My apology to Councilwoman Decaprio last night
Having apologized, I remain focused on addressing the issues facing Cheshire:
1) improving low employee morale, particularly in the area of public safety
2) solving and moving past the pool bubble
3) eliminating unnecessary spending, such as on consultants
4) minimizing taxes, while maintaining services
5) filling potholes, fixing sidewalks and working on behalf of the residents of the fourth district
Tim White
95 comments:
Stop apologizing. As others have said, this whole thing is obviously a smokescreen by desperate Democrats to distract attention from their mismanagement of the town. The Republicans need to regain the momentum by showing voters how they will do better.
Personally, I do not understand why there must be such a divide amongst the parties. We are all Cheshire residents. Put aside your political nonsense and come together and do what is best for the town. And you were right to apologize. There is no need to attack someone on a personal level - their views, fair game.
9:40 said,
And you were right to apologize. There is no need to attack someone on a personal level...
When did Tim White ever attack her personally? Your basic assumption is wrong.
For that matter, when did anyone else ever attack her personally? The delted comment speculated that she'd be at her place of employment (Waverly) rather than at a meeting. Big deal.
The whole matter is a red herring.
Tim: STOP APOLOGIZING, PLEASE. You did not attack Ms. DeCaprio and although you've taken the high road on this, enough of the touchy-feely stuff, OK? :-) But in all seriousness, without "Decaprio-Gate", the democrats have nothing to talk about.
Credibility: Tim has it but most of the democrat majority on the TC does not have it, at least not anymore. I attended the TC candidate forum Wed night. I listened to Mr. Altieri, Mr. Dill, Mr. Talbot, Ms. Decaprio, Ms. Dunne, Mr. Evans, etc. talk about working together and putting partisan politics aside. As always, it sounds great!
However, it seems that the democrats ignored their own advice and put out silly partisan ads in the Cheshire Herald slinging mud at the Republicans. "Huff & Puff" and the "Singing Elephant" ads are the antithesis of what these democrats said they were all about Wed night.
If we put aside the absurdity of what's in those ads and think about what the democrats are doing: They told a room full of voters and reporters they are all about "getting along" but then the next day they publish a silly ad in the Herald. Credibility, it seems, misses the mark for the dems.
Let's not foget the debacle over the turf vote last week either. The Republicans tried to do the right thing with the grant money but the democrats turned it into a negatively-driven attack fest. Why? Why not focus ON THE ISSUES LIKE TIM IS DOING?
In the meantime, we haven't had any negative ads from the Republican candidates and no mud-slinging. The Republican candidates have been focusing on the issues in this election. The democrats have been focusing on partisan cartoons and being very negative.
So when folks ask why there's such a divide amongst the parties, they need to ask the democrats why are THEY causing such a divide between the parties?
But, that's OK. I really hope that the democrats continue with the silly cartoons, negativity and lying to the public. Why? It helps get the responsibile candidates, WITH CREDIBILITY, elected on November 3rd.
you republicans better face it-you will lose lose lose. your old fashioned ideas from 1950 are over. be prepared to lick your wounds cheshire republican town committee.
10:37 is so right. Republicans have old fashioned ideas from 1950. Ideas like not squandering tax dollars on pet projects like turf and endless non-fixes of the pool. Ideas like belt tightening and prioritizing spending in tough times. Ideas like government serving the citizens before moneyed interests and developers.
I'd rather reelect the Dem majority and have more of the same money squandering, special interests, and corruption. Republican ideas like integrity, transparency, accountability are so old-fashioned.
don't see any difference in the answers the candidates gave the Herald..both parties want fiscal responsibility etc etc etc...
The present party running the town SAYS they want fiscal responsibility, but does their record prove it? And what about special deals for their friends, pet projects, and town personnel management?
Its time for a change.
Both parties want fiscal responsibility? Here's a summation of some of the democrats idea of fiscal responsibility:
Pool Consultant - $20,000
Pool Subsidy/year - $400,000
Pavement Mgmt. Software - $50,000
Inc'd Fund Balance Policy - $90,000
Proposed Turf Field - $1,000,000
Reductions to Boe & TC proposed budgets - $1,300,000
Add'l cost b/c contracts weren't sent out to bid in a timely manner - $200,000 or more.
