OAT Onset All Together

 Not a lot of truth out there about anything to do with this town-owned property. The Boys and Girls Club of New Bedford claims they broke the lease because of the poor condition of the school. There's a lot that needs to be done there, the town has let it go to ruin. The playground is unsafe and I've made numerous complaints about it. Yet as a town-owned facility it must be put to highest and best use by public processes. Instead, Derek Sullivan made a side deal giving the Wareham Tigers Athletic Association rent-free use of the same interior areas as the club. There was no bidding process. The WTAA is supposed to pay some unspecified amount of utilities but as of the date of a recent FOIA request had not paid a dime.  Here are a number of documents related to this deal BGC New Bedford and RFP, deeds https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EMdnErnwGFqme0JAiLcEXkXs-Win61Ib/view?usp=drivesdk License for WTAA  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qUdYwkrBMAozBeY7_gdENqqR8lSJW5Th/view?...

 ONSET, MA: On July 31, 2021 , in Onset and Greenfield, MA rallies will be held to highlight the environmental injustice of clear-cutting forest for land-based industrial solar arrays.  The event will bring attention to the thousands of acres of mature forest destroyed in a rush to realize cash benefits from the state's misguided renewable energy incentives.   Onset VFW, Gibbs Ball Field Rd, Onset, MA  1-4 PM Fearing Hill Forest is slated for destruction. Sign the Petition! We demand a moratorium on solar subsidies and approvals unless they meet these standards : On rooftops or existing infrastructureIf ground-mounted: limited to 5 acres or less and land not cleared within the last five years, and no impact on :                 • Biodiversity including plants and animals listed under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act,                 • Forests, protected open space or agricult...

 When an employee moves to management they generally understand the change from an hourly wage to salary and benefit packages. Onset Fire decided to award two management employees nearly $50,000.00 in additional compensation. The annual meeting did not approve this.  OT calculation https://docs.google.com/file/d/1lkOssSe-bASm0IVX8HlEjH-lQgOS_fwX/edit?usp=docslist_api&filetype=msexcel Contract  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NbuRB0onRAN7mHMgs62i3iY6bYwOxIXb/view?usp=drivesdk District response  https://docs.google.com/file/d/1fMVk-G0rQ3DoDrt9jr3fAetSqjEmFz4w/edit?usp=docslist_api&filetype=msword

 Despite my many requests for dates, the warrant closed. The ratepayers have a RIGHT to insert warrant articles! Onset, when will you have had enough? 2021 Warrant

 Mr. Slavin did not file any required paperwork with the town since 2018 and Ms. Whiteside appears to have a discrepancy. Campaign Finance from Town Thank you for your recent email.  We will review the information that you forwarded to us shortly.   Please understand that we will not inform you of what actions we are taking regarding this information until we have completed our review.  Our procedures require strict confidentiality to preserve your legitimate privacy concerns as well as the privacy of others and to maintain our effectiveness as an investigatory agency.  We may, however, contact you during our review and you should not hesitate to contact us if you have additional information.   We appreciate your interest in the campaign finance law.       Thanks,     Michael J. Joyce Financial Investigator & Public Finance Administrator Massachusetts Office of Campaign & Political Finance One Ashburton Place Boston, MA...

  The "data" accepted and repeated by the Wareham Selectmen, Finance Committee and Planning Board was built on a house of cards. VOTE NO on April 10 Noon, Spillane Field You must be present to vote! REPORT ON WAREHAM RE-ZONING PLAN BY NOTOS GROUP Frederic B. Jennings, Jr., Ph.D. 30 March 2021  Executive Summary of Findings and Opinions  EconoLogistics was retained in March 2021 to examine and evaluate the NOTOS Group’s re-zoning proposal  of ecologically sensitive land in northeastern Wareham, MA from R-130 to a Hospitality, Recreational and  Entertainment Overlay District (HREOD). This proposed business development project is based on a claim that  current zoning and COVID-19 will unduly burden Wareham municipal budgets on a perpetual long-term basis.  A set of studies by FXM Associates has raised concerns for Wareham’s fiscal resilience, supporting this re-zoning  plan as a business solution. The present report examines this argument and the eco...

