code violations
throughout the facility.
• The mechanical/electrical/HVAC systems have reached
the end of their useful lives, and are in poor condition, energy
inefficient, and expensive to maintain and operate.
• There are a number of leaks throughout the building
envelope (roof, walls, foundations) that affect the usability of
the facility.
• There is inadequate storage and maintenance space for
specialized turnout gear, breathing apparatus and communi-
cations equipment.
• There are no proper decontamination facilities for gear
and clothing exposed to hazardous and infectious materials.
• Medical equipment and drugs cannot be properly stored
due to lack of space.
• The mission and size of the department has changed
greatly since the building was built 43 years ago from just
fire fighting to a full-service fire fighting/paramedic/hazard-
ous materials response team.
The proposed project includes demolishing the north
wing and replacing it with a new two-story wing with fully
accessible administrative offices and storage facilities on the
first floor and crew quarters on the second floor. The existing
apparatus bay will be retained, except that it will lengthened
in the rear by about 20 feet to accommodate all the required
apparatus. Other than some code-required MEP work, the
emergency operations center will not be modified. Based on
the latest conceptual plans, the estimated total project cost is
$4,500,000 which is approximately 14 percent less than the
$5,200,000 project cost presented at the 2009 annual Town
Meeting. Every effort will be made to further reduce the
construction budget during the final design process.
The town has invested millions of dollars in personnel,
equipment and training to maintain a first-rate fire department.
Although renovating the station is an enormous expense, it is
imperative that we provide a safe facility that meets the opera-
tional needs of the department so that we protect our invest-
ment and continue the excellent service that we demand. I
urge you to support this important article.
Mr. Martecchini is the chairman of the Public Safety Build-
ing Committee

Christine

McLaughlin
Town Meeting SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Child Care Service
Child care services for preschool – school age children Change A new transparent approach
will be available at a reduced cost for Duxbury residents at-
tending Town Meeting on Saturday, March 13. High school Accountability Working for you and our children
students will provide care in the Extended Day program
classrooms at the Alden Elementary School. The service is
available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the exception of the town Common Sense Recognizing what’s important
meeting lunch break, when parents are asked to pick up their
children. The cost is $12 per child per day, or $6 per child As a mother, a lawyer, and a 20 year resident of Duxbury, I will bring
for the morning session or afternoon session. Families must
register in advance for the child care service during Town experience and a fresh perspective to the School Committee.
Meeting. Registrations will be processed on a first-come,
first-serve basis, and the number of children attending will One Vote for the Future
be limited to ensure proper staffing ratios. Please call the
Community Education office at 781-934-7633 by Thursday, To learn more about who I am and where I stand please visit:
March 11 if you wish to register your child for the reduced
cost child care service.
www. electchristine.webs.com
Paid for by the Committee to Elect Christine McLaughlin
11 Ryans Lane, Duxbury, MA
McLaughlin_3x5_03_10_10.indd 1 3/8/10 10:26:44 AM
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 Duxbury Clipper 19

$106,000. The church is raising the other $56,000.

Built in 1840 by Duxbury shipwrights, the First
Parish Church is listed in the National Register of
Historic Places.
Most of the windows retain their original or early
glass with its irregularities, but the wooden sills, sash-
es, frames and muntins all have deteriorated and the
windows don’t operate. To fully restore each window
to its original condition, the sashes must be removed
and each individual pane of glass must be taken out
and re-glazed. The windows will be stripped to the
bare wood and repainted.
Community Preservation Committee Chairman
Holly Morris said the church is eligible for CPA
funds because it serves a public benefit as a place
for the town’s annual Memorial Day services and for
the Duxbury High School Baccalaureate ceremony.
Also, the church will give the town a preservation
restriction in exchange for the money.
