Chuck McGee: Column about Taylor property one-sided and incomplete

To The Daily Sun,

Eric Taussig’s op-ed piece regarding recent events concerning the Taylor property was one-sided and incomplete. There was no “conspiracy” by the Selectboard to demolish the home. All meetings to discuss the property were publicly noticed (in advance) and attended by members of the Heritage Commission, including Mr. Taussig. All were allowed public comment without interruption. The property was purchased by the town in 2014 after the owners at the time were unable to find a buyer due to the condition of the home, which had fallen into disrepair. Several attempts have been made to sell the property, including listing on MLS with a realtor. However, none have proven successful, primarily due to the high estimated cost of rehabilitation, which could be as much as $800,000. The Moultonborough Heritage Commission has repeatedly lobbied the Selectboard(s) to expend funds to “maintain” the house, (with no guarantee that it can be saved), while at no time coming forth with a legitimate buyer with the necessary funding to restore the building. Their only plan is to “save” an old farmhouse, of limited historical value, that’s an eyesore sitting in the middle of town. At any time during the last seven years, they, or their supporters could have submitted a Warrant Article at town meeting to raise the necessary money to save the building. As they’re well aware, the Selectboard is in no position, nor would we, allocate $800,000 for this project without taxpayer approval. The prevailing attitude of the Heritage Commission and their supporters seems to be that we need to “save” every doghouse, outhouse, and old building constructed since the Mayflower arrived. In some cases, this might be economically feasible, in others not so much. Whether you agree or not, any attempts require the money to do so. In this case, sabotaging an opportunity to move the community forward with a potential new medical facility was a selfish act by the the Heritage Commission and their supporters. They should be ashamed of themselves. Throughout New Hampshire, many of our small towns are struggling to survive and lack the funds necessary to maintain basic infrastructure. Not so with Moultonborough. Driving through our town, you see a new Public Safety building, new Town Hall, Library, and school buildings, as well as the new Berry Pond Corners building. A new medical facility would build upon that. Unlike many other New Hampshire towns, anyone passing through Moultonborough can tell we’re alive and well. It’s unfortunate that a small group of people decided to thwart our progress. Saving old buildings at the expense of moving forward is wrong. Perhaps the Heritage Commission should focus on the future as well as the past, and what would be best for the majority of the community.

Chuck McGee

Moultonborough Selectman