I intend to write to CH to rebuke the councilwoman's claim of "insult". Let's make it clear: personal opinion is much preferable to a party boss' "yes-woman". If you never have your own idea (like she has shown for the past two years: never has any, any creative thinking besides a rubber stamp for the Dem), then you deserves all the criticism. Stop whining around crying for foul, you were a political major, weren't you lady??
I doubt DeCaprio was really that offended or that her skin is so thin. Rather, this whole charade is a calculated political ploy hatched up by her party to distract attention from the real issues.
Money wasted on the bus contract $200,000
Money wasted on the trash contract
$50,000
NOW THAT IS RESPONSIBLE
Hopefully the new council will make sure management follows the Charter and sends contracts out to bid in a timely manner.
A question for Ms. DeCaprio:
Did you ever ask a Democrat to apologize to Governor Palin for calling her an unfit mother?
(Please don't tell me they didn't)
Sorry, the Democrats have forfeited any right to raise this issue after the way they behaved in the last election
Did Hall, Esty or DiPietro ever apologize for their vicious unfounded attacks on three citizens, Caroline Soltis, Steve Carol and Tim Slocum who have spent years serving the citizens of Cheshire. They accused these three people of conspiring to illegally change official town records, one date. They brought their accusations to the Cheshire Herald, Waterbury Republican, New Haven Register, and Meriden Record Journal. The Cheshire Herald was not only happy to print their defamatory letters to the editor, but also sided with them.
These were serious charges and they were all made without any proof or attempt to find the truth. They were simply politically motivated to discredit individuals in the Republican Party for election purposes and to weaken opposition to the Mall that all three supported. Esty being the most vociferous, called the actions of these three innocent people shenanigans.
As it turned out, what they claimed was the criminal alteration of official town records, turned out to be a simple clerical error. Not that these accusing individuals ever made any mistakes, after-all they are perfect. Had they simply sat down with Caroline at the start, months before they made any charges, this error would have simply been corrected without ruining the reputations of these individuals.
And, after all the weeks of attack, did Hall, Esty or DiPietro publicly apologize or ask the news services to retract their charges and admit the entire blown up charge was due to a simple clerical error? No they simply left a cloud over the reputations of these people. I'll bet there are a lot of people who never heard the truth and still believe there was foul play. Did they know that the charges were false at the time they made them? You be the judge. After Esty suspected the date was incorrect, she didn't bring this information to Caroline, instead she waited months for an opportune moment, and then months later they made their public charges, and during this time Hall in his many trips to the Town Clerks Office, related to real-estate transactions, he saw and talked with Caroline on a regular basis and he never ever brought it to her attention, nice guy.
What kind of people are these to make such a serious charge over a simple error? And, now we have Esty as our state representative and Hall is leaving the council, but their charges still have not been retracted.
What if they told the truth?
6:31
Following procedure to make sure there are no "closed door" contracts being made. Thats how this town is suppose to be run and should be run. We don't just give contracts out without a bid.
Now someone who benefited from the Hot Watergate fiasco is actually running for TC. What is this town coming to?
REP, DEM, REP, DEM BLAH BLAH BLAH. THIS IS WHY THE YOUTH HAVE LITTLE INTREST IN POLITICS. ALL THE OVER THE HILL WANNABE'S ARE TOO BUSY PONTING FINGERS ON BEHALF OF THE "PARTY". HOW ABOUT AFFECTING CHANGE. HOW ABOUT JUST DOING WHATS RIGHT FOR THE SAKE OF WHATS RIGHT.
ITS EMBARRASSING TO WATCH.
9:20 AM
The youth don't get involved until grown-up matters become important to them. It's been that way forever. You're correct to point out that negativity is a drag on the process but conformity to one point of view or another doesn't happen in the home, the workplace or Town Hall.
Oops...I did forget about North Korea...there is conformity there.
Anon 10:04;
Thanks for reminding us about the pennies. Now, why doesn;t the Democratic majority remind us about the dollars they wasted.
On October of last year---after the world economic collapse was in full swing--the Democratic council majority cast a party line vote to approve what was probably the most lucrative teacher's contract any town in CT approved in 2008.
This had to show the most glaring lack of economic realism any politicians have shown since Chris Dodd said Fannie Mae was sound.
And by raising the base pay of teachers, this vote probabbly locked in the taxpayers of Cheshire for over $ 10 million in incremental spending over the next couple of decades. Remember, when this contract expires that is the jumping off point for all future contracts.
