To the editor:

Talk about duplication of services across the board! We have a Senior Center that goes above and beyond and offers all and more than the proposed plan at the Walley School. We have police that do a magnificent job of getting out there to service our residents and schools in a professional pro-active manner. We have numerous organizations in town that offer services for seniors, low income residents, special needs residents, etc. etc. right at our hands. We have Rogers Free Library which offers a number of resources. We have many town buildings, underutilized with plenty of room that could be offered to use as meeting space for any number of things. The Quinta Gamelin building has over 15,000 square feet of space and is “Bursting at the seams” as quoted by Tim Shaw…how will this Walley School plan benefit programs for seniors? Space is limited there.

We are very fortunate to have so much to offer all of our residents in our beautiful little town. Let’s not make the mistake of placing another burden on taxpayers with something that is unnecessary. Let’s utilize what we already have and come up with a better plan for this building. It was a school, maybe it could be used for education of some sort. A possible space for Mt. Carmel School to lease for storage does not constitute education or services for our seniors.

Let’s network people. We need to share ideas and not accept what our elected officials try to force on us. This is OUR town and they were elected by us, for us. Their personal agendas should play no part here. It is quite obvious that the monies received by the town was earmarked for senior services so it should be used in that respect and not to stabilize a building that has been empty for 20+ years yet labeled an “urgent need”. To accept this grant money under the guise of creating a new “Modern Senior Center” is disgraceful.

Cheryl A. Iiams
Wood Street