A coincidence that there are 6 posts within an hour on a website that gets a several hundred views a day? I don't think so. A coincidence that Mikey (WOW)is monitoring activity on Melrose Messages for RD and trying to figure out if MFD and two of his friends could possibly generate this many views a day without getting carpal tunnel Syndrome? I don't think so.

Oh? Such as?

http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/state_report/ppx.aspx

Per pupil expenditures throughout the state as of 2013

Municipalities figure out their percentages a lot of different ways. Our mayor's methods are not the only ones out there.

I don't even know what that means. Figure percentages a lot of different ways? So, Melrose spends 65% of it's revenue on schools, but if you figure it a different way the percentage is somehow different? Our Mayor's calculation of percentages is somehow different than other people's? What the heck are you talking about?

Downtown Milford is a good example of the bad things that happen when you don't provide adequate, convenient and free parking for your downtown business district. Sure, the empty storefronts in Milford Center were eventually occupied by other small businesses: tattoo parlors, hair and nail salons, smoke shops, pizza shops,Psychics and Tarrot card readers. Melrose is well on its way, now featuring no less than six nail salons and a number of pizza places. I don't know what the solution is but it could start with having designated parking for employees furthest from the middle of the business district, like way behind City Hall.

You have heard of Prop 2½, right? How could "they" institute a "huge increase in taxes."????


Its called an override and the last time it occurred was to replace the middle school, Which was another school building that had long been a pit. If we dont keep up and maintain what we have it costs more in the long run.

Override. Right. Agenda exposed.

11:15
11:53
2:02
2:09
3:19

Ah!

Actually although others on this site have been saying that the Mayor would ask for one all the last year, he hasn't, he has done it all with bonding. As old bonds are retired he has issued new ones to fund the school projects, all the while maintaining the highest bond rating. At some point in the future perhaps an override will be necessary. because lets face it we still have some outdated elementary schools that need things like new windows, are not handicapped accessible, and don't have the space for gym, offer only art or music on a cart, and don't have the space for special needs classes or ESL.

I had posted this response in the business thread before I saw this here:

I agree with some of his points, but disagree with more. The renovations to the high school are definitely worth it. I attended in the mid to late 2000s and the building was struggling. The new plans are amazing and I can't wait to see the finished product.

Mr. Trulli is taking an "old school" stance on Downtown. This isn't 1955. Parking doesn't have that much effect on business. As the parking studies have found, there are usually plenty of spaces open in certain lots Downtown. The only one that ALWAYS fills up is behind Shaw's because it's the most convenient and accessible to the hot spots. What would reallocating the money from the high school to parking really do? Build a tiny ugly parking garage? Does he realize how much upkeep would cost?? A recent study of several large cities where parking was removed from a business district for a bike lane found no change in business. I'm definitely not saying eliminate the little parking we have, but it just goes to show how insignificant parking really is, especially when most of it is taken up by employees. On top of that, Mr. Trulli's business is a dying breed. He owns a hardware store with overpriced merchandise that can be bought much cheaper down the street at the mall or online. His store is a convenience that also offers other services like screen replacement and lawn mower/snow blower repair. Services like that are unique and will keep him there. With more people walking, biking, and taking transit every year, the City should be looking into how to make Downtown more accessible for these growing modes.

I agree with the Deering Lumber comments. Senior housing is an odd choice. I'm not retiring ANY TIME soon and I understand Melrose has an aging population, but we have no obligation to provide senior housing, just because. Being along the commuter rail corridor, the site would be great for mixed use. Heck they could even through in some senior apartments alongside it. What it comes down to is that assisted living buildings are dead properties. They just house people and don't add much to the neighborhood.

I was surprised to see the buildings behind the Y torn down, but it sort of makes sense since they were a little out of place. But think of it this way, they paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide parking for 12 or so single occupancy cars. 12 more people dispersed around all the businesses Downtown. Worth it?

