Pare & Harris at Jan 17th 40B Hearing:  'width' is a duplicate attribute name. Line 1, position 37.

June 23rd, 2007: Foreclosures Up Again
Increased Taxes (CPA Surcharges) & Sewer Taxes Won't Make Things Better
 
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40B - More Reasons to Probe West Boylston Land Deals & Developers
February 5th, 2007:When reading these articles, keep in mind of the real estate transfers below - 40B Developer Michal Teague buys Franklin St parcel from Joey Evangelista (whose wife went to prison for bankruptcy fraud) for $850,000 in Decmeber 2006, although 2007 tax assessment is $146,600. Mr. Teague operates two contracting businesses from his church located next to Wal Mart.
 
Michael Staiti has just bought 100 Hartwell St for $440,000. 2006 WB Tax Assessment - $6,783,300. Michael Staiti is proposing a 40B site at 19 Crescent St with his partner, Mr. Andrew Beardsley.  

The following stories about 40B are as follows:  1.5% Land Clause in several communities  - Why wasn't this land clause brought up during last month's 40B meeting with selectmen, the planning board, the ZBA, and the housing authority?
  Inspector General/ Excessive Profits are reported on in this story, and Towns Call For State Oversight in this story.  
 
It should be stated again that Mr. Leon Gaumond, town administrator, was Springfield chairman of his political party (1996-2002) during the time of the public housing scandal in Springfield - ie Ray Asselin. (see Think About It page for details)

Just think about these real estate deals -   

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This Form Will Help 40B Recipients
Dec 7th, 2006:
To help the people moving to West Boylston with thanks from developers like Joe Evangelista & Micheal Teague and their Low Income site on Franklin St, and to help Ibal Ali & Mirajuddin Ahmed (connected to Al Jazeera), and to help Paul Lenkarski with his 40B site on Lancaster St, and whoever builds the 200+ unit 40B site by the Oakdale Nursing Home, this form should help, though it is already attached to their "Public Assistance" application.  Click Here for the Massachusetts 2 page attachmant - together we can! 
 
Crime Statistics in MA. 10% 40B Communities  Top List.
This page has many links to FACTS & STATISTICS regarding Subsidized Housing (40B) and Crime Statistics in MA towns. At quick glance, it is no surprise that the communities that have reached their 10% plateau have the highest crime numbers (rape, burglary, car theft, etc.). They also have the greatest number of illegal aliens. National FOX news recently ran a segment about illegal aliens in MA subsidized housing.

Click here for 2004 Crime Statistics for MA - Once again, the facts prove this website accurate and correct.  A full breakdown of ranking will be available soon. 

Here is an interactive and color coded by community map of related staistics. You can pick the category you want (crime, birth rate, etc), and you can zoom in & out, for greater detail. Again, the same 10% communities are at the top of the list. 

Why do West Boylston officials (planning board, selectmen, etc) want this in WB? What do they gain by allowing West Boylston to become the next town riddled with these problems - problems that non-10% towns don't have.

304 of 351 MA Communities Do NOT Have  40B Housing
This page is dedicated to 40B Housing and examples why the cost of 40B is such an expensive burden on a town. The WB Sewer Tax Project was just the first step in bringing 40B to town - if you don't have sewers, you can't can't reduce (or essentially eliminate) lot size, and you can't change Zoning Laws to accomodate reduced lot sizes, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera . . .

Many MA communities have come up with ways to prevent this burden from entering their town. Blackstone claims there's a historical tree that can't be taken down on Elm St. Another town (near WB) claims there's an endangered turtle that lives on the site. Some may even use historical sites you can't build near. Town officials should be able to do something - we have the Reservoir to protect, according to a website 4 registered historical/ landmark sites, the town symbol - the 'Beaman' Oak Tree.

This page has a list and link to the official state PDF that has all 351 communities listed. Think about the communities listed below that have reached their 10% plateau - and how they make the news most every night on channels 4, 5, 7, and Fox 25 - Fires, Shootings, Stabbings, Gang violence and other violent crimes, illegal aliens, fraud, and drug trafficing. Do town officials really want this - and do they really want to take a chance on being "the one" who voted in these problems? Is this a chance WB can afford to take?

