Little Red Schoolhouse: Worth $500,000 to move?
Just as a concrete example of how some activists think Community Preservation Act money raised each year by a tax surcharge on all residential property (except tax-exempts of course) free money to be plundered on a personal whim, I give you last night's CPA pubic meeting:
Carol Gray now admits the moving of Amherst College owned Little Red Schoolhouse would cost in the $325,000 to $375,000 range and at the moment she has not raised a single penny towards that (relying instead on CPA historical preservation funds) and currently has no site secured for the relocated building to call home.
Amherst College Facilities Director Jim Brassord was in attendance and pegged the actual amount -- based on quotes from a contractor who already moved two College owned buildings -- as being "North of $500,000." Ouch!
Carol Gray left, Jim Brassord back row in white shirt
I left the meeting near 9:00 PM after Ms. Gray gave her presentation, as she was the 3rd and last item on the agenda.
But Vince O'Connor, who chimed in freely during the three presentations, then commandeered the meeting and gave close to a half-hour pitch to squander $300,000 in CPA funds to rebuild the (supposedly historic) Mill Street Bridge.
Posted agenda for last night's CPA meeting (note Mr. O'Connor's crusade is not mentioned)
Mill Street Bridge closed 3 years ago due to safety concerns
Not to mention the state is planning to rebuild the Mill Street Bridge next year with STATE MONEY.
Mr. O'Connor brought a warrant article to Amherst Town Meeting last spring to reopen the bridge but it failed handily. A vote to "refer back to committee" is Town Meeting's nice way of saying "go away."
Vince O'Connor bridge scheme unanimously rejected by Public Works Committee in April
Back in 2007 the town spent $287,000 in CPA money to preserve the view of the historic Kimball House on North East Street, even though it is (still) owned by Roger Cherewatti, who then built the most expensive house in Amherst immediately behind it.
Which kind of takes away from the view.
If the CPA Committee approves funding either Ms. Gray or Mr. O'Connor tilting at windmills, taxpayer should figure out how to recall appointed members of the committee.
11 comments:
If anyone can share where Vince buys his glasses frames, please post it.
Why isn't anyone concerned about the miscalculation of state funds to rebuild a little town bridge that everyone has gone without for 3 years? This could mean towns less wealthy than Amherst could be forced to finance Amherst needs. That would be unfortunate and quite unfair. Could the town step up and find a way to allocate local funds so that state funds can be used for projects that benefit more of the state's citizens? Surely our local pride and sense of fairness could correct this....
Thanks.
Why don't we use CPA funds and put Vince and Gray on a slow boat to somewhere...
No wonder the damn taxes are so high here.
They weren't preserving the view, they were preserving the house from demolition.
The view of the house because we did not take ownership.
A beautiful, classic building. Use CPA funds. That's what they're for, preservation.
I have two words for Vince. The second one is "off." If he had a job, maybe he'd be less of an "activist," since he has nothing better to do with his time, it seems.
Larry,
Are you sure about "not taking ownership"? Doesn't the Town (and the Commonwealth) now hold an "Historic Preservation" easement on the ca. 1810 brick house behind which Cherewatti built his castle? An easement *is* a part of the "bundle of property rights no longer "owned" by Cherewatti….
Just the type of building the CPA was voted in to save.
Yes Anon 10:51PM, I'm sure about not taking ownership.
The town gets a historic preservation covenant to protect the building in perpetuity from planned demolition but if an earthquake, fire or UFO crash takes it out, then we're out of luck.
That's the irony of CPA funds - when they are used to acquire new property for the town, it reduces the tax rolls and increases taxes incrementally. I generally support CPA to maintain quality of life, but not to acquire property.
What about CPA Money for agricultural restrictions or to buy property outright for conservation? the more land we take off the tax roles, the more expensive becomes the remaining open parcels for development. That's one reason it is so expensive to live here...along with all the Special Needs kids in the schools because Amherst alone provides the needed services . . . .
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