With 40B being shown for the dirty rotten deal it really is, it is time to revisit these projects and expose them for what amounted to profit-mongering individuals making a killing and not giving a crap about the LESS FORTUNATE AND THE CHILDREN.

Coming soon, my friend at the Globe, Christine McConville is going to lay out all the dirty details.

Dirty details she discovered while doing research right here in the lovely confines of Methuen, in my dining room!

Let’s start with the Mar-Lin AKA Mills Falls Apartments. First, let me recap what has already transpired. In order for this developer to slam in 97 units, an inordinate amount of variances and special permits had to be granted.

NO PROBLEM JUST SAY THE MAGIC WORDS 40B. It’s like abracadabra!

Now when the Mills Falls Apartment Project was constructed it was to encompass 40% middle to low income, with approximately 10 kids living in the building. Just the other day I happened to be behind a school bus, and witnessed 25 children debark.

According to the Draft 2004 Department of Housing and Community Development CH40B Subsidized Housing Inventory, all 97 units are subsidized.

I have no problem with helping those that are less fortune. What these residents have to put up with because they are less fortune is behavior and conditions that none of us would endure. In fact, the conditions are downright dangerous.

The interior layout of the Mills Falls Housing Project is maze-like. To get to some of the apartments, you have to ride up in the elevator then walk down some stairs to gain access.

Who gets approval for projects as ill thought out as this? The whole idea is to get as many units in as possible, or for that matter as impossible.

Remember, I wrote about it years ago, (“The Toxic Towering Inferno”) the developer was going belly up when the city of Methuen had to arrange for a firefighter to sleep over because the fire override switch used in case of emergency, was in the basement and not on the ground floor as defined and ordered in code regulations.

Sharon M.oney Pollard’s regime was chock full of all these back-room deals; this one so illegal occupancy permits could be issued. Mayor Manzi was a member of that team; remember he sat on old shar’s knee.

The magic Occupancy Permits were done under the tutelage of William (Baby Buck) Buckley.

Just because they were issuing illegal occupancy permits to residents does not mean that they were not genuinely concerned for the less fortunate and the children!

After all they did arrange for a firefighter to sleep over every night in a big ass recliner, with a big ass TV screen to protect the less fortunate and the children!

Behind the scenes the politicos are well aware that if a fire were to occur when the parking lot is full, Methuen’s ladder truck cannot get in the parking lot and deploy the stabilizers, in order to extend the ladder. On the other side of the building exists a waterfall. NOW ADD SNOW!

If you take a cruise by the Mills Falls Apartment, you will notice that there is still a gaping hole in the fence on the upper pond part of the falls, and no fence on the lower plummeting part of the falls. The missing fence has been there for years, in fact since the project was completed. I wrote about it a long time ago; yet nothing has been done.

How come others are plummeted into the ground for having code violations on their property, yet this is a totally subsidized, by our tax dollars building, and yet nothing is done to protect THE LESS FORTUNATE AND THE CHILDREN!

By the way, this gaping hole can be seen daily by Mayor William M. Manzi III, as he gazes out his back window at his liquor store and looks toward Mills Falls Apartment Project.

I suspect that he does not even see this major violation; he can’t get past envisioning the 1.5 million dollar footbridge connecting his liquor store to the housing project.

While Billy is gazing out the window, he needs to move his glance toward the left, down toward Representative Arthur Broadhurst’s building also connected to the 1.5 million dollar footbridge.

It is plain as day, the fence is completely missing from the edge of the parking lot. It would be very easy for one of the LESS FORTUNATE AND THE CHILDREN, to step over the knee-high barrier in place to prevent cars from falling over the edge.

The plummet after stepping over the knee-high barrier is straight about 25 feet into the falls.

We protect the cars, but to hell with the children.

For God sakes, how much more can the public expect?

The politicos and developers are already being damn benevolent, they are slamming in these gargantuan projects, (Pie Hill), exclusively for the LESS FORTUNATE AND THE CHILDREN.

40 B is such a sweet deal, until you read the small print, the print where we the taxpayer/citizens hold them accountable making them pay back above and beyond the 20% profit, which according to the guidelines is the maximum profit allowable. Now that would be some mitigation money!

It would only begin to remedy the havoc these bad projects that have been foisted on us with the miracle of 40B.

Let me list for my loyal readers what these benevolent politicos and developers conceded to the citizens in the final plans for the residents’ safety.

Supposedly decreed in the ZBA final approval of this project included a guard on duty patrolling the parking lot 24 hours.

I have been watching since the first shovel full of dirt was removed from this project. It is in my neighborhood. Not once have I seen anyone patrolling the grounds. Whoever it is, must be keeping a real low profile. Has someone checked that big ass recliner lately?

I spoke with a resident, who by the way got the hell out of dodge. She informed me that almost every morning when leaving for work, someone’s car had been vandalized and could be seen sitting up on blocks.

This person was one of the luxury renters of the building, which had me confused since, according to statistics supplied by the City; the entire building is now section 8.

You don’t think that the management company in charge of the building is duping the State do you? I can tell you they are not plowing when there is snow.

I guess the under-privileged do not complain when their vehicles are vandalized, or if the fire alarm was blaring last New Year’s Eve for two hours.

That would attribute to why this continuous vandalism and other sundries are not listed in the daily police logs.

Maybe, the daily record of advertisement, death, Dear Abby and horoscope has not noticed a pattern of vandalism. Is Jim Patten still on the police beat? Again I ask, has anyone checked the big ass recliner lately?