25% of 40B Units Allows Developer to ByPass Zoning Laws
Click Here for the article of  what developers can do.www.02133.org/issue.cfm?=ID103

This allows for the following circumstance if the WB Master Plan is allowed and Selectmen let developers get what they want:
A tiny plot of land across from you or next to you could have newly developed 40B housing. If a 4 unit housing apartment is built and 1 unit is 40B (25%), then the developer can bypass zoning laws. Unbeleivable, I know, but read the article above. 

Is there an end to 40B Housing?  
40B Housing states that a minimun 10% of housing must be for people that earn 80% of median income. When does that end? Once a contractor is allowed by selectmen to put up low income housing, that, by definition has lowered the median income. What is to prevent the contractor (always looking for business) to then come back and say you need 10% of the "new" median income, which will in effect, drop the median income (and home values) even further. What's to prevent it from happening a third or fourth time? There is always 80% of something, and that something will be nickeled and dimed to worthlessness if the selectman allow contractors and developers to move ahead with their Master Plan.

An Example: For whatever reason, the town needs $10,000 of collected taxes. 100 people pay $100 for a total of $10,000. However, when applying 40B housing, 10 of those people would pay 80% of what everyone else pays in taxes. So, it is then 90 people pay $100 and 10 people pay $80, for a total of $9800. Where does the town makeup the $200 shortfall. They make up the tax loss by mandating sewers to collect tax money.
 
Example Using CPA Surcharge: (see News & Updates Page for news item regarding the CPA). Say a "thing a ma jig" costs $100, and goes on sale for $80. That is a 20% reduction of full cost. To increase the cost, you must raise the price 25% to get back to $100. In other words, 20% down is 25% up. Same as 50% of $100 is $50, and a 100% increase to get back to $100. With 40B Housing, as the example above, there is a 2% reduction because of subsidized housing. A 2% reduction equals a 3% raise - which just happens to be the percentage of the CPA surcharge. In other words, the CPA 3% surcharge is an additional tax on taxpayers (already paying 25% more taxes than 40B recipients) to cover the shortfall of revenue for the town. We pay more taxes while they pay less for the same services. Is this fair? Vote against any CPA Surcharge and the Master Plan, or reduce the budget by 2%.  Of course, we will still be paying sewer taxes so we can have 40B in the first place.

An example: Say there is 1 person per acre in town. The planning board wants to rezone and reduce lot sizes, say, as example, allowing duplexes (instead of single family) and reduced lots to 2/3 acre. That means 2 people for the new zoning and lot size, which now equals to 3 people per acre - a 300% increase. The town can then use sewer systems, instead of septic systems, to circumvent lot sizes. The 2006 Master Plan must be stopped and voted against. 

40B & Education - If WB officials  do not know the cost, We will pay the price: 
This example will use round numbers and a rounded down average 2005 WB property tax bill for this example (for the sake of easy math)  
Average  MA cost per pupil is $8,000 per year and average 2005 WB tax bill was $3,600. 

(1) student X $8,000 per year X 13 years (K - grade 12) = $104,000. 

Traditional  percentage of property tax bill for education is 40%.  40% of WB 2005 tax bill is $1,440.

$104,000 divided by $1,440 (single unit/ home tax bill %) per year = 72.2 years.

That means it takes, by the average numbers above, one home 72 years to educate 1 student.

If 40B recipients move in, as they will undoubtedly have children,  and they pay reduced property taxes (80% of non-40B, in some cases 50%), how much will taxes have to increase to educate 1 student. The same situation applies to police/ fire/ DPW/ and all the other services?
How much is "affordable" housing going to cost West Boylston taxpayers?  

40B Housing for Retired WB Residents - an idea that works

March 25th, 2006:Massachusetts document regarding 40B Housing  http://mhp.net/termsheets/40BQA.pdf 

As of January 1, 2006, only 47 of 351 Massachusetts communities, according to the PDF document above, has fully complied with the 1969 law of welfare housing (40B housing). 

40B housing, as the town states, requires new construction for people who earn less than 80% of median income. This law includes families and seniors.

Typically, retired people living on Social Security earn less than 80% of median income. I am confident a number close to 10% of West Boylston residents are retired, collecting Social Security, and thus, earn less than 80% of median income.
 
To comply with the 'newly constructed' aspect of the law (which 304 communities have ignored), have the state pay for new "inlaw" style apartments added onto each retired persons home in WB. 
The benefits are tremendous - 1. we help improve the lives of our own residents, 2. they recieve a home that is more valuable, and 3. the town has complied with the law

Of course, West Boylston could ignore the law like 304 other communities.