Who is paying for all the slick cartoon in the Herald that hide the real issues? Maybe the same people the Democrats bought off with taxpayer money?
Answer that question, Mr. 10:04?
"REP, DEM, REP, DEM, BLAH BLAH BLAH.
THIS IS WHY THE YOUTH HAVE LITTLE INTREST IN POLITICS."
Behind the Rep/Dem labels are real differences about how to deal with town and national problems. Elections provide the means for citizens in a free society to flesh out the issues and differences between candidates. But citizens have to take the time to be informed.
Most of today's youth are brain-dead. This is the most narcissistic youth generation in history, lacking any framework of values or reference beyond their own impulsive pleasures. They know more about Blackberries and candidates for American Idol than they know about history, issues, or candidates for office.
I can't wait for the republicans to lose. All they do is complain. Laura will win over Falvey but not by much and even is she loses, Schrumm will lose to Dill and White will lose to Talbot.
Hey Cedar Lane are you mentally challenged? How about the Republicans apologizing to the American People for selling their job to third rate countries and allowing these banks to run amok resulting in high credit card and mortgate rates-you are stupid move out of town and do us a favor.
I can't wait for the democrats to lose. All they do is mismanage and pander to special interests. Their vilifying Tim White will backfire, and he'll be handily reelected. Laura will lose to Falvey because she hasn't done anything on the council. If Dave Schrumm campaigns aggressively, he'll win, as will Anne Giddings.
Its time for a change. Republicans take the council 6 to 3.
Hey CCC Inmate,
You are obviously criminally challenged, so what you have to say is of no consequence (though we shouldn’t be surprised that most criminals favor the liberal party).
For the rest of the readers: my previous comments had to do with the local parties, not the national parties. I happen to think that both national parties are responsible for the economic meltdown, having long ago abandoned fiscal responsibility. And wasn’t it Clinton and the “pro-labor” Democrats who brought us NAFTA?
Anon: 2.04: Thanks for discusing about 0.3% of the town budget. Which I believe is less than half what the annual loss is from poole operation and maintaince. Which the Democrats have dithered over for four years as the bubble got worse.
And one more time: Who voted for the most lucrative teacher contract in the state by a party line vote? One which probably costs the town more than $250,000 every pay period?
Anyone notice how our teachers got almost 5% for three years and this week I read in the papers that Plainville & Southington took a freeze in salary for one year and North Haven took a 1% raise. Our Dem's accepted the contract because they thought the teachers would go to arbitration and get more. Great move! Other town's teachers saw the writing on the wall and realized that wasn't going to happen.
The Democrats on the Council were too busy trying to give bid waivers away to read the financial page. Lehman Brothers fail? AIG bailed out? Fannie Mae taken over? Dow cratering? How do you expect Council Democrats to be aware of these things?
What if they told the truth?
Ha, ha, ha, .....What dream world are you in? When the truth came out, they were all to happy to move on to something else. They certainly lost the trust of a lot of people.
NOW THAT IS RESPONSIBLE
October 24, 2009 10:04 AM
And you think giving a 4.4% increase for 3 years to the teachers was responsible?
In the greatest recession since the great depression, our brain dead, Dem Supreme Council approved, without any concern to the realities of an economy headed toward collapse. Cheshire's teachers were overpaid before they got an increase. And, you must be happy that the only ones to suffer from this outrageous contract are students and taxpayers.
The Dem motto, "Spend, Spend and Spend Some More".
Look at the budget history in this town, the dems have passed the lowest increases in history while the rep. have passed the largest!!! Why are things upside down in Cheshire??
Ask the business community who supports them and they will ask what is wrong with our rep. why don't they support us? Why are things upside down in Cheshire??
To the deleted comments... please stop the spam and sexually explicity language.
Making the comment once is plenty. At least get more creative than a copy n paste job!
Anonymous said...
Look at the budget history in this town, the dems have passed the lowest increases in history while the rep. have passed the largest!!! Why are things upside down in Cheshire??
Gee, I seem to recall that in the past two budget cycles, the R's made resolutions to adopt an alternative budget that had a lower tax increase than the D's but the D's went with their higher budget & higher tax increase.
Before you break your arms patting yourself on the back, Dems, did ya think about the effect over the next decade your party-line giveaway to the teacher's union will cost the town?
