My wife and I have lived in Amherst, as renters and homeowners, for 55 years. As another town election nears, we empathize with Town Council candidates who have inherited a long history of deferred maintenance and structural neglect.
The fact is that town government has been a poor custodian of public buildings and public access to essential services. We are heartened by the long-overdue commitment to construct a much-needed elementary school. As with much else, the achievement has been hampered by controversy, litigation and delays.
The Town Council now has an opportunity to redress past neglect. Given the general disrepair and dysfunctionality of the Jones library, the central fire station, and the public works facility, it is time to restore public confidence in essential services that we all depend on town government to provide.
At a minimum, we ask that candidates for the council make a public commitment to see through to completion the major projects on the agenda: a renovated and expanded Jones Library; an improved and accessible central fire station; and an adequate modernized facility for a relocated Public Works Department. In the interest of the common good and public welfare such a pledge is, we believe, mandatory.
Dale and Lorna Peterson
Amherst
