It was disappointing to watch the joint meeting of the Select Board and Finance Committee (FinCom) on Friday evening, January 31. However, I picked up on a comment late in the meeting by FinCom member Greg Jarboe. Greg reported his analysis showed that a new Public Works Building, for a town Acton’s size, should cost 20% less than what is being proposed.
At a proposed cost of $43M for the new facility, the property tax increase for the average single family is said to be $335 annually. 20% of the $335 property tax increase is $67 per year. In dollars to the average taxpayer, that would be $1,340 over a 20-year repayment term for a building that will have a 50-year life!
In approaching capital projects over the years, we have had instances where we have been penny-wise and pound foolish. Here are several instances.
The current public works building, built in the late 1960s, was supposed to be 44,000 square feet. It was scaled back to 19,000 square feet to save money. The building was obsolete before it was completed.
The Douglas School was the third of the three elementary schools built in the late 1960s/early 1970s. To save money Douglas was built as a two as opposed to a three-section school. For decades modular classrooms were necessary.
The high school was originally the junior high school. When the building was converted in the 1970s, at the last minute, to save some money, it was decided to make the foundation smaller, which made the addition smaller. Loss of the necessary space was consequential over the succeeding decades.
With the proposed Public Works Building, a 20% cost cut of approximately $8.6M would have long term consequences. It is not a glamorous facility, yet its work is vital to all of our community and taken for granted by many.
We appear to be arguing about an additional $1,340 to the average single-family homeowner spread over 20 years for a facility with a 50-year life expectancy. Let’s take the long view and not be penny wise and pound foolish.
Jon Benson