When your incredibly lucrative contract expires, at the next negotiation the teachers will a) start at a higher base than they should have and surely won;t give anything back and b) demand that the next contract contain comparable pay raises to what the Town "willingly agreed to in 2008".
We are talking probably 8 digits of increased spending over the next decade, all baked in because you thought it was politically expedient to treat the CEA the way the Feds have treated AIG.
Save your self-promotion and learn some economics, chumps
The teachers contract, 13.2% increase over 3 years, will make it very difficult for the Superintendant to get any funds for anything else. All of the Educations Dept's increases for the next three years will go to salraies. Everything else will suffer terribly. That is the tragedy of this short-sighted decision. Remember, one Dem councilor is a teacher (and I believe union rep).
If Matt Bowman is elected, he'll be able to approve his own no bid contracts and those of his buddies.
We might as well just rename Cheshire to Bowmanville.
The 13.2% teacher pay hike over 3 years no doubt assumed, a) the U.S. economy was always headed up, b) the Dow was going to break 20,000 soon, c) Cheshire job growth was going to be fueled by Pratt & Whitney and the new north-end mall and not by an increase in state prison guards, d)this year and in the next 5 years there would be an increase in new houses of about 300 units per year and e) the national unemployment rate would never ever approach or top 10%.
All those Democrat happy thought hallucinations have gone up in smoke.
THROW THE GANG of 5 O-U-T in November!
What have the republicans in this town really done for you? They brought you the pool, now that is a winner. They have PASSED the largest tax increases in Cheshire history. The broguht you the Schrumm-Morris fisaco. They have divided the town along age lines. They never increased Sr. tax relief when they were in control, they vote against any and every improvement in town and they voted to give the bus company $200k when they were told it would be a waste.
Come on go back to that?
Get your facts straight! The Republicans pushed senior property tax relief. The Dems promised but never delivered. Visconti, who was on the council at the time, said helping the seniors would hurt young families. They have done nothing to address the issues regarding the pool, gave our teachers golden contracts (that will ultimately hurt students), are giving contractors and builders no bid contracts. STAY WITH THAT!
during the last republian term they did nothing for the seniors and rejected justin a proposal for increased benefits. they told the town the pool would break even does it? they seleced the pool contractor how did that work out? they actually gave the contract to a contractor that could not get a bond. when the pool went bad how did they react, they asked for more money to complete. for that matter how did the senior center rehab go? did that contractor work out well? LARGEST TAX increases in Chehsire history, all fact. They were NEVER fiscally responsible. they now the COST OF EVERYTHING AND THE VALUE OF NOTHING!!!!!!!
Hey 3:38 the Republicans did not push the senior tax relief-several ordinary citizens did pushed it not the republicans they did not want it and neither did the dems. now both parties act like they were the ones who wanted it there were over 4000 signatures that you did not get several townspeople went out and got it because the dems AND and republicans could not be bothered GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT!!
True, it was a grass roots effort that eventually got senior property tax credits. If you read the ads by the Dems they take all the credit, when they wanted no part of it. Justin Adinolfi's ads and letters make it seem like he alone was the knight astride his white stead that came to the rescue of the seniors. He wasn't even on the council.
You are all wrong. The dems moved forward with Justin's proposal before any Sr. started pushing for it. Read the meeting minutes. Rep just said they were pandering to the Sr. and rejected the idea. Esty finished what Justin started, that is the real fact. When republican's voted against every budget they are voting against the property tax relief. THAT IS FACT.
Also, during the republican admin. the pool contract had to be approved or moved forward by the republican controlled PBC. And it had to be reviewed by the republican controlled town attorney and finally approved by the republican controlled town council.
Tim I am going to post Laura's letter to the editor and if you really listen you will leave it up this time.
Matt B.
I am writing to thank the voters of the 3rd and 7th District for the privilege of representing them on the Cheshire Town Council over the past two years, and to ask for their support as I run for re-election this November 3. However, I feel compelled to write on a related topic as well, one that no candidate or public servant should ever feel compelled to write.
There have been many changes since November 2007, most notably and happily the arrival of my first child. My son Paul was born in May 2009, and I am pleased to say that as of this writing we are all doing well.
