By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES — This town’s elected officials had a flyer ready to survey residents about their opinion of a proposed Naples Community Center and combined town hall.

However, the Naples Board of Selectmen decided to wait on polling the public until revised numbers are released later this winter.

“They aren’t necessarily new estimates. They are refined estimates. An estimate was generated from the conceptual plan and now that the board has approved moving forward with the study, they refine the estimate to get it closer to what we could expect to pay,” according to Naples Town Manager John Hawley. 

For the past two years, the Naples Community Center Exploratory Committee has been meeting to review different options. The committee hired Harriman Associates, of Auburn, to do the sketch plans and cost estimates. 

“When Harriman was originally hired, it was to get us through the concept plan phase. The additional phases which include refining the estimate does cost more but these are not unanticipated expenses. Harriman gave us a cost breakdown for each of the phases and as we move forward with each phase, we incur that additional expense,” Hawley said during an interview last week. 

“We need to have final estimates no later than February or March to factor additional expenses into the budget for next year,” he said. 

It is not certain whether the proposed community center will end up as a warrant article at annual town meeting or as a ballot question at the polls. But, that topic is something the selectmen have discussed. 

“It could go to either a town meeting or referendum vote. I suspect the select board will put it out for a referendum vote though,” Hawley said. 

The biggest catalyst that pushed the town to consider constructing a new building is the gym roof. It has been leaking for a number of years. One engineer’s report showed that the gym roof could not take heavy weight like snow and ice. Also, the electrical circuits were maxed out and would not support a renovated gymnasium in that space. 

In late October, Harriman did a presentation at the beginning of selectmen’s meeting. 

The board discussed the matter over the course of two different meetings: On Oct. 25 and on Nov. 8. 

During the November meeting, Hawley handed out a draft of the postcard he planned to mail to households, polling people on the proposed community center. 

This idea was postponed. 

Chairman Jim Grattelo said the postcard poll was a method used when the town passed a marijuana moratorium and was in the middle of drafting an ordinance. It’s a good way to gauge what people in the community are thinking, Grattelo said.  

Selectman Ted Shane did not think the returns would be that impressive. 

“There will be a small group of people who will return these things. But I guess it will give us some sort of direction,” Selectman Ted Shane said.  

“I think we were surprised how many people returned the ones for the marijuana moratorium,” Grattelo said.

Out of 2,600 households, there were more than 200 postcards returned to the town, Hawley said. 

“Look how many people showed up for town meeting every year,” Grattelo said. 

The answer was 10 percent of the voters.

Robert “Bob” Caron II said that is why the board is considering other means to capture more voters. 

“That is why we are deciding to do some of these things at Election instead of town meeting,” Caron said.  

Hawley told the board the current costs are “very rough estimates.”

“We don’t know what will happen next year because we are in the middle of revaluation. We won’t know what the mil rate will be,” Hawley said. 

The winter will bring a more clear picture, Caron said. 

“We will have a better understanding in February on the exact cost of the project,” Caron said, later adding, “the mil rate is going to drop.”

So, Caron wanted to wait on the survey until the cost estimates are nailed down. 

Selectman Kevin Rogers though the survey would confuse people who hadn’t been following the issue, and send the town in the wrong direction.  

“We have the people who will ask, ‘Why don’t they fix the roof?’ This is going to end up the laps of people who haven’t been paying attention at all. They will say, ‘What? Why don’t they fix the gym?’ And, they don’t know all the work that has gone into this — all the research that has already happened. This is waste of energy. This is waste of time,” Rogers said. 
“I am not opposed to getting public opinion. 

There are plenty of ways to gauge the public. This might go the wrong way,” Rogers said.

Selectman Shane agreed, saying, “It could send you the wrong message.” 

Grattelosaid, “So does Facebook. Facebook sends us the wrong message all the time in this town.”

“I am going to recommend we put this on Facebook,” Rogers joked.  

Joining the meeting via Zoom, Selectman Colin said he was under the impression that the town was going to try to reduce the cost. 

“There are a lot of way to reduce the costs,” Caron said. “But until we get the numbers in February, we won’t be able to do that.”