Seniors trying to work out arrangement with Legion
By Karen Mann

Space and taxes are two things that are concerning members of the town's Council on Aging.

Members of the group meet with selectmen on Sept. 25 resolving to try to freeze the property tax bills of seniors citizens and to gain more freedom in the step up of the American Legion building.

According to Sue Fisher, the director of the council on aging, there have been problems at the American Legion post on Main Street, where the senior center is housed.

Fisher is concerned because they are not allowed to store medical equipment on the third floor of the building and they cannot put tables with information pamphlets on the first floor. She also said the front door stays open a lot, making the building too cold in the winter.

Commander of the American Legion Tom Maeder said he would like to address these issues with Fisher.

"We have had a good relationship in the past," Maeder said. "I think it is important that we continue that."

Madaer added that because he just became commander in September, he and Fisher had never met before Monday's meeting. Maeder agreed that new guidelines should be discussed, since the current contract being used is over 10 years old.

Selectman John Fairbanks suggested two representatives from each group get together over the next few months to sit down and discuss the concerns they both have.

Selectmen said it is important that seniors are happy in the building, since townspeople pay the utility bills for the American Legion building.

Fisher and Maeder decided to set up a future meeting.

Representatives from the Council on Aging also wanted to discuss putting a senior tax freeze in place. Their proposal calls for freezing taxes for residents 70-years-old and older and who have lived in the town for at least 20 years.

"My income has been frozen since 1987, but my taxes haven't been," said Council on Aging member Neysa Miller.

Town Coordinator Karen Murphy said she discussed the idea with State Rep. Lewis Evangelidis. He said it would be a difficult piece of legislation to pass, and two similar bills brought before the House were never passed. Murphy added it would require a lot of work to put a tax freeze in place.

Seniors did not let this discourage them.

"We need to do something, to let the town know that this is an issue," said Miller. "Let's keep the ball rolling."

Selectmen agreed they would look into it. They asked Murphy to gather the pertinent information and said they would invite Evangelidis to a future meeting to discuss the issue.

Board Chairman Lorraine Emerson said she would like to see how a senior tax freeze would affect the town as a whole.

In Other Business:

 Town treasurer Melody Gallant came before selectmen to ask for money to fund two projects. The first is repairing the bridge on Battles Road; the other is for repaving on Worcester Road, Sargent Road, and Leominster Street.

The total amount of money being borrowed is $395,000, which will be given through inter-fund borrowing. The money is being taken from the stabilization fund. According to Gallant, the account will still have about $700,000. The state will reimburse the town fully, through Chapter 90 funds, after each project is complete.

 Selectmen signed a contract for $15,000 with Cleghorn Oil, Co. to replace the boiler in the public safety building. According to Selectman Thomas O'Toole, two smaller boilers will be used instead of one, so that only one has to be turned on during the summer.

 Tim Sheean was appointed to the Conservation Commission. Sheean said from working at a power plant, he is familiar with land preservation and similar issues.

Selectmen interviewed two other candidates for the second vacancy on the Conservation Commission. Father and son Burt and Robert Gendron both applied for the position.

As part of new guidelines put in place by selectmen, any person applying for a town position must attend a few meetings of that board to determine if they are a good fit. Neither candidate had attended any Conservation Commission meetings yet, so the board waited to make a decision.

Selectmen also interviewed resident Lisa Leblanc for a vacant position on the Capital Planning Board and the Advisory Board. Leblanc must also attend meetings for both boards before selectmen take further action.

-  -

Karen Mann is a 2006 graduate of Emerson College, in Boston, where she studied journalism. She resides in Townsend .