The readership of the Kent Reporter was treated (Sept. 12) to a tearjerking moment when Bailey Stober urged taxpayers to approve Proposition A on the November ballot, providing for a safer Kent in the form of a new police station.
What really is needed is a new building – to make an administrative housing purchase for the employees of the police department, nothing more. This was not a safety moment Mr. Bailey provided, this was a uniformed emotional plea based on not so sound business reasoning whatsoever.
Let us look at the basics of Prop A: $34 million in new property taxes to build a new public safety building on the same property that the current facility exists. Now, this was a qualified estimate made by a paid for consultant. Let us take away the $800,000 for the rewire of the city jail, so $33.2 million divided by 48,000 square feet equals $691.66. Wow, almost $700 a square foot. The amount is ridiculous for a public office building at two stories. And it involves no land purchase, just demolition of the existing building.
Logic would have me propose moving the police station to the ShoWare Center and use that facility as a permanent move – a better and cheaper alternative than voting for Proposition A.
Vote no on Prop A. The city is “nowhere” ready to deal with this than they were when they ran full tilt head first into a stone wall with the ShoWare Center.
– Craig Dougherty
Talk to us
Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.
To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website http://kowloonland.com.hk/?big=submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.
