Funds for computer upgrades approved

SHARON — A special town meeting was held at Town Hall on Friday, July 10, at 7 p.m. It lasted two minutes and 50 seconds.

In those two minutes and 50 seconds, eight residents approved the meeting’s lone agenda item: an appropriation of up to $63,073 from the Board of Education’s capital non-recurring account for fiscal 2009-10 to pay for computer hardware, computer network wiring and a walk-behind carpet extractor.

“We plan to have one fourth of our computer inventory replaced and we need a new computer network because we’re dealing with one that has very old wiring,� Board of Education Chairman Electra Tortorella said before the meeting. “We are also getting a carpet cleaner because we want to clean the carpets ourselves. We usually outsource carpet cleaning, but we’re hoping that doing it inhouse will save us money.�

According to the meeting’s agenda, the computer hardware is estimated to be $23,930; the network wiring will not exceed $34,549 and the carpet extractor will cost $4,595.

The moderator for the meeting was Selectman Thomas Bartram, who was the only selectman present.

“I hope this meeting is short. I’m going with my wife to Infinity Hall in Norfolk tonight, so this has to be quick,� Bartram joked before the meeting. The legendary San Francisco rock band New Riders of the Purple Sage was playing at the hall that night.

There was no debate during the meeting, which consisted of the nomination of Bartram as moderator, the reading of the agenda item and the vote.

Though the meeting started at 7 p.m., it was listed as starting at 6 p.m. on the calender page of the town’s official Web site.

Town Clerk Linda Amerighi attributed the wrong time to human error.

“We have had glitches on the Web site with the calender person,� Amerighi said. “If you go to the minutes and agendas part of the Web site, you will see all the meeting times and schedules. Don’t rely on the calendars section.�

Morning bird walk

SHARON — Join Mike Dudek for a morning bird walk around the pond, forest and fields of the Miles Wildlife Sanctuary Saturday, July 25, at 8 a.m. This event is free. For more information, call 860-364-0520.

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