Perhaps business would improve for Whittemore if they could just manage to keep the doors open past 6pm on a weeknight. People with disposable income don't arrive home from work until then. Nothing is more emblematic of stagnation than an actual unwillingness to compete, bordering on lazy. I love the nostalgia of the downtown hardware store, but this one's future is not bright.

One more time - it's not about Whittemore's future. That discussion belongs in the business threads. This is about tossing another 5.3 mil at the schools. Trulli just offered his opinion on an alternative way to spend that. Follow the money.

If this discussion should be limited to schools then it is a no brainer. The high school needs to be renovated so the $5.3 million needs to be spent to do it.

Except the $5.3 million isn't for renovating what needs to be fixed. It's about building a new technology center. Usually it's a good idea not to comment if you don't know what you're talking about.

Administration looked like the supremely arrogant fools that they are when they marched into Appropriations Committee last night and acted like they did during SC mtg when the mayor's cabal presented the $5.3 million project as if it was a slamdunk that deserved nothing more than King Rob's wave of his scepter (SC apparently had never seen it before their meeting either). They didn't even have all of the latest revisions in whatever glossy garbage they expected the BOA to swallow and approve on the spot. Bird asked what kind of public process had led to the finality of this presentation, and of course the cabal had that deer in the headlights look and couldn't figure out what she was asking (meaning that there had obviously been no public process before coming up with this $5.3 million dollar boondoogle that was supposed to be a fete accompli with no accountability or appropriate review).

The plan was flimsy and leaves that cavernous space of the High School "Resource Center" with a lot of the millions going towards "movable furniture" and lots of other really questionable aspects. Boisselle asked a lot of good questions and some really dumb ones, like about eliminating all books from the library. (Apparently he's never had occasion to learn whether students or teachers in the serious institutions of learning still access real books. Dumb as dumb gets!)

Bird and Conn and Boisselle shut it down last night with a big fat NO after hours of questions and made it clear they did not appreciate having this thing shoved at them at 5:00 with the arrogant presumption that it would get a glowing vote, end of story. They voted to keep it in committee, meaning that BOA would not just rubberstamp a $5.3 Million Dollar Appropriation and pass it along for the "aggressive schedule" that Gaffey and Rob want and had expected to act on. Rob and Cyndy and the cabal made all kinds of unprofessional faces and comments next to the Free Press reporter when they didn't get their way. Good for BOA for holding it there (despite the nauseating BS from MB Crocodile Tears MM, or the meaningless twaddle from FW, GI, PM).

Margolis thinks that the kitchenette inclusion in the new design is "intriguing and acceptable". Such profound insight ! DEFEAT this hack!

I am by no means a fan of hers but have you never been to a school event as a parent or as a student and refreshment was provided in that case prep and clean up must be done. From a health dept. perspective its a wise move.

You obviously haven't visited the space that this is proposed for, its a dump and underutilized. Education has changed since 1970's when the building was designed and built, years ago library's evolved into media centers and currently into technology centers. Our MHS absolutely needs to have physical plant improved. You are focusing negative energy on the wrong things. The problem is quality of teaching staff and cirruculiam and guidance. That said we just cant allow our buildings to fall apart, this guiding principal applies to schools our police station, the fire station on main st and memorial hall. All our city buildings are assets and need to be maintained.

When is the police station ever going to be replaced ?
This should be the top priority building project in the city.

I see comments about the difference between this being bonded rather than an override. From my perspective, the mechanism is irrelevant. Someone still has to pay for it, whether it's debt service or not, and bonding is actually more expensive than an override because of the interest costs.

Here's the bottom line - they're still, whichever way you present it, asking taxpayers to spend another $5.3 mil on the schools, over and above the 65% of the city budget that already goes there. I'm sorry, but the money tree in my yard has died.

Written like a recent MHS graduate or current administrator: "cirruculiam"..."guiding principal" Really pathetic!

