Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2010 03:14:48 -0400
From: chathammatters
Subject: Response to Larry Hicks
In response to Larry Hicks:
You state that we are 5th in spending out of 100 counties in our state, but fail to mention that we are just below the middle of all counties in results. Other counties are getting much better results with far less money, would it be too much to ask of our commissioners to learn from the ones who are getting it right?
You state that the overall county “budget” decreased by 3%, but you fail to mention that actual spending increased (significantly), just because you changed your budget, doesn’t mean you didn’t increase spending… you did.
Time for some new thinking among our county commissioners… Time for some new commissioners..
I support the building of a new Chatham County library, but it seems to me that our County Commissioners have once again gone on a spending spree with our tax dollars, and also have gone against their much touted “Green” program. They are hypocritical in promoting “Green”, but ignoring their own agenda when it suits them as they can spend other people’s money. The “Green” attributes are lauded for both the new CCCC Sustainable Technologies Center and the new Community Library. Having patted themselves on the back for all the “Green” technology and design, and letting us know they expect “Gold Level Certification” from LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design”, they proudly urge everyone to “check out the hearths and fireplaces” (plural). This raises many questions.
• Why on earth does a library need fireplaces?
• I understand they are Ethanol Fueled, why not use gas; ethanol is not a carbon friendly fuel? Which “Green” merchant is the supplier?
• How much additional cost in design, materials and continuing maintenance are we incurring?
• How many years will it take to recoup these additional costs?
What is the Commissioners’ justification for this blatant disregard of public funds? I have seen little effort to promote the introduction of other business into Chatham County to match their enthusiastic promotion of their Green “Business” agenda. There are significant problems with LEED Certification as this certification is not just for energy efficiency, but also includes unrelated environmental issues such as the number of bike racks. These views are supported by the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council). Even the New York Times has issues and links to a couple of articles are included below:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/31/science/earth/31leed.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/04/leed-seeks-to-beef-up-its-credentials/