Gloucester follies

Page 2 of 3 -- It also called for a ''new approach" to city government, suggesting leaders needed to be more open with the public to resolve longstanding debates about how Gloucester conducts its business. ''Greater interaction," it said, ''could help promote dialogue and improve the level of trust between City Hall and the community."

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Yet a recent brouhaha over a rusted-out piece of road-paving equipment, which had fiscal watchdogs accusing the administration of squandering cash for a new paver and not providing straight answers about the condition of the last one, suggests Gloucester has a ways to go.

So does the state of City Hall, which became so decrepit that government offices had to be dispersed throughout the city since October. A month ago, most were consolidated in temporary space on the outskirts of town. Still, the Public Health Department, which was moved to a temporary trailer 12 years ago, remains there, despite the fact that officials said it would only last one year.

Worn out and neglected infrastructure is also creating heartburn at the city's high school, which underwent a multimillion dollar remodeling about six years ago. Now sections of the new roof, and portions that haven't been replaced in more than 30 years, are leaking. The New England Association of Schools and Colleges has warned the school to fix the leaks or face accreditation problems.

The district also is on a federal watch list for high truancy rates because of large numbers of no-shows at the high school. Gloucester High's 87.6 percent daily attendance rate last year was the second lowest -- behind Salem High's 86.2 percent -- among communities north of Boston, according to the state Department of Education. A total of 44 schools in the suburbs north of Boston and 376 statewide have been placed on the watch list for a variety of reasons, according to the department.

Despite its attendance problems, Gloucester has no truant officers. ''We can't find the $25,000 we need," said Superintendent Christopher Farmer. ''We are trying."

The Fire Department is also struggling after voters rejected the tax increase last summer, leading to the closing of half the city's stations. And this in a community that had the slowest fire response time among cities north of Boston from 1986 to 2002, according to a Globe analysis.

Worried that Gloucester is sinking, a band of residents is banging down doors on Beacon Hill, saying lopsided state funding formulas are largely behind the city's woes. Gloucester has lost $1.3 million in state education aid since fiscal 2003, plus $496,857 in local aid since fiscal 2002, according to the Massachusetts Municipal Association.

''I have an expectation as a taxpaying citizen that services will be there when I need it, and if that ain't happening, I am the type of person that says we should figure this out," said Carolyn Kirk, 43, a management consultant, mother of two young children, and a new member of the School Committee.   Continued...