Now is the time to vote NO on Warrant 1. I believe it is a false choice to think there are no other options for the town except Warrant #1, for $325,000.
People seem enamored with the name "Community Center" without really looking at the space needs of both the COA and the Rec Department together. As the parent of three kids, most of the Parks and Rec Department programming that we use and love today is outdoors on a sports field, tennis court, pool, or school gym. I can't imagine allocating a new indoor 12,500 sqf facility (1/2 of the Community Center) to the Parks and Rec program offerings. Most indoor oriented Parks and Rec usage forecasts appear aspirational, not addressing defined needs. Most of the offerings that are indoors, could surely be located in the new school after school hours at minimal extra cost. From the 2018 Community Center Final Report "The PRD runs some programs on weekdays during school hours, such as exercise classes for adults, but most of its offerings are held for children after school, on weekday evenings, and on weekends." It is clear that the combination of Parks and Rec with the COA is a marriage of convenience and may not be a good use of tax dollars. With few indoor activities outside of facilities provided today by the Gym, Parks and Rec hasn't justified their need for 12,500 sqf of new space. I propose a 2nd Warrant of 50K-75K that could be voted upon that would fund a proper current needs analysis. The output of this study should be a slimmed down COA that is no longer an architectural statement but a functional, clean and enjoyable COA. This building could be a renovated Pierce, Bemis or new facility at Hartwell. A No vote on Warrant 1 is not a NO for everything, just this oversized, ill conceived marriage of COA and the Parks and Recreation department called "Community Center"
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