"Anger's not the answer to problem," as stated in July 30, 2005 edition of the Metrowest Daily News. Neither is the arrogance on the part of these social service organizational leadership that has begotten the anger that many of us Framingham residents currently harbor.
Before we continue, we just want to state that within one mile of our homes, there are several social service operations servicing hundreds of clients if not thousands of them. Can any of our State Legislators make such a claim? How many decision makers can also make such a claim that we make?
Back to the arrogance: These social service organizations were invited by the Framingham's Board of Selectmen to have representatives come to the meeting on July 12 and representatives only from the Salvation Army showed up. May God bless the Salvation Army. Where were the rest of the representatives of these other social service organizations?
Framingham has the lion's shares of the social service operations for the greater MetroWest area. With that said and the fact that whenever a social service organization acquire properties here, it comes off the tax role, thus the rest of the Framingham's taxpayers have to pick up the tab. What is worse, many of such operations become the kind of neighbors that most other neighborhoods don't want.
We have the Wayside Project wanting to build a residence for troubled youths in a highly congested area that will result in more congestion in the area. We also have SMOC wanting to convert a nursing home into a residence for recovering drug addicts and the neighbors there don't want that in their neighborhood. Are you willing to accept such a residence in your neighborhoods? Why or why not? Why do these residence be built in congested areas of Framingham instead of in the openness of Sherburn, Wayland, Sudbury, or Ashland? How will such operations benefit the neighborhoods they will be placed in?
In short, the decision makers need to start locating future operations in the surrounding communities so they can service the poor, indigents, the drug addicts that comes from such surrounding communities. As it stand, Framingham has enough of such social service operations.
Thank you,
William J. LaBarge
Town Meeting Member, Precinct 16
Paula Correia
Town Meeting Member, Precinct 16
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