Manchester Chamber Supports Roads, Sidewalks and Broad Street Bond Referendums

10/28/2009 - Sue O'Connor

Manchester Chamber Supports Roads, Sidewalks and Broad Street Bond Referendums

Manchester CT - October 27, 2009 - The Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce has announced its strong support for the two bond referendums that will appear on the ballot Manchester voters receive when they go to the polls on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3. "We urge Manchester residents to vote 'Yes' on both questions," said Chamber President, Sue O'Connor, "to help keep Manchester moving in the right direction and maintain its position as a great place to live, work and do business.

Always a strong supporter of education, infrastructure improvements, and economic development in Town, the Chamber reminds voters that the two referendum questions are not an "either/or" choice. "Manchester voters are not being asked to decide whether to improve our schools, fix our roads and sidewalks, or to facilitate the rehabilitation of the Parkade area," O'Connor states. "Our Town has the resources necessary to do all three simultaneously without overburdening our business and residential taxpayers. We can, and we should, do all three."

O'Connor also stressed that, despite the current challenging economic conditions, falling behind on needed improvements and failing to plant the seeds for long-term economic growth would be a poor strategy for the Town. "We need to carefully maintain Town assets in a timely manner because that actually saves our taxpayers money over time," she stated. "But we also need to plan and facilitate the economic growth that will create the jobs and incomes that will provide the tax revenues Manchester will need to maintain, improve, and even expand its infrastructure and services to residents in the decades to come."

Question 1 on the November 3^rd ballot asks residents to approve the issuance of eight million dollars of general obligation bonds and notes to pay for improvements to Town roads and sidewalks. Question 2 requests an identical amount to provide possible "seed money" to facilitate implementation of the recently approved Broad Street Redevelopment Plan that includes the presently blighted properties on one side of the Parkade shopping center on Broad Street.

According to O'Connor, implementation of the Broad Street Plan is an investment in Manchester's economic future that will provide big dividends for Manchester residents. Some people forget, she points out, the huge tax revenue benefits that the Town has gleaned from past projects like the Buckland shopping area development and how important those revenues are now in balancing the Town budget. "Sure," she says, "it takes time and effort, and there are always problems to deal with. But a project like the Broad Street Redevelopment creates economic growth that provides the resources to solve Town problems. The absence of economic growth creates a different kind of problem that is nearly impossible to solve, and there are plenty of towns that today find themselves in that unenviable position because they didn't plan for the future."

Manchester voters who are interested in learning more about the Broad Street Redevelopment Plan may read the Plan on the Town website or purchase a copy of the Plan for $10 from the Town Planning Office. As a service to the community, the Chamber has a limited supply of free copies available at its business office, 20 Hartford Road.

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