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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 07/10/2011 : 8:38:46 PM
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| I believe you are correct. That is why I pointed it out. Why would John Laidler give her that title in his article? Seems odd to me. |
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dadoo
Member
11 Posts |
 Posted - 07/11/2011 : 4:28:12 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Tails
I thought the city council was adamant that they did not want housing at the old high school? There are 198 units going at the Waters Ave Project and now more housing at the old high school? We have too much over crowding already, no parking, overcrowding in schools... and I thought the charter school was the highest bidder, but got refused.
EVERETT
The Boston Globe
Housing plans for school site filed
City evaluating four proposals
By John Laidler
Globe Correspondent / July 10, 2011
Everett is evaluating four proposals to bring residential housing to its venerable former high school building.
The plans were submitted in response to a request for proposals that Everett advertised in April from groups interested in purchasing or leasing and redeveloping the 3.9-acre Broadway site.
The request did not stipulate how the property should be used or that the existing 347,280-square-foot building be preserved. But all four proposals received involve housing projects that would retain the building, said Jill M. Barringer, assistant city solicitor and chief procurement officer.
The proposals, which include affordable and market-rate housing and some senior housing, were submitted by Stratford Capital Group of Peabody, Neighborhood of Affordable Housing of Boston; Women’s Institute for Housing and Economic Development of Boston, and Dakota Partners of Waltham, said Barringer, who added that the city is not making the plans public because they are still under review.
“The old high school project is one that has an effect on our present and future economy, and we’re looking forward to reviewing the proposals and determining our next course of action,’’ Mayor Carlo DeMaria Jr. said in a written statement. “We’re hopeful to find the best and most beneficial use of the property for our residents, the neighborhood, and the city as a whole.”
The old high school was built in 1924, with a major addition in 1974-75. It closed in 2007 with the opening of the current high school on Elm Street.
In May 2010, the City Council voted to declare the site surplus. Currently, a portion of the building is leased by the Boys and Girls Club of Middlesex County for its Everett Clubhouse, and the city allows use of the field house by various groups on an event-by-event basis.
This is the second round of proposals the city has received for reuse of the site. Last September, the city received four responses to a previous request for proposals issued in April 2010. But on the recommendation of an advisory committee that reviewed the proposals, the mayor opted not to award a bid.
“It was a combination of the development concepts, as well as the price not presenting themselves as being very appealing to the reuse committee,’’ Barringer said. All four bidders had proposed to purchase the land, with $2 million the highest price.
The city decided to issue a new request for proposals this spring with the hope of attracting more favorable responses.
“We just figured that we would put it back out there to see if there were developers who didn’t access it the first time,’’ Barringer said. “We just sent it to everyone we could possibly think of. . . . We thought maybe we would get a broader audience.’’
In the end, three of the proposals received in this round were from groups that bid in the first round: Stratford Capital Group, Neighborhood of Affordable Housing, and Women’s Institute for Housing and Economic Development.
But Barringer said it was premature to speculate on whether the city might find any of the new bids suitable, since the advisory committee, which has been reactivated to review the latest proposals, has only begun its work. She also said the three returning bidders have all revised their proposals in ways that could potentially meet concerns raised by the committee last time. The fourth bidder, Dakota Partners, is new, she said.
As a result of a process it established for the new round, the city has unsealed only the portion of the bids dealing with proposed reuse of the site, leaving to a later date the unsealing of the prices offered, Barringer said. She said that process was set up to allow the committee to study the plans first, without being influenced by the prices offered.
Price will be a consideration for the city, which hopes to generate income from the property, Barringer said. But a larger goal has been to look for a project that would bring a good-quality development to a key area of the city, she said.
“The message we’ve gotten from the mayor all along is to seek a development that would be beneficial to the community,’’ Barringer said.
“It’s a great spot,’’ she said of the site, located just off the downtown. “It’s a spot that has a lot of sentimental value to a lot of people within this community. It was the high school most people went to.’’
