TAXING MATTERS: There exists some tension between the Tax Collector’s Office and the Board of Assessors. Research would suggest that the women in the collector’s office are upset with allegations of profanity against Jim Judge and filed a grievance with the town administrator to that effect. Also at issue seems to be the manner in which information is received (or not) from the Assessors. TA Kevin Donovan set up a meeting between the two departments on February 11 to iron out the tensions. What surprises us is that Donovan, who we feel had a responsibility to attend, didn’t. Priscilla Palombo (Tax Collector) and her Senior Bookkeeper Alice Coleman, along with Administrative Assistant Jo Ann Bray all attended, along with Judge and Assessor Bill Twohig. Bill Martin had recently returned from a vacation we are told and was unable to attend. Bill Fairweather heads to Florida for almost half of his elected term and wasn’t going to venture north for this little inconvenience. Palombo sent a follow-up memo to the Assessors on February 28 decrying the treatment of the grievance as "informal" in what she charged was an attempt "to minimize this grievance to a departmental communication issue. " She went on to say that the Assessors were "minimizing the circumstances that led to the grievance. My impression was the matter was not taken seriously and it was evident in how the meeting was conducted." Regarding the core of the issue Palombo said, "By having minimized or dismissed my attempts at explanations of events (i.e. use of profanity) that led to this grievance is being perceived as ignoring problem areas. I believe the behavior will not change." Jim Judge says matters have changed. He told the Observer that in a moment of frustration he did use profanity which was directed at the idiosyncrasies of the town’s computer system. "It was not directed at the Tax Collector. It was inappropriate, I apologized and there has been no reoccurrence."

NUMBER PLEASE: Just as a side note, we tried to look up the Assessor’s phone number in the book; they’re not listed. Further, you cannot obtain the number from 411 either. That means that a citizen can reach every department on Green Street through the conventional methods… except the Assessors. #@%$&*! (We apologize).

TAX BILLS: We were notified by several folks who showed us errors on their recent tax bills. We met briefly with Collector Priscilla Palombo who was also chagrined over the situation. Here is the scoop on this matter. Anybody who received an exemption on their tax bill say that it was subtracted from the taxable figures. As an example: If you live in the nook you get a $308.00 sewer bill added on to your tax bill. If you served in the armed forces you get a $600 exemption. What happened was that the computer took it off but added it back on at the end. How many tax bills were wrong? 131 of them. Palombo said that all 131 people were apprised of the problem and only one paid the incorrect amount. They were given a refund. This town computer system must be real pill. Here’s another ditty: None of the people who received sewer or septic loan money got billed last year. The information submitted from the Assessor’s Office to the Tax Collector was not deciphered by the system and therefore the computer never communicated with the live people who should get the info. Wonder how those 91 people are going to deal with the double hit?

DAVIS CASE: The matter of Davis v. Town of Kingston was being heard as this publication was being distributed. You may recall that the ownership of the Sharon and Glenn Davis Pottle Street land (purchased by Sharon’s father Tony Bettencourt back in 1975) remains in dispute. The town claims Bettencourt should have secured a deed. That not having been discovered, leads the town into its claim of ownership. The torching of the Davis barn on the property added to the drama of the dispute. We will watch for the judge’s ruling over the days and weeks ahead and put it on line when it is reached.

CONGRATS ROCKY: Rocky Cole just seems to get better with age. Our esteemed Town Treasurer has, on behalf of the town, been awarded with an A-1 Rating from Moody’s Investment Service. In assigning the A-1 bond rating Moody’s says: "…the town will maintain the currently favorable fund balance levels as conservative revenue assumptions have allowed for annual replenishment of appropriated reserves. Moody’s believes the town’s $1.2 billion tax base will continue to expand given sustained development and value appreciation, a robust retail sector, and proximity within the Boston metropolitan region." Cheers!

THANKS PAC TV: Our appreciation to Dave Finer and PAC TV for their recent feature on the Kingston Observer. The segment aired in early March and we received many calls of support. In the future we will be reciprocating with a piece on Dave.

FED WATCH: We took a drive down Pottle Street last week to see how much snow still covers the ballfields, which was still substantial. We made a turn at the Davis property and headed back out. Coming toward us was a dark blue Crown Victoria which seems to be the vehicle of choice for the law enforcement big wigs. Sure enough, there was a State Police Officer from the Arson Squad along with an ATF Agent. We chatted briefly and parted. We learned afterwards that they are still involved with polygraph testing and have at least one pending for a localite. We have to wonder what will become of all this. We will be nearing the first anniversary of the Arson fire in May.