Sure, the physical plant is a dump. They promised to paint the walls, fix the bathrooms, re-do the horrendous locker rooms years ago. Still hasn't happened. That hideous grey stained carpet is still in the "resource center" (pretend library). Sure, it has needed to be renovated top to bottom for years now.

That doesn't mean that this $5.3 million is the way to do this. This whole thing was clearly done very badly, with no real public process, just a behind-the-scenes business-as-usual Rob/Denise/JohnMcL special that they thought we should all just cave in and say "oh thank you most honored ones"! No! Enough! There are legitimate ways to go about such a thing and then there's Rob's way. No! And if he/they think(s) that we aren't happy with this, wait until he puts forward his "technology upgrade" (how many more millions?) and then his Override, on TOP of the $2 million-plus additional money Cyndy and Margaret and Kristin and Jess are trying to shine us on about for their "growth budget". No!

They can have as many ignorant elementary parents as they want provide their breathless praise for all this trumped-up junk that is just another bridge we're supposed to buy sight unseen. But the jig is up. Glad the BOA put its collective foot down last night and hope they keep the heat on. Way past overdue. Thank you, Jackie!

Okay here is how it works, they have not proposed an overide, which you get to vote on, that a good thing. An override would result in an increase in your property tax for a voter approved amount to be used for an approved project. That project would be bonded as well, the override pays for the bond. what they are doing in this case is that as old bonds are retired and paid off a new bond is issued for the project resulting in no increase in property tax. Some will argue that the tax goes up by 2.5 % every year but that is occurring as a result of increasing health costs union contracts and inflation. As I have said before the city is improving the MHS piecemeal so as to avoid an override for a new 90 - 100 million $ high school that would result in a big tax increase.

I agree with the above poster. Now it's just getting ridiculous....that space is a disaster, and now you people want to squash any and all investment in infrastructure just because the mayor is involved? I am not an architect or an engineer, I don't need to weigh in on every capital improvement project my city undertakes. Updating the resource center is a good investment.

The override, however, is not. The problems at the high school involve the staff and curriculum. That's what people should focus on.

What are you talking about? They most certainly have "proposed" an override - the Mayor himself has talked about it on several occasions. I would not be shocked if such talk of an override is meant as a smokescreen to deflect and divert attention away from this project, hoping to ram it through without due diligence. Sounds like the same kind of two-step our Mayor is so good at. My distrust of this administration has grown so acute that I'm starting to see ulterior motives under every rock.

There are ulterior motives under every rock, and a lot of stupidity and arrogance besides. The mayor still plans to put forward his override, and his technology upgrade, but he thought this MHS thing was a slam-dunk, which he wanted resolved last night so that he could march ahead with all the rest. Fortunately there were a few aldermen awake at the wheel (can't always count on that, since they routinely rubberstamp most things). The mayor and administration/SC think that the public owes its unquestioning allegiance to them. They are wrong. Their arrogance is astounding. It's about time a few other elected officials understand what's at stake and who they represent!

All for fixing MHS (a new building is not a remote possibility, especially after they went ahead with that $6.3 million dollar science labs thing). But there's a legitimate way to do this, not the crass hack job that took place last night.

I'll bet the MM Clown Patrol a moratorium that the funding authorization goes through no problem on the improvements to the existing resource center. If the board votes to Approve the funding authorization all the whiners and haters need to take a one month vacation from the whiner board known as Melrose Messages. If it doesn't pass I promise to never post on this board again. No more clown patrol jokes, no more calling Myron a blowhard or a fool, etc., etc. etc.

None of you @ssholes will take the bet because you know all this chest beating today is all the noise you can make, and when the funding authorization goes through and the space gets renovated it will simply be just one more loss for the anti-Melrose crowd.

