Article 8 establishes the Springfield Revitalization Fund, and Article 9 appropriates $100,000 for the fund, which is 15 cents for each $1,000 of assessed value.
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2017-02-13 / Opinion
Vote yes on Articles 8 and 9
To the Editor,
Springfield is at a crossroads. We are accustomed to having police, fire, ambulance, public works, library, recreation, and other services efficiently provided. Unfortunately, the grand list has been shrinking, and revenues are declining.
We can accept this state of affairs, or we can take bold steps to become a desirable place for new investors, businesses and residents. We have made a good start. We have new downtown master and streetscape plans for a facelift and improved facilities. We are enforcing ordinances on nuisance abatement, unsafe buildings, and blighted properties. We have acquired buildings that need rehabilitation or removal.
But we must do more, so the selectboard has placed Articles 8 and 9 on the Town Meeting Warrant. Article 8 establishes the Springfield Revitalization Fund, and Article 9 appropriates $100,000 for the fund, which is 15 cents for each $1,000 of assessed value.
We cannot move forward without money. The funds that Articles 8 and 9 request are just a small fraction of what we will eventually need. However, this seed money will enable us to go after grants that require local matching funds, to get professional help attracting investors and developers, to stimulate the creation of public and private partnerships, and to tap substantial new funding sources. This is how towns like Barre, St. Albans and Vergennes have reinvigorated themselves.
Please vote yes on Articles 8 and 9. They are essential to make Springfield a place where people want to live, work, play or start a business.
Walter Martone
Springfield Selectboard Member
how about NO on both,you guy's always find ways to spend money,how about you spend some time finding ways to save some
ReplyDeleteHow about cutting costs for once? 100,000 here another 100,000 there. Seems like that tax payers (property owners) are continually paying money out and never seeing any positive results. Springfield downtown will never be like Woodstock, Chester and other Vermont downtowns as long as you continue to harbor drug addicts and increased social services. Tear down and put in a park which will be enjoyed by who? Not by the people you want to attract.
ReplyDeleteRE: "this seed money will enable us to go after grants......"
ReplyDeleteWhy does no one ever question what happens to the hundreds of thousands of dollars awarded SRDC that is NEVER accounted for?
Why don't we just legalize marijuana,then we wouldn't need extra money from the taxpayers.
ReplyDeleteThat will definitely bring people into Springfield! And they can smoke it on all these lovely new green spaces we're talking about!
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