POTTLE BALANCE: We can report back to you that there is approximately $292,000 left in the Pottle Street Fields budget. The cost of improvements to Pottle Street itself will come from another source and could end up costing close to $1 million. Fired landscaper Kevin Leone claims he is due about $140,000 of that balance. Our guess is he’ll never see it. The Ballfield Committee will squeeze his bond company (this process has already begun according to Town Administrator Kevin Donovan) and Leone will walk away rather then injure his rating. But... if we’re wrong and Leone gets some chunk of his tab, there are still other monies tied up with contractual obligations. We would hazard to guess that there is precious little left, if anything, to build a 30' X 40' building in the center of the complex. The structure would serve as a concession stand and have a kitchen and two bathrooms. Committee minutes say $110,000 is earmarked for the building. Additionally, there are plans for two more buildings for storage, each to be either 20' X 20' or 20' X 24'. That’s more money. Whether Leone gets his money or not, the withheld funds will have to be paid out to somebody, so that leaves the committee in a real cash crunch. With spring here, the issues of the fields will be leaping back into prominence. By the way, Leone still insists that he has never received any type of official notice from the town that he has have fired. Donovan says not true but we yet to see any document that substantiates either claim.

CHUCK MCCOY is still moving steadily forward to have the town pay his legal bills from back when he was our Tax Collector. He’s represented by Glynn and Landry out of Braintree. Chuck is trying to force the selectmen into honoring the indemnification statutes that we adopted as a town many years ago. In addition, he is attempting to recoup various other fees that came in after he left office but which the town is still obligated to pay him. Now here’s the crux of this one: When Landry sought to gain receipt of documents necessary to represent his client, he got back a letter saying the bill for the records and the research time would be $2,570.25. The tax collector’s office broke it down to $1,937.25 for 21 days of pulling documents at 7.5 hours a day at $12.30 an hour. The copy fees would be $633.00 for 3164 copies at .20 a page. No documents will be produced until McCoy antes up the money. Landry, in a March 10 to McCoy, calls the estimated cost "obscene, and it certainly appears that the town is trying to deter your access to public records by quoting an outrageous figure." Landry also points out that although the town letter was dated February 28, it wasn’t mailed until March 6.

WATER DAMAGE: The situation at the old Maple Avenue School certainly dealt a blow to the sewer commissioners. It wasn’t so much an issue of the basement flooding, but of water leaking through the ceiling and raining down on commission records. Civil Defense did not suffer the same loss due to their placement. The CD is now housed up on Route 27 at the building in from of Kingston Fitness. We are told, from numerous sources, that the town is not getting the best deal. Any repairs are at town expense and we’re told the toilet is cracked and unusable. More next month, after we check it out, this is recent news.

SENSING VICTORY: The Observer will return to Victory Market with this issue. Both the Mariner and Observer are back after a brief hiatus. Some problem with a contractual issue with the purveyors of the big freebie rack in the exit corridor. The matter was worked out with the store ownership and can be found adjacent to the paid papers near the express register.

WHERE’S JIMMY? The post office is not the same place without Jimmy LeGrand. You know Jimmy, that crazy, lovable guy with the ponytail and weird rimmed glasses. Yup, the fellow who used an assortment of cartoon stamps to ink the hands of kids who eagerly held them up. The official PO word is that he retired. Unofficially... there’s more to it we expect. Point is, a lot of people, and kids miss him.

ECK’S IRE: David Eck called us the other day and suggested that since our offices are within walking distance of his home, we take a look see at his "sidewalk." He suggested we not walk and you can see here why. Dave says the three foot deep collapse makes him a casualty of a sewer connection gone awry. He has some harsh words for the fella who did the work. Once we found out who he was talking about we said "tell me it ain’t so." Politics being what they are, we won’t go into the details, but Eck did get some quick service after the photo was taken. More only if necessary.

GARDEN CLUB: We attended a "kickoff" meeting of the Garden Club where they planned the upcoming Adopt-a-Space program. We are delighted that they will continue with this most worthy endeavor. We have volunteered to establish a virtual tour of all the lovely spots in town on our Observer on-line edition. Once the warm weather takes hold, along with the colors of late spring, we will launch the site.

BEATON BEACON: It was interesting to hear selectman Mark Beaton serving up a dope slap for the Beacon Development group for courting municipal officials at private confabs, especially ZBA members. Word is that the group, striving to place 700 housing units on the O’Donnell property, which includes 40-B, is courting the ZBA in Plymouth one at a time. Beaton says it’s unethical to be providing these tete-a-tetes to a board who will then sit in judgement at a hearing, having already heard the basic issues. Beaton says our Kingston regulations read: "The Zoning Board of Appeals will not participate in the review of the proposal (thereby not prejudging its merits) and will hold its own meeting." During a break in the meeting, Beacon principal Howard Cohen approached Beaton and indicated that he agreed with his concerns. We’re not sure what that means or bodes. Several folks have come by our offices and asked that the following questions be asked: Will the proposal sap our sewer capacity? Will the 8 year buildout render our new school facility over populated? Will there be a strain on town services. Should all 40-B’s be located in one place? We’ll have Peter Smith, Beacon front man, answer this for our readers. We believe that’s fair.

RACES SET: Unfortunately there are only four races. Olly DeMacedo, Mark Beaton, Paul Barry Brian Caseau and Garry Monahan are running for selectman. Dan Sapir and Joe Casna for Board of Health. Christine Lynch and Chris Mamakos for KES and Mark Guidoboni and Tom Calter for SLRHS. It will be an interesting event.
SET TIMES: Town Meeting attendance should be more user friendly this year. You know the starting and ending times. Let’s see if it works. Saturday, April 5 (9-1), Monday, April 7 (6-9) and if needed, Wednesday, April 9 (6 to whenever).