I support in theory what has been proposed. However, last night's BOA meeting was a disgrace. Questions could not be answered and incomplete information had been submitted a couple of hours before the meeting. Another rush job. It is being pushed just like the Mayor's raise. The BOA GIC/26% raise has come back to haunt the Mayor and the BOA members who traded their votes for taxpayer funded health insurance. Also, Infurna quoting a Whitney Houston song and the sweet gush job comments by Margolis will not help garner support for the proposal. Denise Gaffey is usually impressive. But last night she was not prepared and hurt her reputation. MD and KT in the camera background also harms the cause in many's eyes. The Aldermen need to slow down, review complete facts and figures and demand a professional due process. Hopefully, the bond will then be approved.

Bird & Boiselle were grandstanding...

This administration has borrowed and built...on time and under budget... well over $100,000,000 in capital projects in the City of Melrose...without a single hitch. Bird & Boiselle couldn't put a bird house together.

This was all about payback (Bird) and grandstanding (Boiselle) by two individuals who no nothing about the subjects they were questioning.

Bird's still ***** the raise got firmly shoved down her throat, and Boiselle likes to hear himself talk.

The motion will pass, the renovation will happen, and it will be done in the same fashion projects have always been done by this administration.

"by two individuals who no nothing about the subjects they were questioning."

This from the ignoramus who KNOWS nothing.

You are a City Hall sycophant with the obvious agenda, defending Mr. 26%. Pathetic and predictable.

"Bird's still ***** the raise got firmly shoved down her throat"

Oh that's nice talk... sounds like the Chief Bully, Mr. 26% himself gloating and showing his true, violent, revolting misogynist colors.

Even the Weekly News is checking this message board and including commentary about the negative feedback this $5.3 million-dollar project is garnering, so the mayor's minions can try to marginalize this site all it wants, but the truth is still seeping out despite RD's efforts to stifle it. This administration (mayor and superintendent/SC) have burned many bridges, and now they're seeing the results of their poor treatment of those they mistreated. Abusing power has been their mode, and now they're paying for it. Their characteristic arrogance and lack of humility is now coming to bite them, as it should. Even when what they are proposing might have merit, they will be fighting much tougher battles for credibility and passage of anything that requires wider approval/votes.

As was observable Thursday night when Rob and Cyndy didn't get their way, they are/were stunned and prone to fits of bad temper in the face of any resistance, as if this kind of juvenile response to difficulty is perfectly appropriate in their exalted positions. It would never occur to them to step back and reflect that perhaps those two-plus hours of being grilled about the MHS renovation might have been prevented or made more friendly if they had been appropriately respectful in how they presented the project--making sure there had been a full, open process with wide input from the community, fully vetting all the plans and making sure they were given to SC and BOA in complete form and in plenty of time (instead of at the last minute, with implied threats in their "aggressive schedule"), and maybe even demonstrating an iota of humility in asking the community to foot another large bill that won't get paid off until 2043 (instead of having Patrick arrogantly shoving that 5% debt service in everyone's faces as if they are automatically entitled to burden the taxpayers with more debt for the projects they have deemed politically expedient).

Few would disagree that the high school facility (and administration and faculty and curriculum!) is/are in sore need of improvement. It's too late to talk about building a new facility after the millions just expended on a new roof and science labs. That ship sailed. (And there, too, criticism could have been lessened if there hadn't been so much arrogance in the way those projects were shoved ahead as a fete accompli without appropriate community engagement and consultation with specialists beyond those that carry the mayor's water.) How and what gets improved at MHS should be a community decision, to the extent that this is possible.

Melrose is terrible at public engagement now. That is at the heart of so much of the trouble. It's terrible because those in power have chronically abused that power and the trust and because they put forward their version of the "public" as those who agree and kowtow to them, not a true representation of the whole community at all. McLaughlin has given much to the community, but he isn't all of it. Same true of that Melrose Ed Foundation, which gives a lot, but it by no means represents all of the community, despite its arrogant behavior. Rob loves to fling back criticism with his arrogant claims of success at the polling booth instead of a mature and reflective approach that demonstrates some humility. CT is at least as bad. Time for Melrose and its representatives to grow up!