Alderman Robert Van Campen of Ward 5, who represents the area in which the old high school site is located and who sits on the reuse committee, said he wants to ensure that any decision on the future of the site takes into account the interests of nearby residents.
“It’s a large building smack in the middle of a residential neighborhood, so the objective for me has consistently been to find a use that is least impacting on the neighborhood,’’ he said.
Barringer said that if the mayor opts to award a bid, he would have to obtain approval from the City Council in order to sell or lease the land, due to an amendment included by the council in its 2010 vote to declare the property surplus.
John Laidler can be reached at jlaidler@comcast.net.
© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company
dont trust this list of people you got the 2 gum snappers barriner and mejia murphy the grump sleepy fields greedy difolia dopey managan no balls campen and no wonder cardello been kissing ass pretti gets a commision property go to **** |
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2011 : 8:10:19 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by dadoo
[quote][i]
dont trust this list of people you got the 2 gum snappers barriner and mejia murphy the grump sleepy fields greedy difolia dopey managan no balls campen and no wonder cardello been kissing ass pretti gets a commision property go to ****
LOL, funny. So true about everyone, but I have to say with the exception of RVC. He has stuck his neck out there on a lot of unpopular issues. He's one of very few that would do that. SO TRUE about the gum snappers....they are just "so professional" |
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 07/18/2011 : 10:34:56 PM
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These lawmakers must be on drugs!
Mass. lawmakers consider deposits on more drinks
By Johanna Kaiser
July 18, 2011
BOSTON—Massachusetts lawmakers are considering updates to the state's bottle bill that would expand deposit fees to non-carbonated beverages and redirect unclaimed deposits to help fund local recycling programs.
Over a dozen bills proposing changes to the state's 30-year-old container deposit system are set to be heard before a legislative committee Wednesday, including one that would place deposit fees on nearly all beverages, including water, iced tea, juice, and sports drinks.
The current deposit system charges consumers five cents on every bottle or can of soft drink, mineral water, beer or other malt beverage. Consumers can redeem their deposit if they return the containers to a redemption center for recycling. Supporters of the proposed expansion say more deposits would encourage recycling and create a cleaner environment.
"By expanding the nickel deposit to more types of beverage containers, we can increase recycling, protect industry jobs and reduce waste disposal costs for local communities," said Sen. Cynthia S. Creem, a Newton Democrat and sponsor of the Senate version of the bill.
Almost 40 percent of drink containers do not have a deposit, according to Creem, but an increased incentive to recycle more containers would reduce litter, and the cost of disposing of trash for cities and towns.
"These drink containers litter our parks and public spaces, and are thrown away as trash at a cost to our cities and towns," said Creem.
But the expansion would increase the cost to consumers and businesses, say opponents of the bill.
"This is a serious tax on consumers at the wrong time," said Christopher Flynn, president of the Massachusetts Food Association, which represents retailers, manufacturers, and wholesalers in the supermarket and grocery industry.
Flynn said expanding redemption centers and converting machines to accept different bottles could also cost the state's retailers millions of dollars and smaller businesses may not be able to expand to handle the increased volume.
"Logistically it's a nightmare and there's really no need for it," he said. The association instead supports increased curbside recycling and more recycling bins in public parks and stadiums, measures that Flynn described as more efficient and comprehensive than more bottle deposits.
The proposal does aim to promote community recycling programs by establishing a separate fund for unredeemed deposits that would help cities and towns pay for local recycling programs. Unredeemed deposits now go into the state's general fund.
"This is meant to be complimentary to curbside recycling," said Janet Domenitz, director of the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group, a top proponent of the proposal. "If there are more container deposits, people get back in the habit of doing redemption."
According to Domenitz, 70 percent of bottles with deposits are recycled, while only 22 percent of bottles without deposits are recycled.
