Access to the future

CAM project.

2012-02-22T10:41:00.002-05:00

During the tour of the election polling places, we began to discuss shortcomings for accessibility. We have been looking for a single project to begin our CAM (Community Access Monitor) program. Well..we found one. Our first CAM project will be at the DYAA fields and buildings. We found many problems that need addressing. From a lack of parking spots to uneven concrete walkways to ramps that are out of code. As certified Community Access Monitors we will survey all aspects of the property and then with funding from our initial startup will correct these problems.

Spring is coming

2012-02-22T10:35:00.002-05:00

Well..spring is coming. During the winter our activities slow slightly..we still have our monthly meetings but they are mainly planning and updates of ongoing work. Last Saturday we (the DDAC) drove around surveying all the polling places. We checked certain things such as the number of handicapped spots, overgrowth that needs trimming and access in general. We discovered the facilities to generally be in very good shape in need of only minor adjustments to allow ALL dartmouth citizens to participate in their fundamental right to vote. We will be working with the clerk's office until election day and then the day of the election to assure a smooth experience for all disabled voters.

St Julie's...again

2011-11-11T08:07:00.003-05:00

new year, same problem. If your unfamiliar with the rants of the past, My 12 year olds attend Monday night religious class at St Julie's once or twice a month here in Dartmouth. Well for as long as they have attended classes there or at Bishop Stang, people have taken the disabled spots who are far from disabled. no placards, no license plate, no intelligence. They park under the guise of picking up their kids "so they'll only be a few minutes" well this past Monday night it started all over again. My son went to pick them up since I am currently pursuing a degree and have class Monday nights.He returned with the same look I usually have. He told me, the ramps were blocked..the loading area had a car parked in it..the spaces the parish had set aside (especially for my daughter since they apparently don't want to upset their parishioners by telling them to move) the cones were tossed to the side and the spots were taken forcing my son to park a much farther distance than any of the able bodied students parents and forcing my daughter to negotiate a parking lot full of moving vehicles at night. This is so beyond unacceptable that the time for patience is over. For over a year I as well as fellow commission members have spoken with the parish and have been met with almost total inaction. I dont see how telling the 7th graders not to park in the designated spots does any good at all for anyone except for the parish to enable them to shrug their shoulders and say "we did all we could do"...but after the incredibly insensitive acts I saw there in the past year or two regarding my daughter with a specific priest who is no longer there( which caused my sons to stop being alter servers) im not surprised that was their "action". So...I have given him the number to DPD and told him if the situation is the same next time..park the van to block in as many as those "people" as possible and call the police. As I said the time for polite conversation is over. Its time to do something. Something to benefit the disabled from uncaring or unaware people. This is almost 2012..the ADA is almost 22 years old..this shouldn't be necessary...but it is.

Town meeting results...

2011-10-19T22:14:00.001-04:00

Question 10 passed without question.

The CPA line item for 900,000 to improve ADA accessibility also passed without any real question. The entire list was held up by two DPW items. After some reading..the items passed o the initial vote.

Fall town meeting question 10.

2011-10-16T21:43:00.001-04:00

questions regarding changes to statutes regarding handicapped parking. Just vote yes!

CAM program

2011-10-16T21:35:00.002-04:00

Since we on the commission have finished our certifications , we have begun a community access monitor program. At one of my sons football games I received a verbal complaint regarding a local daycare that removed its handicapped parking spots with the explanation of "the lots too small to require them". They are wrong. Well a quick trip to Google satellite and I surveyed the photos of the daycare in question. This led to a Sunday visit with a camera and tape measure. This is what I found..they had indeed removed the signage from the spots and all signage designating handicapped parking of any kind. The spots were wrong initially anyway with no van lane between them as required. Across the street at the other site..there was no signage and the van space was far too small. A letter from our commission is currently being drafted. We do have some alternatives if our findings are ignored.

School department partnership news

2011-09-27T19:50:00.002-04:00

We will be meeting in October with the superintendent and school business manager after town meeting to prioritize and assist the school dept in improving accessibility during the upcoming school year and years to come. Using the suggestions learned from our conference we will be approaching the problems facing the schools slightly differently than we had in the past. Instead of concentrating on one project at a time we hope to create a plan that implements changes in stages for ALL facilities instead of just one glaring need at a time as we had in the past. I'll keep you posted.

Certification completed

2011-09-27T19:44:00.002-04:00

Today (9/27) we (the DDAC)completed our training to be certified community access monitors. This knowledge will allow us to help the schools, towns and business to create better access for everyone. To help identify, prioritize and find resolutions to access problems in Dartmouth. To make businesses aware of the benefits of access such as increased business and tax breaks for the cost of the work performed. A thanks to the MOD for inviting us.

First school dept project completed

2011-09-05T18:41:00.001-04:00

The DDAC and Dartmouth School Dept are happy to announce a partnership and the completion of their first project The partnership is an agreement between the school dept and the disability commission to work together in improving the accessibility of the Dartmouth school system and administration buildings. After some discussions within the DDAC, Chairman Phil Lenz met with new superintendent Ana Riley over a period of a few weeks early in July and reached an agreement. "This partnership is great because universal accessibility is so important for all people. Starting at the education level, on an administration building, sends a message of "welcome all" rather than "welcome only those who can make it up the stairs". It is definitely a continuing step toward instilling the importance of inclusion in our community, beginning with our youth" stated Commission member Kathleen Amaral. "I am hopeful that this partnership will be the first in a long line of collaborations with other town departments to improve access town wide" said School Committee and DDAC member Meagan Monteiro. The first collaboration called for the construction of a ramp for the School Administration building housed in the former Padanaram school that was constructed in 1903. “For 108 years this building has been inaccessible to students and their parents as well as employees of the Dartmouth school system if they were physically challenged. Now going forward, no one, either student, parent, grandparent or employee (present or future), will be barred from entry, and to echo Mrs Amaral's sentiments the message is finally and will forever be welcome all" said DDAC chairman Phil Lenz.

New school year safety

2011-08-31T06:47:00.000-04:00

The summer is winding down and soon another school year will be upon us. Scenes we are all familiar with will soon abound: children with new backpacks and new clothes waiting at bus stops ready to ride off to new learning adventures with their friends, children reuniting with friends they haven't seen in a few months and acting as if it were only a few days, and of course, riding the big yellow school bus. For millions of kids over the years it has become a rite of passage. They have made the journey from small child to "big boy or girl". We all sense the fear and pride that they feel about being old enough for school. As much as we try to protect them, once they are aboard the BUS...they are on their own. What can we do? Follow some simple rules that increase the safety and security of OUR children.