39 Central Massachusetts Towns - Only Worcester has met 40B Requirement
Of the 39 communities listed on the PDF document below, only Worcester has complied with the 40B Housing Law. In fact, as of March 1, 2006, West Boylston has more subsidized housing (as a percentage) than 14 other central MA towns. Some towns have ZERO.  
So what is the real reason why our selectmen, planning board, and candidates want 40B (welfare housing) so badly? 

Click here for PDF > www.cmrpc.org/Downloads/MaDHCD_Chapter40B_Units.pdf  

Massachusetts Dept. of Housing 40B State Wide List
Click Here > www.mass.gov/dhcd/ToolKit/shi.pdf

Here are some interseting facts about 40B Housing (Subsidized/ Welfare Housing)
The PDF above is from the Mass. Dept. of Housing and was revised on March 1, 2006.

351 Communities in Massachusetts
Total number of communities at 10%:    47

Total number of communities at 0%:      33

Total number of towns less than WB:     85

Total number of towns equal to WB:        5

Total number of towns 4% or below:     131

Total number of towns 5% or below:     159 

According to the March 1, 2006 report, West Boylston is at 3.3%, with a total number of 81 40B/ low income units. On March 23, 2006, during Candidates Night, it was mentioned that 206/ 207 more units would be built (under the WB Master Plan).
Adding 206 more 40B units - from 81 to 287 is an increase of 254%.

If West Boylston residents approve of the 2006 Master Plan, we will have a 254% increase in 40B/ welfare housing, thus making us only the 48th community of 351 to have reached 10%. The 2006 Master plan also calls for reduction of lot sizes, rezoning, and the practical demolition of Central St to be replaced with shops and housing. 

Think about it - do you want to be in the same category as the other communities that have reached the 10% "requirement"? Some of these communities are: 
 
Boston, Braintree, Brockton, Cambridge, Chelsea, Chicopee, Fall River, Fitchburg, Framingham, Gardner, Holyoke, Hudson, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Marlborough, New Bedford, Northhampton, Revere, Springfield, and Worcester. 

There are other towns, like Amherst and Salem (college towns), and towns on Martha's Vineyard (80% of full value there is still propbably close to a million - far from low income), and a few others scattered around the commonwealth.


Increase in School Population - decrease in income: Who will pay for this?  
This chart is from CHAPA . org. It is interesting to see how there has been a sharp increase in students as compared to overall population growth. It is especially interesting to see West Boylston's Income Rank dropped from 136 to 180. What will a 254% increase in low income cost taxpayers? How much will the town's Master Plan cost taxpayers? Can we afford to take that chance? Vote against the 2006 MP. 


Property Tax Cap for the Retired
Here's an idea - In the spirit of Massachusetts law Prop 2 1/2 and more closely 1978 California law Prop 13, here's my suggestion:
A person shall pay taxes on the assessed value of their property at the time of their retirement for as long as they own the property. It shall be re-assessed for a new property owner if the property is sold.

In my opinion, this seems fair and reasonable, and allows retired people on fixed incomes to keep residing in a town that they have contributed to for, in some cases, decades.

In Summary:
The WB 2006 Master Plan will change the town forever - and not for the better.
First the town mandates a sewer system (of which they can set rates, thinking they can get cute and circumvent Prop 2 1/2). Then they talk about reducing lot sizes - if we have sewers, then why not have smaller lot sizes? Now they want a 254% increase in 40B housing to fill those smaller lot sizes. They also want to "redevelop" Central St to accommodate this wave of new population. 
How much will this cost you, especially since the average tax bill has risen over $700 in just a few years. Can you afford this?   
 
Mixter Building Suddenly Dangerous
This article  has moved 



            West Boylston Master Plan

Worcester T&G, January 18th, 2007:  Matt Colangelo, ZBA, stated "81 of the 2454 units are designated by the state as 'affordable' ."
14 Communities have less 40B than West Boylston, and three communities have Zero percent, so why the big push for low income housing projects in West Boylston - what do town officials gain from this?

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When reading this page, please keep in mind recent Eminent Domain stories  and how developers are working with town officials to take your property (and property rights away) and take control of towns - Can WB residents afford to take that chance?

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        VOTE AGAINST Article 34 - the Master Plan

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Please read homepage for this (my Article). The town does not want this to come to a vote. This will be near the very end of the town meeting. I urge everyone that wishes to remain in their home and can't afford to hookup to stay late and vote for this Article - thousands of your dollars are at stake.

