By Cindi Jones
Over the past few weeks, I have read all about the overruns in project costs on projects that are occurring in Waitsfield. What is going on?
If you look back through the historic pictures of Waitsfield, you can see from the projects that are being constructed that they are not in keeping with the historic values and aesthetics of Waitsfield. It would appear that some are trying to turn Waitsfield into a city! What’s next? Traffic meters? Projects being done with little control over the costs are burdening taxpayers more in their tax bills yearly. I hear, “Oh, it is only a $1,000 here, $2,000 there, it’s not going add to the tax rate.” Well you’re wrong! The $200,000 in overruns on the sidewalk is totally out of control for a very small section. Personally, what is there now works fine and keeps with the quaint Vermont village feeling. You are supposed to have a budget that the engineers and consultants are to adhere to, but Waitsfield’s must have a spend-all-you-want clause.
Does anyone ever think about the maintenance and who is going to maintain these projects? There are difficulties with bumped-out curbs. They require extra manpower, extra equipment and are a risk to public safety whether in a car, motorcycle or bicycle when you hit them. Do you understand that when bicycles come to these they will go around them into the travel lane and if you are on a motorcycle and get crowded into them it will cause serious injuries, cars hitting them can cause bent rims and other car problems. Waitsfield has one sidewalk already and to add another one on the other side with the possibility of lights just takes away from the quiet, quaint countryside feeling of rural Vermont, which is what people come here to see and explore.
One example of waste was when the two beautiful maples that were at the farmstand site were cut due to the design of the office building. Another was putting the cupola on top of the office building which makes the building look even more out of place. I will never see in my lifetime those replacement maple trees be fully matured. Another part of local history gone. Common sense would have said, We can make the design so those two maples were undisturbed and they would have added something attractive to the building.
Is Waitsfield becoming like the Vermont government, which spends more than they have and then makes up the difference in increased taxes? Everyone talks about grants. Well they are not free and they come from everybody that pays taxes in Vermont and to the federal government and they all come with strings attached. The emphasis should be to control you’re spending and have a little common sense. Think about the taxpayers and if it benefits everyone and not just a certain few. Where’s the accountability? Where’s the oversight in these projects? How many more project overruns does the taxpayer have to absorb?
People are struggling as it is to be able to pay their taxes and people are selling their homes and moving away because the tax base is so high in this Valley. Is the Waitsfield Select Board working for the taxpayers of the entire town or just for a certain few? It seems every project is amounting to overrun in costs? The attitude seems to be not to worry as the taxpayers will pick up the extra costs. Well let’s not forget that the taxpayers are made up of not just those who can afford these luxury projects. There are the senior citizens that are on fixed incomes, new families with children moving here that are on limited incomes, people on retirement incomes and the young couples just starting out.
Do we really want to see Waitsfield become like a city? The uniqueness and country charm that once was Waitsfield will be lost without any real thought of preserving the history of the town. If Waitsfield keeps going on the path that it is, the charm and uniqueness of this quaint, quiet village will be forever gone. It’s time to wake up and have some common sense and stop all this frivolous spending!
Cindi Jones lives in Waitsfield.