First, don't tailgate the bus. It clearly states on every yellow bus no closer than 100 feet. Yet every bus is followed (usually very closely) by drivers eager for the chance to pass. If you are that close you can’t see around the Bus so you might as well wait the few minutes and next time re-arrange your route to avoid the bus at that time.
The other thing which is even more important is do not pass a stopped bus when the lights are flashing. It might surprise people to know the yellow school buses aren't the only school buses that transport children. A significant number of children ride in white vans. These vans have the required flashing lights and proper labeling of School Bus. According to Mass General law these are legally classified as school buses and all the regulations regarding driver actions apply. I know from many years' observation and discussions with other parents of children who require special education, that very few, if any people stop for these vehicles. The fact that they don't know they need to stop is what we are trying to remedy. You will see a flyer come home with your child at the beginning of school and through the cooperation of the chronicle will appear in the paper to remind people that if a vehicle has the flashing lights and says school bus, you need to stop.

Thank you and remember for everyone’s safety be an alert and courteous driver.

Today in the Chronicle.

2011-08-24T20:54:00.001-04:00

Top of page 4 opinion page is our Flier!!!!!!!!!

update....

2011-08-24T07:15:00.003-04:00

Yes I was renamed to the DDAC for another three year term monday night. Also our meeting is scheduled for tomorrow night 8/25/11 at 6:30 at town hall. Our agenda consists of upcoming projects, school partnership, the staduim discussion, new projects and misc.

Monday night at the select board.

2011-08-18T21:39:00.002-04:00

For some time I have known my term on the disability commission was to expire. I had thought to simply let the term end without fanfare on Dec 31st 2011 and move on. Last week I took a long walk with a good friend and she told me I should concentrate on what was important to me and not simply go after anything I was asked to do. So...with that thought in mind, I have started to make meaningful strides for our commission. Some I will be announcing in the next few weeks but I can announce this one now. I fully expect on Aug 22nd at 6:55 pm to be re-appointed to the disability commission to continue the fine work we have started and to continue our work to make Dartmouth accessible for everyone.

Flier in the Chronicle next week.

2011-08-18T12:13:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Bob Barboza.

Information available at Southworth Library beginning today

2011-08-13T17:32:00.002-04:00

The forms needed to receive a disabled placard are now available at the Southworth library. They are located in the entranceway at the top of the ramp. More information will become available soon. If there is something you need or would like to see please drop us an email at dartdac@gmail.com

Progress continues....

2011-08-13T17:28:00.003-04:00

Progress continues.......Soon for the first time in 107 years...a physically challenged person will be able to enter the old Padanarum School building by themselves.

Progress

2011-08-06T22:28:00.003-04:00

The progress on the ramp is continuing nicely. The project should be done by the end of August.

Our town webpage URL

2011-08-04T10:42:00.000-04:00

http://www.town.dartmouth.ma.us/Pages/DartmouthMA_BComm/DAC/index

The information is being to be posted....updated membership..if there is anything you want to see or need help with..just email us at dartdac@gmail.com

Update

2011-08-03T07:36:00.002-04:00

The documents mentioned in the previous post have begun to appear on the town website. I have added a direct link to the website under useful links on the right hand column. Other documents will soon appear regarding service animals, ADA guidelines, placard abuse complaint forms and other important information. We have also updated our membership listing. We are looking for a few good people to serve with us.

Town webpage information

2011-08-02T10:06:00.002-04:00

If any of you have gone to the town web site lately you see our page is "under development" and has been for some time. Well its time to change that. The first thing we are posting beyond updating our membership is the forms for the Disabled placards. These files are in PDF format and will need adobe reader or an open source program to print. Simply fill out the forms and retrun them to the RMV to recieve your placard. If there is any more information you really want to see...drop me an email at dartdac@gmail.com

Finally an email address

2011-07-31T09:33:00.002-04:00

I have created an email address to contact us on the commission. dartdac@gmail.com
feel free to contact us regarding any questions, comments or requests for information you may have. One thing I have noticed is a gap of information. If we work together..maybe we can close the gap just a little.

again its dartdac@gmail.com

hope to hear from you soon....especially my friends from outside the U.S.

"Leaving Grannie in the car"

2011-07-30T06:32:00.003-04:00

If you have read this blog for any amount of time, then you know one of my biggest pet peeves is illegal disabled parking. This one may top even that. I call it "Leaving Grannie in the car". How many times have we all seen this. Your in a parking lot at a dept store or a grocery store. A car pulls up to park with a placard prominently displayed. The car parks in the handicapped spot. All perfectly legal. The driver gets out..you see the passenger..you know the type, 80+, a little frail perhaps, white hair..etc..and the driver is 40+ good general health for all appearances. And the driver leaves the passenger in the car while they go shopping. Technically legal? yes. Morally correct? NO. Now I know that some people will be upset with that. "I'm doing their shopping, I cant get them out of the car, etc.....etc....I have no problem with the use of the placard for the person to improve his/her access.My daughter has a placard which we use when she's in the car. I DO have the problem with the person who takes Grannie along to benefit from the placard so their fat butts don't have to walk as far and we are talking feet...not miles here. If Grannie isnt getting out( and I am sure there are several very valid reasons why..not everyone is 6'3" 275+ and can lift her)then you shouldn't be using the disabled parking. Its there for the benefit of that individual. If they are going to stay in the car..there is no benefit..use the regular parking.

Information access

2011-07-29T21:46:00.002-04:00

We (the DDAC) will be beginning a new method to distribute information for the elderly or disabled. The survey did include numerous requests for information and how-to items.One of them was how to get a disabled placard. After searching I found the forms required and downloaded them. These will be available from Mr Cressman's office, The town clerk's office and other spots in town as we approach them. Possible sights are the COA and the Southworth library. I am looking for a few locations in North Dartmouth also. If you have any suggestions let me know.

Bush St project

2011-07-29T21:41:00.003-04:00

The progress towards accessibility is underway. This along with moving the SPED department downstairs solves a lot of the accessibility problems. Other improvements are planned such as improved handicapped parking, Improved front desk access and smaller projects inside the building to ease accessibility issues for everyone.

Public Information

2011-07-20T14:15:00.002-04:00

The Internet is a wonderful thing if used properly. Reviewing the survey's comments, many had to do with simply asking how to do things or recieve things such as a placard for a vehicle. A lot of what was asked is freely available such as the placard information at:

http://www.mass.gov/rmv/forms/disabled.htm

you simply download the appropriate form, print it out..and follow the instructions.

There is alot of information available. Looking to go to Canobie Lake?..they have a complete pamphlet for downloading that will guide the disabled guest to the best possible experience.

http://www.canobie.com/docs/clp_attractions2011.pdf

As is the case with most internet documents, Adobe reader will be required to view

But these are just two small samples of what's available. Dont sit back and wonder "how do I???" Just start looking instead of wondering

Final survey totals...

2011-06-22T21:54:00.002-04:00

The survey results are in. We had 966 respondents. This doesn't included the survey's returned that were blank. We had hoped for a few hundred but received almost a thousand. The disabilities results weren't much of a surprise showing as a population ages more people run into difficulties. The areas of concern were a little surprising.
Across the board accessibility and public awareness/advocacy were the popular selections. These results will be discussed at our next meeting.

