>>Valley Patriot>>
|
My
200 Wish List
Methuen Councilor Debbie Quinn
 The city of Methuen,
as all cities and towns, is responsible for delivering
services to you twenty-four hours a day, seven days a
week. I am really excited about what is coming up in 2007
in the way we deliver those city services to the people
of Methuen.
Whether it is police and fire services (in case of an
emergency), or roadwork, bridge repairs, assessing your
property values, educating the children of Methuen, or
even something as simple as helping you get a permit to
make needed home improvements, municipal services are
something you rarely think about. Those of us charged
with providing those services, however, have to think
about them all the time. So, for 2007, here is my wish
list for providing better city services to our residents.
Public Safety
Effective public safety services are crucial to any
community for it to prosper and grow. In Methuen we are
blessed with terrific police and fire departments.
Methuen’s police officers and firefighters are
dedicated professionals who keep us safe 24-7, and
willingly put themselves in harm’s way to protect us
on a moment’s notice.
As our city grows, so does the need for upgrades to these
two departments. On the lips of many residents lately is
the increasing need for a new fire station on the east
side of Methuen. My wish is that these residents are not
still talking about it next January because a new fire
station will have been built by then. The police
department could use new cars to replace the outdated
ones that they have now. We have to pay more attention to
those individuals who provide our public safety services
and listen to what they say they need to perform the
dangerous and critical task of keeping us safe in times
of crisis. I also wish that in 2007 our public officials
will recognize the hard work these public servants do
every day and stop using them as political pawns.
Methuen’s Infrastructure
Our infrastructure has come a long way in the past few
years and the work of our department of public works is
tremendous. On any given day you will see Ray Difiore and
Jay Bonnano working on a multitude of different projects,
keeping up with the ever growing demand of maintaining
the city’s roads, bridges and public properties.
But, there is so much more to do in 2007 with the
increase of new home construction (which will bring more
traffic) and the increase of new businesses moving into
the city.
What bothers me the most is the absence of sidewalks
along each route heading to and from our grammar schools.
This should definitely be on our 2007 priority list. From
what I understand, sidewalks are very expensive so we
need to get creative as a community to fund more
sidewalks for the safety of our school children. My wish
for 2007 is a public-private partnership with community
organizations like the Rotary Club to help fund sidewalks
for our kids to walk on while traveling to and from
school every day.
The parcel of land along the Merrimack River where
Bea’s Sandwich shop used to stand has been and will
be one of my pet projects for the coming year. Governor
Patrick has just restored the frozen monies that were to
begin this transformation. With the help of my committee,
the mayor, and interested citizens of Methuen, we can
restore this pristine gem to a priceless place for all to
enjoy.
Energy Efficiency
Mayor Manzi has put together a Commission on Energy
Efficiency and Green Government, which I am proud to have
been appointed to. Global Warming is real. It is here and
now and we must take it seriously to ensure the health
and future of our world. There are safe and efficient
alternatives to reducing carbon emissions that will also
improve public heath and create jobs. But we can also
conserve energy and save the taxpayers’ money at the
same time by conserving fuel consumption and taking
advantage of energy-efficient ways to reduce our costs
and help the environment at the same time.
The University of Massachusetts is one of the first
universities to offer green science courses. As a
community, we can receive a wealth of knowledge from them
and take advantage of the benefits in the future. Solar
power and wind power are paramount in the future of this
community and this country, and my wish list for 2007
includes having many workshops and disseminating as much
information about green science to the community as
possible.
TAXES TAXES TAXES
What can be said that has not already been beaten out of
our pockets or pocketbooks? The truth of the matter is
taxes will probably not go down anytime soon. Commercial
real estate and innovative new business ventures must be
top priorities this coming year. Methuen would be a
perfect place for higher education and medical research.
Our possibilities are endless.
As far as the high school goes, its time has finally
come. The dream of a new or refurbished school is about
to take on a life of its own. This has been greatly
needed for a very long time. With the mayor and the new
superintendent, Jeanne Whitten, leading the charge, the
children of Methuen will be the keepers of a great new
educational experience that they so deserve.
A Master Plan
A city without an adequate master plan is like a pilot
without a map or cockpit instruments to tell him where he
is going. The master plan in Methuen has been a vision of
the new Manzi administration. A plan will assess our new
growth, the proposed new developments and the direction
of that growth, so that we can make sure we are not
growing too fast or too slow to sustain our tax base
and/or city services. The downtown area is in great
need of restoration and the renovation of this area could
produce great wealth for the community and small
businesses. Needed components in this area should be an
increase in affordable housing to help with the
state’s 40B quota. Also, a new business
parking garage, restaurants, a new post office
— all these will help to modernize and energize the
community.
*Send your questions
comments to ValleyPatriot@aol.com
The January 2007 Edition
of the Valley Patriot
The Valley Patriot is a Monthly
Publication.
All Contents (C) 2007, Valley Patriot, Inc.
We publish 10,000 newspapers and distribute in Andover,
North Andover,
Methuen, Haverhill, Chelmsford, Georgetown, Groveland,
Boxford,
Lawrence, Dracut, Tewksbury, Hampton & Salisbury
Beach, and Lowell.
|
Blanchette Called
"Dangerous"
Valley Patriot Archive
Valley Patriot Story
ARCHIVES
Prior Lead
Stories
Prior
Valley Patriot Editorials
Prior Columns by ...
Tom Duggan
Dr. Chuck
Ormsby
Paula
Porten
Ralph
Wilbur
Hanna
Ted Tripp
Valley
Patriot of the Month
Griselsilva.com
Patrick
Blanchette
D.J.
Beauregard
Jim
Cassidy
D.J. Deeb
Marcos
Devers
Bob
Desmarais
Regina
Faticanti
Jim
Fiorentini
Bill Kelly
Wilfredo
Laboy
Peter
Larocque
Vilma Lora
Ed Maguire
Billy
Manzi
Paul
Murano
Mark
Palermo
Hartley
Pleshaw
Debbie
Quinn
Raise Em
Right
Dr. Peary
Kathleen
Corey Rahme
Barney
Reilly
Angel
Rivera
Jim Rurak
Grisel
Silva
Mike
Sullivan
Sandra
Stotsky
Mike
Sweeney
Ken Willette
Scott Wood
Jim
Xenakis
|