  Onset Water Commissioners Question Re-Zoning

Onset has lost a true warrior. Marilyn Knowlton reached out shortly after I moved to Onset over four years ago when she recognized that I shared her indignation about actions that I instinctively knew were wrong. Marilyn knew exactly what was right and wrong, and why. She and Marie Strawn entrusted me with their knowledge and historical treasure trove, and spent many hours educating me and others so that the next generation will know how and why to protect Onset from our own town government and outside forces.    Marilyn Knowlton and Marie Strawn Educate the Public on Onset Parking In my book, there is no better legacy than to be remembered as an activist. Activists are by definition people of action who always face repercussions for their outspoken defense of what they believe in. That was Marilyn, a true activist and advocate. When it became necessary to take legal action in 2018 against the town with respect to the lease of Onset's beach, bluffs and ...

You be the judge. This is my own transcription of the audio supplied by the District in response to a FOIA request. You may be surprised by what you hear. Audio of Meeting 3 minutes long April 9, 2020 No Roll Call taken. Frank Kowzik is the only Water Commissioner when the meeting opens so the Water Commissioners did not convene. Lisa Morales joined the meeting at 4:59. Pamela Pike calls the Prudential Committee meeting at 5:00 PM. “There will be no public participation the agenda is limited to um, I will entertain a motion to close the warrant and nomination papers deadline.” Charles Kleubler (?) “I make a motion to close the warrant and nomination papers deadline.” Frank Kowzic (?) and unidentified female: Second. [ Kowzic is not on the Prudential Committee and the Fire Commissioners meeting did not convene.] Marcine Fernandes (?) In the background, “All in favor?” (not the chairman) Pamela Pike: “Do we have a second from the Prudential Committee?...

Fire districts review 2019 by the numbers Jan 7, 2020  https://wareham.theweektoday.com/article/fire-districts-review-2019-numbers/45776   Both fire districts in Wareham took a statistical look at 2019. The Wareham Fire Department logged 3,495 calls and wrote 2,594 incident reports. Among those calls, 19 were for marine incidents. The district responded to 32 motor vehicle fires and 35 reported structural fires. Medical calls also took up much of the district’s time, as crews responded to 1,327 reported medical emergencies. While Onset’s Fire District did not release detailed information about the year, they responded to a total of 1,475 calls for service. That number is down 9 percent from 2018’s total of 1,621 calls.

The Town of Wareham commissioned a study to be done to inventory all properties and parcels within a defined area of the town. This study was completed by JM Goldson Community Preservation and Planning in conjunction with Silva Engineering Associates , and took place in the latter half of 2018. The purpose was to determine eligibility for block grant funding under MGL c.121A and c.121B. The results are similar if not identical to prior surveys. In this study, 762 properties were included, 694 of which contained buildings. Twenty-eight percent of the area studied meet the criteria including physical deterioration, abandonment, chronic high vacancy rates, environmental contamination, and/or significant decline in property values. Eighty-six percent of the Village's infrastructure components are in fair or poor condition and contributing to slum and blight conditions. These include water, sewer, drainage, utilities, roadways and sidewalks. The take aways from this include the ...

Snow emergency info: https://www.wareham.ma.us/home/urgent-alerts/parking-ban-no-parking-when-snow-3-or-more " During the hours of 7:45 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. the snow or weather emergency parking ban shall not apply to Main Street, from Chapel to the Tobey Homestead in the Wareham Village District, and Onset Avenue, from West Central to the Town Pier in the Onset Village District." Onset Fire and Water agendas for December 11, 2019 are not yet posted. Note in the previous minutes that they are negotiating with Howard Anderson . Back for another bite at the taxpayers' apple? Mrs. Fernandes told him they "weren't saying no" to increasing his pension. Minutes of the By-Laws Committee reveal an impending change in the entire governance structure. Please pay attention to this now, not only when it is presented as a "done deal" in May . http://static.wpb.tam.us.siteprotect.com/var/m_4/44/446/47238/846296-Sept_2019-6512b.pdf How much ...

