Dear Editor,
There have been many misconceptions by the general public regarding the need for a new Public Safety Building. The major objection is to the cost, with no real regard to the pressing need due to the antiquated facility (Oren Bates Firehouse). The old firehouse is not in need of repair, it is in need of total demolition. The design firm of Dorr & Whittier was brought in to assess the feasibility of the continued use of the building and found it did not meet any of the current regulations. And the cost to repair and/or rebuild was prohibitive. We, however, would like to take this time to thank the Bates family for donating this facility which has served the town of Killington so well for so many years.
Besides growing full time residential and second home ownership, there is the ever-expanding business being created by the mountain, bringing more people to our town during both the winter and now the summer seasons. Then there is the coming expansion of hundreds of condominiums that will be built in the coming years. How will we be able to take care of this up and coming boom to our community with a facility whose building doesn’t even sit on land it owns?
The $7 million figure that’s been touted around town by those who do not know and have not shown their faces at any of the meetings held, is just not true. Many months, weeks, and hours have been spent by the committee, the Fire Dept, and the Police Dept, paring down the costs of this project to a point where we can have a building that will be able to service our community for the next 40-50 years, with built-in expansion capability when necessary.
The town meeting will be coming up shortly. Please take the time to make an informed decision. There is a proposed special meeting to inform those interested in the current status, i.e. cost estimate, timeline, bonding, etc., sometime in early February, as well as presentations at the Rotary, the Seniors’ Lunch, and other venues. There will also be the Informational/Special Select Board Meeting on the eve of Town Meeting Day, March 4, 2019. Killington is the biggest ski town in Vermont and in New England. Know the facts. Help us make the town we need it to be.
Richard Kropp, Killington