Let me see if I have this straight - the current school budget is about $35 mil (someone correct me if I'm wrong please). Taymore and Dolan want to increase that by 11%, or $3.5 mil. As if that isn't nonsensical enough, now they come forward with this plan to bond another $5.3 mil in HS renovations. Do these people think we are made of money, or that we all have money trees in our backyard? I haven't figured out how I'm going to pay my water and sewer bill yet.

Typo - $25 mil. 11% = 2.86 mil.

Here is something to think about - You can't fill an endless hole with money- no matter how hard you try - there is never enough money! However, the Democrats,who essentially run this city, think otherwise so you will always get the refrain - "We need more money!"

Show up tonight at the BOA mtg where this boondoggle will get voted. Just watch the fiasco unfold. A couple will present some reasoned evidence that this thing is a dog that was never properly developed or scrutinized, one will question endlessly about nonsensical stuff just to hear himself talk, one or two will be snoozing, the rest will huff and puff about how marvelous and necessary it is regardless of whether it makes sense or was formulated sensibly and transparently, CrocodileTears MaryBeth will gush about how great it is there will be a kitchenette, and then they'll all vote to pass it because in the end no one has any ball$ or backbone when push comes to shove. Maybe the moon will be aligned in a better way and they'll put it on hold again, which would be great, but not counting on that. They all care too much about themselves at the polling booth and very little about what's actually in front of them for a vote.

I'll bet the MM Clown Patrol a moratorium that the funding authorization goes through no problem on the improvements to the existing resource center. If the board votes to Approve the funding authorization all the whiners and haters need to take a one month vacation from the whiner board known as Melrose Messages. If it doesn't pass I promise to never post on this board again. No more clown patrol jokes, no more calling Myron a blowhard or a fool, etc., etc. etc.

None of you @ssholes will take the bet because you know all this chest beating today is all the noise you can make, and when the funding authorization goes through and the space gets renovated it will simply be just one more loss for the anti-Melrose crowd.

You can't fill the first row of a meeting never mind getting anything accomplished.

The Clown Patrol or the Fellowship of the Miserable, do not have enough members to get a second on any motion made at their meeting.

The ugly ones have just climbed out from their slimy dark holes in order to taunt and proclaim their shallow (and very costly) victories in this lousy little morality (or lack thereof) tale that has become Melrose politics. "Robert's Rules" indeed. Pretty easy to see the lineage of those posts.

These creeps may as well have at it because Melrose apparently needs to see things get a lot worse before enough wake up and step up to demand something better. The ugliness must not be quite bad enough, which is really sad, especially for the kids here.[:-|]

I don't think there is anyone who thinks it won't pass. There is no need to "take the bet". That is the whole point of it. I know it will pass, and I know why it will pass, and I know there is nothing that can be done about it. I know that even the BOA members who act like they want to be fiscally responsible will cave when push comes to shove, even if they really do feel like this is a misguided plan. Why do you care if I want to complain about the fact that more money is being spent without any sense or thought? Why do you care if people want to "whine" or "hate" on this board? I certainly don't care that you have to have your say. You can call names all you want. I know it is because you need to do that to feel good about your city. Have at it. I feel like that is why MM exists. Have your say, vent your frustrations, disagree with me, and I will feel free to do the same. Not sure why I would "bet" with you, though.

It will pass because the upgrades are desperately needed, this area of the building is a dump, anyone who has visited it or seen it can plainly see that it needs renovation.

Let me see....they want to upgrade the empty space to an empty space with other things in it for 5.3 millions dollars - essentially no additonal walls or installations. Wow...in Melrose - that makes sense. The fact that we have good teachers leaving the system, incompetent admin, and a totally disengaged school committee with the pubic, tells me that we are misspending tax and bond dollars.

Myron, you should worry more about your waist line. You know nothing about the project and less about public education. Take up the challenge blow hard, get a full front row seated in the chamber tonight and present your opinions.

