Left In Lowell

Tuesday Open Thread

18 Responses to “Tuesday Open Thread”

1. Paige Says:
   March 11th, 2008 at 4:13 pm

   Hey Lynne! A Lowell resident will be on the City Council agenda tonight expressing concerns about the proposed power plant in North Billerica, and the impacts to Lowell. Just learned of this. The meeting is at 6:30PM so you could catch it on cable access. So great to see people taking a stand for things they believe in!

2. Eleanor Rigby Says:
   March 11th, 2008 at 6:36 pm

   Nothing in the paper, at least the on line version, about our Sen Pangy trying to sneak through a pay raise for 3 state lawmakers, then when it got caught in the house when the acting speaker tried to add a 4th person to the gravy train his backers spun it as righting a wrong!

   Golly, could the paper have missed it?

   Keeping in mind legislative pay raises are now part of the state constitiution and can’t be overturned by voters, it takes greed to a new level!

3. pablo Says:
   March 11th, 2008 at 7:31 pm

   It was a beautiful day. When I left the beloved Leo Roy parking garage on Market Street, the sun was still shining and the cold had subsided to a mere chill.

   I love Daylight Saving Time!

4. Lowellian Says:
   March 11th, 2008 at 7:48 pm

   Anybody else do the Kerouac B-Day thing. The exhibit on Jackson St or the readings on Market St?

5. kpem Says:
   March 11th, 2008 at 8:05 pm

   I learned today that all private schools in Lowell will always be bused anywhere in the city unless the Mass Law is changed or unless we eliminate city wide schools. I have begun to think the more possible change is the change in zoning. (A bus should not have to cross a bridge and sit in traffic idling.) It just seems so silly to pay so much money for children to be bused cross city, that parents can choose a school further away so their child will not be walkers, and that we are taking away a sense of community in the neighborhood schools.

6. K-R-S Says:
   March 11th, 2008 at 8:18 pm

   kpem- I’ve been telling you all along that city wide bussing for private schools has to do with “centralized enrollment”, which is exactly what you are referring.
   I like the neighborhood schooling.
   Unfortunately, that went by the wayside with a little issue called desgregation. Perhaps now that most schools, if not all, are equal (in terms of infrastructure & funding) we could move back to neighborhood schools.

7. kpem Says:
   March 11th, 2008 at 8:50 pm

   yep KRS that would make alot of us happy (again, I am not happy that private schools do not provide special ed and get public funds, and we would love to see parents like you in public pta rather than lose a student in the budget) I think times have changed in this city and if you look at the demographics map of Lowell the neighborhoods are fairly diverse now to begin with. This would also stop the private schools and public schools from busing from Belvediere to Pawtucketville and vice versa and money could go to public schools arts, music, math programs. I have always been aware of centralized enrollment and had already contacted all senators, councelors, school commitee, congress women, Boston Globe, Lowell Sun, and the ACLU. This is a very political issue at this time and I believe you will see this much more about this in the near future: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/02/29/busing_for_private_pupils_scrutinized/

8. K-R-S Says:
   March 11th, 2008 at 9:10 pm

   That article is very interesting and particularly relevant to your assertions!
   I have to thank you, as up until recently, I thought a portion of the high cost of tuition had to do with actually paying for bussing.
   Don’t get me wrong, bussing at the ungodly hour of 7:04am is a blessing ( workwise), but it doesn’t faze me.
   If we had to drive the kiddies to school, which I was doing up until last year. It allows me that extra couple of minutes in the day w/ my girls!

9. kpem Says:
   March 11th, 2008 at 9:35 pm

   Well I guess the truth of the matter is that it is not a big deal to bus a private school child in Pawtucketville to SJA, or centerville to St. Louis. What really needs to be addressed is that because we have city wide schools in the far corners of the city we need to offer busing to everyone, everywhere. (Many parents choose schoools further away so they qualify for busing) I see the SJA uniforms getting on a bus in Belvediere and South Lowell and it just bugs me. (St Margerets is on this side of the bridge at least) We need to save money for the public schools and eliminating city wide zones would do it.

10. kpem Says:
    March 11th, 2008 at 10:23 pm

    Paige,
    I hope you do not mind this question. What is the animosity shown by Ed of Billerica watchers all about? Do you have knowledge of what intervener status means? The Billerica Watchers group left brochures on all our doors in Lowell last weekend I am curious about how we can really stop this thing now that we know about it. This annoys me again about the city I live in did not show public disapproval for this project as Chelmsford and Tewksbury did.