Redemption centers would also receive a one-cent increase in their handling fees under the proposal. The centers now receive 2.25 cents per container, and have not seen an increase since 1991. The bill proposes a 3.25-cent fee, which would be reassessed periodically.
Lawmakers considered the same proposal last year, but the legislative session ended before it could be formally debated. Gov. Deval Patrick added legislation expanding bottle deposits to his budget proposal in January, but the legislation was not included in the state's final spending plan.
Another bill on Wednesday's hearing schedule would eliminate deposits on all containers in the state.
© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 07/31/2011 : 1:31:47 PM
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Towns get aid for public health
By John Laidler
Globe Correspondent / July 31, 2011
Communities in four areas of the region are exploring whether sharing public health functions can help them improve services and potentially reduce costs.
The groups were among 11 recently awarded federal funds by the state to plan for potential collaboration in the delivery of public health services, ranging from restaurant and septic system inspections to flu vaccinations and smoking prevention.
Among the grant recipients was a Merrimack Valley group that includes Haverhill, Lawrence, and Methuen, with the Methuen Health Department serving as lead agency. Brian J. LaGrasse, Methuen’s health director, said this is a ripe time for the three communities to pursue new avenues of cooperation, because their health departments “are all at the bare minimum.’’
“All our departments have been cut over the past several years due to various budget issues, so we are having a hard time keeping the status quo, never mind expanding our services or outreach,’’ he said.
The $28,000 the group is receiving from the state Department of Public Health is welcome because “health departments at the local level need additional resources to even think about doing this,’’ LaGrasse said.
Other area planning grant awards included $20,000 to a group that includes Chelmsford, Dracut, Lowell, and Tyngsborough, of which the Lowell Health Department is serving as the lead agency; and $15,000 to a group that includes Cambridge, Everett, Somerville, and Watertown, with the Cambridge Public Health Department serving as the lead agency. Receiving $25,000 was a group that includes Beverly, Danvers, Lynn, Marblehead, Nahant, Peabody, Salem, and Swampscott, with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council serving as the lead agency.
The planning grants were awarded through the state’s Public Health District Incentive Program. Funded with federal money the state received from the US Centers for Disease Control, the initiative is providing financial help to communities to enter into long-term agreements to share public health resources with the goal of improving them.
“The program is intended to address gaps in the capacities of boards of health and health departments to protect and promote public health,’’ Geoff Wilkinson, DPH senior policy advisor, wrote in a description of the program on the agency’s website.
Local health officials say groups receiving grants can plan for the creation of formal regional health districts or for more limited collaboration.
The 11 groups, which were awarded a combined $275,000, are eligible to cooperate for a smaller number of multi-year implementation grants DPH expects to offer beginning later this year. All four of the area groups are planning to apply for those grants.
LaGrasse said that with the aid of a consultant hired through the grant, the three communities in his group are evaluating how best they might collaborate, looking both at the needs of their communities and the services the four departments are able to provide.
“We definitely want to do some shared services,’’ he said. “We want to look at hiring staff to augment some of the cuts we’ve been getting the last several years in terms of staffing.’’
Frank Singleton, director of the Lowell Health Department, said his group is focusing on the idea of hiring a public health nurse, based out of the Lowell office, who would work on communicable disease management for Chelmsford, Dracut, and Tyngsborough.
Lowell has three public health nurses who perform that function, which involves investigating local cases of communicable diseases reported by the state, assisting affected families, and seeking to prevent the diseases from spreading. Singleton said Dracut and Tyngsborough do not have public health nurses and Chelmsford only has a part-time one. The group is exploring having an employee work on obesity prevention in the four communities, Singleton said, and a condition of the grant is that obesity or tobacco-use prevention must be part of the program.
© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 08/02/2011 : 3:32:34 PM
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Idle Hands Craft Ales' Farmer-Brewery License Denied
August 02, 2011 - 14:31 UTC
Massachusetts State Licensing Commission Indicates that a 50 Percent Threshold will be Applied to the Commonwealth Brewing Industry
Everett, Mass., August 2, 2011 - Idle Hands Craft Ales LLC announced that the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) denied the brewery's Commonwealth of Massachusetts Farmer-Brewery license, a move that could have wide-spread implications for the brewing industry in the state.
According to the ABCC, to qualify for the Farmer-Brewery license, a farmer-brewer must "grow at least 50 percent, in the aggregate, of the quantity of cereal grains and hops needed to produce the anticipated volume of malt beverages." Idle Hands has conceded to this decision as their plans to farm, while in support of domestic agriculture and in line with the spirit of the Section 19C licensing guidelines, will not meet this newly specified 50 percent threshold.
This decision redefines a long-standing license that a vast majority of production breweries in the state hold. The ABCC explicitly stated in its decision to Idle Hands that, "the industry is put on notice that the Commission will be applying this ruling prospectively and, specifically, during the next annual renewal cycle to ensure that every applicant for a farmer-brewer license meets the state law definition of farmer-brewer by growing at least 50 percent..." Given the ABCC's statement, all farmer-brewery licenses will come under the same scrutiny during the renewal time period (effective fall 2011 for 2012 licenses).
"While we are in the process of re-evaluating our business plan for the brewery, we are equally concerned with the potentially devastating financial impact this decision has on the entire brewing industry in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts," said Chris Tkach, founder and head brewer of Idle Hands.
"A decision by the ABCC to force our farm to grow and malt grain will put our farm, and any farmer in the Commonwealth, out of the farm-brewing business," said Bill Russell of Just Beer @ Buzzards Bay Brewing in Westport, MA.
If Massachusetts state breweries are unable to meet the 50 percent hurdle of the Farmer-Brewery license, they will need to acquire the only alternative, a Manufacturer of Wine and Malt Beverages License. The Manufacturer license, however, does not allow breweries to sell beer at retail or do tastings on site – one of the unique draws of the burgeoning craft beer market. It also forces breweries to utilize wholesale distribution channels which will result in potentially lower margins for the brewery (or higher costs to the consumer) and limited product distribution. Many small breweries rely on already tight margins and self-distribution in order to survive in an industry that favors more established and larger players.
Though this decision helps clarify a license that has been on the book for years, it sets a precedent that creates far-reaching effects on breweries, bars, restaurants, retailers and ultimately consumers. There are cost implications and more important issues relate to economic growth, industry innovation, and consumer access to a greater variety of local beers. These effects are further amplified as the brewing industry is one of a few growing industries in an otherwise struggling economy. Existing breweries of all sizes will have to adapt to the 50 percent requirements or apply for alternate licensing, and local entrepreneurs will have to determine whether they can invest in an industry that no longer supports growth and innovation.
About Idle Hands Craft Ales
Founded in 2010, Idle Hands Craft Ales LLC is a privately owned, artisan nano-brewery based in Everett, Massachusetts. Husband and wife team, Chris and Grace Tkach, lovingly hand craft their food-friendly, Belgian-inspired beers in small batches for consumption in the local Boston market. Information about Idle Hands Craft Ales is available at You must be logged in to see this link. |
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cathyk
Member
97 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2011 : 06:07:06 AM
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| Didn't the mayor pose for a picture with this new company? And a lot of press release done on this? wow, a friend in deed is a friend in need. |
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cathyk
Member
97 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2011 : 06:10:19 AM
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CITY OFFICIALS WELCOME IDLE HANDS BREWERY - (read more) on the city web but, THE STORY IS GONE LMAO
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2011 : 09:43:59 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by cathyk
Didn't the mayor pose for a picture with this new company? And a lot of press release done on this? wow, a friend in deed is a friend in need.
Yes, I remember there was a lot of hoopla about it, that's why I posted the article. I just looked and the press release from June is gone, but there are prior ones.