As many of you know, taking care of a newborn is a very demanding
job. In addition, I had some complications associated with my pregnancy and have also been sick over the past few months. None the less, I have only missed two full council meetings. One I was unable to attend right after his birth, and one due to illness. These factors also caused me to miss a few subcommittee meetings. Luckily, I was able to keep up to date by constant communication with my colleagues. Public service on the Council is important to me, but I place the health of my child and my family above all else. I am sure most of you would feel the same way.
That is why I am incredibly offended by the remarks Councilman Tim White has published on his website regarding my fitness as a parent, my character, my intelligence and my ability to serve on the council. Without dignifying his rumor-mongering with specifics, I want any of you who are parents to ask yourselves how you would feel if the insinuation was repeatedly made (by a conveniently “anonymous” source) that you were out carousing at night and not tending to your obligations as a parent of a young child. Then, ask yourself if you would tolerate such comments merely because you are a volunteer member of the Town Council.
Finally, after pondering those two questions, ask yourself how you would feel if a so-called colleague of yours – one who in theory is elected to serve the best interest of the residents of Cheshire -- was the perpetrator of this activity by virtue of his weblog, on which he has permitted and encouraged this type of behavior. This is exactly what Tim White has done.
You would likely feel as I do: appalled, disgusted, disrespected, and mostly angry. Various members of the Council have confronted Mr. White over the past two years about the content he publishes on his site, where anonymous posters are apparently given free reign to flog targets at will. Childish, self-defeating and marginalizing as it may be, in the past none of us have made a public issue about his blog. For though it seems counterproductive for one elected official to have a website routinely denigrating his fellow elected officials, none of us ever doubted that he at some level has the right to be critical of the votes we take, the statements we make and in general our council activity.
However, he has crossed a line with me with respect to my character, and I will not tolerate it. Tim White can not hide behind the fact that “anonymous” is the alleged author of these remarks: if he thinks it is important enough to host this site, then he has the ultimate responsibility for its content.
It is hard for me to imagine having to write a letter such as this. Believe me, nothing would have made me happier then if my pregnancy had went smoothly enough and I had been healthy enough to be in attendance at every meeting. I hope the laughs Tim had at my expense were worth it to him.
The next time you ask yourself why the Council seems divided at times, maybe my experience will shed a little light on things. The next time you wonder why it is difficult to get people, especially women, to volunteer to serve in political office, this may shed a little light as well.
>
>
Matt B.
Please list the time you spent in Vietnam. Your profile in the Rep Am last week stated you were a Vietnam Vet. So, when where you there? There is a difference between Viet Vet and Viet Era Vet. Please clarify.
Hey Bowman, Laura's victim act ain't gonna get you elected or her elected or Tim defeated.
If you want me to answer questions at least have the guts to identify yourself. just to set the record straight I was a vietnam era veteran as all my literature states or you go to the town hall and look up my dd214and see for yourself.
Matt B.
Matt B... I deleted it because it was OT. But in this thread, it's on topic. So I'm fine with it... though I'm wondering why you are more concerned with this letter than with addressing the extremely serious concerns at the PD.
Is Matt B really Matt Bowman? If so, great, maybe we can get one of the democrat candidates to answer these questions:
Matt: How does a $525K grant pay for a $1.4M+ artificial turf field? According to Bob Behrer the anticipated cost for year one is $800K+. The anticipated cost to replace the field every 6-8 years is $600K+.
Secondly, IF the grant could be used for anything else in town would you still use it for turf or something else?
Lastly, what changes do you bring to the table at town councilman. I sure hope you are not a rubber-stamper. You don't seem to fit the democrat mold.
Thanks.
Eric T. Cartman
Cartman - Your facts are wrong. No the grant can't be used elsewhere.
Mr. Cartman, Yes the grant could be used for something else in town IF the council made the request. Even Altieri said, "Can it be used elsewhere? Maybe."
Problem is, is the dems don't want to use it elsewhere. They want their turf field.
They've got 10 years to do something with the $525K - they don't need to push the turf through now.
So it's sound economics to be made spend spend a million dollars to get a $500,000 state grant?
These are the "gifts" that leave you broke.
How about this guys. There's a recession going on.
STOP BUYING TOYS!!!
Does it matter that the "state" is playing for some of it. Hello, where is the state getting the money...oops, by going into debt.(It's already broke, you knuckleheads) And since Cheshire has above median income, we pay for the turf, the interest, and more.
