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THE POOL – THE DEBACLE

 

The pool is not usable and will not be open this year. 

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The way that Schaffer and the Town Board have handled the situation is unacceptable.

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Neglect:

The pool hasn’t been used since 2019.  Whatever repairs it required were not done.  They let it sit, unrepaired and unused for the last three years.   Now it has to be completely demolished, and rebuilt, at a cost of 4 million dollars.

 

Deception:

Schaffer has asserted from the start, and continues to assert, that we will not have to pay for the pool. 

 

The demolition and rebuilding of the pool will cost about 4 million dollars.  The State and County will fund one million dollars.  That leaves three million dollars that must be funded.

 

The Town Board authorized 4 million dollars of bonds for the project.

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Bonds are debt, kind of like a mortgage.  Sometimes you have to do it to get the money for a big project, but it has to be repaid, with interest.  We do have to pay for the pool, just not immediately.

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A sound repayment plan worked into future budgets would be required.  This is normal, and all levels of government do this for large projects on a regular basis.  Whether or not Schaffer and the Town Board have a plan for repayment is unknown, because they will not answer questions about it.

 

Quite frankly, I’m beginning to wonder if Schaffer even understands what bonds are.  

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He either doesn’t understand what bonds are (and thinks it is just free money), or he is intentionally lying to us.

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Either is unacceptable. 

 

The pool isn’t the problem. 

The deception and lack of transparency are.

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Enough is enough.  This must change.

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~ Maria ~