Burgo Basketball....

2011-06-16T07:36:00.002-04:00

After sitting at town meeting last week and hearing the appreciation for Mr Burgo and his efforts...I am putting forth to my committee that his facility be our next project. More handicapped parking..accessible paths connecting the courts...not alot of work but now the grandparents of these 1400 children in his program can come watch the games their grandkids enjoy...as well as their childrens disabled peers...

Did you know......white SPED vehicles.....

2011-06-08T13:31:00.003-04:00

Did you know that the white SPED vehicles that travel through dartmouth(and most other cities) are actually SCHOOL BUSES...complete with blinking lights that require you to STOP!!! perhaps if everyone wasn't speeding past them like a blur they would see this. Something to think about...my daughter rides in one of these vans and uses the lift..should a car hit the back of the van at speed, she is sure to fall along with her wheelchair about 3ft into the street with nothing to break her fall but her face....
The other morning while i was home, her van was passed 11 times in the space of 5 minutes....NO one and I mean NO ONE even slowed down....

Town Meeting

2011-06-07T18:46:00.002-04:00

Today was town meeting. In the budget was a long awaited budget line item for 4800 dollars for ADA compliance. 4800 dollars in a 70 million dollar budget is embarrassing but it took an awful lot of work. Its a start.

a few words...

2011-06-05T07:29:00.004-04:00

Hello everyone.Google recently added a stat tool to show the owner of the blog where his/her audience is. Surprisingly a large number of readers come from outside the united states. It gave me slight pause when I realized this is indeed worldwide..not just my little piece of it. So welcome....everyone

Memorial Day Parade.

2011-05-30T18:26:00.002-04:00

I had the pleasure of walking with my daughter in the parade today. We walked alone in the final row of the junior high band. I would like to thank all the people who applauded and waved to my daughter while we rolled by.

Disabled beach stickers free

2011-05-19T07:59:00.001-04:00

Thats right..if you are disabled and have a placard, you are entitled to a free beach sticker.Please call town hall for details.

last nights meeting

2011-05-19T07:53:00.002-04:00

We finally finished counting the surveys. Now we can begin tabulating our data. Not a lot of surprises. The age of the responder generally dictated what the responses were. different responses for different ages. As the responder got older age related difficulties became prominent and interestingly the concern centered around Accessibility and services such as transportation(doctors, pharmacy, etc...) basic living activities. Several surveys had very good suggestions that we may implement in the future. Stay tuned

Memorial Day parade

2011-05-17T12:02:00.002-04:00

As you know the memorial day parade is coming up. This year I will have three children marching. Well...two and one rolling. Thats right..after taking off last year because of surgury..my daughter will join the DMS band with her friends playing her clarinett. The taller person behind her,(all out of breath and sweating)pushing her every foot of the way....will be me. Come on out for a nice time...

Summers coming

2011-05-16T14:12:00.002-04:00

Slowly but surely...Summers coming. That means THE BEACH!!!!!. As in previous years Disabled Residents receive a sticker at no charge All you need to do is go to Town Hall WITH the placard of the individual and the cars registration to receive the sticker. This also includes all of our disabled veterans. The beach is FREE!!!! cant beat that.

the over 65 portion

2011-05-07T08:49:00.002-04:00

We finally finished tabulations for a few on the age groups and we were pleasantly surprised to see 626 surveys for the over 65 group. The majority claimed pretty much what you would expect. Most of the disabilities were aged related. Loss of hearing, vision and other physical challenges were the common answers. Several good suggestions were included that if implemented would surely improve our town. Hopefully we will finish tabulating by Town Meeting.

First estimate of revenue from tickets

2011-04-26T08:02:00.002-04:00

We recieved word a few days ago from David Cressman that our portion of the increased revenue from the handicapped parking tickets was 4800 dollars.Far below what we were told to expect but.....something is better than nothing.

firestone tire

2011-04-10T09:43:00.004-04:00

Yesterday while getting my wife's tire fixed I went to firestone tire. Near the front entrance are a series of Handicap spots..each with the proper signage...3 spots..by a strange coincidence there were three customers cars...you guessed it...all parked in the handicapped spots...all with no placard yet all the other spots were empty...I asked the person I dealt with about it and he said he would ask...I reminded him of the 250 dollar fine for each offense..He was a very nice fellow and after the work was finished..he indeed asked about it while I was standing at the counter..and the fellow acting as manager said "Oh that's all right..hahahahaha" hmmmmmm I wonder if he is willing to pay the fine for his customers since they park the customers cars there??? I think it would be a real deterrent to patronage of that business. Say a 250 dollar repair becomes a 500 bill because of where the employee parked the car?? I sure wouldn't want to pay it.

same as always.

2011-04-04T20:18:00.002-04:00

St Julie's ...what an embarrassment. Open spaces in the lot but those handicap spots full! Im so tired of that church.

survey results..beginnings

2011-04-03T12:16:00.001-04:00

I tabulated the Under 12 results and there were no real surprises. we received a good number of surveys and they primarily dealt with school related issues due to the ages involved..emphasis was on accommodation..accessibility..and activities for the disabled children to participate in. Something I know for a fact we are sorely lacking in. We will be starting the 13-22 very soon and then move onto the other ages. Stay tuned

parking problems......a different view.

2011-04-02T21:55:00.003-04:00

For a long time..I've railed against handicap parking violators, argued with past town administrators, fought to increase the fines..and so on. Tonight at the Texas Roadhouse a whole new violator came to my intention.The Disabled themselves. Thats right. The same people Ive been fighting for. You see the spaces are divided by blocks of striped pavement for the loading and unloading of the disabled. Tonight when I came up after dinner the car next to me was parking about 8 inches from the side door of the car taking up the entire loading zone leaving the passenger side of their space empty.I stood there doing a burn..walked around the other side and saw exactly the same thing in the space on the other side. These are also violations......250 per offense. Come on folks

Technology....

2011-03-30T19:42:00.002-04:00

A short break from disabilities.....

Something that makes me think about the day and age we live in. First im going to "date" myself. When I was a child(when dinosaurs roamed the earth) I can remember sitting watching Lost in Space on a black and white TV over the air.BC (before cable) Sitting watching the adventures of the Robinson's with a snowy picture that sometimes faded in and out...and loving every minute of it.
Yesterday I took my youngest to the doctor and he sat spellbound watching Lost in Space...in color..High Def..and in stereo...on my phone.

Something interesting

2011-03-29T08:48:00.002-04:00

Blogger added a few tabs for added functionality recently. One of them is "stats" you can see page views and viewers location. It never really dawned on me that this is worldwide until I saw the stats. Dozens of readers in Europe and Asia and even Iraq...what a small world we live in.

Somerset progress...well done

2011-03-25T09:01:00.001-04:00

Somerset.

