The Town of Duxbury Sidewalk and Bike Path committee asks for your support of Article 33 at Town Meeting on March 10. Our beliefs are that more sidewalks and bike paths would promote safety, improve traffic flow, provide access to a green mode of transportation, create a sense of community, enhance commerce, provide a recreational benefit and improve property values.  One 2009 study found that homes in walking-friendly neighborhoods sold for more than comparable homes without that amenity.

We have created a long-term plan for the Town using a “hub and spoke” approach, hoping to connect business districts and school facilities more closely to our community.

Regarding Mr. Antonellis’ article, (“Who Knew? They did,” 2/15/12), he states that the Cape-style homes along Washington don’t face the road because there were cart paths to the water, and the homes faced on the cart paths.

He neglects to mention why many of the oldest homes face toward the south (path or no path).  It is because they were “solar-sited,” meaning they faced south to take advantage of and be warmed by the fall, winter and spring sun.  Witness the John Alden house.

Lorrie Hall

Abrams Hill

Regarding the Town Meeting article that would convert our government from Open Town Meeting to representative, I am a mother of young children and I support Open Town Meeting.

Let’s talk about Iran. Can we he have an adult conversation? Let’s assume for a second some alternate universe where the Iranians had covertly overthrown the Washington presidency under the guise of popular revolution and instead installed an authoritarian regime. Let us then apprehend the facts that Washington was going to nationalize the natural resources in its newly governed territory. Let us now make the jump from hyperbole to reality and realize that we’re talking about the Mossadegh presidency.

One hundred Unitarian Universalist ministers across Massachusetts last week joined a growing chorus of religious leaders speaking out against the Habitual Offenders, or Three Strikes Bill currently in conference committee at the State House.

This bill aims to be “tough on crime,” but instead it is “tough on taxpayers.”

What ever happened to the Duxbury Taxpayers Association? It wasn’t too many years ago that group of citizens was concerned about the wild spending by the schools, town government and several town boards and committees. This group launched its own investigation into these expenditures with a great deal of success. Most unnecessary spending was curbed. Schools were closed and economy measures instituted at many levels.

I would like to take this opportunity to recall a Letter to the Editor that appeared in the Duxbury Clipper in September of 2011.  The author, Dino Colucci eloquently focused our attention on the valiant life of Lt. Timothy Steele.  Mr. Colucci went on to ask the people of Duxbury to consider paying tribute to Lt. Steele’s memory by naming the new school after him.

The biggest change in government in the last 15 years may be its discovery of corporate public relations. Mostly gone are the press secretaries who wouldn’t lie on the record, and to trusted reporters would tell the truth unvarnished. Nowadays, spokes-persons tend to be low-level employees who don’t know the truth themselves. Their job is to relate scripted messages.

We lost another beautiful child last week: Another shooting star, who could light up the sky with his smile and laughter. Another child who, no matter how far he traveled, loved his hometown of Duxbury and always cheered for his favorite Boston teams.

And another brave dad stood up and spoke, so eloquently, about his child, how he “thanked God the day his son was born.”

Too early in the morning, a call came over the police scanner that a man had consumed an excessive amount of alcohol and was threatening “imminent suicide.” Two Duxbury police officers responded that they were on their way. As they drove, one asked the desk sergeant if there were known weapons in the house. The sergeant responded that he was already checking. A few moments went by and the officer said he was on the scene and asked again if there were weapons in the house. The sergeant said that they didn’t yet know.

Last Saturday evening was an amazing night of a cappella for the audience and performers at the Duxbury Performing Arts Center. The fantastic student groups included the University of New Hampshire Alabaster Blue, the University of Hartford L’Shir, the New York University Mixtapes, the Boston University Dear Abbeys, and our own DHS PacMen. Our professional group, North Shore A cappella, recently featured in “The Sing-Off,” brought the house down

The bridge. The repairs are obviously needed. So, we’re going to increase sticker fees on a permanent basis so we can pay $1 million in interest over 15 years on a $2.5 million repair.

This is a perfect example where we should have been taking a portion of the annually collected fees and put it into a strategic capital account for future repairs to the bridge.  My understanding (which could certainly be wrong, but I would love to see a story on the details behind how the level of fees are determined by the Board of Selectmen) is that funds raised by fees for a specific purpose must be used for that purpose.  I find it hard to believe that all the funds currently raised in sticker fees are actually used for the beach operations. Are these funds now being treated as part of the general fund?

People run for office on their credentials. I proudly state mine:

• BS-ED-Framingham State College. 1955

• MS-ED-Simmons College, 1964

• Classes every year with the Massachusetts Town Clerks Association and, beginning in 1999, a program which earns for the clerks who apply every four years, a CMMC (Certified MA Municipal Clerk) title.

On Feb. 9, 2012 I had the pleasure of attending my fifth grade granddaughter’s “We Don’t Have a Theme” all band marathon at the Duxbury Performing Arts Center.

I was amazed at the talent of the students of all ages on the stage.  Music director Ric Madru commented that the dedication and the commitment of the students is the result of the concert that we all so enjoyed.

I have attended many of the middle/high school building committee meetings over the past year and have asked several questions:  most have been answered, some are still pending.  I want to thank the architect Dennis Daly for trying to answer them and Dr. Tantillo for looking into the possibility of making the cafeteria more efficient by changing the eating plan.

Who are “they?”  The Duxbury Rural and Historical Society.  Specifically, Carolyn Ravenscroft.  She is the Archivist at the Drew Archival Library, better known as the Wright Building.  You know, the beautiful 1907 building right across from DHS, attached to the Student Union (you should see inside – wonderfully restored).

Anyway, They know everything about Duxbury.

At the March 15, 2010 Town Meeting, voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the Protective Bylaw by adding a new section, 616, known as the community scale wind turbine bylaw.

The bylaw passed after a thorough discussion and was recommended by the town’s Board of Selectman, the Finance Committee and Planning Board.  The Alternative Energy Committee spent two years researching the bylaws around the state that were used to erect over two dozen other turbines.   The bylaw was also patterned on recommendations received from the Massachusetts Dept. of Energy Resources and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MA CEC) based on science and best practices.

Our New England Patriots lost to the New York Giants again in the Super Bowl this past Sunday.

Everyone on the radio seems to be looking for reasons. Is Tom Brady losing it? Is  Gisele having an effect on his concentration? Is Belichek not as smart as he thinks he is? Should they think twice about paying Wes Welker the big money he deserves? Why can’t they win the big game?

In a column that appeared in this paper last week, Duxbury was portrayed as “outsourcing” our contribution to the advancement of renewable energy by entering into financial transactions instead of developing renewable energy projects of our own.  The solar energy purchase contract that the town recently entered into with Pegasus Renewable Energy Partners was described as analogous to a “cap and trade” deal that lets a contaminating factory buy its way out of installing pollution reducing equipment.  This analogy is confusing and simply inaccurate.

The Duxbury Art Association’s Winter Juried Show opened Feb. 5 at the Art Complex Museum on Alden Street, near the schools and Duxbury Free Library. You can’t miss it. It’s the only building in town shaped like ocean waves from an Asian print, the only one with a shark swimming through the trees.