Easy To Be Hard

Ken O’Brien

As I was watching the early part of the Southbridge Town Council Meeting last Monday night I was genuinely excited.

There were two reasons for this.

First, and perhaps foremost, was that I was finally going to be able to say something positive about our town’s Economic Development and Planning Department. Followers of The O’Zone know that I have been a relentless critic of this office and its Director. But, really, they make it so easy to be hard. Most recently I pointed out their failure to have the Southbridge Technology and Environment Park mentioned in a web-site devoted to promoting business-ready sites in Massachusetts.

Economically Developmentally Disabled

Ken O’Brien

Cassandra Acly

At Monday night’s sparsely-attended Town Council Meeting (only five councilors were present) Director of Economic Planning and Development Cassandra Acly made a presentation about plans to collaborate with the “South County Leadership Team”.

The essence of the presentation was about plans to cooperate with Quinsigamond Community College to develop training programs designed to prepare Southbridge residents to participate in the technologically advanced manufacturing environment of today. She mentioned areas such as education in operating Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) equipment.

She emphasized that she did not want to raise hopes unnecessarily, insofar as such plans were only in the discussion stage at present.