Thank you Fairfielders! Almost 400 of you have stood up and signed our petition to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, letting them know:

a) the tax payers and and property owners have NEVER been kept informed of the SIX year violation of FEMA standards; yes, the town management was notified, many times, that it was in viokstion. The town even filed two legal appeals ( BOTH denied);

b) these taxpayers and property owners have paid over a $Billion in taxes since this violation was committed by town management, and CERTAINLY would have resolved the violation a loooong time ago if they had been given the chance;

c) the Town administrators have kept “the Penfield violation issue” neatly bundled up with the contaminated fill pile issue which the Town allowed to be accumulated (aka” julian pile”),thereby preventing the townspeople from insisting, long ago, to correct or resolve the construction violations;

d) had the town informed the taxpayers sooner( like anytime since the violation), it is likely that the whole issue of the town using contaminated soil in the parking lot and under the building would have come to light earlier, and been resolved sooner;

e)even now, at this late, late stage, oft- hand “numbers “ of $11.5 million are being tossed out as the real costs, and the comment is made, ‘well, we have $16 million of surplus funds available to use’, we just need to get it done. The other proposal is “or, we can bond it.” If the town  has $16 million of surplus funds ( not needed or allocated elsewhere) why wasn’t this resolved six years ago? Or four years ago? Or three years ago? Why are our 1900 homeowners, and all town facilities, facing higher flood insurance costs? Why is FEMA tired of waiting for six years, through two administrations, to get this resolved. If we could just take the money out of the piggy bank, why weren’t all the sites, ( including the Fire Training Center, the WPCA sites, the Penfield building and Parking lot,etc) all tested and remediated already? The fact is there have been no firm commitments as to what Penfield Building will cost, how much contaminated fill is under the parking lot, or even the final cost of the rest of the forty  odd sites in town.
F) so the town wants to have the Boards of Selectmen and Finance write ANOTHER blank check ( like the blanket permissions given the builders that got us here, and the unsupervised fill acceptance program the town started) to “just get it done.”

So,  again, the town is making bad decisions, because they want “it done now.”maybe there are other options— the townspeople deserve to hear about and study those other options. The townspeople do NOT want to lose FEMA as a valuable partner in our coastal flooding control and management scheme; but they also don’t just want to pour good money after bad.  

Fairfielders have already rebuilt Penfield twice— this would be strike three. The town says it is a valuable asset— primarily because they “collect” about $400k a year in rentals. Take away the upkeep, staffing, etc.costs , and what— $250k/yr—for the four years or so, what, $1.0 million we earned? Maybe? The cost of construction was $4.5 million, and now, what $12, $14,  $15 million more? Something does not make sense— and the townspeople deserve full information, full options, and a choice.

The Selectmen  meet Monday, the Finance Board soon after. Have your friends and relatives neighbors and representatives sign the petition. Let the town management know that you care.
Thank you,

Hugh Dolan