Your Arlington, your views

In “A Presidential Year Confession - & Prayer,” Steve Early discusses the impact of religion on the presidential campaign — and on him. Early is a longtime labor activist and free-lance journalist who lives– but not does not worship — in Arlington, Mass. See his comments here >>

Review by Hannah Doherty, AHS student

On Dec. 4, high school students from every grade piled into the auditorium to hear music from the Arlington High School orchestra, band and chorus. To introduce the hour sample of music and songs, Pasquale Tassone, head of performing arts, said: “One thing we should never do is stop our ears from hearing music everywhere.”

A symphony of only strings led by Tassone began the concert. The symphony had two movements. The two sections of strings melded beautifully in each movement. Staring up at the stage, the bow players synchronized to each key. While the first piece was a joyous song used for maybe a celebration, the second one told a story.

Next was the select chorus led by Cheryl Christo. The group of boys and girls began with spiritual songs and ended with a solo by Darius Dummott of the popular song “In the Still of the Night.” These gifted students give each song a melodious voice that kept the audience hypnotized. The solos of this group — by Jean Dao, Nick Jackson and Dummott — exerted amazing voices that swayed with the group as a whole with a somewhat natural and effortless talent.

The concert band followed the chorus. Sabato D’Agostino conducted music of two opposite genres. The first was a classic song, and the second was a combination of Ray Charles tunes. Molly Knobloch added to the first song with her instrument, the trumpet. Ray Charles’s music consisted of the jazz combo and the jazz band. From the zesty get up and dance song to the soulful slow song, they do a fantastic job of capturing the audience until the end. Transitions of easing from one song to the next are done gracefully.

Next was the mixed chorus and orchestra, which offered some seasonal songs, such as “Sleigh Ride” by Leroy Anderson and one from the movie “Polar Express.” That song, led by D’Agostino, was played to perfection. Each instrument was in unison and every note synchronized, making it a joy to listen to.

The mixed chorus also played a Hebrew tune sung directly from the traditional Hebrew text. Christo added a Russian song, which gave sophomore Nick Chvany a chance to show off his voice. He hit off all the high notes and ended the mixed chorus with a fast paced but happy song.

On Wednesday, Dec. 5, the concert has even more to offer to every type of audience. If a high school audience can hold still and remain quiet for an hour then one knows this music is captivating. The conductors Tassone, D’Agostino, and Christo are masterful in the songs they have chosen and this will most definitely show in the Winter Concert. This is a highly recommended Winter Concert that I fully believe everyone should try to see.

My interest in property insurance was reawakened last year when neighbors on Wellington Street asked me to help them install a hand rail on their front stairs. The lack of a handrail had been cited as a code violation by an insurance representative who had inspected the house during a bidding process.

Amazingly, the annual premium for this owner-occupied two family (condos, actually) had gone up to $3,600 per year. Each of the owners said they would confirm this if requested. They had solicited prices from other companies, one of which bid $2,400 – contingent upon the building being brought up to code after an inspection.

In my informal surveys of Arlington property owners, I’ve not found any premiums nearly as high as $3,600. Two-family homes consistently cost about $1,000 per unit. Single families have a wider range, from about $500 to $1,200.

Since there are about 2,930 two-family homes in Arlington, about 7,900 single-family homes, and 208 three-families, we are talking about a cash flow of perhaps over $10 million. It is amazing that this outflow of premium dollars is so immune to the scrutiny we apply to our tax dollars. After all, the insurance premium for most of us is compulsory; it is a kind of tax. Why aren’t we asking if there is a way to make this compulsory risk-sharing program more efficient, and capture some of this money to pay for local services?

My insurance agent suggested that there actually is a way to capture a small part of this cash flow, with almost no change in the existing system. Neighbors who wish to participate would change their deductible to $5,000, which would cost about $300 less than a policy with a $500 deductible. These neighbors would then “donate” the $300 savings to a local entity, which would form a pool to insure any losses between $500 and $5,000.

If 1,000 homeowners participate, the resulting local pool will total about $300,000 per year. Each year, there will probably be about 15 losses in the range of $500 to $5,000, resulting in a probable loss in the neighborhood of $75,000. The savings for the first few years would accrue to build a reserve. After a few years of growth, the reserve could be drawn upon to help finance local prevention services.

It’s interesting to think about this possibility, because such a local risk-sharing program could increase local awareness, as well as concerns about privacy.Would busy bodies complain about … well, lack of handrails, for example? – although apparently we accept it when some outside insurance company requires a handrail on Wellington Street.

Some positive outcomes could occur – for example, the current conflict around strict enforcement of leash laws could be more informed. A hard-to-accept statistic is that 15% of homeowner insurance costs are related to dogs. How has this risk played out in Arlington? When was a person last hurt by a dog? What have dogs cost the insurance companies in this town? Does anyone know?

I suspect that local communities have lost a local context in which to have such conversations, and the resulting void has been filled by emotionalism. Feelings run stronger, because no local facts are available to inform those feelings. This information is the domain of multiple insurance companies. For example, do we know the number of losses filed in Arlington in 2005 for damage of over $1,000 caused by A) lightning strikes? B) termites? C. furnace malfunctions? D dogbites? E. Slips and Falls?

While a localized plan to cover high deductibles would increase such local awareness, it has a basic flaw: the lack of the necessary cash reserves to pay $5,000 claims to more than 60 homeowners in the first year. [One thousand homeowners paid $300 each, for a total of $300,000. Sixty times $5,000 equals $300,000.] What happens in the event of a hurricane?

All plan members would have to sign a waiver acknowledging this possibility, with a formal plan as to how to resolve over 60 claims in a single year.

There are at least two reasons to proceed with the idea, despite the lack of initial reserves.

First, the risk of such a high number of claims is minimal, based on past experience: in 2003, Arlington’s apartment buildings, commercial property, and some 11,000 houses produced only 180 over-$1,000 losses. The figure for 2005 was 154.

This information is from the file of reports of insurance claims for all losses over $1,000, which state law requires carriers to send to each municipality. In Arlington, these minimal, one page statements of loss are kept on file in the Building Department.

This repository is the basis of my earlier suggestion that 1,000 homes will produce about 15 claims, a guess that is as conservative as it is crude.

They also provide the answers to the above questions about losses due to lightning strikes and so on in 2005: A) 5 B) 0 C) 12 D 0. E. 0

The second reason to proceed with a locally insured high-deductible program, even without the cash reserve, is that homeowners ought to be afraid to make any relatively small claim against their primary carrier. Such claims can trigger significant increases in the premium. If a second claim needs to be made within a few years, the policy may be canceled. If an owner is afraid to make a claim for $3,000 or $4,000, it makes sense to change to a $5,000 deductible.

The cooperative program described here could cover the gap in coverage created by such a high deductible. It would save money, and eventually create a source of funding [the accruing reserve] for local services. It requires no change in existing carriers or agents, and is quite doable without any technical, procedural revolution. What do you think?

By Andrew Fischer (Lombard Road)
Cell 781-439-2600
Note: This appeared in the Neighborhood Newsletter in October.