Gardiner Survey Reveals Silent Majority: Respondents Support Sale of Old Library Building
By The Gazette Editorial Committee
From Issue 8: Fall 2010
At the September seventh Gardiner Town Board meeting The Gardiner Gazette released the results of the town-wide survey that asked residents their opinion on the old library building—whether the Town should lease it to the Fire Department for a museum, or sell it.
Respondents voted 154 to 25 (86% to 14%) to sell the building. A second question, inviting “other ideas or comments,” attracted 54 respondents. The main reason cited by those interested in selling the building was financial considerations. Many respondents discussed the impact on taxpayers to restore and maintain the building, the desire to get the building back on the tax rolls and the desire to use the sale proceeds to lower taxes. Some respondents interested in leasing the building cited the Fire Department’s long contribution to Gardiner and supported some historical or Fire Department use.
Full survey responses are available at http://the gardinergazette.bbnow.org. In total, 185 people participated in the survey. Citizen attendance at Town Board meetings is at times sparse—at the September 7th meeting, fewer than 10 people showed up. Sometimes, when there is a hot topic on the agenda, 30-50 people will show up, so to get this many responses on an issue that the Board is currently deliberating on is tremendous, and we thank you for your participation!
As far as what happens with the old library building, stay tuned.