I received a brochure from the Town of Enfield on the proposed new library and town office addition. The brochure states the library and town office would be $4.7 million and the new safety complex would be $5.9 million. But the Valley News write-up states the library and town office would be $5.8 million and the complex $7.26 million. Which is it?
Both are almost $3 million more. The only land we need to purchase is for the library. We could buy land off Blacksmith Alley, in the center of town, for the library. This would revitalize our Main Street, which was killed when outside politics moved the post office to Maple Street. The only businesses on Main Street are a part-time restaurant and George’s store.
How can we have a Main Street if we have no parking spots? They were filled in with grass, flowers and trees. The only parking has a sign saying “Rail Trail Parking.” I guess certain people think the rail trail pays our taxes. There is more if you wish to call.
I will answer from my chair and not from under my bed. Building the complex first would give us three buildings with land to sell to help pay for these overpriced projects. The town offices can occupy the police station after a few renovations.
Robert Pollard
Enfield
Since things have been quiet on issues surrounding the Lebanon School District budget, it may be interesting to consider some facts about the budget.
First, the proposed new bond is $14.3 million, not $20 million as last time. What happened? The Mount Lebanon renovations are being paid for with federal COVID aid and the District’s Capital Reserve (funded by Lebanon taxpayers). So the total estimated costs are $17.5 million, not much less than the $20.4 million requested last time. What about the tax impact, $48 (based on a $300,000 house) in the first year, but rising to $141 in years 2-6? And there would still be 14 more years for the life of the bond. There is no State of New Hampshire building aid available for this bond, so taxpayers will pay the entire bill. Remember we are also still paying on the middle school bond until 2032.
There are other articles as well, including a 3-year LEA Teacher Contract with a 4.8% increase for 2022-2023, 4.5% for 2023-2024 and 5.1% for 2024-2025, a total of 14.4% for teachers on the “step schedule.” One wonders how many taxpayers will see that kind of increase in the next 3 years.
Since the School Board does not need to provide total costs for all the warrant articles, we never get to see the total costs of the different parts of the budget. It appears that the budget will be nearly $1.9 million over the current budget in 2025.
Why not attend the school district budget hearing? Several years ago when I last attended, a motion from the floor was passed and the School Board said publicly they would not follow the public legal vote. So why attend? The only recourse we have is to vote on March 8, 2022.
Tom McGonis
West Lebanon
Having spent far too much time waiting in the “package line” at my local post office, only to find out that my Wall Street Journal was not in my box because they were too busy sorting packages, I shudder when I read in “Publisher’s Note: ‘Valley News’ home delivery price to increase next week,” Feb. 15, that the Valley News is considering same-day mail delivery. Moreover, how would Sundays and holidays be handled?
Bob Koester
Grantham
Dartmouth College’s expansion plans for Garipay Field and the former golf course along Lyme Road raise some questions in my mind. I think our community needs to learn the answers.
■Has the math changed recently regarding the often-heard phrase of years past, “We lose money on every student”?
■If this math has not changed, then how does adding more students improve the cash flow or monetary basis of operating Dartmouth long-term?
■Does the college have a responsibility in addressing the global warming crisis our planet faces? How do their plans help to meet that goal?
■How does building more buildings that require the burning of fossil fuels or consuming more electricity and community resources address our concerns for the climate crisis?
■What moral obligations do the decision-makers of the college have with regard to the impact such expansion plans have beyond the climate crisis in setting an example for the community and our world?
■Why is getting bigger always better for educational institutions?
As a long-time resident of this community, I am trying to get my head around the college’s actions with regard to these questions and what they are really trying to say to those of us who are trying to lessen our impacts on the degradation of our planet.
Bob Keene
Hanover