Town OKs hiring planner to lead way; Treasurer says 2008 will start in good shape.

Byline: J.P. Ellery

The following correction was published May 10, 2007:

WARREN - Voters at the annual town meeting Tuesday approved $27,500 for an additional full-time firefighter/EMT for the Fire Department. The move will assist the department in staffing the town's ambulance service, which has been unable to attract enough part-time or on-call personnel. Because of a production error, the sentence explaining that was incomplete in one edition of the Telegram & Gazette yesterday.

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WARREN - Residents have paved the way for a town planner. Voters at the annual town meeting last night approved spending up to $42,000 to hire a planner as recommended by the former Master Plan Committee. They also included an additional $2,000 for the planner's expenses.

Town officials are expected to move quickly to advertise the post, which, when filled, will guide implementation of last year's adoption of a master plan, designed to spur economic development.

The town needs to develop and attract businesses, according to former Selectman Donald G. Nickerson. "You either move forward or you stay here and fall behind," he said.

Peter H. Krawczyk of School Street told voters that the $42,000 salary was insufficient for the type of planner needed and that Warren does not have a town administrator to guide the planner.

However, voters approved hiring the planner by a ballot vote of 85-16.

Residents approved a $7,241,301 fiscal 2008 town budget, which is down slightly from the current budget of $7,273,144. The reduction was made possible by last year's decision to join the Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical School District, producing substantial savings, according to Jean T. McCaughy, administrative secretary.

"We're going into fiscal 2008 in pretty good (financial) shape," said Town Treasurer William F. Schlosstein.

Voters also approved an additional $200,000 for improvements to Shepard Municipal Building on High Street. Residents last year approved $475,000 to install a new heating system and repair the roof on the Shepard Building, but that amount proved insufficient, once a thorough inspection of the building was undertaken. The action last night hiked the amount to $675,000.

A request to spend $27,500 to hire an additional full-time firefighter/EMT for the Fire Department was approved. The move will assist the department in staffing the town's ambulance service, which has been unable to a- (SEE CORRECTION) up included $54,734 for upgraded computer technology at Quaboag Regional Middle High School, $100,000 for the future purchase of a firetruck, $85,000 for the purchase of a backhoe for the Highway Department, $29,000 to install a vehicle exhaust control system at the West Warren fire station, $28,458 to buy a new police cruiser and $30,000 to hire a full-time employee for the Highway Department.

At a special town meeting that preceded the annual session, residents redefined the use of a $10,000 town contribution toward a Community Development Block Grant and approved an easement to relocate a KeySpan gas company monitoring station to property near the fire station at Main and Quaboag streets in downtown Warren.