Only poor towns actually benefit from "state grants" since the bill to repay the bonds goes to taxpayers in wealthier towns. Like Cheshire.
Any more freakin Keynesians out there, you morons!
"if a so-called colleague of yours – one who in theory is elected to serve the best interest of the residents of Cheshire -- was the perpetrator of this activity by virtue of his weblog, on which he has permitted and encouraged this type of behavior. This is exactly what Tim White has done."
Biggest bunch of BS going around! Tim NEVER encouraged anyone to make any comment. I agree with Tim - the candidates should be focusing on the issues.
Oh, and if I recall, Esty ran on some big promise of an elderly tax credit - one which she never lived up to. She didn't want to allow a "freeze" either and it was the seniors themselves who had to fight to get that approved.
Matt B.
If elected, will your company continue to bid on projects in town? Or will we do away with the bid process the way the dems want us to?
Do all the dems running want to play "father figure" to DeCaprio? This is totally ridiculous that you continue to bring up a letter that she is using to try and get elected. Tell me what she has done for this town?
You seem like a smart guy, tell me exactly how many comments were made on this blog directed at her that were "personal" regarding her fitness as a mother? I read this blog all the time and never saw it. You must have seen them since you are so concerned.
We should all have the right to question her ability to serve on the council. She is there for all of us.
I am sickened by the lowly standards she and the others have stooped to in a last ditch effort to try and get her elected. I hope this totally backfires on all of you.
I am happy that the dems are so concerned about the power Tim yields on this blog that they are all viewing it on a regular basis and hopefully learning from it. Perhaps they will see that we are all sick and tired of the BS.
It is time for a change!
Just wondering if they will all go after teh NH Register and Waterbury Rpublican for the negative comments made about her on there?
RE: Do all the Dems running want to play "father figure" to DeCaprio?
Plainly this is a cynical strategy by the Dems to distract attention from their own massive failures.
This is not a case of displaced eodipal tendencies.
When the Democrats get such hurt feelings? Marty Coburn insults people on purpose constantly and intentionally, and from what I understand, he's their chief strategist.
Yeah, the Democratic Party can sic the likes of rabid Keith Olbermann on folks they don't like but let one person cast aspersions on them, OK, time to incinerate the First Amendment!
And as for the pompous dolt Peter Talbot, go look up the damm "Federalist Papers" on Wikipedia before you look even more stupid. Did "Publius" sign his real name to his documents? Hello!
I'm sick of people playing victim. Wanna do that? Make like the balloon boy in Denver and go on a reality TV show. Let someone who can take the heat run the kitchen.
"Cartman - Your facts are wrong. No the grant can't be used elsewhere."
My facts are spot on. All one has to do is confirm the numbers with Bob Behrer.
As for the grant itself being repurposed, YES, it is possible. One can confirm this with Mary Fritz or anyone on the town council that has actual experience working with state grants.
But that wasn't my question. Matt B: I hope you will answer my questions. None of your colleagues are willing to give straight answers on this.
Thanks.
Eric T. Cartman
Who asked for this grant? Please feel free to answer.
A group of lax, soccer and football parents.
Altieri & Ecke went to Mary Fritz and she went to Jim Amann who used his slush fund money for the grant.
"According to Bob Behrer the anticipated cost for year one is $800K+. "
You forgot a few things
$800,000 + + + + + + + + + + + + +
These people have no idea of the costs and if they did they would never admit the true cost estimate.
From what we have seen everything is estimated low to get it approved and then they come back after most of the money is spent for more. I wouldn't be surprised to all of a sudden see a $200,000 plumbing cost for a hose to clean the spit and other waste off the turf.
10:33 It'll likely be additional costs to disinfect the field. There's special chemicals they use to kill the bacteria. They can't just hose it off. Although, I'm sure when it gets hot, they'll have to hose it down to cool it down. Plus with all the extra events, who knows, they will probably need to hire an assistant AD to help schedule them.
do we need turf?
It still amazes me that we have people, who are suppose to be intelligent, telling us how much cheaper it will be to maintain a turf field.
I looked online to find the truth and was rather surprised.
