ARKWRIGHT: Don’t build up small town
When the wind turbines were first proposed for this town around 15 years ago, the premise was simple: officials were seeking new revenue for a municipality with a population of about 1,100 residents.
When compared to the county’s 129,000 people, that is not even 1 percent of the population. So now, with the turbines evident across the landscape, the profits are beginning to become a breeze.
Property taxes are slated to decrease and officials are looking at doing something that is not favorable in this corner: it is looking to fortify its kingdom. Why in the world does Arkwright need to build a new town hall?
Is there really that much pedestrian traffic to this town? Is there an overflow of employees?
Yes, the building is outdated. But maybe a better solution can be found in dissolution of the town or sharing a site with another municipality.
New York state is incentivizing municipal partnerships. Instead of taking on a building project — that benefits less than 1 percent of the county population — Arkwright needs to explore other options with neighboring communities.