Missing press releases....missing videos...hmmmm. Why try and hide things? It's soooo childish. The press release was with the Senator and State Rep. These tactics sound like someone...........
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OuttaHere
Member
58 Posts |
 Posted - 08/03/2011 : 10:33:59 AM
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"These tactics sound like someone..........."
.........that's as big as a house? ;)
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2011 : 11:59:54 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by OuttaHere
"These tactics sound like someone..........."
.........that's as big as a house? ;)
Ah yes....Little "Ms." Sunshine who is all sweetie sweet to your face but has a vicious streak that would scare the devil himself. |
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2011 : 10:55:12 AM
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More Latinos insured in state
Spanish speakers lag in coverage; study authors say resources needed
By Chelsea Conaboy
Globe Staff / August 4, 2011
Hispanics in Massachusetts are much more likely to have insurance coverage and a primary care doctor than they were before the state’s health insurance overhaul five years ago, but a report set to be released today found that those who speak little or no English lag far behind, with one-third uninsured.
The researchers concluded that English-speaking Hispanics were almost as likely to be insured as non-Hispanic whites, after adjusting the data for differences in factors such as age and income.
But the coverage rate for those who primarily speak Spanish was about 11 percentage points lower.
The study results were based on a 2009 national health survey that included more than 10,000 Massachusetts adults ages 18-64. The study was led by the JSI Research and Training Institute, a nonprofit public health consulting firm in Boston.
The authors said the results point to a need for more targeted programs to help those who do not speak English to navigate the complicated insurance enrollment process, but the most recent state budget eliminated money for outreach efforts largely aimed at Hispanics and other minorities.
Through focus groups and in-depth interviews with Hispanic residents, the researchers found that many said they were confused by enrollment and renewal processes or did not understand what insurance was for because they had come from countries where patients pay doctors directly. The study did not determine the immigration status of residents, but illegal immigrants are not eligible for insurance subsidized by the state.
The study, being published today in the August issue of Health Affairs, says signing up Spanish speakers for insurance is not just a Massachusetts concern. In 2014, most Americans will be required to have insurance under a law signed by President Obama last year.
States with bigger Hispanic populations and fewer community health resources than Massachusetts must develop strategies for reaching Spanish-speaking people, said James Maxwell, lead author of the study and director of research at JSI.
“It’s really a neglected topic,’’ Maxwell said. “Given that such a large percentage of the national uninsured population is Hispanic, it should be a much higher priority.’’
Authors of the 2006 state health law made eliminating racial and ethnic disparities a priority. They created a task force to focus on the issue and set aside money - $2.5 million in each of the past two years - for dozens of community groups that assist people trying get insurance.
But that money was eliminated for the fiscal year that began July 1, and it seems unlikely that the state will restore the funding before the current grants run out in December.
“The national economic crisis has required that states across the country make significant budget reductions,’’ Paulette Song, spokeswoman for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, said by e-mail.
Song said the state will pursue federal grant opportunities.
The budget cut could cost Evelyn Figueroa her job at the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council, where more than three-quarters of the clients are Hispanic. She walks about 320 people each month through enrollment or renewal of their coverage, connects them with primary care doctors or specialists, and schedules appointments.
Each time a notice of canceled coverage or a request for more information is sent to a client, Figueroa gets a copy. Then she follows up by mail - she sends 50 to 65 letters a day - and by phone.
Though the state provides documents in Spanish, many people cannot make sense of them, she said. They are illiterate or have trouble with the technical language. Others simply get lost in the paperwork or are frustrated by repeat notices that their applications are incomplete.
Much of the terminology was lost on Rafael Henriquez, a 39-year-old Lawrence resident who speaks Spanish. He went to a local health center looking for assistance and was directed to Figueroa. She helped Henriquez, who is Dominican, enroll in MassHealth, the state Medicaid program, and scheduled an appointment with a physician.