THE PLAYGROUND AND RECREATION COMMISSION voted unanimously last Wednesday to locate an inclusion playground at Buffington Park. The playground will have accommodations for children with special needs and the disabled. Playground and Recreation Commissioner Christopher Murphy said that fundraisers will soon be held and grants will be applied for to help pay for the inclusion playground, which is estimated to cost between $200,000 and $250,000,

todays standard times...

2011-03-24T19:59:00.002-04:00

On the website today I saw an article stating "Dartmouth School Committee Recommendation" Greg Jones wrote a piece in favour of his candidate. It apparently was mistitled. It is NOT the view of the entire SC.

The survey

2011-03-23T21:27:00.002-04:00

At tonights meeting we started wading thru the survey results...we were amazed with the returns..a quick estimate approaches 1,000. By far the group that responded was (not surprisingly) the over 65 set. They also have quite a sense of humor on occasion with their responses...but what truly surprised us was some of the comments and the openness some people had regarding their "difficulties". We will be tabulating the results over the next month or two and announcing our findings hopefully by town meeting.

a comment from the survey

2011-03-16T20:17:00.002-04:00

Today I received a letter from Town Hall. I opened it and it contained one of our surveys. As some people have done, the person who filled it out wrote a few comments on the back that I would like to share.....

"Please keep the elderly and disabled day cares open. Keep them out of the nursing homes! It will save money on our taxes and give these people a place to go during the day.Nursing homes just give these people NO WILL TO LIVE!!!"

I agree. Without a will to live...life grows very short indeed. These centers give their attendees something to do..somewhere to go and people to interact with..they teach new activities and show learning is a lifetime experience that I happen to believe very strongly in.

ADA primer for small business issued

2011-03-15T20:51:00.001-04:00

http://www.ada.gov/regs2010/smallbusiness/smallbusprimer2010.htm

New ADA regulations go into effect tomorrow

2011-03-14T21:06:00.002-04:00

New ADA regulations approved back in September go into effect tomorrow. These include the requirement of a service animal policy for schools and the town. As I read the new regulations to become familiar with them, I will comment on them here.

What do I have to do?

2011-03-14T21:03:00.002-04:00

Its St Julie's again. Father Greg put it in the bulletin..The head of the edge program handed out notices..Ive posted it here..Ive contacted the DPD online more than once..yet people continue to park where their not supposed to. Good Christians no doubt.....

Next meeting

2011-03-09T19:31:00.000-05:00

Our next meeting is scheduled for March 23 at 6:30 at Town Hall

Community Park meeting

2011-03-09T19:27:00.002-05:00

Just got back from the Park meeting. The plans for the fully accessible playground look wonderful. Its a shame we dont have such a facility in North Dartmouth. The sculptures from Umass students were very original and beautiful. My personal favourite was a symbolic set of Jacks to symbolise nostalgia. Id like to see it in the front of the school.

updates.....

2011-02-10T10:47:00.000-05:00

The surveys are still pouring in...approaching 1,000 responses...truthfully we were hoping we would get a hundred...we are overjoyed at the returns. Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill it out.

We have approved the repair and addition of parking spots at the three town beaches. This will fix the existing spots and create additional spots at the town facilities.

Our next meeting is next week.

Thats right NO re-election

2011-02-06T09:15:00.005-05:00

People have asked why? you've had this success and positive impact on the education of our children... To be honest...its someone else's turn. When I started in 2008 , the school dept was reeling from recent building closures, failed overrides, no co-operation between the boards and too many other things to name. We have come light-years since then. We have a full day K program I am very proud to have been part of. We have a solid teachers contract, while not really fair to the teachers, was fiscally sound at the time. We have improved utilities spending and so on and so on and so on. This progress comes at a great cost in time and work in my personal life. The public only sees the meeting( very few at that) they dont see the 10-15 hours a week it takes to understand what the next meetings coming up were to consider. They also dont see the peripheral duties the SC maintains such as SMEC(south-east Massachusetts education collaborative) Where I sit as vice chair. You become a lightening rod for anyone who feels slighted. I can say I have tried to help anyone who came to me, however sometimes the answer (after investigation) was no. The one thing I can say I failed at was increasing parental and community participation. When I first started complaints were the SC and the Select board met the same night. We changed nights. made no difference. Complaint about no public comment. "the public has no say" Again we adopted a public comment section where no existed before. "the public doesn't know what's on the agenda" we started posting agendas online along with much information for the interested few."the public can only comment after the vote" I moved the comment section to where it is now. Very few people have come forward or attended meetings or stepped up to the podium. I sincerely thank those who did. I have said and will say the most important part of a childs education is parental involvement. Perhaps the next committee members will have better luck than I did.
I would also like to thank the people who worked with us. People who see the value of education and balanced that value with fiscal responsibility. Without the help and co-operation of these people some of our progress would not have been possible. Thank you again for your support of education in Dartmouth.

surveys pouring in

2011-02-03T20:10:00.002-05:00

Another trip to Town Hall by Ms. Monteiro and she reports well over 200 additional surveys have been received. This brings our total to over 500. We are hoping for between 700-to-800 but would love to see a thousand. Please keep it up.

some stuff never changes

2011-01-24T20:30:00.005-05:00

Picking up Gracie and Peter at CCD tonight. Cars taking two spots..blocking ramps..complaints to the leaders of the church and the program..and the police..

As you can see nothing is working.

Survey numbers so far

2011-01-23T20:21:00.001-05:00

As of Friday afternoon 1/21 222 families have returned their census. Very encouraging to say the least. Thanks to everyone who took the time

Last nights meeting...

2011-01-20T08:50:00.000-05:00

very productive. Lots of responses from the town survey(in the hundreds so far)along with excellent comments for the townspeople such as requests for election day changes to benefit the disabled that are very simple to accomodate. For example the voting volunteers we depend on so strongly, unfortunatly take up the majority of the disabled parking. While entitled to the spot, it actually prevents some disabled from voting because the spots ARE full. A thought was to provide valet parking for the workers freeing up the spots for voters. Then at the end of the day, someone goes and gets their car for them. The workers get door to door service and the spots are made available for use by voters. A simple thought and answer to a problem I guarentee no one else has thought of. This is the goal of the survey.Thank you to everyone who is and will participate.

survey results coming in well.

2011-01-19T12:57:00.000-05:00

The idea to send out the survey has worked well. The response has been very good so far.

Next meeting 1/19 at 6:30

2011-01-18T14:22:00.000-05:00

survey results encouraging so far........

2011-01-14T18:59:00.002-05:00

After only a day or two...Town Hall has received 52 responses. Please keep them coming..

Town census...disability survey

2011-01-13T18:46:00.002-05:00

Today or tomorrow you should receive the Dartmouth census. Included in with the census is a disability survey. Please..if you have physically challenged in your home take the time and fill it out. If you know Physically challenged people in town remind them to fill it out and return it to town hall. With this information we can steer our work to benefit the most people and minimize or eliminate any missteps going forward.

