Avid readers of this blog know that Dewey Ave was declared surplus property by a former School Committee several years ago and the building was returned to the Town in an effort to consolidate school operations, save day-to-day operating costs as well as avoid costly capital repairs and improvements.
It was hoped that the Dewey Ave building could be quickly sold to a private developer, moneys collected would be invested in much needed capital repairs to other town-owned properties and Dewey Ave would be returned to the active and paying property tax rolls.
This week’s Sandwich Broadsider reports that eager and well-meaning do-gooders are angling for tax payer funded Dewey Ave development planning and tax payer funded repairs and finally a public private partnership for ongoing building operations perhaps as an "Arts Center" – meaning: taxpayer funded operations (that’s the public in public-private partnerships).
Dewey Ave is a lot like Count Dracula. Dead, decrepit, ugly and a huge burden inflicting misery on all the local residents but still it lives. What’s its magic? Like Dracula himself, its old and it seems that in Sandwich being old makes all the difference.
24 comments:
Welcome Back, Brother Guerin!
This is yet another example of leaders not having the conviction to actually lead. "Old & decrepit" is not the same as "historic" -- I don't give a damn which local yahoo went to nursery school there!
I find it hilarious that somebody thinks it was a good deal that it cost Yarmouth "only" $500,000 to build a "cultural center" in an old building. I find it equally hilarious that anybody could claim fixing uop Dewey ave would as a "cultural and arts center" could possibly "affect an area’s economic vitality".
"C'mon, Martha, packup the kids, lets drive up to Sandwich Massachusetts to look at their Arts Center! And bring some extra quarters -- we are going to improve the area's economic vitality by puttin' some extra quarters in the fish food machine at the Hatchery !!"
Some one should talk to the family who lives next door. They are the only ones who mow and do a little yard matinence so they don't have to look at the meadow that grows there other wise.
So explain to me how do we get rid of the leader, we all know whom it is but how do we get the BOS to grow some, wake the hell up and do it!
I must say, that The town's public works department does all the moving at the property not the neighbors and the facility department has taken care of the boarding of the place.
Unfortunately its just rotting away it really needs to be sold to just someone!
8:22, I don't think we can focus on any one leader -- at least I haven't. The problem is the Town has been run by well-meaning volunteers with varying levels of professional experience and education.
This is complicate because these volunteers (and their families) have to live and do business in the Community. They have been too reluctant to deliver bad news or to point out to their friends, neighbors, and potential customers that they may have a cranial-rectal inversion issue.
Unfortunately, somebody needs to be the Bad Guy -- and deliver unpopular news.
It’s interesting to me that the neighbors surrounding this building don’t complain more – they’re certainly entitled to. This building is an eyesore. Surely, the Town could do more to maintain this buildings’ outward appearance. It can’t be that expensive to paint, maintain windows and landscape? Why is the Historic Board so silent? Again, doesn’t this buddings’ outward appearance harm and devalue our historic district? It’s well past time for our Town employees and leaders to display some genuine “pride of ownership” in the buildings the Town owns and operates. A decent, serviceable level of property Maintenance doesn’t seem like too much to expect.
The best thing for this building would be for a gust of wind to blow it over and then some one could start all over and build a building that some one could do something with.
Apparently you have not seen the inside of this historic , un kept building where the walls and windows are open to the outside.
A heating system that needs to be replaced,Water coming through the roof, walls and floors waiting for the demolition team to take it down, before they fall down.
It is about as sick of a building as where the Town Clerks, tax assesor and those working in the basement across the street from the library is.
The only thing historic about this building is some portion of the entrance to the building which could be saved and put up for view when they build a new place for the Sandwich Chamber of Commerce building.
This building would best be served by having the Fire department do a controlled burn like they did at the farm.
I sure as heck do not want any of my tax money going into this long time albitrose of a building.
Also I must add that the all the critters living there would also like to be picked up by the Natural Resource Department and have them find a new home for them to live in. After all, they should be able to find the time in there schedule to rehome them, some where in the places they like to hide.
At one TM, I recall a well known and articulate old timer who I stated that it would be a shame for the Town to lose the building because it is named after two heroes of the Korean War. I think that is why the TM voted not to allow the Selectmen to enter into negotiations to sell the property. I wonder why we just couldn't name the STEM Academy after them!?
And speaking of leaders, could we just go one year without Nancy Crossman using her role on the School Committee as a springboard to other town issues? Now the school committee is involved in the gas line issue because Nancy's husband is opposed to it? Are you kidding me???
Bart the building was named after two enlisted men that died while undergoing basic training. Not the Korean war. Both men never made it out of the United States.
We have a statue in there name , an American Legion Post, a ball team and they are also recoginized by planks on the board walk. THE OLD TIMER DID NOT HAVE HIS FACTS RIGHT.
So tired of Nancy Crossman. Can you say sour grapes for not getting the Chairmanship. Very glad everyone, other than Kangas, knew what a poor leader she would of been. The whole year would of been about save the pool and gas lines. Plus, everything about the gas line was properly posted and could of been addressed at anytime. Being late to the game doesn't mean you get to change the rules. A petition of 1100 signatures out of a population of 20,000+ doesn't sound like the majority of residents are worried. Move on to things that really matter to the majority. How to take care of our buildings. New stations. How are we going to afford everything associated with STEM? The Johnson mess, contracts and on and on. Nancy should look at how a majority gets things done the right way, she didn't get the chairmanship.
