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Originally Posted by Winni
It is sad to me that the almighty dollar is always, it appears, the final decision maker. You and I both have an interest in the recreation of our town's citizens and especially the children, so I am a little surprised at your response. Yes, one could say that a lot could be done with the tax income, but on the other hand, having raised teenagers in this town, I know the parking lot in Alton Bay is a most favored hangout, and I am no fool about what goes on there. It just seemed to me that it was a missed opportunity for a great teen center, an example of which existed when it was a roller rink.
Too many times I have seen in the politics of Alton, the failure of the "the greater good" to be considered. I don't know how to combat that, as I don't have the savvy necessary to run for office myself. I'm a "heart on the sleeve" type of gal and would fail miserably. I do wish we could find some folks who would run that put the needs of our town's children, safety, and the environment first. But, I guess, judging from the voting record of our NH senator and representatives, as well as other things that have happened in Alton, that is pretty much a pipe dream. So, we'll still have boats ripping across our Bay at 80 mph, condos in the middle of the equivalent of Alton Bay's town green, and who knows what's next. Maybe we should just turn the swim dock into boat docks so we can make spaces for more income generating adults. After all, 8-year-olds only buy kiddie sized ice cream cones. I'm just pretty discouraged about what I've seen "develop ???" in the last 20 years.
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Actually, when the Hoitt's bought the Pavillion and remodelled it into a restaurant, we were very much excited. It seemed to be well attended at first, but quickly attendance seemed to diminish. Perhaps the blame is to the owners, i don't know. I know that the food was good, not really out of line in price, but the service was a little slow (45 minutes to get a hamburger on a Saturday afternoon.) Still we were happy someone was trying to make a go of it, and were disappointed when it didn't continue on. Even more disappointing was the fact that no one else thought they could make a go of it as well.
As far as the town taking it over, not only would there have been a significant loss in tax revenue, but there would have also been issues with the overall condition of the building, and that would have meant additional costs. So either the businesses in town put up the $750K to buy the building and give it to the town, or the town buys it, and sinks untold thousands of dollars into the building, with zero tax revenue coming in. What revenue would be generated by a teen center, with enough square footage to house 7 condo units? It simply was not and is not feasible to have that facility become town property. For perhaps two months, it may generate some use, but the remainder of the year, it would be underutilized. And forget charging rent to organizations...they balk at having to pay a minimal rent for the use of the Alton Bay Community Center or the Senior Center on Pearson Rd.
You may not like the "almighty dollar" aspect of the town, but you only have to have gone to town meeting over the past several years,or looked at the deliberative session and balloting in the past year to see how the majority of taxpayers feel about spending money. I am sure that they would not want to see their tax dollars spent on a 10,000 square foot teen center / community center.
I stand by my belief that the building may be better utilized in this day and age with its planned usage, and will monetarily benefit the town.