There has been some discussion about separation
of church and state issues with using town money
to rehabilitate a church. Town counsel Robert Troy
believes that the two public events that take place at
the church do not show enough public benefit to jus-
tify using CPA funds; he requested more information
on this or else the town must make a determination
that using the building for these two events meets the GOING GREEN: One of the Community Preservation Act articles this year asks voters for funds to purchase this
required level of public benefit. Community Preser- former cranberry bog off Route 14 near Exit 11. Community Preservation Committee members say the town had
vation Act funds have been used on churches in other wanted to buy the land as a working bog, but the farmer instead worked out a deal with the federal government
communities, although there have also been legal so that the land will remain unused, even though the town will own it. The 60-acre area contains at least one lot
challenges to this use of CPA funds. This article is that could have been used for housing and connected to other walking trails in town.
supported by the Board of Selectmen but not by the
Finance Committee. space. The grant would cover repairing the founda- years worth of work. The first year is for the survey
tion –– including a large granite pillar in the rear of of 47 dateboarded but not yet inventoried properties.
Article 24 the building that was removed years ago –– looking The second year is for barns, stables and outbuild-
at what’s needed to bring the building up to modern ings. The third year would see the inventory of 86
CPC: ISSAC KEENE codes, and developing comprehensive plans for his- properties within the Shipbuilders District. This ar-
toric preservation of the building. Crossroads repre-
BARN RESTORATION sentatives told the CPC there will be a capital fund-
ticle is supported by the Board of Selectmen, the Fi-
nance Committee and Fiscal Advisory.
Crossroads for Kids is asking the Community raising campaign to offset some of the costs of the
Preservation Committee to grant $85,000 (the CPC
will add $5,000 to cover legal expenses) to begin
next phase of restoration. This article is supported by Article 26
the Board of Selectmen but not by the Finance Com-
the first restoration phase of the mittee. CPC: CRANBERRY
Issac Keene Barn at Camp Wing,
By the numbers
which is owned by the town. The
Article 25
BOG PURCHASE
1,000 barn was built in 1870, and at the
time was the biggest barn in Dux- CPC: HISTORICAL SURVEY
This article would allow the town to purchase
60 acres of former cranberry bog off Route 14 near
The number of at-risk bury. Crossroads has only been The surveying of historical properties in town Exit 11 for open space and passive recreation pur-
kids Camp Wing hosts
each summer able to use the barn for storage but has been an ongoing project of the Historical Com- poses. This article was under wraps until recently,
feels there is potential for program mission, and this grant of $55,000 would fund three as the Community Preservation Committee couldn’t

HOW THE CPA WORKS

D
uxbury was
one of the first
towns in Massa-
chusetts to adopt the Com-
munity Preservation Act
in 2001. The act is a state
law that gives matching
funds, raised through fees
at the Registry of Deeds, to
communites for three core
purposes: Acquisition and
preservation of open space,
creation and support of af-
fordable housing and acqui-
sition and preservation of
historic buildings and land-
scapes.
By adopting the act,
towns agree to a property
tax surcharge of up to 3
percent. Duxbury is at the
maximum.
A minimum of 10 per-
cent of the annual revenues
of the fund must be used for
each of the three core com-
munity concerns, and up to 5
percent may be used for ad-
ministrative expenses of the
Community Preservation
Committee. The remaining
funds can be allocated for
any combination of the al-
lowed uses, or for land for
recreational use. This gives
each community the op-
portunity to determine its
priorities, plan for its future,
FOR SCHOOL COMMITTEE
FINANCIAL LEADER
and have the funds to make A VOICE OF REASON
those plans happen.
Duxbury’s Community
Preservation Committee
hears pitches for potental ADVOCATE FOR KIDS
projects during public hear-
ing throughout the year.
They then sponsor articles
at Town Meeting, and resi-
dents vote the projects up Striving for Excellence
down.