Equipment ($8,250-$82,000)
Boom Sprayer: $1,000 to $35,000
Sweeper: $500 to $3,000
Broom: $500 to $3,000
Painter: $500 to $3,000
Groomer: $1,500 to $2,000
Cart: $2,500 to $16,000 (for towing equipment)
Field magnet: $500 to $1,000(to pick up dropped metal items)
Rollers: $250 to $2,000
Maintenance Budget
Seam repairs: $8,000 ($30/linear foot; outside contractor)
Apply crumb Rubber: $5,000
(1 x per year; 20/hrs per application; 10 tons of top dressing at $500 per ton)
Spray field : $216
(4x per year; 3.5 oz rate per 1,000 sq. ft.; 3 hrs each; 12 hrs/year)
Fabric softener: $120 (at $7 per 64 oz. container)
Disinfectant: $100 (at $5 per gallon)
Sweep Field, Parker Sweeper: $1,500 (4x per year; 8 hours each; 32 hrs/year)
Broom: $500
Groomer: $1,500
Hand Pick: $2,800 (3x per week; 1 hr each; 156 hrs/year at $18/hr) -
Paint Field: $1,000 ((2x per year; 30 hrs each; 60 hrs/year; 30-40 gal/yr at $25/gal.)
Total Straight Hourly Cost: $5,040 (field only; 280 hrs at $18/hr; benefits not included)
Total Maintenance Costs
Total supply cost: $6,220
Total equipment cost: $3,500
Total outside contractor repair: $8,000
Total maintenance cost: $22,760
As you can see, this is not cheap.
These figures are from 2005 for Michigan State University's field which doesn't get 300+ uses a year.
Question the Turf Heads about these maintenance costs. Will they tell you that we don't need all of this? How safe will it be if we don't properly maintain it?
Don't let this be another pool fiasco!
10 tons of rubber. That's a lot of STUFF that we are not sure how healthy it is and what happens to it? Do we take it home with us???
Good points, l0:38. And how about figuring in the annual cost that'll go towards the $600,000 replacement cost in 8 - 10 years.
The fake turf committee already said it'll be $78K/year needed to cover replacement.
Anonymous said...
10 tons of rubber. That's a lot of STUFF that we are not sure how healthy it is and what happens to it? Do we take it home with us???
October 28, 2009 2:37 PM
A friend of mine said their son came home from playing football on a turf field and he had all those rubber crumbs stuck all over his uniform thus tracking it into the house.
If the republicans on the council didn't waste $250K we would have enough money to put down the turf and fix the lighting issues.
To those of you telling Tim to stop apologizing:
Tim can't help it - he'll apologize when it isn't his fault because he has Manners.
(Rumor even has it that he carries "My Fault" insurance on his car.)
He's much nicer than I am, I can tell you that.
Having met his parents, I'm pretty sure they had something to do with all of this, especially the manners.
So instead of complaining about young Tim White's over-the-top manners, let's simply tip our hats in the direction of Mr.& Mrs. John White for a job well done.
8:22
You are a moron...
The only thing the Republicans could do is watch as the dems voted 5-4 on everything they wanted. $20,000 for consultants, $50,000 for PMS, 4.4% increase to teachers.
The republicans tried to explain that we have policy in place and it would set a bad precedent to give contracts out without the bidding process. Is that wasting money? Following precedure?
Wake up or you will have 2 more years of ridiculous spending.
Anon8:12. That does not add up. Try again.
Did the Republicans really vote not to listen to Greg F. when he told them the bus contract would come in higher? And what happend $200,000 of tax payer money wasted. Gone. We can't afford this bunch to have control of the entire budget.
"Did the Republicans really vote not to listen to Greg F. when he told them the bus contract would come in higher? And what happend $200,000 of tax payer money wasted. Gone. We can't afford this bunch to have control of the entire budget."
No, that's a diversion tactic. Look up the minutes of the meeting where Florio RECOMMENDED putting the contract out to bid. Remember, the BOE does not go in front of the Town Council but Florio does. While he did share the BOE's recommendation he rebuked it by recommending not waiving the bid.
The problem, politics aside for a moment, is that the BOE (planning) did not start the bid process on time. However, while everyone is busy pointing fingers at each other nobody is trying to solve what caused this. Very poor planning across all parties.
I feel that the democrats are focusing too much on hindsight which is always 20/20. They are not offering any solutions. The Republican candidates are trying to solve the problems. I'm for problem solving, not diversion tactics.
So they solved the problem by wasting $200k, not sure if that is the right kind of problem solving that we need. Easy to walk behind harder to lead.
