To the editor:
Was the public supplied with all of the information concerning the Houlton International Building? I think not, as was evident by the handout a citizen received the night of the meeting, which lacked the updates, which we the directors of the Shiretown Development Corporation (SDC) received the week before.
The comparative analysis that was provided by the Town Office was biased in its presentation when it should have been the facts only. The number of jobs created was almost identical in number. One defined the jobs and the other did not as they are generally a start-up business and then sold within a few years. One would have started up the next day and the other maybe in nine months to over a year later. One would have been directly and solely associated with a present and longstanding business with well over 40 employees the other would be unknown except for one type of manufacturing tilted toward metal fabrication. One would have taken the building without any caveats or conditions or further expense by the town including any environmental issues. The other wanted certain items supplied by the town and an environmental study which could present more conditions if any environmental issues arose, more costs to the town as well as what next to be agreed to.
I believe that supporting an existing business with its subcontractor, as the new owner would allow for more jobs as well as the possibility to increase the parent business’s ability to expand with production and more jobs was essential in making my decision.
The iffy economic times also played into my decision. SDC lost its right to set a contract when they approved the town office to make a contract and sign it without our examination to see if it meets what we were told when we made the decision to go with them. Just recently a contract that was authorized with another entity and the town council was lacking a high point used to promote the deal when the contract was finalized.
Eliminating costs to the town as well as seeing a contract before it is signed is the professional way you do business. We got this building four-plus years ago because we acted irresponsibly — we failed to meet on a regular basis during the last three-plus years. We spent almost a quarter million dollar’s wastefully and it is my opinion that we are heading in the same direction as we did then. After taking a tour with another director of SDC and what they stated both at the few meetings we had and to me about what went on at the building environmentally was very concerning. The town’s refusal to get a Phase-2 environmental study done before we purchased the building in my opinion will come back to bite us.
The reason I believe that this will happen is because the majority of the members as well as the town office wanted the taxpayers to believe that we had all the studies needed and that there was nothing to worry about. When I received the phase-1 study it highly recommended that we have the phase-2 study done before the purchase and highlighted what was not done or examined, yet the majority wanted the taxpayer to believe otherwise.
Not until the building is signed off on fully and nothing remains to be completed contractually can we say that we have gotten rid of this albatross. But all of this is just my opinion but I will not give taxpayers’ money or property away as was done two weeks ago.
Stan Ginish, director SDC
Houlton
