An Idea Worth Exploring

At last night's selectmen's meeting, the Town Administrator offered an alternate proposal for the Town Hall project. That proposal calls for the potential purchase of a commercial site on Route 20 (All Star Premium Products, 208 Charlton Road) for use as the Town Hall. The Telegram & Gazette article with more details can be accessed here.

This is certainly an idea worth exploring. Though fundamentally, one may be opposed to removing property from the tax roles (as is my general inclination), one might do well to consider the economic upsides. At a possible savings to the town of nearly 2 million dollars in real money, one would be hard-pressed to realize a similar benefit from any tax revenue on that site for at least several or more decades, if that.

Clearly, it does not have the historical ambiance of the current Town Hall, but it has significantly more value in terms of its potential and functionalities, both presently and for years to come.

The current Town Hall is, and should always remain, an important cultural and historical symbol within our community; it need not however, serve only as “the” Town Hall in order to maintain its value and significance to our community. An improved economy (when such occurs) providing additional tax revenues, as well as grant research and acquisition (grants are something that must be sought) could serve us well in preserving the Town Hall for some other future use.

Sturbridge has grown, so too has its needs and the services it provides. With that growth, has come the necessity for more space, greater access, and better functionality for employees, residents, and visitors alike. Regardless of the level of renovation and modifications designed into the Town Hall and Center School, there will always be challenges with those sites that will remain inherent within their footprints and their aged structures. Additionally, regardless of any bids for work to be performed, the great unknowns within those structures, (particularly the Center School), will surely increase the cost of the project.

Undoubtedly, there may be issues associated with the site proposed by the Town Administrator; only in-depth review and discussion will bear those out, if in fact they exist. The essential element however, is that another idea has been proposed, and it merits a detailed review that should not be dismissed simply because of some historical attachment to the current Town Hall. No one is suggesting demolishing or abandoning the current Town Hall, nor should they, it is an important and necessary part of our history. It need not however, function solely as a Town Hall to maintain its significance to Sturbridge.