Ideas for putting Walpole on the move

Once the economy picks up, and local aid starts flowing in like a fountain (which hopefully will happen one day), here is what I would propose if I were in a leadership capacity in Walpole:

1. Stop renewing licenses of bad businesses
While The Walpole Times and the Board of Selectmen have been looking the other way, immediate neighbors and environmentalists have certainly not been on the issue of Allied Recycling and its repeated violations of orders from the Board of Selectmen.  Allied has ignored complaints from neighbors about noise, they have sleazily bypassed deadlines and guidelines set by Selectmen for years now, and have become one of the most-visited sites of our town building inspector.  Yet, for some remarkable reason, this business keeps getting its license renewed even as it is sued by an environmental group for violating the federal Clean Water Act.  This business should be STOPPED and removed from town.  We do not want businesses like this in Walpole. That is why we stopped CPV, sludge, and regional trash transfer facilities.  Allied is no different.  Thank you to Cliff Snuffer and Nancy Mackenzie for voting against an Allied license renewal this year.

2. Bring decision-making to the people
Even though the Selectmen proposed this in their set of goals for 2007-2008, they still have not held neighborhood Selectmen's meetings.  Neighborhood meetings should be held in South Walpole and in East Walpole especially.  The Town Administrator and the Board of Selectmen should hold a public budget forum at Walpole High School when budget season comes around, and not just leave it to citizens to attend Town Meeting to express their concerns, if any, about the annual budget.  Whatever happened to putting videos of Selectmen's meetings online?  School Committee meetings should be put online.  FinCom meetings should similarly be filmed and put online.  Spring and Fall Town Meetings should be put online.  Voting records for selectmen (how they voted on every issue), as well as the results and roll call of all Town Meeting articles should be put online.  See more ideas for online utilization further down this list.  Newspaper columns in The Walpole Times should be written by the Town Administrator and other decision makers on a regular basis.

3. Bring innovative ideas to the schools
School Superintendent Lincoln Lynch does a superb job every year with the school budget. However, Walpole's aging senior citizen population is rapidly dying off, and it is essential that the vast collection of local history that many of these seniors hold be passed on to the next generation.  Unfortunately, with the lack of any local history classes in our high school, this has not occurred.  These elders should be brought in as guest speakers, and local history and civics classes should be taught at WHS.  Teach current events in all social studies classes throughout elementary, middle, and high schools.  Teach foreign language in elementary schools.  Redo the Rebel mascot with a new image.  Expand partnerships between the schools and the Walpole Public Library.  The library is a 10-minute walk away from Walpole High.  In-class field trips could go to the library.  This is reasonable, considering class periods are 70 minutes long.

4. Improve the town website
Directly engage the existing web design students at Walpole High School to design a new town website.  Introduce online permitting, like Walpole selectman Cliff Snuffer has suggested. Create blogs for selectmen, school committee, town administrator, and the economic development team.  REVAMP ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WEBSITE!!!  Put campaign finance information from local elections on town website in a browsable database.  The website should have a searchable database of every municipal employee, their function, and their contact information if appropriate (excluding schools).  The website should also have a list of all volunteer opportunities on behalf of the community  (namely committees), and an easy online form and information about each opportunity.      Full list of ideas are here.

5. Utilize neglected properties in town
Robbins Road - once the new police station is built, on the remainder of the massive town-owned acreage there, put in fields or maybe sell it.  Put fields at Adams Farm.  Encourage green neighborhoods and community gardens.  Bring farmers markets to Walpole at Sunnyrock Farm, Adams Farm, or in downtown Walpole.  Consider putting in bike trails throughout town linking conservation areas - obviously it is okay if they cross streets.  Focus on Turner's Pond Area - make it a real destination with a park next to Turner Lodge.  Put the senior center at the old library once the new library is completed - the nearby Thomas funeral home is apparently okay with the idea of allowing people to park in their lots - as long as there is no funeral.  That will handle the parking problem, and prevent a perfectly good building from becoming vacant for years.  Do not allow a strip mall to be built across from McDonald's, bordering conservation land, which is now reportedly being proposed by a local developer.  According to 2009 Walpole Selectman Candidate Patrick Shield, the current list of vacant commercial sites around town hasn't been updated since 1997.  What is up with this?

6. The Environment
No trash fees, ever!  Thank you to Mr. Boynton and the Board of Selectmen for standing firm on this.  Promote expanded use of recycling, ESPECIALLY at the schools.  Hire a company that will pay the school district to take away their recycling - there are many such companies in the area - and reward teachers with pay raises - from these payments - for recycling in their own classrooms.  Use composting at school kitchens.  Use green technology on town buildings - solar panels on all school buildings.  Allow town employees to use their own cars and get reimbursed for when they use it for town use.

7. Public Safety
It would be ideal to increase the Walpole Police force to over 40 officers, and to increase police presence in the schools and revive the DARE program.  The East Walpole Fire Station should be reopened and staffed with a third ambulance.  New police and fire stations should be built in town.

8. Other Miscellaneous Ideas
A community service day will be held every year throughout town for all citizens and with town employees participating.  A Town Hall Picnic/block party on Stone and School Street can be held every summer, perhaps in conjunction with Walpole Day.  The picnic will be open to the public, and town leaders will be in attendance along with the town administrator and other officials in a casual atmosphere.  Have an internship program at Town Hall.  Post a list of all tax delinquents on the website like Brockton does.  Allow town employees to wear casual clothes every day - namely the Town Administrator - enough with the "government is out of touch" so you must wear a tie and look like a politician to be taken seriously in Walpole.