In the past, the state
had provided a 100 percent
We Can Move our Schools from Good to Excellent with:
match, but as more and s3MART3PENDING
more towns join, that num-
ber is dipping. Community s%FFECTIVE,EADERSHIP
Preservation Committee s!WARD7INNING!CADEMICS
Chairman Holly Morris said
that this year, Fiscal Year s#OLLABORATIONAMONG3TAKEHOLDERS
2010, the town received a
38 percent match from the
state. Next year, she is hear- We face critical issues and I want to hear from you:
ing that the number will be 781-834-1070 or garymagnuson@ymail.com.
closer to 28 percent. There
is legislation working its I respectfully ask for your vote on Saturday, March 27th.
way through Beacon Hill
that would guarantee the
number at 75 percent. Paid for by the Committee to Elect Gary Magnuson, P.O. Box 2735, Duxbury, MA 02331

Magnuson3x7_3_10_10.indd 1 3/6/10 9:20:41 AM

20
make the deal public until a purchase
and sale agreement was signed by the
Board of Selectmen. The land used to
be an active cranberry bog, but the for-
mer owner made a deal with the fed-
eral government that stipulates there
will be no farming activity on the land.
CPC members say the land will be pro-
tected from future development (there
is at least one useable house lot on the
property) and called it a “gateway to
Duxbury” that connects to other walk-
ing trails and conservation areas in
town. This article is supported by the
Board of Selectmen.
Article 27
CPC: COMMUNITY HOUSING
This article would have asked for
$225,000 from Community Preserva-
tion Act funds to purchase a one-acre
lot for the purposes of developing
community housing, but it is being in-
definitely postponed.
Article 28
CPC: GRANGE PROPERTY
Article 28 asks for $150,000 in
Community Preservation Act funds
to construct two affordable housing
units at the former Grange property on
Franklin Street.
The Grange building has been
abandoned for years, and previous at-
tempts to develop the site in partner-
ship with Habitat for Humanity have
fallen through due to the economic
downturrn. The Grange and an un-
used fire station (which has since been
torn down) were purchased using CPA
funds in 2008. The town’s Local Hous-
ing Partnership hopes to build two units
on the site, either both in the Grange
building or through the construction of
a new dwelling on the fire station site.
This article is supported by the Board
of Selectmen but not the Finance Com-
mittee or Fiscal Advisory.
Article 29
INCREASE BOARD OF
SELECTMEN TO FIVE
Article 29 is a citizen’s petition to
increase the number of selectmen from
three to five members. Paul McCor-
mack of Partridge Road submitted this
article. McCormack’s reasons include
the following: the need to have more
than two decision makers when a se-
Assistive
listening
device
available
The annual Town Meet-
ing will be equipped with
an assistive listening sys-
tem. The system amplifies
the sound and transmits to
a personal assistive listen-
ing device. You can control
the volume. To borrow a
receiver, please stop by the
designated table to sign out
a device. When you are
through for the day please
return the receiver to the
sign-out table, as they are
in limited supply. This is a
program of your Municipal
Commission on Disability
to make the Town Meetings
more accessible to all.
Weiler 4x5_3_10_10.indd 1
Duxbury Clipper Wednesday, March 10, 2010
petition to the town’s bylaws to allow registered voters and be returned to the
WHAT DO YOU THINK? voters a way to rid themselves of an clerk within 30 days. The town clerk
unwanted elected official by means of must then certify that the signatures
Do you think the Board
of Selectmen should a special election. are valid within five business days and
be five members or The article lists the process to then notify selectmen, who will alert
stay at three? Take follow: to begin, a registered Dux- the official in question about the recall
our Web poll at dux- bury voter must file an affidavit with petition. The official can then choose
buryclipper.com. the town clerk listing the name of the to resign immediately or face a recall
elected official election to be held within 90 days.
considered for The official under the recall petition
lectman has to excuse himself because recall and the can choose to place himself on the bal-
of a conflict of interest; fewer conflicts reason. This lot for the election to succeed himself.
with the open meeting law; easing the must be signed If he is not recalled, he will continue to
workload; a greater variation of expe- by 100 regis- serve in his office for the remainder of
rience and opinions; and an increased tered voters. his term. If the recall is successful, the
representation of voters. According to The town official will be removed and the elected
McCormack, in Massachusetts, there CITIZENS’ PETITION clerk will then successor shall hold the office for the
are 135 towns with five selectmen and issue the recall rest of the unexpired term. The recall
162 with three member boards. petition blanks, which must be signed petition cannot be used against any of-
A similar ar- by ten percent, or 1,094, of the town’s ficial who has been in office less than
ticle presented
to town meet-
ing in 2003 was
CITIZENS’ PETITION
approved with
a two-thirds
vote. However,
the state’s at-
torney general
later disquali-
Candidate Forum
fied it. A second attempt to enlarge the
board at Town Meeting in 2005 was
postponed until the town could hear
the recommendations from the Town
Government Study Committee.