Did anybody catch several weeks ago, the oxycontin scam that was broken up in No. Andover? The girls resided at the Mills Falls Apartment Project.

Now that we have ascertained how concerned our politicos are and how their partnering developer friends have gone out on a limb and displayed their concern for the LESS FORTUNATE AND THE CHILDREN, let me add the clincher. While the City of Methuen was in the throes of an election, the ZBA approved a microwave-radiating antenna to be installed in the cupola of the Mills Falls Housing Project.

Many of you know that microwave radiating antennas is how I was catapulted into the middle of the stall at Methuen’s town politicos back room deals. That is where it all started about ten years ago.

The ZBA recently outdid themselves and overrode Methuen’s zoning by-law to grant yet another variance and special permit, in addition to the plethora of variances and special permits that had already been granted for the Mills Falls Housing Project, exclusively built for the LESS FORTUNATE AND THE CHILDREN.

This project has literally destroyed whatever semblance the downtown ever had of being a downtown.

Talk about care and concern! The residents of the Mills Falls Housing Project can be assured of Cell Phone Telephone Service anytime, anyplace! I’d even bet under water! As can the firefighters, and the children and their teachers at the daycare across the street from the fire department.

So what if they are going to get irradiated to have this marvelous service. They need to shut up and accept the fact that our politicos know exactly what is best for them. It goes to show you when our politicos and their developer partners team up, they will stop at nothing to ensure a better life for the LESS FORTUNATE AND THE CHILDREN!

Let me reiterate, I AM ALL CHOKED UP!

Where’s Randy?
Many of us read in the daily record of advertisement, death, Dear Abby and horoscope the crash of Methuen telephone system. Immediately what came to my mind was, WHERE’S RANDY? That’s capitan Randy.

Last time I saw a picture of Randy, he was seated behind the computer, and I believe, I voiced my skepticism at the time. I hate to tell you this loyal readers, but I TOLD YOU SO!
Randy needs a nice cushy job, like guarding the inside of the padded cell. He should be able to stay out of trouble in there, and we could all breathe a sigh of relief, knowing his safety ensures ours.

The telephone system that crashed was one of the very last bamboozling acts performed by our nefarious ex-queen.

Word on the street has it that old shar spent a great deal of the PEG access contract money to install the new supper duper telephone system. I would love to know how much it cost. It appears to have been researched by a nincompoop.

I’ll bet it was an old friend of shar’s who sold and installed this nifty equipment, (tin cans and string?). I wonder if it was a deal similar to the track.

It’s called incompetence at all levels. Spending the hard earned tax dollars we supply to run this enterprise on foolish, poorly researched, patronage purchases. An audit would let some light in on this subject. On all these subjects!

Watch for a very special MCTV, channel 22 “It’s All About Right(s)” television show coming soon.

1-2-3 red light. The continuing saga
The council meeting of 3/20/06 was much more subdued than the razzle dazzle red light camera extravaganza of two weeks prior.

The bad boyz were absent, only the badly acting chief and Lt. Havey were front and center, fingers and toes crossed that the council was going to give the high sign, thumbs up to the revenue enhancement scheme cooked up by boyz in their spare time.

Nice try waiting till the last minute, throwing this revised piece of crap Legislation on the councilors desks at the very last second, thinking you could push them to vote in your scheme for revenue enhancement. Think again! Or please just think!

It stinks, and everybody could smell it.

What irks me to no end, is this ongoing waste of time when a public official deems it their job to research something allegedly good for the citizens.

If that is the case, I expect to be briefed on the pro as well as the con. Not just what you want, the pro and the dough!

This was not investigated. Or maybe, then again, it was. After Mayor Billy Manzi III, the chief and his trusty dawwg saw the overwhelming evidence that cameras do not promote safety, but produce a gigantic windfall of revenue, they felt it was better left unsaid the down side of the debate.

Apparently the following statistics were of no importance to the mayor, chief and the dawwg, in preparing their proposal for the council. Don’t confuse me with facts; my mind is already made up.

Virginia DOT Study Shows Cameras Increase Injury Accidents The Virginia Transportation Research Council studied all of the state red light camera programs and found an overall increase in injury accidents.

In Minnesota, Ohio Courts Rule Against Red Light Cameras, Judges in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Steubenville, Ohio both strike down photo enforcement programs as invalid or unconstitutional http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/01/117.asp

“The analysis shows that the number of crashes at locations with cameras more than doubled, from 365 collisions in 1998 to 755 last year. Injury and fatal crashes climbed 81 percent, from 144 such wrecks to 262. Broadside crashes, also known as right-angle or T-bone collisions, rose 30 percent, from 81 to 106 during that time frame” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/03/AR2005100301844.html

If the citizens are going to fund our employees to seek revenue enhancement, our employees better not be wasting precious resources by bogus research.

It appears that the only thing red light cameras are good for is to boost the bottom line of the police department at the expense and safety of the citizens of Methuen.

The council needs to take a real close look at the sly way in which this ordinance was brought forward and how it continues to be surrounded in subterfuge. I expect the councilors to do their own research and vote to uphold the safety of the citizens of Methuen, AFTER ALL, YOU WORK FOR US!

If you need any help with this research, you can contact me at any time, and I will be more than glad to help you.

A special thanks to Peter McQuillan, our solicitor, who raised concern about who will control the monies from this revenue enhancement scheme.

Seems the chief wanted sole control of this money, thank you Peter for telling him NO.

Watch for a very special MCTV, channel 22 “It’s All About Right(s)” television show coming soon.
 

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