9/9/1991 BOARD OF SELECTMEN Minutes

Home Browse Search

i • BO ARD 0 F SELEC TMEN Page 16 S MINUTES S MONDAY SEPTEMBER 9, 1991 Recreation enter: It should be becoming obvious to you people states Selectman Jacobson, that I am the individual that charged in this situation* Yes, I was one of the four in support of it all along. I don' t think there are many people in this Town that are more supportive of pro- grams for the youth. I have worked with the recreational director in the Town going back to Ferry Dealmer and when we didn' t have somebody, 1 was down them pitching softball states Selectman Jacobson. so I certainly am very concerned about the youth and recreational possibilities. I have always been involved in youth activities in this Town. I can remember bringing the whole school back to my home for picnics at the end of the year. I'v always been involved with youth activities. I freely admit that as we were going through these discussions, I was looking at the short term -of a. recreational facility for our children to use and thats all I saw. I wasn' t looking into the long- ter , the finances or the benefit of it over the long run for the Town of 1 ashp e whether it be good or bad. I wanted a, recreational center. I worked with Kevin and Dean and went down and looked at the building probably I was more excited than anyone else of the possibility. I also thought of it as a- -possibility that I could work out some things for the senior population. I was apart o.f the -1 vote states Selectman Jacobson. As Mr. Danson said, lir. Gottlieb all along was against it right from the beginning. Then we came to the situation with a new Selectman and she was opposed to it for her own reasons, she did present some interesting arguments and I suddenly began looking at the long term possibilities and whether it was good to l ashpee as a, whole or whether I was just looking at what was good for the kids, As we progressed into this discussion and we finally did see Town Counsel* s letter, I realized there were many things that weren' t right with it. Thea the discussion was helm with regard to conflict of interest, and frankly at that point, whethzvit is the perception of the conflict of interest, whether ,it' s not going to be good for the Town over the long haul, I changed my vote states Selectman Jacobson, And I am sora for the children in this Town and I wish it weren' t the way it is. I wish that there was something that we could do to provide a. recreation center for the kids. I think that this particular agreement with these particular concerns that have been raised are the right thing for the Town of lshpee at this point* I don' t want to be thought of in ten to twenty years down the line as that Board of Selectmen that gave away the farm or that there was some kind of concern of how it was done. I don' t want to be consid- ered as a Selectman that was involved in that. If you people as parents out there want to blame it on somebody, you can blame it on roe, I would like to see us appoint some king of study committee and would like to see us proceed with some way to try to find some information if we could get a. recreation facility, At this point in time, I don't think that this i s the answer to it