The Townwide survey

2011-01-06T11:03:00.002-05:00

Our DDAC townwide survey has been submitted. It should be included in the upcoming census. If you'd like to get a headstart on it....its at http://voteforlenz.com/DDAC.aspx jst print it out and mail it back with the census or email it to me at kabudda43@voteforlenz.com

St Julie's and the Edge program

2011-01-04T18:12:00.004-05:00

My 12 year olds attend the St Julie's Edge program in Dartmouth. For the last I dont know how long people have been parking illegally on the side of the church waiting to pick up their kids. Note the word ILLEGALLY. Last night my wife picked up the kids all but one spot was taken illegally. For those unaware there are about 8 spots on the side so 7 people were parked illegally. Not only that the ramps for access go into these spots. When people park both illegally and carelessly both the spot AND the ramp are blocked. The Dartmouth Police have been notified regarding the situation

A bit of good news

2011-01-04T18:12:00.001-05:00

Victory! After a grueling battle with his school district, 12-year-old Andrew Stevens can now bring his service dog Alaya to school with him, Andrew's dad told us today. This victory comes partly due to the involvement of Change.org members, who sent 371 emails to Andrew's school urging them to overturn the ban. It's time to celebrate a victory for disability rights, epilepsy awareness and a boy and his dog!

Andrew's Fairfax County, Virginia elementary school had repeatedly barred Andrew's trained service dog Alaya from school, despite the fact that Alaya can help detect and prevent Andrew's seizures. Andrew, who has epilepsy, used to have 10-20 seizures a day. Now it's gone down to 5-10 a day, his father, Angelo Stevens, told Change.org today.

But the school wouldn't budge, demanding additional certification and saying that teachers could do the job of the cuddly German Shepherd.

Andrew's parents didn't give up. Angelo and Nancy Stevens had spent two years and $20,000 to buy Alaya for Andrew, who has Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. They went to the media, garnering coverage in the Washington Post and this morning's TODAY show. Adding to that pressure, more than 371 Change.org members signed a petition to Andrew's school in Fairfax County, Virginia, near Washington D.C., urging them to allow Andrew's service dog at school.

Today, Ft. Belvoir Elementary officials told Andrew's parents that Andrew could bring Alaya to school with him as early as next week. In the beginning, Angelo and Nancy will accompany Andrew to school, riding the bus with him and staying with him and Alaya during the day. As teachers and students adapt and learn how to interact with Alaya, Andrew's parents will gradually transition away and Andrew and Alaya will go to school together -- as originally planned.

Not only that -- the school is now looking at updating their policy on disability access, Angelo Stevens told Change.org today. This all comes thanks to the grueling work done by Andrew's parents to advocate for their 12-year-old son and his service dog.

The Stevens family created a foundation in Andrew's name, first to raise money for Alaya, and now to raise money for service dogs for other needy children. That foundation, and the TODAY show coverage, has meant that he's been contacted by other parents around the country who are trying to get their childrens' service dogs admitted in schools. To them, he says, "Get people on your side. Go to doctors. Go to the epilepsy foundations. Go to the media. Go to Change.org. Go back, and present a stronger case."

And never, ever, ever give up, he says, thanking Change.org members for their involvement.

"Never stop fighting for your child and for what's right," he told us. "Quitting is the easiest thing to do, but you can never quit. When you feel the weakest, when you feel like giving up, call me, call the Andrew Gordon Stevens Foundation, call civil rights activists, call disability groups, call Change.org. Do something other than give up. Because when you're down and out and you want to give up, that's when your supporters give you that strength to carry on."

Keep on carrying on, Stevens family. You've just won a victory that means so much to children with disabilities everywhere.

Merry Christmas everyone

2010-12-26T08:21:00.000-05:00

Happy holidays everyone from everyone at DDAC

New member

2010-12-18T10:54:00.001-05:00

We are welcoming our first new member in awhile. She will be officially named to the commission at the Jan 3rd select board meeting.

Update

2010-12-15T19:51:00.002-05:00

A brief update. Tonight the finalized survey was delivered to Mr Cressman for mailing in the jan/feb census information. The form will be available on the town website also. We will be getting a town email address to facilitate contact. Details will follow once its established. Work on the Beach parking spaces will be completed over the winter early spring..as well as the beach program we approved. Things are looking up.

Tonights meeting

2010-11-16T13:27:00.002-05:00

We have a rather full agenda tonight. Final signing off after discussion on our MOU regarding funding, discussion and possible approval for the form for our town wide survey..upcoming events,..discussion regarding the community park and donation of a picnic table, and upgrades and improvements in the staduim. Public service programs for the winter regarding snow removal just to name a few things.

We are still looking for new members. If your disabled or are a family member of a disabled person and want to help out please contact us.

the r-word revisited.......

2010-10-30T20:31:00.002-04:00

I had agreed with the r-word campaign because it personally affects my family. After a spirited "conversation" between family members I realized its only a word.In my view A derogatory word but still just a word. much like other words. they mean different things to different people. What "retard" means to me doesn't matter to someone else without my frame of reference. Much like homosexual or ethnic slurs or sexual slurs...unless they personally affect you, you dont understand. So I am withdrawing my support for this because after all their just words.

Dartmouth gets $214,000 state grant for handicapped accessible playground

2010-10-23T07:11:00.001-04:00

Courtesy of the Standard Times

Dartmouth gets $214,000 state grant for handicapped accessible playground

DARTMOUTH – The town has received a $214,020 state grant to fund the construction of a handicapped accessible playground, Energy and Environment Secretary Ian Bowles announced this afternoon.

The grant, which will be spread over two years, will also finance installation of benches and picnic tables, landscaping and energy efficient LED lighting, as well as the addition of two tot lots. The site is next to the Southworth Library on Dartmouth.

“This grant ensures years of enjoyment by Dartmouth residents and visitors, and is part of Gov. (Deval) Patrick's unprecedented commitment to land conservation and urban parks,” said Bowles in a statement. “The Commonwealth has conserved more than 75,000 acres under (Patrick's) leadership, and this new park is just one of many created ...”

Established in 1977 as the Urban Self-Help program, PARC grants are offered on a competitive basis and reimburse communities between 52 and 70 percent of the total project cost, depending upon the income level and other demographics of municipalities, with a maximum grant award of $500,000.

“Protecting and utilizing the incredible natural beauty of this area is vital toward maintaining happy and healthy communities,” said Sen. Mark C. W. Montigny. “The second phase of this project is especially important because it will provide greater access to children who cannot utilize and enjoy conventional playgrounds.”

“The awarding of this PARC grant is great news for the residents of the town of Dartmouth,” said Rep. John Quinn. “I want to thank Gov. Patrick and Secretary Bowles for understanding that the Dartmouth Community Park project will add a new dimension to the town.”

