Community center fund defeated
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| March 20, 2008 MOULTONBORO — The Moultonboro community/ senior center will have to wait a few years, as Moultonboro residents voted down Article 9, $375,000 in architectural and engineering fees in a vote of 198-256. In the very next vote, however, $100,000 in capital reserve funds for the center was approved by a narrow vote of 148 to 137. | |||
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| About 570 residents packed the Moultonboro Academy auditorium on Saturday, some sporting buttons encouraging support for funding the center. Recreation Strategic Planning Team Chair Tom Howard presented the team's plans to move forward with the project, noting that the tax burden for passage of Article 9 came to $0.12 per $1,000 of assessed tax value, and that the entire center would likely cost around $5.1 million. Operating costs, Howard said, were estimated at $251,230 per year, and with a projected revenue of $42,709, that estimate came down to $208,521. The concern of many in attendance, however, was the cost of the center during the current economic conditions. Some said they feared that approval of this expense would be committing a lot of money to something that might not happen. "Without looking at $5.1 million in capital expenses, the operating expenses are scary, as they become fixed over time, and they do not go away," said Allan Ballard. "I'd like to see more analysis. Look at basic town services – schools, police, firefighters, roads, government, waste management, health – those are the core services that a town needs. Ballard offered an amendment to the warrant article, asking for a reduction of $375,000 to $75,000. Although he could not take action on another article while Article 9 was still being discussed, Ballard said that if the amendment passed and was voted in by residents, he would propose an amendment to Article 10, increasing the amount for the center's capital reserve fund to $300,000. A division of the house yielded 170 in favor of the amendment, but 263 against, defeating it. Concerns about the cost of the center did not end with the amendment's defeat. "We're looking at $375,000, plus the $495,000 to buy the property last year," said John Anderson. "We haven't even started on the $5.1 million. The only thing I see seniors getting out of this is a walking trail to the swamp." Others, however, spoke up in favor of the community/ senior center as worth the expense, for the added value it would bring to the town. Though he wasn't quite old enough to vote on it, Nick French supported the center as a safe place for area youth to get together. "I think the community center is the best thing for kids," said French. "Right now, we have two rooms, and that's just not enough. Ask any of the police officers if they'd rather we were sitting in the community center or driving around. We like to go to the Center Harbor courts, we go to the rope swing in Sandwich, but that's so unsafe it's not even funny. Some jump off bridges, that's illegal. I'd like to point out that some people spoke about hardship, but a community needs to get together in hard times." Concerns were also aired about the possibility of Moultonboro becoming a donor town as adequate education funding is currently being discussed at the state level. Board Chair Karel Crawford noted that Moultonboro would be the "premiere donor town," and spoke in favor of a constitutional amendment to target aid for schools. Four members of the board also explained why they had changed their votes to support the community/ senior center, wary of the costs at first, but saying they felt they needed to support the wishes of the community, after a petition with 300 signatures came before the board in support of this article. A ballot vote found 196 in favor of the article, and 256 against it. When the results were announced, a loud cheer went up from several voters. Immediately afterward, residents tackled Article 10, which asked for $100,000 for an expendable trust fund for the center. Howard asked for an amendment so that the wording would be changed to "expendable trust fund." Though Howard said this was to create a place for donations to be placed, confusion ensued about how public and private funding could be in the same fund. "It's strange to be setting up a fund for something that hasn't been approved by the town to exist," said Josh Bartlett. "I ask voters to vote no. If private donors can raise this amount, bring it back." In a balloted vote, the article won by a narrow margin of 148-137. After Town Meeting, Howard said that he was disappointed, but said that he and the team had served their function. | |
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