After an absence and hoping someone else would step up and do it, I went to the combined Onset Fire, Water and Fire Station Building Committee Meeting today. The meeting was posted for 4:30 PM back on September 19th. As I arrived at 4:50 after making the school run and finding the three Prudential Committee members and their paid recording secretary in conversation and signing paperwork, I assumed that I was late and did not interrupt to announce filming. I didn't bring my camera and tripod because I was late. I was very surprised when Fire Chief Goodwin arrived at 5:00 PM and they announced they would open the meeting. What? Hadn't it opened at 4:30? No. They were " socializing said the Chair Pamela Pike," one of them on the clock. That must have been what was happening when Melissa Goodell described Pamela Pike as a "cougar" referring to her younger male partner. There had been a Water Commissioners meeting scheduled for yesterday , September 25th...

A Freedom of Information Act request was required to obtain these public minutes. I believe this in itself is wrong.  Onset Water does not publish agendas not minutes online on their website . View the minutes here. Some highlights: Per the minutes, Chairman Hughes attended 11 meetings in 2018, Commissioner Kowzic attended 12, Commissioner Fontes attended 9. According to the minutes, often decisions were made without motion nor voting. Someone filed a complaint with the state regarding the minutes not being up to "standards." This does not appear to have resolved the problem. Personnel matters were discussed in open session, regarding hiring and performance. A vote as taken to acquire a credit card for the water department but not for what purpose nor for whom. A bid was awarded with discussion of other bids. A $250,000 "buffer" was built into the warrant (Nov. 16, 2018) There was a "gentleman's agreement" regarding police details...

It's that time of year when we try to understand what Onset Fire and Water Districts are spending. One elected official receiving family medical, dental and "Boston Mutual" costs the rate payers, us, $ 27,792.00. Let that sink in for a minute. This year, 4 Prudential Committee members and Water Commissioners received Blue Cross. 5 received Dental. And 4 received something called Boston Mutual, which is 25% of all those who received this benefit. However, this District will not reveal how much we spent on these elected officials.  Retirees include both actual employees and past elected officials. As has been the case in the past two years, they spent a great deal of money trying not to answer questions. Here's there response to a FOIA request http://bit.ly/2E75fJt . There's a link to their data on the website http://bit.ly/2E6T9QM The District further claims not to know how much they are paying for each job title, even though they...

Please take our survey, and email us at onsetalltogether at gmail dot com to volunteer or submit questions. Please Participate in our Survey Thank you!

Join neighbors at the Spinney Library on February 1, 2019, from 4:45-5:45 to set the agenda for 2019.

The Plaintiffs in the case against the Buzzards Bay Coalition, the Town of Wareham and David Warr, filed in Plymouth County Superior Court in October, have withdrawn the complaint.  After extensive discussions between the parties' counsels, the town retains their prior rights to the area including Onset Beach, the bluffs and Bay View Park.  A new document filed with the Plymouth County Registry of Deeds creates two new zones for establishing responsibilities and rights including a prohibition on construction of any additional structures. The leased area is now the existing bath house concrete pad, with the Coalition responsible for construction and upkeep of the new facility, landscaping and hardscaping. The suit encompassed larger issues, such as the granting of Community Preservation Act Funds and the process used at town meeting to lease out the properties, included in the Supreme Judicial Court decision of 1916. This decision expressly prohibits the sale or leas...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ONSET, MA October 28, 2018 Contact: Philip Schreffler, Esq. Eno, Martin, Donahue LLP, Lowell, MA 978-452-8902 dmartin@enomartin.com general mailbox TAXPAYERS SUE TO PROTECT PARKLAND AND THEIR RIGHTS Taxpayers in the Town of Wareham have filed a lawsuit in Plymouth County Superior Court to protect parkland in Onset decreed forever open and accessible to the public in a 1916 court decision and to stop the demolition of the coastal bluffs. The taxpayers seek an injunction as the Buzzards Bay Corporation imminent demolition of the building and the coastal bluffs. The lawsuit is over the town’s 99-year lease with the Buzzards Bay Coalition. The suit was filed against the town, the Coalition and David Warr, a Wareham resident who claimed an inherited right to assent to the lease. The plaintiffs support the proposed Onset Bay Center, to be located at the site of the current bathhouse sitting on Onset Beach. For the past few years, th...