Fallout begins after dismal holiday season

An article in today's Associated Press online news journal, paints a bleak picture for the upcoming year in terms of retail store closings and rising unemployment. Some key points are offered here for your review, as we reconsider the necessity of spending over 6.5 million dollars on the Town Hall/Center School project.

- "A rash of store closings, which some experts predict will be the most in 35 years, is likely to cut across areas from electronics to apparel, shrinking the industry and leading to fewer niche players and suppliers."

- "About 160,000 stores will have closed this year and 200,000 more could shutter next year, said Burt P. Flickinger III, managing director of consulting firm Strategic Resource Group. That would be the industry's biggest contraction in 35 years. In March and April of next year, Flickinger expects 2,000 to 3,000 malls to shutter."

- "AlixPartners LLP, a turnaround consulting firm, predicts that 25.8 percent of 182 major retailers it tracks are either facing major financial distress or will face a significant risk of filing for bankruptcy in either next year or 2010 - the highest level in the 10 years that the firm has been compiling the figures."

The full article can be read at the following link: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/H/HOLIDAY_FALLOUT?SITE=FLDAY&SECTION=BUSINESS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-12-29-18-17-41
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Is It Time to RETHINK the Town Hall/Center School Project?

In light of the current national economic picture, one by the way projected to deteriorate significantly prior to any upturn, the time has come to question the value and timing of the Town Hall/Center School Project.

As an individual who staunchly supported the project and one who purchased and placed numerous signs favoring the proposed improvement plans, I find myself no longer convinced of its value, in light of our national, state, and local economy.

With projected deficits at all levels of government and potential service cuts here locally, coupled with increasing estimates on the overall cost of the renovations, one has to in good conscience ask if this project as currently proposed is both appropriate and necessary. (The remainder of this post can be read by accessing the READ MORE link below.)

Surely, we have space issues at Town Hall, and more importantly, we have structural deficiencies inherent in the building that need attention. As well, there are issues with ADA compliance that need to be rectified. Nevertheless, one has to wonder if those issues alone warrant the expenditure of over 6.5 millions dollars in today's and tomorrows economic climate.

Certainly, when this project was proposed nearly two years ago, the state of the nation’s economy was not nearly as disastrous as it is now. As well, the economic picture of state and local governments was considerably less bleak. Times have changed and all projections suggest are that we yet to see the worst. This should be cause for all of us to rethink and reexamine this project.

One recognizes the need for more space at Town Hall. More importantly, one recognizes the need to provide A.D.A. access and compatibility along, with a safe working environment for all employees and visitors. Does this equate however to the need for over 6.5 million dollars in tax payer funds? Is this project as designed and proposed completely necessary at this time? Could the project be re-worked so that the Center School was jettisoned from the proposal, while still addressing A.D.A., safety, and space requirements?

To be sure, one may not get all of the space that one might desire, but with funds becoming increasingly scarce and residents faced with potential employment, wage, and housing loss or reductions, one can make a strong argument that space, though nice to have might not pass the litmus test of absolute need. This is a difficult statement for this writer to make, as I am all too often witness to the less than adequate conditions our town employees are forced to work in. It is one however, given the dire economic projections for the next several years that one is forced in good conscience to consider.

So, here then are a few questions worth considering.

Is the Town Hall/Center School project as proposed, the absolute right project for the times?

What are the absolute values or benefits that this project - as proposed - bring to Sturbridge over the next 20 years?

Do those values or benefits outweigh the risks, given the current and projected economic state?

Is the return on investment in terms of economic value and benefit to the town consistent with the cost?

Is the decision rendered in relation to this project based more upon intangible benefits (history, culture, beauty) than upon economic or tangible benefits?

Is it necessarily inappropriate to heavily factor the intangible benefits?

Is not our history and our culture a significant aspect of who and what we are?

Should those things not be preserved at all costs, regardless of the economic climate?

Are those two buildings combined or individually that significant in terms of our community?

Do those two buildings individually or collectively rise to a level of importance that prioritize them of greater significance than community-wide essential services that may require reductions.

Should the project be revisited and re-evaluated?

Is it necessary to renovate both the Town Hall and the Center School?

What if any, is the absolute downside to renovating the Town Hall and only the Town Hall?

Should the Center School be dropped from the project?

Should one new building be constructed to address all of our needs?

Could the Center School be demolished and replaced with a new town hall, while preserving the existing Town Hall at a future date for some other town purpose?

Should the Center School be placed up for sale or set aside for another project at another time when the economy is vastly improved?

Are we getting the very best return on our investment in this project?

Are there other options that have not been discussed or brought forward because we, and I include myself here, were of the desire to save the Town Hall and Center School and thereby focused much of our attention on doing so?

What if anything have we missed?

What might we discover or rediscover if we are willing to review this particular project?

There are clearly some substantial needs this community must address as we move forward. One, which has already been approved, is a new wastewater treatment facility that will provide us with appropriate capacity for the next 20 - 30 years. The other, which we must act on soon if we are to secure some level of state aid, is a new elementary school that can more appropriately meet the educational and environmental needs of our children.

When one considers the importance of each of these projects and their overall value to the community over the next 20 or more years, one is hard-pressed to find projects more worthy of our limited revenues. The WWTF provides us the infrastructure and capacity necessary to face challenges, meet opportunities, and ensure sustainable economic growth, while a new elementary school would provide infrastructure necessary to better address the educational needs of our children.

Our educators at the Burgess School continue to do an amazing job in nurturing the minds of our children under what can only be described as less than desirable conditions. The products of their labors can be witnessed daily in the abundance of incredibly talented youth that privilege our community. This talent is by no means accidental, but rather the result of dedicated parents and committed educators. Our children and our teachers deserve the very best environment possible with which to nurture the minds of our future leaders.

Thus, we are faced with a challenge. Do we have the courage to revisit this issue, reconsider its implications, and reevaluate its merits in light of the local, state, and national economy, or do we remain steadfast in our support of it, quite simply because we think we should?

This is one of those gut-check moments that requires courage, conviction, and character. It is one of those moments that challenges our commitment to principles as opposed to personalities.

This writer is not suggesting it wrong to proceed with this project, I am only suggesting that it is wrong to proceed without a careful reexamination as to whether this project - in its entirety - is absolutely necessary, right now.
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