Richard Gunnar Juve: How will State School revamp thrive without raising taxes?

To The Daily Sun,

I wish to comment on the State School property plan of Friday, Oct. 21. The developers are proposing a "self-sustaining village" but the plan does not include a school to house the approximately 1,700 students from the 1,900 housing units proposed. Laconia will sustain municipal overload from this development. "Multi-income" is another name for low-income housing. 

Is the developer going to provide police and fire protection? The police will need to purchase at least two additional cruisers and three additional police officers. The fire department will require an additional two firefighters. Each new hire will require an $18,000 health care plan. You cannot sprinkle new students in the existing school system, even with declining enrollments. Additional teaching staff will be required to possibly include a special education teacher and reading specialist. Busing will be required.

The road department will need to plow and hire at least one new employee and purchase/lease sand and plow trucks. The hospital was full during the COVID pandemic. Can the existing sewer line handle the load? Will a traffic light be required at the main intersection?

Laconia politicians see much property taxes generated from this development. Are the taxpayers willing to see their money leak away? Someone has to take the trouble of scoping out this project. At present, the public sees this as a seemingly innocuous financial decision by the city. Slow leaks turn out to be big money blowouts. Will the town purchase cruisers and plow trucks in cash or bond them paying interest? At present these innocuous costs are undetectable.

Careful study and plenty of arithmetic are required to make this project sustainable and beneficial without creating a burden to present taxpayers.

Richard Gunnar Juve

Meredith