Fasten your seatbelts, we're headed to crazy town.

Last night's Town Council meeting was frustrating. I would love to write a post about Black Bear (they're going to close it) or about sewer rates (they're going up) but the school facilities issue was on the agenda and it was a doozy. Here's the recap:

First off, I've been kicking myself for sending a rant-y, unedited email to a couple of town councilors and the school board chairman the other day in response to an Efficiencies group meeting Monday night. It was pretty bad. As soon as I pressed send, I wished I could take it back, but it was too late.

At least last night I realized that I haven't cornered the market on crazy in this town, that's for sure.

The SB lawyer and TC lawyer have been working on an agreement at the request of the town council. This was first presented at a previous TC meeting and I wrote about it here. Again, I really didn't think this would be a big deal. This article in the Exeter Newsletter yesterday explained the agreement and I thought this would be a formality.

Instead, it is a bureaucratic mess. Truly ridiculous. And this is where I got ANGRY. The lawyer talked about the percentage of the land that would be "returned" to the Town in the event that a school didn't pass/get built. That's OK--made sense to me--but then talked about how they were hung up on some language if the school were to lease the property and how that arrangement would work. This ludicrous conversation went on too long and was made worse when Paul Dietterle stood up and suggested that the council should "consider abandonment of some sort." Meaning that if a school was built, but then gets abandoned for some reason, what would happen then? (Apparently schools get abandoned often??) Who gets compensated and how? That's when I dropped an F-bomb in the audience (As in, are you f-ing kidding me?)  Kind of under my breath, but loud enough that the reporter next to me and Rick Malasky heard it (Sorry!!) 

Some more gems from this evening:

"This is a perfect example of how we are wasting our money and wasting our time."--Al Zink

Yes.

"It's really starting to feel like we are dragging our feet on this."--Phil Nazzaro

YES!

"I think this is lunacy."--Al Zink

YES!!!!

"It's bureaucracy at it's worst."---Phil Nazzaro

OH. MY. GOD. YES!!!

The thing is, I sat in a meeting on Monday and listened to people talk about how the town and school should be working together. I had some concerns about that meeting and the divisiveness I feel in our community and that's what prompted the crazy rambling email I sent to Mike LaBranche and Al Zink (Sorry, guys) I kicked myself for sending it, thinking that I was probably doing more harm than good. But then I heard the lawyer (who is acting at the request of the TC) talk about our funds and their funds and I heard Mr. Levy ask about wether or not the town would be getting the right percentage back from their money and I truly wonder if we can ever work together. Luckily there were people in the audience and some councilors who questioned how this could possibly be happening.

Phil Nazarro compared this to the worst pre-nup ever, and I couldn't agree more.

I know that I won't feel bad the next time I suggest that the efficiency committee is trying to strong arm the SB into something (yeah, it was a bad email). And I won't feel bad for suggesting that our town is divided. Don't talk about their money and our money and then wonder why we don't trust you. 

Not to mention the fact, that in the end, most people just want a safe, affordable facility where our kids can go to school. No one is trying to pull a fast one and this all just left me sad.

I want to place blame and point fingers and scream at some people. But I know that's not the way to deal with this. Instead, I'll write this blog post, I'll send more crazy emails to councilors and I will send a letter to the editor. I'll attend the next meeting and I will make sure I'm at the public hearing. PLEASE do the same.

Hissy Fit

From the Town Council Minutes:

Vice Chairman Botterman moved to authorize the balance in the open space account, $381,073 be allowed to be put on the warrant to purchase the Carpenter and surrounding properties, understanding that the potential for school expansion is in standing with the original warrant article that was approved.  Councilor Bergeron seconded the motion.  Town Administrator Wojnowski polled the Council. 

Ayes: Council Chairman LaBranche, Council Vice Chairman Botterman, Councilor Bergeron, Councilor Nazzaro, Councilor Bentley

Nays:  Councilor Levy                                        Absent:  Councilor Zink

You can read the full approved minutes from the January 18th meeting here.

And this was on the ballot:


Article 1. To see if the School District will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of One Million Three Hundred Forty Thousand Dollars ($1,340,000) to purchase properties located at 216, 218, 220, and 2041⁄2 South Main Street for construction of a new Junior/Senior High School facility or renovation/addition to the existing Junior/Senior High School facility to be funded with Three Hundred Eighty Thousand One Hundred Seventy-Three Dollars ($380,173) from Open Space Bond Funds and authorize the withdrawal of Nine Hundred Fifty-Nine Thousand Eight Hundred Twenty-Seven Dollars ($959,827) from the Expansion of School Facilities Capital Reserve Fund created for this purpose for the balance of the amount. (Recommended by the School Board (5-0) and by the Budget Committee (8-2))


I voted in favor of this article on March 13, 2011. Me, and 1,476 other Newmarket residents.

Dr. Hayes went to the town council last month to begin the process of transferring the money and as a voter, I assumed that this was merely a formality.

But for some reason we are still debating this even though as Mr. Levy pointed out, that when the previous council voted in favor of releasing the funds (basically allowing the article to be placed on the warrant) that there were no amendments made at that time. In other words, they voted in favor of it. Not "in favor of it IF....".

Now, I understand that the public hearing is a formality and part of the process. But I attended the town council meeting when they discussed this. I was at the deliberative session. I voted on March 13th. And I was there again when Dr. Hayes approached the town council recently. And I was taken aback by the comments of the council members.

One of the concerns that was brought up was that they just wanted to understand who would have ownership of the land. Really? It seemed clear to me - at the time of the vote, and now - that the school district would have ownership of the land. Another concern was what would happen if down the road, the school doesn't get built and school district decides to sell off the land: Would there be restrictions then around the potential sale? (i.e. Would some of it need to be designated as Open Space because such funds were used to buy the land?) A valid concern if that were to arise, but it certainly shouldn't hold up the process.

During the meeting, one councilor suggested that people still had some concerns. Concerns that were raised by residents during the deliberative session but they felt were never really answered. I'm sorry that some people feel that their questions were never answered. All I can say, is that they should have kept asking them.

Apparently though, a lot of people did feel that they had enough information to vote on the article and a lot of people did.

The voters made a choice.
1,477 people voted to pass that article.

When can Newmarket move forward?