NOVEMBER 8TH BALLOT
                    polling place information

               VOTE “YES” REFERENDUM #1
                                   Public Works Yard Improvement
 
1. "Shall the town of Bloomfield appropriate $11,683,000 for renovations to and expansion of the town's public works complex and authorize the issuance of bonds and notes in the same amount to finance the appropriation?"
 
BloomfieldCitizens.Org United for Change agrees that Bloomfield needs an up-to-date public works facility to serve our community
We support the $11.7 million referendum to upgrade the Department of Public Works (DPW) facility,  because:

• Lack of maintenance has made this facility unsafe and inhospitable for our Town employees;

• If the improvements are not made, code compliance issues will leave the Town vulnerable to continued environmental fines;

• The planned improvements will allow Public Works to improve and expand its operations;

• Sufficient time and analysis has gone into the development of a plan that will solve the identified problems and has produced a reliable cost estimate for the project.

 
This referendum would not have been necessary if our Town Council took better care of our public facilities through on-going maintenance and did not wait until more expensive measures were required.

We are residents of Bloomfield who want to make our town government more transparent and accountable to our citizens.  

VOTE “NO" REFERENDUM #2 
                     Human Services Facility at 330 Park Ave.

2.  "Shall the town of Bloomfield appropriate $22,300,000 for construction of a human services facility to be located at 330 Park Avenue in Bloomfield and authorize the issuance of bonds and notes in the same amount to finance the appropriation?"

BloomfieldCitizens.Org United for Change wants our public facilities to be the best we can afford to build and maintain.
By calling for a referendum on the demolition and reconstruction of the Human Services Facility our Town Council acted hastily and irresponsibly:
  

• BEFORE assessing the present use and future needs for the services provided;

• BEFORE establishing a building committee;

• BEFORE developing solid plans and a reliable cost estimate for the facility; and

• WITHOUT considering alternative solutions or locations to better meet community needs as stipulated in the 2012 Plan of Conservation & Development which the town spent hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of dollars on. Council has chosen to ignore all that community input.

 
The town's consultant, Centerbrook Architects, estimated $30-$35 million for a desirable facility. $22.3 million isn't enough to make this project worthy of our community.  Where’s the rest going to come from? Will this be another Yard Goats Stadium fiasco?

In the face of state and federal budget cuts, the Town Council is acting before doing their homework, exposing all citizens to increased taxation and financial risk.

IMPORTANT: Voting NO on this referendum will not affect current services provided at 330 Park Avenue, but it will say to the Town Council: “Wait till next year. Do your homework and get it right the next time."

DON’T WASTE $22.3 MILLION OF YOUR HARD-EARNED DOLLARS ON A POORLY PREPARED  PROJECT. VOTE NO