When his wife, Elizabeth Javier, and four children arrived in Lawrence earlier this year, Figueroa helped secure coverage for the children. She got Javier on a waiting list for a program to cover legal immigrants who have been in the country for less than five years, and she connected her with a free mammography clinic.
Without Figueroa, Henriquez said in Spanish, “it would have been very difficult.’’
Today’s study, using unadjusted figures, found that about 88 percent of Massachusetts Hispanics who chose to answer the survey questions in English had insurance coverage in 2009, up from 78 percent in 2005. Of those who chose Spanish, 67 percent were covered, compared with 51 percent four years earlier. The survey did not explicitly ask whether Hispanics spoke English, but categorized people based on the language they used to answer questions. Spanish speakers accounted for half of the Hispanics surveyed.
Robert Seifert, principal associate at the Center for Health Law and Economics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, cautioned that the data are two years old and that various organizations have been working in recent years to enroll non-English speakers.
“It’s still a challenge,’’ said Seifert, who was not involved with the study. “I think the state recognizes that it’s a challenge.’’
The study authors said many Spanish speakers need ongoing assistance because they have never had insurance before. One-third of those who answered the survey lacked a primary care doctor, compared with less than 10 percent of non-Hispanic whites.
The consumer group Health Care for All operates an insurance help line that receives more than 35,000 calls annually, half of which are from Spanish and Portuguese speakers. Research director Brian Rosman, an author of the study, said people need more personalized, one-on-one assistance that is based in their community.
Figueroa started telling her clients last week that her job may be ending. They are angry, she said.
And she is worried, especially for those in the middle of the enrollment process.
“They’re all going to be left behind,’’ she said.
Chelsea Conaboy can be reached at cconaboy@boston.com.
© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 08/05/2011 : 3:59:28 PM
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I feel bad but don't you get the state license first, an no one knew the policy?
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MA craft brewers face a fight with the state
Idle Hands Brewery has been a life long dream for Chris Tkach and his wife, but for the last several months, the business has been sitting idle.
"To finally come to a conclusion that I can't have the license and that I can't start brewing has been devastating," said Tkach.
Tkach leased an Everett warehouse space last year, and obtained his federal license short thereafter. But when it came to getting a license from the State of Massachusetts, he hit a wall.
The state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission recently changed its policy, requiring beer makers trying to operate under a farmer brewery license to either grow or purchase half of the grains and hops they use from right here in the Bay State.
The decision has upset dozens of local craft breweries. So much so that they plan to revisit the issues with Mass. Treasurer Grossman next week.
As for Chris Tkach, he's invested tens of thousands of dollars into a business that isn't, and hopes his investment and his dream eventually sees the light of day. |
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2011 : 08:46:26 AM
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Rating agency downbeat on Mass. communities
August 09, 2011 By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff
Moody’s Investors Service has assigned a “negative outlook’’ to the credit ratings of a dozen affluent Massachusetts communities and two regional school districts, in an ominous sign of how the national debt crisis and economy woes threaten the financial health of cities and towns.
The communities, which ranked among the state’s wealthiest, maintained their sterling AAA credit ratings for now, but Moody’s said it would be carefully watching them for signs they should be downgraded, signs like a sharply deteriorating national economy or a downgrade in the federal debt.
The Moody’s review, which put five states and 161 AAA-rated local governments on the negative-outlook watch list, found that Massachusetts was second only to Virginia in the number of communities at risk, largely because both states’ economies are highly dependent on federal spending.
Though it is unclear whether a negative-outlook designation would have any immediate impact on the cost of borrowing money by the communities named by Moody’s, it may be the clearest sign yet that the federal debt crisis could have direct consequences for Massachusetts communities.
Coming shortly after the unprecedented move by Standard & Poor’s late last week to downgrade the US credit rating, it sparked worries in town and city halls across the state.
“We’re obviously very concerned about it,’’ said Brookline’s town administrator, Melvin Kleckner.