11. Paige Says:
    March 12th, 2008 at 7:32 am

    Hi kpem,

    We delivered hundreds of yellow, tri-fold brochures with a white meeting notice stapled to it- is that what you received? We are not the Billerica Watchers.

    The intervener status means that only the party with that designation can respond/rebut at the state level in the courts and at the EFSB (energy facilities siting board), prior to the public comment period. They have petitioned for the right to “intervene” on behalf of their interest, or in this case, on behalf of several parties that chose to have BW represent them.

    Certainly anyone who is concerned about the plant is free to oppose it. BW has legal standing to oppose it at the state level, and they have done a good job. However, other citizens (those putting out the flyers, NOT the BW)are also concerned. People from Lowell, Chelmsford and Tewksbury are working on the ground to get information into the hands of Lowell residents and officials. Through outreach to the community, we are letting people know about this project and how they can contact their community leaders. Contrary to the assertions of some, many people do not know about this project. Many people don’t read the papers. Many people are not online. We’ve met hundreds of people who have never heard of this thing, and they live right down the road from the site! People deserve to know what may be coming,and using publicly available data, they can come to an info session and listen and then form their own opinions.

    A terrific example of action is the two women that went in front of the City Council last night! They are not part of any group. They are just worried about the plant, and urged the City Council to mirror the actions of the Tewksbury and Chelmsford Selectmen and oppose the plant.

    I would urge anyone interested to attend the information session on March 19, 2008 at the Sacred Heart School at 7PM. Local officials and legislators will be in attendance. There is no “group” to join. It is a presentation by concerned citizens. www.BillericaPowerPlant.org

12. kpem Says:
    March 12th, 2008 at 1:15 pm

    Paige,
    Sorry about that. I thought Billericapowerplant.org was part of Billerica watchers. I did receive the notice from the Power plant about a year and a half ago as I am the first house in Lowell from the Plant location. I went on to Billerica watchers site and signed up immediately and unfortunately I got bombarded with emails that I could not even understand. I guess the only thing that interests me is private studies(who did them and what did they say). I am not anti energy as long as the statistics are there to show it wont hurt my kids, but I do not understand why this is in such a resedential area. I can not even pull out from Commonwealth on to Woburn Street in the Am and Pm with the Train station traffic, Baker etc.. I emailed the city of Lowell a long time ago to ask why there were no stipulations put in place for a traffic light to be installed by Montgomery at the 495 intersection (maybe the light break would give me 2 minutes to pull out of my street) and no one ever responded (If this were a Home Depot we would have new lights, sidewalks etc…) That off ramp can not handle additional traffic as I believe it is one of very few without a light at the bottom.

13. Prince Charming Says:
    March 12th, 2008 at 2:31 pm

    Kpem, when you see those kids in uniforms getting on the public schoolbus, thank their parents. Those parents are doing the public schools a big favor by paying taxes and not receiving services in return. A ride on a bus is a small price to pay.

14. kpem Says:
    March 12th, 2008 at 4:32 pm

    Prince Charming,
    If the private school parents became public school parents the whole system would be better for it. I bet there would be changes quick in the system if people like Mr K and Mr Elliot were part of the PTA. There is a much less expensive alternative for these parents- public school.

15. Prince Charming Says:
    March 12th, 2008 at 4:46 pm

    I would prefer not to get into a pissing contest about public vs. private. Let’s save that for another date.

16. kpem Says:
    March 12th, 2008 at 5:04 pm

    I have zero issues with private schools I think they are a great alternative to the failing public schools. My only issue is do you just take more and more money out of the public schools and expect different results. I would be 100% for school vouchers if the private schools serviced children with disabilities.

17. Josh Says:
    March 13th, 2008 at 10:36 am

    Awww, I love a good pissing contest about public vs. private!

18. kpem Says:
    March 13th, 2008 at 12:56 pm

    You can’t take your 401K money out of social security or call medicaid and ask them to pay your pediatrician copayment. I honestly think it is hipocritical to say that you are for centralized government (ie. universal single payer, but for private school funding that is different? You can’t fight for a system to help the majority if when you feel it is broken you back out for the “good” of your child. (well you can if you are wealthy and use your own $$) My private health insurance is a heck of alot better for my kids then any government program could give me, but I would go along and not expect something in return if it meant covering all the uninsured. (kind of like what the public schools do for kids that can’t afford private) If it is broken then lets open vouchers to all and make the private schools open their doors to my visually impaired child. I am not trying to get into a pissing fight here but your viewpoint changes alot when you really need public school services and they are limited.

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