The ten years I spent on the City Council were very educational and challenging. Most things surrounding the Green Street Puzzle Palace that were true then and are true now in that there is not the slightest modicum of common sense when it comes to planning major projects. Case in point is the proposed replacement of the Beaver Meadow golf club house. Instead of replacing the long-neglected facility with a facility accommodating golfing and winter sports needs they proposed a community center and an expanded outing facility. Replacing the police station is a must. So, instead of proposing a facility that will serve us well, they are proposing a new multi-use complex with additional parking needs.

The Concord Group building could be converted into a well-designed single use police station. The old police station could be repurposed to accommodate other administrative offices and with all of the first responders’ vehicles gone, there would be no need for additional parking to accommodate staff needs. One of the slight of hands techniques used is to measure the cost of these projects is in terms of tax rate increase. For too many years, the tax burden has shifted from commercial properties to residential properties because of the failure of the city to market commercial and light industrial properties. With home value increasing and the tax rate increasing with these grandiose projects, the homeowner is being hit with a double blast.

Robert C. Washburn

Concord