Letter: Park Street School: Enough is enough! (Printed Dec. 26, 2008)
Editor:
The latest episode surrounding the Park Street School is another unfortunate situation in Kennebunk. How many times after an election do we have to hear the cry the voters didn’t understand what they were voting on? How many times do we have to experience a petition about an item because a group of citizens did not like the outcome of a vote? The latest saga is a disgrace.
More than 530 citizens petitioned to reconsider the Park Street School decision. Glib answers that the funding for this will come from a town surplus is not acceptable, especially in these horrible economic times. Statements that suggest that it is only a few dollars each year for the taxpayers to pay is unacceptable. How dare anyone decide what their fellow citizens can afford! Such an attitude ignores the plight of many individuals in our midst, and lacks insight on how bad our economy is, and how Kennebunk residents and merchants are hurting! It is time to wake up and face reality! This is a moral and ethical imperative that far outweighs the Park Street School! It is a luxury we cannot afford.
How sad a Jan. 31 town meeting will deny those who cannot attend an opportunity to vote.
There are other options. Let those who want the Park Street School purchase the property, remodel it from their own funds, and graciously give it to the town instead of spending their neighbors’ money! Our citizens are hurting, and we must look at the present!
Another option would be for the town to seriously consider giving up the auditorium space and eventually using it for needed expansion if and when that day arrives. Granted the few functions in that space will have to be moved elsewhere. That has been done in recent memory and can be done in the future. Where is the leadership to deal with these serious times
It is high time that the public demand that enough is enough, and these tactics stop once and for all. It is high time that a list of those who signed this petition be published. Let those who signed this petition face their neighbors, and answer their neighbors who are hurting and struggling to put bread on their table, heat their homes, and make ends meet.
Philip Berkowitz
Kennebunk
The latest episode surrounding the Park Street School is another unfortunate situation in Kennebunk. How many times after an election do we have to hear the cry the voters didn’t understand what they were voting on? How many times do we have to experience a petition about an item because a group of citizens did not like the outcome of a vote? The latest saga is a disgrace.
More than 530 citizens petitioned to reconsider the Park Street School decision. Glib answers that the funding for this will come from a town surplus is not acceptable, especially in these horrible economic times. Statements that suggest that it is only a few dollars each year for the taxpayers to pay is unacceptable. How dare anyone decide what their fellow citizens can afford! Such an attitude ignores the plight of many individuals in our midst, and lacks insight on how bad our economy is, and how Kennebunk residents and merchants are hurting! It is time to wake up and face reality! This is a moral and ethical imperative that far outweighs the Park Street School! It is a luxury we cannot afford.
How sad a Jan. 31 town meeting will deny those who cannot attend an opportunity to vote.
There are other options. Let those who want the Park Street School purchase the property, remodel it from their own funds, and graciously give it to the town instead of spending their neighbors’ money! Our citizens are hurting, and we must look at the present!
Another option would be for the town to seriously consider giving up the auditorium space and eventually using it for needed expansion if and when that day arrives. Granted the few functions in that space will have to be moved elsewhere. That has been done in recent memory and can be done in the future. Where is the leadership to deal with these serious times
It is high time that the public demand that enough is enough, and these tactics stop once and for all. It is high time that a list of those who signed this petition be published. Let those who signed this petition face their neighbors, and answer their neighbors who are hurting and struggling to put bread on their table, heat their homes, and make ends meet.
Philip Berkowitz
Kennebunk
Posted by Post Editor at 12/29/2008 1:20 PM 
Categories: Letters, Opinion, Kennebunk, Budget Money and Taxes
Categories: Letters, Opinion, Kennebunk, Budget Money and Taxes
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