In 2006, this committee rejected
the idea of more selectmen for mul-
tiple reasons. It found that with a larger
board there was an increased possibil-
ity of factions and divisiveness and
more of a chance of slowing down
the decision-making process. With a
three-member board, each member has
more responsibility to attend meetings
and keep current, and there is more ac- Wednesday, March 17
countability. The committee also cited
a lack of good candidates. 7:30 p.m.
If voters approve Article 29, then a
petition will be sent to the state legis- Mural Room
lature, where it could be approved by
June. In November, Duxbury voters Duxbury Town Hall
would have to approve the change at
the annual election, and then additional
selectmen would be elected at the town
election in March 2011. The Board of
The candidate forum will be broadcast on local access cable. Panelists will include
Selectmen voted 2-1 to approve this local media and community members who will ask all the candidates questions on
article. The Finance Committee Rec- their positions. We will also take written questions from the audience.
comends disapproval.
Questions? Call 781-934-2811
Article 30
RECALL PETITION
Article 30 proposes adding a recall
Sponsored by the Duxbury Clipper
FRIEND S. WEILER, SR. - MODERATOR
Friend S. Weiler, Sr. has lived in Duxbury for 32 What you need to know before you vote!
years and has been active in Town Government
for 22 of those years. As a banking professional, PART III – DUXBURY GENERAL BY-LAW
& MODERATOR’S APPOINTMENT
he has over 40 years of experience and has held
numerous leadership roles, including his current
AUTHORITY
position as SVP of the Commercial Lending 5.1 Appointments made by the
Division at HarborOne Credit Union.
Moderator
Cemetery Trustees
5 members - 5 year staggered terms
Resume Duxbury Beach Committee
B.A. from Boston University 1968 12 members -3 year staggered terms
MBA from Suffolk University 1971 Financial Committee
Stonier Graduate School of Banking, 9 members – 3 year staggered terms
Rutgers University 1974 Fiscal Advisory Committee
Banking Professional 1968 – present 9 members – 3 year staggered terms
Director, Old Colony YMCA Experience Counts! Personnel Board
Trustee, South Shore Health & 1988 P.R.I.D.E. $1,000,000 Override 5 members – 3 year staggered terms
Education Foundation 1989-92 Finance Committee-Chair ‘92 Water and Sewer Advisory Committee
1992-98 Board of Selectman-Chair ‘94-‘95 3 members – 3 year staggered terms
Member, Thorny Lea Golf Club
1998-01 Conservation Commission-Chair ’02-‘04
VOTE: FRIEND S. WEILER, SR.
Personal
2001 P.R.I.D.E. – Chair, $42,000,000
ANNUAL TOWN ELECTION
School Renovation
MARCH 27, 2010
Friend and his wife of 42 years, Candy, have two 2003-04 Town Government Study Committee
DUXBURY MIDDLE SCHOOL
grown and married sons, Friend, Jr. and Eric. 2005 Town Manager Search
Friend and Candy have lived at 7 Trout Farm
Road since they moved to Duxbury in 1978.
Committee-Chair Paid for by Friend S. Weiler, Sr.
2006-present Fiscal Advisory Committee 7 Trout Farm Rd. Duxbury MA 02332
3/5/10 4:11:40 PM
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
six months, nor can it be filed against
an official who has six months or less
to serve on his term.
Standish Street resident David
Lowry presented the recall petition ar-
ticle to selectmen, who chose to spon-
sor it and place it on the warrant. The
Selectmen voted 2-1 to reccomend the
article. The Finance Committee sup-
ports this article.
