I noted with some regret the resignation of Peter Jackson, a person who has given much to the town, and I thank him. There is no doubt of his sincerity
At the same time I really want to congratulate the selectmen for taking a commonsense approach to renovating the Town Hall. There are houses in town larger than this building, and spending $800,000 for heating and cooling it (as proposed in the earlier run up, and seemingly “OK” with the committee) is about eight times what it ought to be.
I have built two industrial/office plant and have suffered immensely at the hands of “professionals” in this area, especially on the first one, where four-times oversize, complicated, and unreliable boilers, green energy ideas that cost more than they will ever save, or flat out do not work due to that excessive complexity resulted in uncomfortable occupants. I did the HVAC design on the second one myself. A “keep it simple,” hot water system resulted in zero problems for 10 years at far less cost. Unlike what we saw at the police station, schools, and library. They all needed a major “redo” a very short time later. We are Yankees, not fools. The only significant thing I would add is a real elevator. The lift is a poor solution, not appropriate for a town-owned facility.
The idea of renting active office space that can be contracted or expanded is superb. Then the Town Hall floor plan can be made useable by the populace in ways that will benefit us. And within budget. And worth paying for.
John Grady
Slough Road
