Briefly,
here's an update on replacing the waste water treatment plant. DPW hired a consultant to study
various "regional" options. A draft report has been generated with the only options listed as one where Exeter
would shut down our current plant and send our effluent to Hampton or
Portsmouth. This draft report
included no study of the economic impact on Exeter. In fact, the option
of Exeter building a new plant and
servicing Newfields to increase our customer base was not even
considered. Why aren't other options included in the report as was done
by the quite complete River Study Committee's report on river restoration and
dam removal?
Now we learn that a "final" report will be presented to the Board of Selectmen in late October. In addition, while the W&S Committee was advised they would receive a presentation of the report last Wednesday, it did not happen. Members were told if they wanted they could attend an October 3rd, 7:30 a.m. meeting at the DPW. Very early and no television coverage for citizens!
The final report is scheduled to be presented to the Selectmen the end of October. What is truly disturbing is that the W&S Committee, advisers to the Selectmen, won't be meeting until 2 weeks after it is presented to the Selectmen.
So, here again we see a few members of a committee try to ram through a $5 million project without any discussion of alternatives, analyses, or, frankly, time for the Board of Selectmen to fully educate themselves to vote on whether to approve the proposed project. The public is again being essentially shutoff from being educated on an expenditure that they will have to fund.
Aside from the aforementioned dam removal project, we have too often been presented with a multimillion dollar project for which more alternatives have not been examined and included in discussions. The fire substation is but another example. It would seem that the Town Manager sets up committees to provide legitimacy for proposals for which the public has had little to no input. It is also evident during public comment at Board of Selectmen meetings that public input is not desired.
Now we learn that a "final" report will be presented to the Board of Selectmen in late October. In addition, while the W&S Committee was advised they would receive a presentation of the report last Wednesday, it did not happen. Members were told if they wanted they could attend an October 3rd, 7:30 a.m. meeting at the DPW. Very early and no television coverage for citizens!
The final report is scheduled to be presented to the Selectmen the end of October. What is truly disturbing is that the W&S Committee, advisers to the Selectmen, won't be meeting until 2 weeks after it is presented to the Selectmen.
So, here again we see a few members of a committee try to ram through a $5 million project without any discussion of alternatives, analyses, or, frankly, time for the Board of Selectmen to fully educate themselves to vote on whether to approve the proposed project. The public is again being essentially shutoff from being educated on an expenditure that they will have to fund.
Aside from the aforementioned dam removal project, we have too often been presented with a multimillion dollar project for which more alternatives have not been examined and included in discussions. The fire substation is but another example. It would seem that the Town Manager sets up committees to provide legitimacy for proposals for which the public has had little to no input. It is also evident during public comment at Board of Selectmen meetings that public input is not desired.
If Obama can get away with dictatorship, why shouldn't town "public servants?"
ReplyDelete