Sad to say, it's easy to see why there's so much bullying by the kids when there are so-called adults brutalizing others like this, with no scruples whatsoever about attacking someone based on physical appearance, name-calling, etc. This is what passes for discourse in Melrose now, since there isn't any real dialogue anymore. It's the "you're for us or you're against us" mentality (saw this also when the Middle school project was proposed) instead of anything approaching a mature and civil conversation. Even sadder is that the person writing this hateful stuff is probably someone who "walks the Walk," meaning the MAAV walk. This kind of hypocrisy and bullying conduct doesn't just hurt whomever is the target on Melrose Messages, but in fact it hurts the whole community.

Climb down off of your high horse long enough to search the MM Whiner blog to find the garbage written on this board about Dolan, SC members and CT, much of it by the rotund blowhard. This site was started by individuals who seek to anonymously disparage public officials and the school system...many who also walk in MAAV.

That's right, Clown Patrol Captain: Thanks to KT and the rest of the school committee tyrants (not you CKK) ,Myron can wait late into the night for the public comment period, while the SC is shutting down their computers, turning down the lights and putting on their coats, making his comments as well as any other citizen's irrelevant. Nice strategy ,RD and KT. That little annoyance we call the "Citizens of Melrose" have finally been neutralized.[:-|]

In a 10 to 0 blowout vote the Board of Alderman unanimously approved the high school renovation project. There were no members of the public at the Board of Alderman meeting representing any group critical of the project or the school department. What a shocker. You clowns are pathetic. Your champions on the board postured to a much lesser degree than the previous meeting when nothing was really on the line...and then voted for the project. What a lonely place it is to know you delusional whiners are right and the rest of the community just doesn't get it. Criticize the SC, MEC, and other community advocates all you want...at least they have the b@lls to put themselves out there and publicly fight for what they believe in.

The name-caller can gloat all she or he wants. Plenty of thinking voters are watching and many are not at all happy with the conduct of Melrose public officials. The out and out contempt shown for any kind of Democratic process, with these fake dog-and-pony shows and rubber-stamped, preordained votes is all very obvious. Melrose has been apathetic for many years, but this contemptuous conduct by elected and paid officials is leading to what many hope will be the tipping point. One of these things will be the straw that breaks the proverbial camel's back. At that point there will be a rude awakening for these contemptuous public officials when hopefully enough people will show up to be counted and let their displeasure be known publicly. So far Contempt Wins and the Public Loses. This isn't about improving the high school, as is plainly clear for anyone with half a brain. This is about the crassest and most cynical abuse of the public trust that Melrose has seen unfold the last few years by unmitigated political opportunists.

So to the name-calling individual who displays such openly hateful and contemptuous attitudes, go ahead and gloat. Your "victory" is shallow and your mode demonstrates what you are really all about.

I think you are deluding yourself. I know that if the renovations had not passed last night, the Alderman would have been under a lot of heat. You wish that the town of Melrose was turning against the administration but all of the people that I speak to see the growth in the town, the sound bond rating, the well maintained parks, the investment in the schools, a revitalized downtown, an increase in property values, great programs for families and seniors - these are all positive indicators that the town is going in the right direction. Have you walked through downtown Wakefield lately? It is definitely different than downtown Melrose and not in a good way. And while you may gripe and moan and see some sort of anti-Melrose administration movement amongst the people on the board, if you think this is part of a greater movement among the people of Melrose you will be very surprised and disappointed in the next election when Dolan wins big again. And enrollment in the schools is increasing too which may be an indication that people think that they are on the upswing too.

If you look at the plan submitted last night, that project is much more then just a technology center - I am personally so pleased it passed and thank the Alderman for approving it.

The Chinese have a saying: "Don't laugh at the crocodile until you have crossed the river,"
The Aldermen and Mayor are up for election in November.

Thank you ASSSSS *ole[:)]

Are you a coulrophiliac? My god you have an obsession with clowns. Perverse, Morty.