John Pirro, Staff Writer ... A JOHN HODGE WATERBOY!
Updated 03:53 p.m., Sunday, February 27, 2011
NEW FAIRFIELD -- Taxpayers on Saturday apparently decided that building a new library was "a bridge too far" and rejected the project by fewer than 80 votes in a townwide referendum. [SPEAKING OF BRIDGES ... WHAT ABOUT THE BRIDGE TO THE OLD HOUSES, CAFE ON THE BEACH, CELL TOWER ... WE NEED MORE SPENDING SO WE CAN BOND MORE AND HAVE HIGHER TAXES!]
In a low turnout, residents turned down the $2.5 million proposal, 585-506, meaning that library users will have to continue to make do with a facility that project proponents have said is too small, lacks adequate parking and doesn't comply with federal access requirements for the physically disabled.
The tally is not yet final, First Selectman John Hodge said Sunday, noting that eight absentee ballots remain to be counted. But whichever way they were cast, the result won't be changed.
"Although I'm disappointed, I'm not surprised," commented Hodge, who supported the project.
"I think it's just a reflection of what people are feeling in the current economic climate," he observed. "They just don't want to spend any more money."
Hodge said the turnout of fewer than 1,100 people --- out of about 9,000 registered voters --- despite a full day of balloting was "lower than other" referenda and considerably fewer than the number of people who typically go to the polls for votes on the town and school budget. [A SIGNAL FROM HODGE THAT THIS VOTE WILL NOT STAND ... NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE VOTED TO REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE, SO LET'S PLAN ANOTHER.]
"There didn't appear to be any organized opposition to it," Hodge said, "but we wondered if this would be a bridge too far. It's just a reflection of what people are feeling." [SO WHEN IS THE NEXT REFERENDA ... GUESS IT WILL BE THIS SUMMER ... WILL KEEP VOTING UNTIL WE GET IT!]
Proponents had hoped for a favorable result that would have allowed the town to build a new 14,000-square-foot facility on municipally owned land near the high school.
They had said the current library, located in a converted church on Brush Hill Road, has long suffered from inadequate parking and lack of space and is not in compliance with accessibility standards mandated by the federal Americans With Disabilities Act. [THESE ARE THE SAME ARGUMENTS ENUMERATED FOR THE TOWN HALL WHICH HAS BEEN USED TO FLOG THE VOTING PUBLIC TIME AND AGAIN!]
Building a new library would have been cheaper than renovating and expanding the existing building, which has been estimated at in excess of $4 million.
"That really saddens me," said New Fairfield resident Jefferson Wiggins, who supported building a new library. "It's not a loss for New Fairfield alone. It's a loss for all people who believe that the library is where you go to seek first-hand information."
Hodge said the library board will be able to take the drawings and other plans for the defeated project and use them to apply for a state grant.
"But that's probably a few years away at this point," he said.
Contact John Pirro
or 203-731-3342.
