It’s sad to see what has happened to Falmouth in the last few years. A friendly town has become polarized. I’m not sure when it started. Was it the more stringent development rules? Was it the extended boundaries around vernal pools? Was it the cry for a “Town Center”? Was it the use of charettes that purported to be unguided, but were easily and quietly led? Whatever the start, the final straw seems to be the upcoming Question 1.

It is very important that citizens understand that moving Community Programs is not dependent on the moving of the library. The moment the schools are turned over to the town, the council can vote to spend the funds necessary to bring the facility up to code and move Community Programs. This may even happen sooner with the defeat of Question 1.

I shall vote no on Question 1. I feel the library’s move is being orchestrated by those who want a “Town Center” at Plummer-Motz and Lunt. I agree the library needs to expand, either at its current location or elsewhere. But I believe the library trustees have been pressured into believing “it is this move to Lunt or nothing.” That kind of pressure is wrong. Defeating this proposal does not necessarily mean we’ll sell either land or buildings. It means we’ll take the pressure off the library trustees and allow them to consider all options including the much-loved current site (which may be the focus of a future town center).

Town Councilor Faith Varney
Falmouth