Wants to cast vote on 'complete package'

Published 06:05 p.m., Thursday, February 24, 2011

The push by our first selectman to fast track a proposed new library should raise serious concerns for us taxpayers. John Hodge stated in the Feb. 17 News-Times that a library project has been pending for nearly a decade. This is completely false and misleading. Never has any library related project been bid until fairly recently.

Hodge is claiming the present building is too small. Really? The existing building is 13,000 square feet on two floors while a new building would be 14,000 square feet on one floor without any basement space for storage.

A new library will cost $2.5 million, but don't forget the property was purchased a while ago with taxpayer's funds for $575,000. That cost should be factored into our tax liability for a new library, raising total investment to $3,075,000.

First Selectman Hodge also stated in the article, "If this gets turned down, none of the issues with the current library will go away."

This is very true; but it is also very true those same issues would need to be dealt with once the building is renovated. Hodge wasn't willing to advise what the building renovation costs to us taxpayers will be. But, if his $4 million-plus figure is correct, we are now looking at a total cost that we taxpayers must ante up of $3,075,000 for new construction and renovation of the old library for use by other town departments costing $4 million for a total of $7,075,000 and counting.

The taxpayers of New Fairfield should be voting on a complete package so we all know what our total tax liability will be for the next 20 years, not just the new construction cost we have been shown.

Please think long and hard about this project before you cast your vote.

Doug Thielen

New Fairfield