Dartmouth Executive Administrator David G. Cressman said the park is being primarily funded by Community Preservation funds, being leveraged to obtain the PARC grant funds.

“The completed project will be an asset for the community and an example of the cooperative ability of so many groups and individuals,” Cressman said.

The Dartmouth grant is one of 21 grants awarded from EEA's Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities (PARC) program in the latest funding round. Totaling $7.8 million, the PARC grants will help municipal parks and recreation commissions acquire parkland, renovate existing parks or build new parks and other outdoor recreation facilities. Funding for the programs comes from the Energy and Environment Bond Bill signed by Governor Patrick in August 2008.

Some things are worth waiting for....

2010-10-20T07:29:00.002-04:00

Well...it passed almost unanimously. Article 17. finally. I want to thank everyone that had something to do with this. From Mr Cressman, to our supporters on the Select board and Fincomm and most of all town meeting. The disabled owe you a big thanks.

latest improvements

2010-10-18T09:00:00.002-04:00

I was notified this morning that the signage for the spots behind DMS will be installed later this week. This allows the DPD to properly enforce the statute for parking. At DYFL this weekend the spots behind the town hall were available and properly used.

sub committee agreement

2010-10-18T08:56:00.003-04:00

Well...hashed out over a few emails we have come to a proposed agreement on the MOU...hopefully to be reviewed at the SB meeting tonight in time for Town Meeting tomorrow.

last nights SC

2010-10-13T07:27:00.003-04:00

At last nights SC meeting we didnt have alot on our agenda and perhaps I took it alittle less seriously than normal. With the new opening meeting law, I have to state "this meeting is being recorded by DCTV for later Presentation" I added "god knows why?". Let me explain. One of the things Ive learned is to take the topics seriously but dont take ourselves too seriously. I'll try to be alittle more professional.

Town wide survey planning.

2010-10-12T08:31:00.002-04:00

We are in the planning stages of a townwide survey to identify the needs that our commission can address. The form was taken from a survey done in Westport in 2009. As we get closer to deployment more information will be available.

Revised MOU

2010-10-12T08:30:00.001-04:00

This weekend we revised the MOU to fix a number of objections the FinComm had. I submitted it to Mr Cressman for review this morning.

Something funny...

2010-10-08T11:57:00.001-04:00

last night I recieved an email for my kids Edge program at St Julie's...the first line was a reminder NOT to park in the disabled parking without a placard. Hope lives.(until the next meeting..anyway)

Tonights FinComm....

2010-10-07T20:18:00.003-04:00

Disappointing...........

consistancy is very impor....not again!!!!

2010-10-05T12:34:00.000-04:00

Well I went down to pick up my kids from CCD last night at about 7:50pm at St Julie's. For those that dont know an entire side of the building is lined with disabled parking for the parishoners.Well the regular parishiners grab those spots because... well....theyre closer...about 15 feet or so. 7 spots. I show up..one spot left. Went thru this before. Not a single car out of the six had a placard. Ramps were blocked. Talked with Father Greg..to his credit he went out and started complaining to these people. The next class is in three weeks we will see what happens. If nothing changes the following class I call the police to enforce the law.

FinCom approval

2010-10-01T13:31:00.000-04:00

Last night the FinCom approved article 17 by a vote of 6-2. Next week we will finish the work with the MOU.

Yes on 17 !!!!!

2010-09-27T20:05:00.002-04:00

Tonight the select board approved our article (17) for approval to town meeting. the article increases the fines for handicapped parking violations. This is the first step of a larger plan to benefit the disabled in Dartmouth.

New striping at town hall

2010-09-20T19:38:00.002-04:00

This weekend I was pleased to see the parking at the town hall had been re striped. I had sent the town survey to David Cressman as a "blueprint" of sorts for what was actually necessary according to code. I was quite happy to see three spots in front of the rear entrance with two unloading van spaces dividing them. Of course a big old pickup truck was parked illegally in the loading spot but the clearly marked spaces were empty and available for disabled parking. Since my daughter was with me I pulled in and parked. It became obvious that a handicapped entrance to the stadium is needed. The back gate will suffice. We just need to co-ordinate a system. I also noticed the lack of signage. I have since contacted Mr Cressman and asked him to address this additional issue since I was informed the law isn't enforceable without signage. Progress will be slow but eventually we will have a stadium accessible to everyone.

Dunkin Donuts for the Special Olympics.

2010-09-12T08:43:00.000-04:00

September 29 · 12:00am - 11:30pm
Location Cities & Towns in Bristol County, MA & RI

Calling all coffee lovers! On Wednesday, September 29th — "National Coffee Day" — Dunkin’ Donuts will donate 50 cents for every HOT COFFEE sold in Bristol County, MA & RI directly to Special Olympics. Support your local Special Olympics athletes, teams & events by purchasing at least one HOT COFFEE in the 22 cities & towns below. Treat yourself and your family, friends, bosses and co-workers to a delicious Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, and help a cause that’s near and dear to your hearts.

Cities & Towns in Bristol County, MA:

Acushnet
Assonet
Attleboro
Berkley
Dartmouth
Dighton
Easton
Fairhaven
Fall River
Freetown
Mansfield
New Bedford
North Attleboro
North Dartmouth
Norton
Raynham
Rehoboth
Seekonk
Somerset
Swansea
Taunton
Westport
Write something...

This years progress....

2010-09-07T20:35:00.002-04:00

Since we didn't receive funding and the prospects for our town meeting proposal are rather murky at this point, I had assumed our progress this coming year was going to be non-existent.However Tonight I was reminded at a brief meeting that indeed progress had been made or at least was put forth in the approval of an elevator for the Cushman school and the handicapped accessibility of the community park project. A few years ago I believe both of the projects would have been rejected with the "dreaded" accommodation. I thought about this and they are correct. We have Progress..not at the rate or quantity desired but perhaps in the area of thought and ideas which is much more difficult to achieve. When I started this committee a few years ago, all I heard was accommodation. Project after project was refused due to accommodation. After some consideration tonight I believe our message is beginning to connect with some people in Dartmouth. The message that no one can or should be left behind. We cannot march forward as a town leaving the disabled in our wake..

Summers over.

2010-09-05T11:03:00.002-04:00

Im sure you've noticed the annual slowdown in posts as the summer was in full swing. Lots of things going on with the kids and there's always the college classes. The summer semester was only 11 weeks but felt like forever and the fall starts this week. Hopefully I'll see some friends there from time to time. The DDAC has run into a few problems. One is membership, for whatever reason we are down to a bare minimum. So if you know of anyone interested disabled or not at this point, send me an email. We are working with town hall to repair and enforce the handicapped parking behind town hall for the upcoming sports and band season in addition to town hall parking. This will be the first stage of stadium improvements in the next few years. Another problem we face is no funding. Last year (our first real year) we had developed a plan with the support of people on the fincomm to spend a set amount yearly to finally make our town accessible. This year you will notice there is NO funding for us. We had worked with David Cressman to develop an article for funding using the revenue from handicapped parking violations. A MOU (memorandum of understanding)was developed, which I signed after the joint board meeting in August. Now problems are arising as we near town meeting regarding this. There apparently is no dissent in raising the fine however problems exist in using the increase to fund our activities. The town's revenue wouldn't have changed, they still receive their original amount(raised perhaps by my commission's involvement)but questions remain. Stay tuned....

