The mentality of some members of the Board of Selectmen reminds me of two recent costly mistakes that this town has made, both of which are perfect examples of being penny wise and pound foolish. Both are related to the recent Bromfield building project. First, instead of repairing the existing old and failing roof, the repair was taken out of the expansion project. The roof subsequently failed, as predicted, after the close of the project. So instead of getting back 62 percent of the roof repair in state reimbursement, we got back about 40 percent. In addition, we had the opportunity to pay to fix the internal damage which could have been prevented.
The second example was the Bromfield expansion project itself. Upon opening, the building was, and still is, too small for our needs. One perfect example is cable/media studio that was built adjacent to the library. It was never used for its intended purpose. It’s being used for an overflow classroom.
I’ve also heard plenty of comments, from members of the Board of Selectmen, that we don’t need more meeting space. Having served on, and attended plenty of town board meetings, we most certainly do need more meeting space. Playing “find the meeting” is no way for open government to work. Meetings should be in the same place and that place should be wired for video and sound.
Let’s not follow a similar thought process that produced those two costly mistakes when considering the renovation of Town Hall. The town voted overwhelming to supported Article 17 and the Municipal Building Committee has done a terrific job of garnering public input and looking at what is needed for Town Hall.
I’ve launched an online petition to show the Board of Selectmen and the Municipal Building Committee that there is a great deal of public support for keeping the second floor of Town Hall open as public assembly space. I plan on bringing the results to the next Board of Selectmen meeting.
Stu Sklar
Scott Road
