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Citizens for a Strong Community |
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Our Mission Statement: Hamilton and Wenham residents who work to strengthen our community by gathering and disseminating information on important community issues. Our goal is to enable citizens to become more informed about, and more involved in shaping the quality of life in our towns. To view PDF files, To view PowerPoint presentations you need a free copy of the PowerPoint Reader Get the Update Your address information is not shared with anyone. Questions? Problems?Send an email directly to info@hwcsc.org
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At the Special Fall Town Meeting held October 19th, Wenham voters approved the first article on the agenda, to tear down the existing 150 year old Town Hall, and to replace it will a much larger building that would house the Police on the ground floor and Town offices on the second floor. The vote was 221 to 54, or a margin of 80/20. Funding is already in place for the first $3,700,000, but design costs have chipped away at that total. This new proposal will cost the community a total of $4,435,000 and would require an override of $1,001,000. This would add 11 cents to the tax rate, which for a median home value of $475,800 would add $52.12 per year. The average home in Wenham is worth $537,530 and would pay $59.12 more per year. This vote sets up a special Override Election to be held Thursday, November 18, 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. at the Buker School. Although this proposal passed by a overwhelming majority at the Special Town Meeting, only 275 votes were cast out of 2,477 registered voters. The final hurdle for town officials will be approval by the Wenham Historic District Commission. Since the Old Town Hall sits within the Wenham Historic District, if the proposal is approved by voters at the Override Election, some time after the Override Election, the Wenham Historic District Commission must take a vote to allow demolition of the old Town Hall. Go to the Wenham web site to view plans for the Combined Town Hall/Police Station - http://www.wenhamma.gov/public_docs/publicdocs.htm#stm. Here are some key facts derived from the plans and documents available at the town web site: Police Station: 6,500 Square feet on the ground floor, the foot print is 62' x 114'. There is a large amount of space in the floor plan for stairways, elevators, mechanical for the elevator and lobby space for the Town Hall which would be located on the second floor. There would be a two car Sallyport (enclosed secure garage for processing prisoners). Town Hall: 6,390 Square feet on the second floor, above the Police Station. Requires elevator and stairs which would also have been required with renovation of the Town Hall. The Hamilton Selectmen have decided to put off a request for $400,000 to fund plans for a new or rebuilt police, fire and emergency services building. This was to be voted on at a special fall town meeting, and will probably be brought before the voters at the May town meeting. 6/7/04 Press Release from the Hamilton & Wenham Boards of Selectmen 6/7/04 Status Report from the Hamilton & Wenham Boards of Selectmen 5/27/04 Letter from Susan Turnbull, Co-President of the League of Women Voters, regarding the upcoming Public Safety Building Forum Cost Benefit Analysis by the Municipal Police Institute (this is a link to the PDF file) League of Women Voters - Study of Shared Services in Hamilton and Wenham published November 2003:
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