NEW BUYER? We have received word that there is potentially a new buyer interested in Town & Country Mobile Home Park. That could indeed prove to be interesting, but let us not forget that under rent control, the residents of the community must be offered the right of first refusal. We know that nobody is going to slip one past T & C Association President Bob Pinato.

SIDEWALKS BACK: Sullivan Brothers have purchased the old Mid-Cape Center and will be housing a new automobile dealership on the property. There was initially some question as to the status of the sidewalks that were being required by the Planning Board. According to sources, Town Administrator Kevin Donovan and Selectman Dick Kenney spoke with the parties involved and there will be a sidewalk along Summer Street adjacent to the new dealership. Good. That one’s put to bed.

MONEY MATTERS: Parents and teachers ascended on the last elementary school committee meeting several weeks ago in order to express their concerns relative to budget cuts. Since the fiscal scale is still being balanced on Beacon Hill it is still very difficult to guarantee anything. We are heartened to find an active teacher core at the elementary school level and support their vigilance. More folks should attend meetings… across the board. By the way, that’s Chris Mamakos making a point at the meeting.

THE ZBA WAY: Interesting to note that the Zoning Board of Appeals does not call its meetings to order, they just start. Also, they close hearings, then arrange site walks. We asked them why they don’t continue their hearings so they could discuss any new information that comes to the table after the site walk. "Because we never get new information from site walks" said chairman Stan Kuzborski. Just amazing. Nothing new ever derived from... I mean, then why have them?

ACADEMY AWARDS: Remember to watch them on the evening of March 23 to see if Kingstonian Chris Cooper will receive the Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in Adaptation last month we predicted he would take the big one. We have been given a scare when the SAG (Screen Actors Guild) named Christopher Walken their choice for his role in Catch Me If You Can. They say the SAGs are a prelude to the Oscars. Nevertheless, we’re sticking with Cooper.

BASKET CASE: Dear Stop & Shop, please replace the basket return stalls that were removed recently. Unless you’re parked out back, there is no close place to return baskets. Funny how little things like that bother us.

FINES COMING: Soon, the 200 or so homes that have yet to be connected to the sewer line will be issued daily fines. The deadline for hookups was seven months ago. Users pay a betterment whether they tie in or not…so it seems to be time for full compliance. After all, we’ve got to reduce the budgetary shortfall

OLLY BARES: We told you we would provide a report on the $10,000 dollars that Olly DeMacedo was granted in 1996 and 1997 from the town’s Elizabeth B. Sampson Fund. The money was sought and received in two $5,000 portions. In 1996 town records show $3123.00 expended for the sale and installation of 55 sections of 6 X 8 spruce stockade fencing and 10 sections of post and rail. It can be seen from its origins off Maple Street out behind the center pharmacy. It has been sitting there for 7.5 years. One can certainly question the wisdom of its construction in the absence of the park that would have given it meaning. The other expense was $1680 to a fellow out in Carver for 6 days at $280.00 per day for pouring and finishing concrete sidewalks on Green Street. You can see the evidence of the walkway, replete with brickwork and old fashioned street lamps. It represented a great start for a project that was to have extended much further then where it ends, just prior to the outer perimeter of the library land. Lots of volunteers assisted in the project, including this Ringside writer. The lampposts were paid for by local business people and private citizens. Their names were to be engraved on plaques and affixed to the posts. In one case, the lamp was donated in memory of a deceased family member. The plaques never happened and we suggested to Olly that it is not too late and the obligation still exists. The two expenditures used up all but $197.00 of the 1996 funding. The balance remains in the Sampson Fund.

ANOTHER $5,000 was awarded to Olly in 1997 for his privately run Kingston Village Association. By now Harley Cadenhead had resigned as his treasurer and former selectman Kevin Cully took over. In this instance a check for the entire $5,000 was written from the Sampson Fund to The KVA. Cully told us he turned over the account information to Olly years ago. Olly said he believes Cully still has it and is anxious to show us the activity. He said that thousands of dollars came out of his own pocket when working on the park concept that was to begin on Green Street and culminate behind the old railroad station. He said police details necessary during the Green Street sidewalk work was paid by him. Southeastern donated the concrete and the brick was gifted. Olly questions why this matter is receiving this kind of attention and points out that Sampson money is not taxpayer money. He says that nobody provides follow-up on its usage and is hurt that it appears his integrity is being questioned.

THE POINT IS, we like Olly. There is no question that he has an infectious personality and is willing to take on major projects. He has a refuse to lose attitude that is to be commended. Pulling the Plymouth parade back from the dead is a good example. He is a risk taker and succeeds more often then not. The Kingston Village Association however was not an example of a success story. Individual members of the Kingston Garden Club had a right to question the project via this newspaper. They received $200 of town money. Its use can be seen all over town. The defunct KVA project appears to have expended about $10,000 in Trust money following a patchwork quilt plan that has one piece on Green Street, a fence sitting amid a remote field a mile away and nothing conjoining the two. Well, that’s that. We still marvel at the man’s tenacity, but there has to be a moral to this story. And accountability. Help us out here.