stopped. After denuding the property, blasting the heck out of the hilly
terrain, and leaving a raw scar that is a dustbowl, eyesore, and totally out of
compliance with construction site regulations, the work was stopped due to a
flurry of lawsuits among the school, the property owners, and the contractors.
Susan Petrini wrote up the history and the various lawsuits in the
FraminghamSource and, were it not such a disaster, it would be a keystone
comedy.
It is very hard to believe the landownersâ claim that they were unaware of the
work (it had been going on for months.) It is beyond comprehension that the
School would have gone ahead with the work prior to a final Purchase & Sale.
(As an aside, based on the projectâs history, how could anyone or any town
consider paying for students to go to a school which has failed to act in a
sound fiduciary manner.) What actually has an air of plausibility is that the
landownersâ end game was to be exactly where we are: the property blasted and
leveled making it more usable but on someone elseâs dime.
I certainly canât guess how the lawsuits will play out. Should the landowners
win, we need to keep an eye out to stay ahead of whoever is truly behind the
publicly-listed landowners. Any requests to rezone will need to be recognized
as the tail end of what is going on now. (The rumor of wanting to put a Market
Basket on this property has not gone away.)
I have been trying to make sure the Town address the problems since early July
when it was clear the work had stopped and the property left in an unacceptable
state. The first update I received was in late October when I was told that the
Town had sent a letter to the involved parties stating what needed to be done
to the property. The actual letter was sent in late September and the parties
given until November 1 to comply.
When I asked the Planning Board Administrator what would happen if November 1
came and went with no action, the response was âThe Planning Board would then
need to review the decision and make a decision during a public meeting.â Upon
my latest request for update from the Administrator, on November 1, I was told
the âApplicantâ (I presume that is RCS) has met with the Town and the Town has
ârequested a letter from the Applicant for public release - we are just waiting
on that item.â The deadline has passed â we should not still be waiting for a
letter when the PB has the right and duty to dictate action.
The Planning Board Chairman, Christine Long, is running for a councilor at
large position and also intends to remain on the PB if she wins. Her campaign
site (https://longforcitycouncil.com) states: âDear Residents: Framingham now
needs new, bold leadership by those who possess the knowledge, skills and
abilities to move the community forward. The time for TALK WITHOUT ANY PROVEN
ACTION IS OVER. SOME RUNNING FOR OFFICE HAVE MANAGED FRAMINGHAM IN THE PAST AND
IN THE PRESENT WITH POOR RESULTS LEADING TO AN INCREASE IN SPENDING, TAXES, AND
BLIGHT. WE NEED CHANGE NOW! DON'T BE FOOLED BY CAMPAIGN PROMISES AND EMPTY
PLATITUDES.â (Her caps.)
My response to this statement is that actions speak louder than words: four
months and still living with an ugly, unsafe dustbowl, at the mercy of the
developers.
I believe the history described here is compelling and important enough to make
public before the election.
Carol Levin
Sent from my iPhone