HOW: Attend the Sterling Special Town Meeting (Re-scheduled)
WHERE: Chocksett School, 40 Boutelle Road
WHEN: Thursday, November 13, at 6:30 P.M.. HUGE TAXPAYER TURNOUT EXPECTED AGAIN– GET THERE EARLY!!!
WHY: To stop the Sterling Department of Public Works’ $33 million, 37,000 square foot truck garage/truck palace project (known as the ‘Garage Mahal’) and the HUGE, LONG-TERM property tax hike that would come with it.
Sterling D.P.W. officials want voter approval to build a monument to themselves– a $33 million ‘Garage Mahal.’ And if they get their way, Sterling property taxpayers will be footing the bill for the next 30 years to come through a borrowing bond that could raise your property taxes by roughly 11% according to Sterling Finance Committee member Mark Gauthier.
The only way to stop it is to show up and vote at the Special Town Meeting on Thursday, November 13, to eliminate the preliminary design-phase request for $2.2 Million in funding. In their utter arrogance, D.P.W. officials refused to even consider building much cheaper carport/truckport structures to protect D.P.W. trucks from the weather, and also refused to consider cheaper fabricated steel building options used commonly by municipalities and businesses, like those all along Pratt Junction and Chocksett Roads (including the MassDOT facility on Chocksett Road!). There are MANY steel building makers from which to choose design options and take bids.
THE STERLING D.P.W.’S FALSE STATEMENT ON THE ‘GARAGE MAHAL’ PER-SQUARE-FOOT BUILDING COST:
During the 18 September 2025 Joint Finance Committee-Capital Budget Committee-D.P.W Board Meeting, televised by Sterling-Lancaster Community TV (watch it here if you can stand it)—
Sterling D.P.W. mouthpieces said that the 37,000 square foot ‘Garage Mahal’ they want will cost $33,000,000. They further said that that equates to $742 per square foot in building costs. That square footage cost figure is absolutely FALSE.
Dividing $33,000,000 by 37,000 equals $892 per square foot in building costs!
HELL, if the Sterling D.P.W., Weston & Sampson (its proposed engineers), and Vertex (its proposed project manager) add in some gold leaf they can run the building cost up to $1000 per square foot. What’s another $108 per square foot when you already intend to screw Sterling property taxpayers BIG TIME???!!!
THE GILFORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE, D.P.W. IS GETTING A BIG, NEW, FABRICATED STEEL BUILDING ON A SLAB FOR $11 MILLION, NOT $33 MILLION!
Gilford, New Hampshire, is a tax-rich Town of 7,700 residents–about the same population as Sterling. It is tax-rich because it is a town with extremely high-value taxable properties on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee. SO, the Gilford, NH, D.P.W. is getting its own ‘Garage Mahal’—a fabricated steel building on a slab—BUT FOR $11.2 Million—-ONE-THIRD (1/3) THE COST OF THE STERLING D.P.W.’s PROPOSED ‘GARAGE MAHAL’ BOONDOGGLE. AND THE GILFORD, NH, D.P.W. BUILDING COST WAS DRIVEN UP BY THE NEED TO REMOVE ROCK LEDGE—NOT AN ISSUE HERE IN STERLING.
SEE:
https://www.gilfordnh.gov/entity/NEW-GILFORD-PUBLIC-WORKS-FACILITY-PROJECT-36
THE PLAYBOOK NEVER CHANGES:
Here’s how this kind of utterly absurd, wasteful Town of Sterling spending keeps happening:
A small group of insiders (cronies) always shows up for the Town Meeting. They know that the average taxpayer — busy with work, kids, and life — doesn’t have time for night meetings. So, they vote themselves new facilities, new spending, and leave every Sterling property taxpayer holding the bag. SO, if you don’t show up and control these cronies you open your next tax bill and wonder how it got so high. There are only 8000 residents in Sterling (including children), and 22% of Sterling adults live on fixed incomes. Do Sterling D.P.W. trucks take precedence over the lives of struggling Sterling Senior Citizens? Thirty-three million dollars ($33 million) in new spending would constitute a crushing tax burden for our small-town taxpayer population across the board. NOTE: Both the Sterling Select Board and the Sterling Finance Committee are comprised of bloviating, gutless, posturing, tax-and-spend insiders/cronies too. Ignore their recommendations.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Before you skip this meeting, take a look at your property tax bill. Then picture that number going up by 11% for 30 years. Does that make your life easier or harder?
If you’re tired of endless, wasteful spending and higher taxes, this is your chance to draw the line. Be there Thursday night, November 13 at 6:30 PM.
Vote ‘NO’ on the Sterling D.P.W. ‘Garage Mahal’ appropriation/spending Warrant Article—ARTICLE 2.
STAY INFORMED:
This previous posting provides additional details about the Sterling D.P.W.’s ‘Garage Mahal’ boondoggle, although now we know that the REAL per-square-foot building cost for the Sterling D.P.W. ‘Garage Mahal’ is $892, NOT $742:
To get updates straight to your inbox, free of charge, scroll down on this Blog site and subscribe. You can always be one step ahead of the next Sterling Town Government boondoggle by doing so!
WHAT: Sterling Special Town Meeting (Re-scheduled). HUGE TAXPAYER TURNOUT EXPECTED AGAIN–GET THERE EARLY!!!
WHERE: Chocksett School, 40 Boutelle Road
WHEN: Thursday, November 13, at 6:30 P.M.
WHY: To defeat the Department of Public Works’ proposed $33 million ‘Garage Mahal’ Boondoggle and its Proposition 2 1/2 property tax override/debt exclusion that would add significantly to your property tax bills for 30 years to come.
J.G.
STERLING, MASSACHUSETTS, OVERWATCH 
As a former town moderator for many years, I believe this article should be presented at an annual town meeting (ATM), rather than a special town meeting (STM). The magnitude and cost of this project deserves the attention of as many Sterling voters as possible. It is well known that historically STM’s are far less attended than the ATM. (Which have far too few voters than should be there).
As Jim points out, it is much easier to “pack” a special town meeting with proponents and those who have a special interest in a particular article.
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In addition to my previous post, Special Town Meetings were historically used as the name implies, to deal with Special needs which have come before the town which can’t wait until the next ATM. This could include special money transfers, old bill payments, or other imminent town needs. It might also be different if, for instance, the town was eligible for a grant which would be expiring at the end of the calendar year. I don’t believe any of these to be the case with this proposed article.
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Pete,
Scheduling this Special Town Meeting in November with very early sunsets was a tactical decision by the devious Sterling Town Government Clown-Cronies to inhibit turnout by older taxpayers who don’t like driving or staying out after dark. THAT TACTIC BACKFIRED IN SPECTACULAR FASHION. So many taxpayers showed up that parking spaces around the schools were completely packed and drivers circled around trying to find spots to park. The gymnasium was PACKED with people sitting on the floor with their backs against the walls. THE HUGE OVERFLOW WITH VOTERS STILL IN LINE TRYING TO GET IN FORCED THE TOWN MODERATOR TO RE-SCHEDULE THIS STM TO 13 NOVEMBER. On 13 November we will have TWO SPILLOVER ROOMS WITH DEPUTY MODERATORS, TELEFEEDS, ETC.. THIS WAS THE BIGGEST TOWN MEETING TURNOUT SINCE 1200 CAME OUT IN 1990 TO VOTE DOWN ZONING FOR THE ‘SARATOGA STYLE’ HORSE RACERACK PROPOSED BY JAMES MOSELY. The turnout on 13 November will be HUGE and the ‘Garage Mahal’ will go down in flames.
Jim
Jim
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