Worthless Land? Not! Join us on March 24!

I would like to respond to Mr. Tringale's post discussing my post in opposition to the proposed parking garage for Wakefield Center.  Mr. Tringale refers to the "free" parking that we would enjoy.  Does he understand that in gifting (the Town calls it "conveying") Town-owned land to Brightview so that they can build their private structures on it, and then the Town's agreeing to pay annual rent of in excess of $105,000 to Brightvew on what would be the public's 70 or so allotted parking spaces in that garage for the next 20 years in fact commits each Wakefield citizen to paying out of their own taxes a piece of this "free" parking.  One may not have to pay a parking attendant each time we come and go, but the Town's rent paid on those spaces covers our cost.  And that might even be ok except that my real beef with this deal is the give-away of $431,800 of tax assessed value to a billion dollar corporation and then the Town's agreement to maintain Brightview's garage in perpetuity, estimated at approximately $25,000 per year.  This combination does not add up to "free" parking in my mind.  We do already have totally free parking.

There are other ways to do this deal, and the bank's easement is not much of a concern to me.

Nor am I against senior/assisted living and alzheimer's care on this property, which  another responder to my post accused me of.   I just think the Town is giving away too much on our behalf.  Let's go back to the drawing board and find a more econimically fair  deal for Wakefield Citizens. 

The Town would like to make this about parking, but we need to consider the whole package.   I still vote no on April 1.

Let's all attend the March 24 meeting and talk some more.

Susan Randolph-Frey