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Cal-to-NH · 03-05-2023, 03:12 PM

I have some answers but far from all the answers

You'll remember that in 2020 the Selectmen backed a total of $5.0 M consisting of $1.5 M in the "Lions Club building" to bring up to code, make ADA compliant, preserve meals-on-wheels etc.... for an additional 30 year lifetime, and then $3.5M to build a "Rec Center" with a track and basketball courts - with room to expand in the future - to be on the large Town-owned Taylor-lot near the Bank of NH.
That was when town bonds would have been at 1.3% for ten years, and we had enough cash for maybe $500,000 of it.... That's right, only $13,000 per year per Million dollars borrowed - basically the interest on $4.5M bond could have been paid by property taxes from 4 lake-front homes. There was also a warning that construction costs would go up by 7% per year (without knowing what would be hitting us for either interest rates or inflation rates as they actually did rise). Using their at-the-time numbers, that would be a 2024 value of $7.2M for the same $5.5M center + Lions Club improvements in using their numbers. The ACTUAL inflation from 2020 - 2024 I don't even want to know (shiver).

Two things got in the way in 2020. First, there was a "sect" of people who wanted much more than this proposed center and immediately rallied a number of voters to their cause, openly warred with the Selectmen, made for a sloppy town meeting with two different centers to vote on (does anyone else remember that town meeting?), and getting a majority - but not the required approval majority, of votes for the $5.5M selectmen plan. The other issue was some history-huggers trying to protect the Taylor property and rallying against the Rec Center on that lot. As it turns out the Selectmen took a wrecking ball to that house to solve that issue going-forward.

No, you can't have a regulation water polo or a regulation swimming competition in a 25 yard pool that is only 5 lanes, so any imaginings that there could be some revenue from that pool is folly.

I think in the end, getting something that could be expanded later - something that most townspeople would likely have compromised on - was replaced by the "i want everything - NOW" mentality.

As usual, we only hurt ourselves. The time came, and the time went. And what did we learn - to go for the I WANT EVERYTHING option again...

What happened to Yankee common sense?

03-05-2023, 03:12 PM	#296
Cal-to-NH Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Moultonborough Posts: 100 Thanks: 11 Thanked 48 Times in 23 Posts	HUB in Moultonborough I have some answers but far from all the answers You'll remember that in 2020 the Selectmen backed a total of $5.0 M consisting of $1.5 M in the "Lions Club building" to bring up to code, make ADA compliant, preserve meals-on-wheels etc.... for an additional 30 year lifetime, and then $3.5M to build a "Rec Center" with a track and basketball courts - with room to expand in the future - to be on the large Town-owned Taylor-lot near the Bank of NH. That was when town bonds would have been at 1.3% for ten years, and we had enough cash for maybe $500,000 of it.... That's right, only $13,000 per year per Million dollars borrowed - basically the interest on $4.5M bond could have been paid by property taxes from 4 lake-front homes. There was also a warning that construction costs would go up by 7% per year (without knowing what would be hitting us for either interest rates or inflation rates as they actually did rise). Using their at-the-time numbers, that would be a 2024 value of $7.2M for the same $5.5M center + Lions Club improvements in using their numbers. The ACTUAL inflation from 2020 - 2024 I don't even want to know (shiver). Two things got in the way in 2020. First, there was a "sect" of people who wanted much more than this proposed center and immediately rallied a number of voters to their cause, openly warred with the Selectmen, made for a sloppy town meeting with two different centers to vote on (does anyone else remember that town meeting?), and getting a majority - but not the required approval majority, of votes for the $5.5M selectmen plan. The other issue was some history-huggers trying to protect the Taylor property and rallying against the Rec Center on that lot. As it turns out the Selectmen took a wrecking ball to that house to solve that issue going-forward. No, you can't have a regulation water polo or a regulation swimming competition in a 25 yard pool that is only 5 lanes, so any imaginings that there could be some revenue from that pool is folly. I think in the end, getting something that could be expanded later - something that most townspeople would likely have compromised on - was replaced by the "i want everything - NOW" mentality. As usual, we only hurt ourselves. The time came, and the time went. And what did we learn - to go for the I WANT EVERYTHING option again... What happened to Yankee common sense?