Joan Coe
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Platinum Board Member
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BAD FOR THE TOWN -EWS LAND DEAL - 2006/11/02 08:34
THE HARTFORD COURANT THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2,2006
This letter was written by me and published in The Hartford Courant.
Bad For The Town
Wake up Simsbury taxpayers! You are being fleeced by the Trust for Public Land and the Ethel Walker School.
The Ethel Walker land has a market value of $8.95 million according to town records, but TPL negotiated a price with Ethel Walker School for $13.85 million.
It appears that The Ethel Walker School needs $13.85 million to increase their endowment, allegedly because of poor financial planning. Why has EWS given the town an ultimatum?
Give us the money or we will build $1 million homes on the property? One-million-dollar homes make money for the town in property and car taxes. Keep the Woods, a NIMB (not in my backyard) organization, has stated that the aquifer will become contaminated from the homes and yet there are many of their homes abutting this property with septic systems and lawn services that have not polluted anything.
What is the issue? This project is between TPL and EWS and yet the financing is coming from Simsbury taxpayers. What are we buying and at what cost? The finance director of the town has stated that he would not recommend this project because it is inconsistent with the 7 percent debt policy that the board of finance has used for their fiscal planning. The EWS project will add 2 percent to the tax increase. A 2 percent increase for multimillion dollar businesses is real money. Is this project good for economic development? What business will come to Simsbury with the highest taxes in the valley and who will buy the homes in Simsbury? What impact will this project have on the education budget?
Wake up Simsbury taxpayers, the sky is not falling, the trees are not being depleted, the walking paths will remain and Simsbury residents will still be able to maintain their quality of life without being fleeced by TPL and EWS. Vote "no" on the referendum appropriation.
JOAN COE, SIMSBURY
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