David Katz: Vote to fund new fire engine, preserve Town House in New Hampton

To The Daily Sun,

New Hampton Town Meeting is but two weeks away and it’s worthwhile to point out the importance of at least two warrant articles, not that the others are not important.

Please vote yes on Article 12 that involves the future replacement of Engine 17E3, a 1989 fire truck that has served our community well. The primary purpose of this article is to permit the town to apply for grants to support the purchase. These grants are typically “95/5,” meaning that the Town would directly fund 5% of the purchase. The source of that 5% would come from the FD Special Revenue Fund that gets its money from ambulance and other related fee reimbursement. Thus, no amount would be raised from taxation.

Please vote yes on Article 15, establishment of a Heritage Fund. This article provides seed money for the reactivated Heritage Commission to further its No. 1 job: preservation of our 1798 Town House. Our Town House is currently on both the state and national historic registries. A recently completed Historical Building Assessment (available on the town website) identified near- and long-term improvements to keep this historic and cultural resource intact and relevant for future New Hampton generations. Heritage Fund monies are used to help secure grants and cover related expenditures. The source of the money will be the town’s fund balance, which effectively is our savings account for situations like this. Thus, no amount would come from additional taxation.

When voting, keep in mind that public safety is paramount and that we are only temporary stewards of our town’s historic and cultural resources and must do what we can to preserve them for the future.

David Katz

New Hampton