Article 31
RESOLUTION ON WATER
Article 31 is a citizen’s petition sub-
mitted by Washington Street resident
Nancy Landgren. This article is a non-
binding resolution that states that water
should be considered a “a basic human
right” and therefore Duxbury’s water
system should be held “in public trust
for the benefit and use by the residents
… and should be operated by the Town
of Duxbury for the greater good.” The
article also seeks to prohibit the town
from privatizing or outsourcing its wa-
ter and its maintenance and delivery
systems. Landgren’s article stems from
her concern that the town may one day
privatize its water service to save mon-
Town Meeting Talk
W
hen, in some obscure country
town, the farmers come together
to a special town-meeting, to express
their opinion on some subject which is
vexing the land, that, I think, is the true
Congress, and the most respectable one
that is ever assembled in the United States. Town Meeting starting
–– Henry David Thoreau
Duxbury Clipper
ey. She wants to raise awareness of this
topic and get residents thinking about
the water they drink and how the town
manages its water system. According
to town officials, Duxbury has no cur-
rent plans to privatize the water depart-
ment. This article is supported by the
Board of Selectmen but not the Finance
Committee.
Article 32
PILGRIM NUCLEAR
STATION MONITORING
Article 32 is sponsored by the Dux-
bury Nuclear Advisory Committee.
This article’s purpose is to tell Pilgrim’s
owner, Entergy, that Duxbury residents
are unhappy with the
By the numbers current inspection
1972 system and ground
water well monitor-
The year Pilgrim Nuclear ing system near Pil-
Power Plant opened in grim in Plymouth
Plymouth
and that they want
an improved system
with better monitoring wells to detect
radioactive chemicals in the ground
water. The article states that the current
four-well monitoring system at Pilgrim
does not meet reasonable standards.
The article also seeks to have Entergy
send ground water samples to the Mas-
sachusetts Department of Health and
make all reports available to the pub-
lic as well as to the state and affected
communities like Duxbury.
According to Nuclear Advisory
Committee chairman Mary “Pixie”
Lampert, the chemical tritium was de-
tected in the three monitoring wells
near Pilgrim in November 2007 but
nothing has ever been done about it.
Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hy-
drogen and is a byproduct in nuclear
reactors producing electricity. Tritium
is dangerous if inhaled or ingested in
drinking water and exposure to tritium
can increase the risk of developing
cancer. This article is supported by the
Board of Selectmen and the Finance
Committee.
Article 33
EQUITABLE COMPENSATION
FROM ENTERGY
Also sponsored by the Nuclear Ad-
visory Committee, Article 33 would
require Entergy to fairly compensate
surrounding towns based on their geo-
graphic proximity to the nuclear power
station and their affected population.
According to Nuclear Advisory Com-
mittee chairman Mary “Pixie” Lampert,
Entergy needs to pay more compensa-
tion to Duxbury than it currently does
because of its proximity to Pilgrim.
Duxbury receives less money than
Marshfield from Entergy but it is clos-
er to Pilgrim and has a higher number
of people who would be affected dur-
ing a nuclear emergency, said Lampert.
21
Marshfield received $100,000 more
from Entergy this year than Duxbury
did, but Duxbury has 15,000 people in
the Emergency Planning Zone around
Pilgrim, while Marshfield has 1,500.
This article is supported by the Board
of Selectmen and the Finance Commit-
tee.
Article 34
STABILIZATION FUND
This is an annual article to trans-
fer money into the town’s stabiliza-
tion fund. This article will be indefi-
nitely postponed because a transfer of
$300,000 from free cash to the stabi-
lization fund is requested in special
Town Meeting Article 10. This article
is supported by the Board of Selectmen.
The Finance Committee reccomends
indefinite postponment.
Article 35
FREE CASH
Article 35 is a routine article that
seeks to use money from certified free
cash to reduce the tax amount. As the
town is no longer using its free cash
to balance the operating budget, but is
using it to pay for one-time expenses
such as capital items, this article will
be indefinitely postponed.
Visit the Clipper Web site
for updated coverage of
on Saturday.