To the Editor:

The question of whether to renovate the Marion Town House at great expense (north of $12 million is great expense, in my opinion) or to build a much less expensive modern facility to house some municipal services is in the hands of the Marion Selectmen and the Town House Building Committee. I don’t believe that posterity – meaning the families of our children – will approve of us valuing historic preservation above the needs of them and their children.

Elizabeth Taber gave the building that was her Tabor Academy to the town, as a gift. She had built a beautiful building, because she believed that education was worth it. However, when that building no longer met the Academy's needs, it was, to her, just surplus, something to be handed along. I can't imagine that she would be happy if we – her posterity – proved we did not learn from her example, that we did not focus on the functions of government and diverted our tax money to preserve what she had declared surplus.

I join with the many other Marion citizens in urging that the renovation of the Town House be put on a back burner, and the THBC develop a plan for a new administrative center and facilities, located on the VFW property. Furthermore, on behalf of that posterity I was talking about, I ask that the THCB charge the planners, architects and engineers of the new building(s) to make provision for the advanced technologies that, in the near future, will bring greater efficiencies and economies to town services. Historic preservation is a wonderful thing, but it's an unaffordable luxury until we can be sure that the basics are covered.

Edmund P. OConnell

Marion