|
Last modified: Saturday, July 11, 2009 2:41 AM EDT
Norton appeals to RMV
BY MICHAEL GELBWASSER SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
NORTON - Selectmen want state Registrar of Motor Vehicles Rachel Kaprielian to reverse her decision to close the North Attleboro branch.
The closing will inconvenience residents, some of whom are uncomfortable doing business online, selectmen said.
The board will send a letter to Kaprielian, who plans to close 11 branch offices, which she says will save $1.7 million annually in rental fees. Express branches will open in Charlestown, Bourne, Natick, Boston and Peabody in buildings owned by the Turnpike Authority and the highway department. Drivers also will be encouraged to do more business online.
However, selectmen said their own experiences illustrate how closing the branch on Kelley Boulevard in North Attleboro will hurt Norton residents.
Vice Chairman Robert Kimball Jr. said he recently renewed his registration online, and "it came in three weeks ago with no sticker."
"I haven't heard any good reasons yet why they're closing down that office," Kimball said.
Taunton and Brockton are among the nearest branches.
"I think as a resident of Norton, I've always gone there (to North Attleboro)," Kimball said. "I did go in to Taunton one time, and didn't have a very good experience there."
Selectman Bradford Bramwell said he found himself at the Brockton branch after a Mansfield police officer stopped him for having an expired license. Bramwell said the Registry never sent him a renewal notice.
Bramwell said he felt like he was at a deli counter, waiting for his number to be called. "If you think the North Attleboro branch is busy ...," Bramwell said. "There were at least 250 people in there." |