Other communities that received a negative outlook are Acton, Bedford, Belmont, Concord, Dover, Hingham, Lexington, Newton, Wayland, Wellesley, and Weston.
Concord-Carlisle Regional School District and the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School District also received the designation.
Even communities not named in the Moody’s review worried about the ripple effect of a federal debt downgrade. With the economy limping along with few signs of a robust recovery, communities’ finances could deteriorate further, making it harder for them to pay existing debts and take on new loans.
“It all trickles down,’’ said Andrew Bagley, research director for the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, a fiscal think tank. “Town budgets are already stretched to the max, and they have very little latitude. If the federal government starts cutting spending, it’s going to put the squeeze on cities and towns.’’
In Easton, for instance, where the town plans to sell bonds this week, officials feared that Moody’s may lower the town’s AA3 rating, which has held steady for several years.
“What it would say to the investor is that our debt is riskier today than yesterday,’’ said David Colton, town administrator. “It’s very frustrating, because most of these events are beyond our control.’’
Colton said that the town landed an interest rate of well under 2 percent in the spring and that higher rates would throw off projections. Most existing debt, local officials said, is locked in at existing rates and would be unaffected by a downgrade.
Bagley said poorer communities that are struggling to keep up with rising health care and pension costs could have a hard time borrowing money at all if their credit ratings fall further.
“They could lose access to the market,’’ he said.
Moody’s surveyed AAA communities to determine if they deserved the highest rating, in light of the nation’s negative outlook. Credit ratings at all levels are affected by the elevated national risk, a spokesman said.
In all, Moody’s confirmed the AAA ratings of five US states and 161 local governments as part of its review, but gave a negative outlook to those that were more “exposed and vulnerable to the US government’s rating.’’
“Their position is that the federal government has the highest credit rating … but if the federal government defaults on its credit-related obligation, that will affect every credit in the US,’’ said Ted Alexiades, town administrator in Hingham, where officials will review their credit in hope of preserving the top rating.
The other two bond rating agencies the town uses, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch Ratings, have told Hingham officials that they will not change the municipality’s score, he said.
The review is critical because the town plans to borrow money for a middle school within the year. Although a negative outlook would have a minimal impact, a lowered credit rating would cost the town money, by making borrowing more expensive.
“If we were to drop down, that would mean that we would pay higher interest costs when we issue debt,’’ he said.
In Lexington, officials said they will press Moody’s for reasons for the negative outlook.
“They’d really have to demonstrate that there’s some data to support that position,’’ said Lexington’s town manager, Carl Valente.
Steven Grossman, the state’s treasurer, downplayed the risks to cities and towns, and said the state’s financial position was strong. He said Massachusetts “deserved strong consideration’’ for a higher credit rating.
Bagley, however, said communities would continue to feel the ripple effects from the international economic turmoil.
Globe correspondents Brock Parker and Jessica Bartlett contributed to this report. Peter Schworm can be reached at schworm@globe.com.
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card
Senior Member
117 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2011 : 11:11:38 PM
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War crime suspect found in Everett
Former Salvadoran official accused of role in Jesuit priests’ killings
August 17, 2011|By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff
The 1989 funeral procession for the slain priests and the Everett building… (LUIS ROMERO/ASSOCIATED PRESS/FILE)EVERETT - A former Salvadoran government minister accused of colluding in the infamous killing of six Jesuit priests in El Salvador two decades ago has been living a quiet life in a modest apartment building in Everett, says a human rights group pursuing a legal case against him.
Inocente Orlando Montano, apparently living in Massachusetts for years under his own name, is among 20 former military officers charged with conspiring to kill the priests in fresh indictments from Spain.
The international indictments issued in May seek justice for the clergymen, five of them Spaniards; their housekeeper; and her 16-year-old daughter, who were roused at night from their beds on the campus of Central American University in San Salvador and executed by an elite unit of the Salvadoran military.
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Boston Globe 2011