Town Hall Parking

2010-09-01T13:24:00.002-04:00

In response to the parking problems the disabled endured last sunday after 3 of the 4 spots were taken by non-disabled drivers and the law could not be enforced due to the non-conformity of the spaces at Town Hall, this morning I formally requested the Town administrator repair the spots with lines and proper(conforming) signage. I contacted the school dept and recieved confirmation of their assistance in this matter. This is the first of many problems at the staduim we wish to address in the next few years. We will address the bathroom situation, the seating problems, the topography just to name a few.

legislation in the works

2010-08-17T08:38:00.000-04:00

Blind and deaf consumers, who have fought to make home phones and television more accessible, say they are being left behind on the Web and many mobile devices. Touch-based smartphone screens confound blind people who rely on buttons and raised type. Web video means little to the deaf without captioning.

But legislation is in the works to put pressure on consumer electronics companies that revolutionized an earlier generation of technology for the vision- and hearing-impaired.

"Whether it's a Braille reader or a broadband connection, access to technology is not a political issue -- it's a participation issue," said Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), the author of a House bill aimed at making the Internet more accessible to people with disabilities. "We've moved from Braille to broadcast, from broadband to the BlackBerry. We've moved from spelling letters in someone's palm to the PalmPilot. And we must make all of these devices accessible."

The consumer electronics, entertainment and communications industries have been slow to include people with disabilities, some lawmakers and advocates say. Big companies have fought government regulators dictating new technical requirements, saying that the industry is better equipped to make its own engineering decisions.

Apple's iPhone has built-in speech software for the blind, but other smartphones require users to buy costly programs for the same functions. Some broadcasters put videos on the Internet with captions, but not all.

That can make inaccessible everything from political videos that are now common on the Web to pop culture clips that turn viral.

Last week, for instance, the "White Board Girl" clip of a fictitious employee quitting on a dry erase board or JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater's comments fresh out of jail didn't have closed-captioning for the deaf or hard of hearing.

Markey's legislation and a companion bill in the Senate would make mandatory some of the changes in technology that industry is slow to adopt on its own. It would allow blind consumers to choose from a broader selection of cellphones with speech software that calls out phone numbers and cues users on how to surf the Internet. Legislation would make new TV shows that are captioned available online with closed-captioning. Remote controls would have a button that makes it easier to get closed captioning on TV sets.

But gaps would remain. Videos made and shared by users on YouTube and Facebook wouldn't require captioning. Vision-impaired cellphone users will in many cases have to download speech software at an extra cost.

"This is simply about inclusion. You have an industry that is known for innovation, but they don't have a cultural understanding of what universal design truly means," said Rosaline Crawford, a legal director at the National Association of the Deaf.

The Consumer Electronics Association was at first opposed to legislation that would create blanket requirements for cellphones, set top boxes and other electronics. But the trade group has come to agree on some points and now says a case-by-case analysis of how individual technologies can be more inclusive is a good idea.

Captioning for a television on your wrist, for instance, would be difficult to achieve

Generally, the association said, it prefers voluntary changes by the manufacturers, saying that legislation has the danger of being quickly outdated in the fast-changing Web industry. Google, for example, has introduced voice-to-text captions that can be used for some videos online. But Crawford said the application's accuracy rate is about 80 percent.

"The marketplace is better off when innovators design technology, not when government officials try to change technology," said Jason Oxman, senior vice president at the Consumer Electronics Association.

"But what we've heard is a very legitimate goal by Congress that we share."

Yet even everyday tools that have been taken for granted are still not accessible for people with disabilities, some say.

When Eric Bridges, 32, moved to Arlington County three years ago, he installed cable service for broadband Internet, phone and television. He and his wife are blind and tech enthusiasts who do their research with computer software that uses speech to guide them through Web sites. When Bridges was in the market for a cellphone, he was torn between his Samsung Jack smartphone and an iPhone because he'd have to separately buy and download speech software to help him use the Web browser and send e-mail.

But for their basic TV service, the couple didn't notice until months later that they were paying for a video recording service built into their set top box fees. They can't use the feature, which is based on text menus and with no cues for the blind.

"I simply can't use this. I can't read the menus, and there is no software to help me. So I was paying for something that was useless to me," said Bridges, a director of advocacy for the American Council of the Blind. That's why he has pushed for legislation that would prod companies to make changes more quickly.

There are about 50 million vision- and hearing-impaired people in the United States, he said.

"If we aren't being included, we have to believe we don't represent an important market to them," he said.

New Teachers contract

2010-08-10T08:20:00.001-04:00

Well, last night (8/9) in a 4-0 vote , we approved the new 2 year teachers contract. This finally settles a long a frustrating episode of negotiations. I havent been able to say anything due to the legal aspects involved. We reached what we feel is a fair middle ground given our present economic situation. We fully support what the teachers do and understand the difficulty of their jobs. We had to balance that support with financial responsibility. We did not want to award a contract we could not afford nor did we want to sacrifice programs desperately needed by our students. We received information that we had to fund this ourselves, without assistance from the town so indeed our funds were very limited. We offered the best possible, financially responsible contract we were able to, and the DEA recognizing this, overwhelmingly accepted the offer.

8/9 Joint meeting....

2010-08-09T09:29:00.002-04:00

There is a joint meeting scheduled for tonight between the Finance Committee, the Select Board and the School Committee. Before the joint meeting is a special executive session to vote on the teachers contract. I Also expect to sign the MOU between the Disability Commission, the finance committee and the Select Board tonight. A positive first step in getting funding for the beginnings of programs in Dartmouth for the disabled.

our subcommittee meeting

2010-07-14T12:42:00.000-04:00

Last night we recieved the approved language for our town meeting fall article. I can say it isnt exactly what we had in mind and it does force us to justify the need every year. Exactly what MGL prevented from happening. However several opposing viewpoints made MGL not practical. Since a slice or half a loaf is indeed better than none, we are proceeding ahead towards town meeting confident of the success of our article which allows us the funds services and events for the disabled community such as the special olympics.

Subcommittee meeting....

2010-07-12T10:24:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow night(7/13) we will be having our second subcommittee meeting. We will be discussing the language for Octobers town meeting article. We are looking to double the existing fines for handicapped parking violations are recieving THAT revenue only. This isnt MGL 22g. That idea didnt go very far. This was the compromise. The towns revenue's arent affected while we can finally begin doing some thing s for the disabled that arent part of the "master list" Look for additions to the towns website in the very near future such as a survey, contact information and several helpful links to disability law sites, and other information.

override? maybe no wasnt the answer.....maybe we were right all along.