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Incentive Zoning will force WB taxpayers to subsidize housing for town employees.They already have an Early Retirement program, and in some cases town vehicles, do we need to pay for their homes, too? 

This plan would allow 40B housing to flourish in WB, bringing in hundreds of subsidized housing units, including low and very low income. How much will that cost taxpayers? Can you afford a  higher tax burden (up 25% in the last few years) and sewer rates (set by the town, not to mention thousands just to hookup) so town officials can bring in housing projects, and housing for themselves? Please read the "Home Sweet Home" page regarding 40B Housing - this is a must read. 

40B housing - of 351 MA communities, only 47 have complied with the law, 33 towns have ZERO. If 40B is that beneficial, why have 304 towns ignored the law? On the "Home Sweet Home" page, there is a current list of MA communities that have reached the 10% plateau - do you want to be like those other communities?   

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      Why do town officials want to give the Planning Board power to oversee construction? Isn't that the job of the Building Inspector? Why do they want this to happen? Why can't the Building Inspector be allowed to do the job WB taxpayers are paying him to do? There must be a reason. 

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Density Bonus will allow developers to build up to 200% density on current zoning laws. In other words, a developer can build an apartment building in an area the size of your back yard, and as long as some of those units are 40B (low income/ welfare housing), with a "special" permit from the town.

Do you want twice as many people living per lot size than what the current zoning law permits? I don't.

Keep in mind, the Planning Board, who wants to reduce lot sizes, wants to oversee construction according to the Master Plan.
 
And remember - the Sewer Project allows this sort of building to take place - the real reason the town wanted to put in a sewer system.

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Conflict with Other By-laws.This will seemingly supercede all other by-laws that will allow town officials to say "Whatever we want the by-law to be, it will be."  Can you take a chance that this would not be the case?

Think about it - the Planning Board wants to oversee construction (not the Building Inspector), as they want to reduce lot size and bring in hundreds of low income housing units, and the Density provision allows building at 200% density of lot size. Can taxpayers take a chance on passing this?

Severability- You would think that WB town officials have already met with legal counsel that this Master Plan already IS legal and constitutional.

Coming Soon - Review of Mandatory Sewer Hookup Legal Battle . . .      


                              
 

Leon Gaumond Seeks Position in Provincetown
February 18th, 2007: West Boylston town adminisrtator, Mr. Leon Gaumond, is seeking the town manager's position in Provincetown, MA. Click here for the headline on the Town of Provincetown's official web site. The article is under the top headline on the homepage.
In another news report about the interview process, how come there is no mention of Mr. Gaumond being Chairman of his political party in Springfield MA (1996 - 2002)?   

According to the Provincetown website, Mr. Gaumond is one of four finalists. The other three are from Pennsylvania, Florida, and Northbridge, MA.  


                                  BACK to the FUTURE: 1965 Master Plan on think about it page 

February 6th, 2007: 8th Grader Commits Gun Threat at School (think about it page)

February 5th, 2007:     MassachusettsHigh School Graduation Rates -
No Surprise Who Has the Lowest Graduation Rates - the 10% 40B Towns 
(Go to Think About It page)
  
.      Why Isn't 129 Pierce St on the 2006 Tax Assessors List?  
     
Iqbal Ali Blasts Away (November 2006) 
Blasting taking place on watershed - houses shaken in neighborhood during blasting
 
Even if you pass Title 5, the Board of Health thinks you're still a threat to the environment, so we have mandatory hookup, yet Ali & Ahmed are given a permit to use explosives to blast on top of reservoir watershed - as they must think that is not a threat. 
Click for  Mandatory Hookup Legal Review.

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November 4th, 2006:Police Chief Essentially Solicited by Gay Man During Interview about being Solicited by Gay Man.
Oakdale Events Reported on Channel 4, Channel 5, Channel 7, NECN, and FOX 25
News & Updates page UPDATE: Nov7th -
                CBS Boston Channel 4 Video     WHDH Boston Channel 7 Story 
                                    
Halloween, 2006: Gang Threat in Salem (13% 40B) and Most Dangerous Cities
Click Here for Salem article and Springfield (17.3% 40B) Most Dangerous (drag & drop for video)

Nov 2nd 2006 on Channel 5 (WCVB) 11PM News - Sex Offenders Allowed to Change Names
         How does Selectman Phillips Sex Offender Registry deal with this? 
 
