At
a Town Council meeting held in October 2016, another meeting was scheduled as a
follow up to discuss the proposed new Public Works/School Transportation
facility. At that time, council members expressed the need to get the public
involved in determining if the building that has been shared with the school
district for 30 years, needed to be replaced. In the meeting held this past
Tuesday, the Council, staff, and representatives from RSU 14 were asked to
discuss whether the proposed facility is designed to meet needs; and also to
understand how best to team up with the RSU board and administration, so that
both are on the same page about how a proposed facility will translate into
benefits for the communities.
Town
Manager Tony Plante prefaced the meeting by emphasizing the importance of
establishing a sense of direction. “When this was discussed in October of 2016,
the way we left the conversation that went to the voters on the November ballot
was that, as soon as we could reasonably manage it, we would have another
discussion; mainly for the purpose of reviewing the needs of the proposed
facility and determine whether it is designed to meet the needs of both the
Public Works Department and the school district and how to arrange a mutually
agreed upon cost sharing.”
That
being said, Doug Fortier simply inquired, “So where do we go from here?” With the open houses that have already taken
place at the current facility, the response has been favorable. “We have people
come in that initially felt this was a want more than a need - only to walk
away afterward and say - you really do need this,” continued Fortier.
Councilman
Dennis Welch expressed his approval of the facility with his experience. “I was
one of those who was there and took a look at it and it is definitely a need
and not a want; and not just for today, but for the future. It needs to get
done,” said Welch.
Reinforcement
was provided by Councilman Tim Nangle. “In projections last week we are looking
at 1,400 new builds over the next 13 years. We also had comments about public safety
being a priority. Public Works is about safety. Without quality roads and infrastructure
we’re not going to have safe roads and it is going to have an increased demand
on fire and police as well,” said Nangle.
“I
know we need it, but it’s not going to fly again,” replied Council Chair Donna
Chapman. Before any response could be launched Chapman continued, “I’m
concerned if we do not lower the cost we will never get this facility built. A
lot of people feel this is a want and not a need.”
With
reductions on the minds of the council, one of the items in the drawings was
earmarked for the cutting floor by Chapman. That was the elimination of a
conference room that would serve as a meeting room. “I don’t think having a
meeting room within this facility is a good idea. There’s too much going on
with all the vehicle and personnel traffic,” expressed Chapman.
The
higher priority was the thousands of dollars that are spent on vehicles that
are sitting out in the elements, subject to rust and repair because of no
interior room in the current facility; a key factor for elimination with a new
building. This begged the question of how to education the public of the need
for approving this project.
“We
need to protect our assets. Our equipment is out there sitting on pallets.
Consequently we are buying and repairing more vehicles then we should have to.
This is an area we need to look at,” shared Chapman.
“So
how do we get the people to get out there and see what we have, see what we
need and make them understand how this translates to a benefit for cost conscience
voters?” asked Fortier.
“I
think we’re at a point where the majority of the people in this town did not actually
get a chance to learn about it and form an opinion. I just don’t think 133 votes
in such a small turnout is a loss, but I don’t think it is a resounding no from
the town,” said Councilman Jarrod Maxwell.
The
end result of the meeting was unanimous, that this proposal goes back out to
the voters. With little time to get it out again, the town is also fighting
against the communication gap and engaging the public. “We are going to have to
hold several meetings, put it on social media like what was done with the
Comprehensive Plan on YouTube, and also utilize list serve,” replied Chapman.
In
addition to this Plante said, “We need to put together a team in the next 60
days to do a systematic review to see if there are areas that can be changed
without compromising the integrity of the build and identify any tradeoffs and
come back with that.”
FMI
visit the town’s web site at http://windhammaine.us/
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