Conference 7.286::maynard

    After living in Maynard for a short while I have noticed the
    attitudes of the locals. As a matter of survival, when I'm out
    locally, rare but it happens, I do not dare mention I work for DEC.
    This comes from one night sitting at a local bar and listening to
    half a dozen people heatedly discussing the "problem". 
    
    It seems the impression is, and I'm not sure it's not absolutly
    true, that there has been such and in-flux of money and wealth
    that the property values have skyrocketed to the point that the
    locals can't afford to live there any more. In other words, a 
    maynard that grows up in a blue collar family is not likely to
    be able to settle and raise a family in his/her own home town.
    They attribute this directly to the 'digets' at the mill. 
    
    I also would have thought that DEC would pay mega-taxes to the town 
    to compensate for the traffic and general mess that comes with the
    this many folks but I hear that DEC pays very little to the city
    of Maynard. Does anyone know if this is true?
    
    Dave.

RE: Town Attitudes towards DEC people.  Experience has shown that if
you are caught speeding or some other traffic violation in the town
of Littleton, where DEC has 3(?) plants, you will get the 'riot act'
read to you, if the policeman sees your digital badge.  A friend of
mine was bagged for speeding and the officer gave him a speech how
"Digital is ruining the town, etc."...

    This question was raised several years ago during, of all things,
    the "Proposition 3-1/2" debate.  For those new to Mass or outside
    the state, this was a proposal to limit the tax rate of local towns.
    
    During this debate, the point was made that cities or towns that
    are centers of business or services must provide services far in
    excess of the ability of the residents to pay for.  For example,
    Lowell has hospital, fire, court, and general community services
    that service the surrounding towns as well as Lowell.  The size,
    and therefore the cost, of these services is much bigger than would
    be needed just to support Lowell.
    
    Maynard is in the same situation: local businesses (not just DEC)
    create a huge influx of workers, which requires bigger police, fire,
    and public works departments, plus things like public telephones,
    electric lines, mail services, etc., etc.  About the only service
    Maynard doesn't have to support DEC is a hospital.
    
    When I lived in Norfolk, Virginia, a historian/socialogist at a
    local university did a study of why the locals hated the military.
    It turned out that Norfolk was a pretty small community before in
    1942: the combination of WWII, Korea, and the Cold War casued it
    to grow fivefold, with no provision for the new people.  Property
    prices, services, and tax values all went up (they doubled between
    in 1943 and 1953).  The locals couldn't find any place to park,
    were paying huge prices for their services, and saw military
    everywhere.  Maybe some of the same things apply to DEC and Maynard.
    
    Side note: almost half the town is really the Army Test Range. 
    How do Townies feel about them?

    From the Middlesex News:
    
    "I'm getting kind of fed up with these "Digies," as they call them,
    people that are working for Digital, walking around, all of a sudden
    so uppity, because the stocks have gone up, and all of a sudden
    they're in a whole different class than everybody else.
    
    "Cripes, I had a couple of them, friends of mine, that all of a
    sudden they get this sound like they've got $50,000 worth of stocks,
    and you never hear from them anymore. I know they call them "Digies,"
    but what do they have, some kind of special club, or maybe it's
    collusion or something."
    
    					J.B., Hopkinton

    I up until 2 mos. ago have always lived in Maynard, so I think
    I may know well the opinions.  All my friends are here, I work
    for DEC, I hang out at the local establishments and get no
    flack, if fact many of the people in town work for DEC.
    
    I think the biggest thing I remember from growing up about DECies,
    was how silly they all looked walking around town with their badges
    on (most notably those that stick them on the points of their collars)
    at lunch time, never having enough parking spaces, and never getting
    to eat lunch in the town, I'd always have to go out of town or
    go early or late.
    
    I think it was just a culture shock that is subsiding now after
    a few years of explosive growth.  Maynardites are pretty much over
    the DECie syndromn, but look to the West. Places like Boxboro,
    Gardner, etc... those small towns are now experiencing the
    growing pains of urbanization and industry.
    
    The trick is to find the balance, to work together, to plan.
    
    No one should worry about getting into trouble in Maynard just
    because they work at DEC. Only those locals that wouldn't have
    made it at anything will give you trouble, but then again
    that's true everywhere.  How many DEC sites are so close to
    the downtown local population anyway, I think the Mill is just
    unique and I'm glad that DEC bought it and refurbished it.
    
    Believe me I don't think the National Park Service would have
    put any money into it. (No canals)!!
    
                                                Mark
    

    The "Townie" vs. "outsider" conflict is common everywhere. It was
    true when I was in college -- Town vs. Gown. It's true where I live
    -- there's a high elderly population who sometimes get annoyed with
    all the "new people" moving in (ie: anyone under 75).
    
    I work in the Mill, and I haven't detected much of a bad attitude
    among Maynardites towards DEC. The overpricing of property beyond
    the reach of the natives is a problem everywhere a prosperous business
    locates. It's unfortunate -- it certainly prevents me from buying
    a house anywhere -- but there's not much you can do about it.
    
    Let's consider Maynard WITHOUT the Mill. No large employer. No 3,000
    shopping and eating downtown at lunch. No 3,000 people buying gas
    or car repairs. Digital doesn't pay much tax? I find that hard to
    believe. And who needs taxes? The tickets written by T. Vincent
    on Main ST. could run the town.
    
    I don't know why I'm getting so hopped up on defending DEC in this.
    I just work here. I need the money, and the company tells me that
    my job is here. I'm not here to ruin the lovely town of Maynard.
    I like Maynard. I tried to buy a house here. But I think that this
    town benefits more than it suffers from the presence of Digital.
    
    DC

    
    No Digital in Maynard:
    
    	Most of the bars would probably not be there, along with all
    those eating places. The botique on the corner of Nasson and Main
    would not charge as much (probably would be out of business). The
    Paper Store wouldn't need to sell Text books. It probably wouldn't
    sell as many megabuck tickets either. T. Vincent probably wouldn't
    have a lot to do while strolling down Main St. And what condition
    do you think the Mill would be in?
    
    

    Just a note of interest.  There were twenty-nine (29) bars in this town
    before DEC came to town and the boutique on the corner of Nason and
    Main St. was here also, across from its current location and under
    different ownership.  There used to be two movie houses in town, the
    Fine Arts and the Peoples.  There are still many businesses and  people
    in town that were here before DEC.  One used to be able to go down town
    shopping on a Thursday night or Saturday morning and know just about
    everyone you saw but no more. There used to be bowling alleys under the
    Copper Kettle.  The Elks Lodge used to be over the 5 & 10.  There is a
    history of the town that was published not too long ago.  The library
    probably has a copy, the DEC library probably has one too.  The history
    of the town is very interesting.
    Pat
    

    At one time the Colonial Theater was over the 5&10.  Was that before
    the Elks or after?  I can remember going to the Colonial, but it was
    before I was old enough to go by myself, so it would have been around
    1950.  My brother used to take me. 
    
    Karen
    

    The Elks was over T.C. Lando's, not over Woolworth's.  It's now
    the Corner Pocket.
    
    Frank