10/14/2020
Thoughts on Waldoboro's non-binding Warrant Articles.
For those that are interested and following these issues, here are my two cents re the Waldoboro's non-binding ballot questions on November's ballot:
Re: Accepting a 'gift" of the former Sylvania property:
1) The Town currently receives about $10,000/yr in real estate taxes from LEDVANCE, the current owner. Why in the world would we want to simply throw this revenue away? This is simply a gift which would keep on taking, not giving.
2) The property in question property is a brownfield, with permanent covenants and state imposed restrictions on its use, and is therefore largely unusable for development purposes, human use and habitation, etc.
3) Members of the Waldoboro Select Board have long argued that the Town has no interest in being at risk for this badly contaminated property; I agree completely: let the private sector deal with this challenge and don't burden the Town with it, while also raising everyone's taxes!
Re: Volunteers of America's plan for the A. D. Gray building.
1) I think this is probably a good idea: the Town leadership has clearly demonstrated its disinterest and ineptitude in dealing with this property for the past decade. Having attended the VoA presentation re their plans for creating senior affordable housing, they seem like a good candidate to undertake this project. I do worry about the potential future conversion of the project to Section 8 housing, as was done ex poste facto with the Sproul Block in the Downtown Historic Village, to everyone's lasting detriment.
Re: A "Community Center"
1) The Town has consistently referred to such a project as a "Recreation Center", not a real "Community Center", and the list recommended facilities, including a gymnasium, locker rooms, walking track, fitness center, multipurpose room, kitchen, and offices), sound like a Rec Center, not a Community Center. Why not just call it by its name, e.g., a Rec Center, not a Community Center? I also don't believe that we need to spend more on limited use sports and recreation facilities.
2) Any Community Center should be just that, and should be located in the Village District, enabling elder folk and kids easy walking access to the facility. Locating it behind the Miller School fields (on town owned land), makes it hard to get to, and much more expensive to build; since it's in partial wetlands, and has no current road access.
3) When the Town had a chance to have a Community Center built for them at no cost by the Medomak Valley Community Foundation, they showed no interest and said "No!" What has changed? And this, when they claim we can't even afford to hire a real Town Clerk... really?
4) At $4M-$6M bonding cost, I am suspicious of castle building by the current town manager, as a way to make herself indispensable going forward. I do not believe that this (or retaining the current TM), would be in the best interests of the Town.
Re: Renovating/expanding the Town Hall.
1) This has been discussed, and as recently advised by the Town's local architectural advisors, we don't need more space; we simply need to use what we have more efficiently. Also see Item 4 above.
2) I certainly do think we should update the HVAC systems in the Town Hall; the Renewable Energy Subcommittee (of which I was chair), recommended these updates many times, only to have the Town Manager decline to act on our cost saving recommendations. I am not sure why the sudden change of heart; see Item 4 above?
Re: Adding a permanent $216k/yr. budget obligation
1) I believe that this is somehow related to expanding the Recreation Department's size and staff, which I do not think is appropriate, and certaining not given our town's current extreme financial distress. I see neither the need, nor the clear ability by the Town to afford this proposal; see Item 4 above, e.g., empire building.
In summary:
In these difficult times of municipal financial distress, it is inconceivable to me that Waldoboro's Town management is proposing such huge recurring expenditures. This seems to me the height of irresponsibility under our current financial circumstances.
Instead, perhaps we could accomplish a few of the long term needs facing the Town, like improving and expanding the very limited sidewalks in town, which we all really upon to get out and about, or perhaps finally paving more of our failing roadways. Heck, we could even (finally!) work seriously on really improving our broadband access and lowering its cost for hard pressed town residents, so of whom remain completely without Internet access at all!