This Crossman email string deserves its own post.
Mrs Crossman and her husband are abutters to the proposed pipeline. Mrs Crossman and her husband have been active, vocal opponents of the plan. Did she disclose all this at the school committee meeting? It’s unclear to me whether she’s an advocate for students or her own interests. Pool employee and pool advocate; pipeline abutter and anti-pipeline advocate. Besides herself and her own self-interests just who does Mrs Crossman represent as an elected official?
Killion was way too lenient. Those people had nothing to do with school business and should not have been allowed to disrupt the meeting. Crossman should have been clear that this was another of HER personal causes.
And then her husband gets up a second time to demand an update on the pool......these people need to get a life......
It is the same old story it is all about the children? why we do things, but like my brother Slow Turtle would say , speak with forked tongue.
They also do not want this pipe line in there backyard, but it is fine if it in mine or yours.
They all had a blind eye to the previous open meetings where the discussion should have been taking place [2006] Now that it is 2013 and they all opened there eyes from a long sleep to realize that hey this is about to happpen and we do not want this at the end our street.
I told Mr. Crossman the last time we met at the town hall, that I have no use for gas myself, but why did you all wait until the last minute and cry foul and where else do you think it should go . No answer.
If any one thinks for one minute that any changes will be forth comming with the next meeting at town hall, you will be mistaken. It is worth a stalling tatic, in principle, but non productive, unless you have another suggestion as to where it can go , other then some one elses backyard.
There is some movement in terms of dialoque and action in the immediate neighborhood - all of it in favor of restoring the building. I wonder what the author of this blog said back in '91 when the boardwalk was ruined. There's some healthy examples out there where the town's history has been successfully preserved without a huge reliance on the towns operating budget. Restoring the building is not impossible. I'm a skeptic myself, but it's worth a shot at salvaging. Fundraising, matching grants, private donors should all help to reduce the reliance on the general tax rolls. I'm sure at some point taxpayers will feel a pinch, but you could sell the building and still get pinched if a family of 6 moves in.
I think there's a world of difference between a boardwalk that leads to a Cape Cod Beach and a leaky, poorly maintained, asbestos-filled building which has been used as storage for the past several years. Nothing historic ever happened in the building -- its just old.
No offense to Mr. Clark or Mr. Haddad -- but legend has it they died of the flu during basic training -- before they even left the country.
This topic has been under discussion for years, and nobody has come up with a viable plan (much like the Pool People who have been talking about fundraisers for years -- but have yet to produce a dime!)
Do you really think holding the property to prevent a family of 6 from moving in is a good strategic plan? Maybe we should start buying all the homes in town and tear them down -- that should keep those damn families out!
Here's my idea -- use my tax dollars to provide roads, education, and public safety. I will pay for my family's entertainment -- including art/culture/history appreciation.
Let’s all agree that everything in Sandwich, if you invest a ton of money, time and talent, has the potential to be something else, something bigger and something better: the marina, the golden triangle, the Wing School, and Dewey Ave. included. Everything has potential.
Assuming this is true, the conversation has to move to resources, realism and prioritization.
Being a realist, I’d opine that Dewey Ave is nobody’s priority and our Town is seriously short of resource. So, I’d suggest that talking about fixing up Dewey Ave and considering applying more local tax resources is a total waste of people’s time and a serious distraction.
Prioritization requires choice and the allocation of limited resources. One of our town’s biggest leadership challenges is failing to prioritize and stick with it – here in Sandwich, it’s always easier to say: hey – great idea - let’s do everything. That’s good politics but its awful policy and worse leadership.
I know people who want to buy it restore it with historic restriction in mind and add to the tax base.
Do you remember the doll museum before it was bought for under $300,000 and restored? It is probably a million dollar property now. What about the town building that was sold and is now the Dunbar Tea House? I believe our historic environment is very important to the town esthetically and economically. But that doesn't mean that holding on to a town building that requires capital funding is the right thing to do.
The needs in town are too great at this time not to consider plans that truly result in a bright future for the building, such as illustrated in the two examples I've mentioned, which in turn provides both esthetic and economic common sense for the town.
That's right -- sell the building and allow the private sector to redevelop it into a commercially/financially viable operation. No taxpayer subsidies, and no redevelopment costs bloated by union wage agreements or arcane public bidding requirements.
Restiction could be placed on the building that in fact assures who ever purchase it must keep what ever historical value it has will not be compromised. The tax payers should not have to invest another dime in a building that should be used as a lesson for the fire department on how to fight a enviromental fire hazard
How about buying land around the worst golf course in America to prevent families with children to use "town resources"!!! It was a stupid idea then, proven only to be more stupid now. How is not having more taxpayers in this town working out for ya? Remember, just because my name is Bud doesn't mean I'm your friend
Historic restriction already is placed on the building by virtue of it's existence in the Old King's Highway History area. Further restrictions could be placed upon it I suppose but actually there is no real need. It could however serve to reassure those who are concerned about retaining it as an history asset. You can have a historic assets on the tax role just as easily as you can have them through maintenance on the town's budget. Look at other communities with like number's of historic residences.
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