2:40
Don't you get it yet?
I can tell you're a democrat by the way you can't open your eyes to the truth.
The BOE started the process way too late.
It must be nice to continue to look back and not forward. Did the democrats do anything to get the process moving along quicker?
Did the Budget Chair contact the BOE to tell them they needed to address it sooner?
Hindsight is just a typical democratic strategy while the republicans continue to have foresight. This is the reason they voted against the 4.4% teacher increase, knowing we were headed into difficult economic times.
Tell me, how much did that cost us?
Let's just bottom line it, they were told it would cost more if it went to bid and it did, $200k more. That is not strong decision making. The BOE could do a lot with $200k and the BOE may ask for the money.
You talk about their budgetting do you realize the to proposal had the same mill rate as what was passed? With minor additional spending cuts. Get the fact stright.
The teachers and the BOE already had an agreement when they brought it to the council. Voting against that agreement would be fine, but the abritrators would use that agreement to base the final result and you have very little control over the final outcome and in many cases the towns lose. Worth the risk? The town already had won two out of three years. Who is looking back?
What have the republicans really proposed in the last two years, not much.
Without the majority nothing GETS on the TC agenda. You try and pass something when it's 5 to 4 all the time. How can they say they will represent me?
4:14:
Ok, let's bottom line it. Bottom Line: The bus contract bid process started very late. One could fault Florio or the BOE or both. But the FACT of the matter (if you attended the meetings) is the bidding process never started on time. Sorry, it just is. AND, the BOE surmised going to bid that late in the year may not yield a cheaper contract. However, FLORIO suggested otherwise.
As for asking for the $200K from the Town, tough. If the BOE has the audacity and is pompous enough to steamroll a turf field project through this town that cannot afford it...then the BOE can certainly find $200K in their budget to cover the bus contract. Or, at the very least, go do some fundraising just like what's being done for the turf field. But the BOE should pay for their own mistakes.
The bottom lime is that the BOE surrendered, quit, gave up binding arbitration DURING THE FINANCIAL MELTDOWN and AGREED TO A 4.4% raise for TWO YEARS. That is the bottom line isn't it?
But that's OK because we laid off about 15-20 teachers (mostly through retirement). Next year, 15-20 MORE teachers may actually be laid-off to cover the burgeoning salaries/raises as a result of this contract you are so proud of.
"The town already had won two out of three years."
The problem is the 4.4%. It was, for lack of a better word, WRONG.
"I Give Up!" -> It's what's for breakfast, for the Democrats.
You should give up and get some help.
I have one question, if the Dems only want turf and they have had control for four years and six of the last eight, why have they not done it yet? Why wait? Does that make any sense?
Yes it does make sense....
They may control the council, but they can't pull the other $500K out of their butts.
None of them are that smart!
1:29,
first, the state funds only became available to the town last year. why didn't they push it through this year? because there were enough questions and opposition by citizens.
if the Dems regain a majority, they will ram it through next year. if the Republicans gain a majority, they will demand that hard questions be answered before any decision is made.
Not true, the republicans would rather give the money back to the state than have turf.
3:09 And how do you know that? If you were paying attention there was a resolution brought forward to use the grant towards the locker rooms. The dems voted against doing that. The R's were trying to prioritize the projects by doing what the Superintendent says was the "highest priority" (locker rooms). It's not that the R's would never do the turf field, it's doing what is a "need" not just a "want."
The republicans are anti education do we really need another zero education increase? That is what we would be looking at!
There was never a "ZERO" budget year ever in this Town. Go and check. You will be looking all day. Have fun.
"The republicans are anti education do we really need another zero education increase? That is what we would be looking at!"
What's a zero education increase?!? Doesn't make sense. Are you saying you want to see the education budget increased every year? Why should it be increased?
Republicans are not anti-education, they're pro-education as evidenced by the actions of the current Republicans on the board of education. You may want to check on that and correct your assumptions.
I haven't been keeping up with the blog although I do enjoy reading it and thank Tim for putting this all out there. The first time I heard of the blog postings about DeCaprio was from a Democratic Councilman who came to my door campaigning. And from reading the recent postings, the comments sound like they were deleted pretty quickly. So how come they were made such a hot topic? I wouldn't be surprised if the democrats posted them to make Tim look bad. Well I'm going to check the results and hopefully Tim and more Republicans will be on the new council.
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