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| By Natasha Clark Reminder Assistant Editor LONGMEADOW Last Tuesday, some Longmeadow residents turned out to participate in the town's first informational forum. Hosted in the cafeteria of Longmeadow High School and taped by LCTV, the town's cable access station, the forum lasted three hours and was moderated by Roger Wojick of the Charter Transition Team. In his opening comments, Select Board Chair Dr. John J. Papale said that the main purpose of the forum was to "encourage dialogue so that we all understand where we are." Formal presentations were provided by each town department head. Those who spoke on behalf of their departments were Town Manager Robin Crosbie, School Superintendent Dr. Scott AndersEn, Acting Finance Director Paul Pasterczyk, Department of Public Works Director Mike Wrabel, Parks and Recreation Director Mike McCarty, Fire Chief Eric Madison, Police Captain John Stankiewicz, Council on Aging Director Karen Michelman, Health Director Beverly Hirschhorn and Library Director Carl Sturgis. The following were items or topics noted during the forum: The Police Department has fewer officers than it should have. The number should be around 30-35 officers. Next year's election is tentatively scheduled for May 30. The School Department had to reduce its maintenance staff by four people. Some fees associated with schools, such as sports and bussing, have doubled. According to Papale, some people in town would like to see more commercial property in town, while many others feel it would take away from the town's character. Volunteers are vital to the Council on Aging department. The volunteers's hours combined amount to 24,000 hours of work this year. Madison shared that residents are free to contact him. "We have an open door policy. We're not the Fire Department, we're your Fire Department," said Madison. The Longmeadow Department of Parks and Recreation maintains about 210 acres of park land. Around $2.9 million is the combined total of funds in the town's free cash and stabilization funds. The School Department also wanted residents to be aware that they will host two public forums on the Longmeadow Public Schools Strategic Plan for 2007-2010. The first will take place on Oct. 11, and the other on Oct. 18 both beginning at 7 p.m. The School Committee also said there will be another opportunity for public comment at their regular meeting on Oct. 24. Other recent Longmeadow stories can be read online at www.reminderpublications.com. |