Editorial
Hear the qualifiers
The quote "There is a potential that we might hit that mark," is a little

scary when talking about a budget for a building the town desperately needs.

Selectman Christopher Gagnon used that sentence when he updated selectmen on the progress of the public safety building project. The committee is between $300,000 and $800,000 over their $5.3 million budget, but they won't know the exact amount until construction documents are constructed and the project is put out to bid.

The qualifiers are needed and people need to hear them. They have to hear the words "potential" and "might," because they give fair wording that this project might need more money down the line.

It is everyone's hope that the building will come in close to budget and the rest of the money can be found within the town's funds. But it is common knowledge construction costs can be unpredictable.

This new committee has made the right decision by taking these next steps instead of going back to a town meeting and asking voters if they want to give some yet to be determined extra money for a project whose cost is still unknown.

You cannot ask voters to support or reject something that is not firm.

The committee's decision to move forward and with building a new public safety building instead of converting the hardware store is also more fiscally sound on many levels.

The Public Safety Building Committee isn't the only group in town or in the area offering qualifiers on their plans.

The Town Hall Renovation Committee in Ashburnham is facing questions about how to house town employees (do town officials want to think about taking control of the Stevens Building again?). And Westminster's library renovations committee is facing tight budgets after the contractor presented new materials for construction.

With all these questions pending about construction, there are those in the community who would suggest it means committee members aren't doing their homework, talking through the possibilities or taking the necessary actions.

This does not seem to be the case in these situations, where committee members' reputations, tax bills and their town's future is on the lines.

The realistic answer is that construction and budgeting is not a science ... it is an art. An art that can be unpredictable and that is controlled by forces outside that of the committee.

Yes, a committee should do all of its homework, and yes, it should always strive to stay on or below budget. But at this point everything needs to be studied, and changes can't be rejected out of hand.