October 17th, 2006: Increase Spending, Decrease Lot Size
  Click Here for Town Meeting Review     MA Public Records website

September 6, 2006: Fire Chief and Building Inspector Resign On Same Day 

September 5, 2006:  Iqbal Ali & Afra Terrace  
The town has stated - and quoted in the Worcester T&G - that 6 single family homes were originally planned, but this document states the original application was for 64 units. Please compare the  two links (T&G story and the application document) 

Jason Talerman, town counsel, I'm confident, is only representing WB by the 'facts' he was given, so the question is - who told Mr. Talerman that the original project was for 6 units when the town knew full well 64 were in the application. I hope there is a simple answer to this conflict of stories, because the way it looks now, is that WB officials were using their own lawyer to give the appearance the developer was pushing his way onto the town. Remember, the Planning Board and town officials, not a developer, approved of over-hauling zoning laws this year.

July 17th, 2006: NOTE: I would like to take this time and respond to those who have posted critical messages on the blog section of this website. I have enough faith in my views to publish this website and put my name on it. For those of you that have posted critical messages, I wish you had enough faith in your views and comments to leave your name, as well.

Why am I so confident about the content of this website? For one thing, not one critical message on the blog (or personal email) has even tried to refute any of the facts on this site. That alone must say something.  

Due to my background, I have learned that precision is necessary. Having two engineering degrees (BSME and BSIE), and having helped develop and sell communications equipment for NASA and the HAWK Missile System, and having developed an aviation standard (headset) - which is still an industry standard nearly 35 years after it's development, and having run my own business since 1978 (sound, video, and electronics), computers have played a vital role. Thus, maintaining a simple website is probably one of the least technical ventures I have taken on, as the content of this site is for the informational needs of West Boylston residents.     

WB Pastor to Build 40B for Parishioners (WB Banner 6/8/06)
 Within 24 hours of this update, Mr. Teague's Two Contracting Business Websites Were Removed from the Web. Fortunately, we have copies of his contact pages as proof.    
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June 3, 2006: Gang Violence & 10% 40B Communities
Communities with sewers and that have reached their 10% 40B plateaus,  also have the highest rates of car theft, arson, violent crime, murder, etc, along with illegal aliens - as reported by FOX News in the link below. These same communities also attract gangs, such as MS-13.  Click here and scroll down to the 5th picture (Darlene Squires of Somerville) to see what the magnet of 40B housing did to her family. Her example is part of a near endless list. 

Note: Somerville is "only" 9.6% 40B, but the surrounding communities are Boston (19.3%), Cambridge (15.8%), Malden (11.7%), and Revere (10.5%). All figures from March 2006. 

It is no surprise that MS-13 are in the communities mentioned in this link (ie Lynn) are also 10% 40B and have sewers. Why mention this stuff on a town website? Because the West Boylston Planning Board and other town officials are increasing the number of 40B units to 10% - as this plan is spring-boarded via the sewer system. These links and articles are here to show what West Boylston will get and become as we attain our 10% plateau. WB officials are not ignorant people, so why do they want this in West Boylston - what do they have to gain from this? This question includes contractors and town inspectors (see Corruption page). It's the arrogance and corruptness of town officials, esp in WB, that are causing residents to flee Massachusetts.  
 
More Information
Click Here for In-Depth Information regarding more facts about probable 40B recipients. This is based on the 2000 Census, so figures will be much higher in 2006.   
 
May 31, 2006
FOX NEWS REPORT: Illegal Aliens in 40B Housing. Should WB Town Officials Comply with Federal Law? 
As reported on FOX News, May 30 2006, the 40B Subsidized Housing portion of this site was proven true. Click here for the FOX Report. Though MA has a 'Don't tell, don't ask policy', Federal Law says otherwise. For the sake of the town, WB officials should comply with federal law to keep illegal alien criminals from living in 40B subsidized housing - paid for by taxpayers. 

Please go to the interactive "Non Citizen" map on the Think About It page, for the facts that prove FOX News correct and validates this website 
 
This link has expired, but I have a copy on DVD.  
 
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Article from West Boylston Banner - Issue May 11, 2006
(portion shown is section of article pertaining to Article 36) 

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This is precisely why the Mandatory Sewer Hookup is going to drive taxpayers out of town and drive property values down - because whatever money the town "needs", they can confiscate it, not through "taxes", but from sewer rates.