2010-06-25T10:34:00.002-04:00

An article was pointed out to me this morning by a friend. The article is from boston.com and since we fought for the overrides together back in the day...she thought I'd like to see it. pay attention to the last few paragraphs. Maybe turning down the override wasnt the best thing to do. "for every dollar in property taxes saved you lost 4 dollars in value....."

(courtesy of Boston.com)
LAST MONTH, Hull residents rejected for the second year in a row a Prop. 2½ override to help fund the public schools. Voters were not alone in trying to limit their property taxes. Since 2000, there have been 389 override attempts throughout Massachusetts aimed at providing more money for public education. Residents rejected 165 of them.

Tweet 4 people Tweeted thisSubmit to DiggdiggsdiggYahoo! Buzz ShareThis If passed in Hull, the extra funding would have been used to restore advanced placement classes in the town’s high school, restore language classes in its middle school, and restore funding for sports activities and theater programs. For students and their parents, this was a crushing blow. But most families in Hull do not have a child in the town’s public schools and therefore turning down the override could be seen as a rational economic decision. Why pay to educate someone else’s children?

The standard response, of course, is that educating children is everyone’s business. But it turns out that even those with no children in the public schools likely made a major financial blunder when they voted no on the override.

The reason is that neighborhood home values depend on the perceived quality of local public schools. When looking for a new home, parents with school-age children often choose locations based on whether they believe their kids can get a good education. Real estate agents often play up SAT scores and per student school spending as indicators of local school quality. As a result, demand for homes is often higher in municipalities perceived to have good schools. Other things being equal, where demand is higher, prices are higher.

We decided to test this theory by simulating the impact on home values of a change in school spending due to a Prop. 2½ override, controlling for other factors. We obtained data on housing values in 2005, the change in housing values between 2005 and 2010, and two measures of perceived school quality: school-wide SAT scores and per pupil expenditures. We found complete data for 176 of the 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth.

According to our analysis, which controlled for initial home value in 2005, a municipality with SAT scores and per pupil spending levels 20 percent higher than average experienced a 24 percent increase in nominal home value between 2005 and 2010. In contrast, a municipality with SAT scores and per pupil spending 20 percent below average experienced a loss in home value of 11 percent.

So, how much difference would the passage of the Hull override have potentially meant for home values in that community? Hull’s 2005 average home value of $366,343 was near the mean for the communities in our study. The average SAT score in the Hull public schools was 961 compared with an average of 1047 for all the study communities. Average per pupil expenditure in Hull was $11,491, some $1,500 higher than average. Based on our home value model, the predicted increase in home values in Hull between 2005 and 2010 was 3.85 percent.

Now what would likely have happened to the average home value in Hull if the recent proposed $1.9 million override had been passed back in 2005? This tax increase would have cost the average homeowner in Hull $506 per year. Over five years, it would have totaled $2,530. However, that tax increase would have resulted in an additional $1,442 spent per pupil. This increase would result in a predicted increase in home value of 6.57 percent rather than the increase of 3.85 percent. The difference between the two predicted values results in an average increase in home value in Hull of $9,970.

If we had data on all 351 Massachusetts municipalities, the exact impact of the simulated override might vary, but the overall results would be similar. By not passing the override, homeowners in Hull would save on their property taxes over the next five years. But for every tax dollar they save, Hull homeowners would likely forfeit close to four dollars in home value when they sell their homes.

Before pulling the lever in the voting booth, residents across Massachusetts considering a Prop 2½ override to help fund local schools might be wise to consider whether a no vote is being penny-wise but pound-foolish.

15th cancelled but the 17th progress.....

2010-06-18T09:29:00.000-04:00

the meeting on the 15th was cancelled since we didnt again get a quorum. We met on the 17th with the subcommittee regarding the handicapped parking fines revenue. We agreed on how to approach the situation and whats necessary ahead of October's town meeting. We are researching how to improve the lives of the disabled in Dartmouth most efficiently. If you have ideas...feel free...all comments are welcome....

Our next meeting.....June 15th

2010-06-03T16:41:00.000-04:00

With the beginning of my summer college schedule the meetings are shifted to tuesday nights for the next few months. We will be having David Cressman, Peter Roth and Steven Mitchell of the Fincomm to discuss revenues for handicapped parking violations and creation of a fair system where the disabled of Dartmouth can benefit. This does include increasing the fines to a respectable level with the DDAC retaining a portion of the increase as a line item. We will also be discussing questions for october town meeting along those same lines.

Elevator at Cushman!!!!

2010-06-01T16:50:00.001-04:00

At today's town meeting funding was approved to fund a handicapped accessible elevator at the Cushman school. Home of Dartmouth's full day Kindergarten

Town Meeting.....

2010-06-01T07:02:00.002-04:00

Today's another town meeting.... lots of things to decide...our article #24 is going to be withdrawn(handicapped parking fines etc...)because it failed to garner any support. The reason was it takes the revenue from the fines out of anyone's supervision. I believe the phrase was "out of our purview". The statute was written to do exactly that. It was written to put the revenue in the hands of the people that(supposedly)have the best idea about how to spend it to provide services for the disabled not currently offered here in Dartmouth(which judging from the emails Ive received is a very wide list of services not offered)and not make it susceptible to yearly budget appropriation. My personal feeling is there are an awful lot of zero columns in our budget and I don't think it would take much to add one more zero. A committee will be formed to study and proceed. I plan to volunteer as well as my colleague's on DDAC. This IS a step forward...planting another flag..taking a slice instead of the loaf..we WILL move forward from here in improving the lives of the disabled.

A new blog

2010-05-22T13:57:00.003-04:00

Recently Ive decided to enter the walking marathon in Newport in October...13.1 miles(3.5 hour time limit) with an outside shot at the 26.2 race with a (6 hour time limit...) the blog is posts regarding the training, aches and pains of a 46 year old trying to get in shape....for those who dont know I am currently 278 lbs having lost 44 lbs. simple math tells you where I was..By October I hope to be 250lbs. As always your comments, tips ,upcoming events.....are all welcome....

www.marathoninoctober.blogspot.com

The Special Olympics

2010-05-19T11:51:00.002-04:00

What a great day. weather was terrible but the turnout was great. Lots of parents and friends to cheer on the athletes. The student helpers were wonderful...true representatives of DHS pride...my daughter won 2 gold medals followed by a victory lunch at Applebees. lots of pictures..a video of her victory in the wheelchair race...lots of memories..a cause well worth funding...

May meeting cancelled...

2010-05-14T11:32:00.000-04:00

The meeting scheduled for may 13th was cancelled. We didnt have a quarum available.