Editorial

 

Town Offices: it's not the mall

The MSAD #15 and the Town of Gray, along with the Town of New Gloucester, will convene in a joint meeting on April 12 to discuss what should be done with Pennell Institute. The Town of Gray owned it but had to let it go to SAD ownership when the SAD was formed in the 1960s. Now the SAD wants to sell it back, since it is not being used to its highest educational capacity.

The Town of Gray officials have said that their Town office is getting crowded, they need more room, and the three departments downstairs are not accessible to the disabled, violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. When the the Old Post office right next door became available, they asked the townspeople to authorize purchasing it so town offices could expand into the building. The old PO is on one floor, is pretty well up to code, and would require little renovation ($$) to move into.

The taxpayers have owned the building for two years. It has remained empty. Now that the SAD wants to sell Pennell back, suddenly Gray officials are saying that they want to move in there, sharing it with the School department Central Office Administration.

Their main reason is that they want to provide a "One Stop Shop" for their taxpayers, making it convenient for citizens to get all their municipal and school errands done in one shot.

Let's unpack this thought a bit, starting with 'one-stop.' Generally, only 35% of a given town's population has children in school. Of that 35%, perhaps only about 10% actually ever wander in to the Central Office to do business with the Superintendent, Curriculum Director, or the Finance director. Of that number, how many would also have business with the Town of Gray at that moment, say, needing to buy a dump sticker too? Maybe five people.

Looking at the word 'shop,' taxpayers go to their town or school department offices to conduct necessary business, and then leave. It's not the Mall. We don't go there to linger, hang around, or schmooze. Business is functional and then it's over.

So the Gray officials and Manager want to spend over a million and a half dollars to renovate a building so that an extremely small number people in town can complete an errand with the SAD and the Town at the same time? This, in the face of upcoming municipal capital requests that total in the millions for the Transfer Station, Public Works vehicles, bridge improvements, and a library renovation? Notwithstanding a recently delivered budget that requests a 7% increase over last year, despite a recent revaluation that has already raised taxes? And all this despite the fact that the Town already owns a building that stands empty and waiting for the town offices to expand into, practically turn-key?

I think if the Pennell Alumni are so enamored of the building that they really want to see it preserved, then they should start a drive and buy it themselves. Or follow Councilor Lynn Olson's recent suggestion, sell it to a developer with deed restrictions to maintain its historical integrity. To ask the taxpayers to shoulder another burdensome renovation just so the town staff and school office staff can schmooze together is fiscally irresponsible.