The Municipal Buildings Committee continues its work with a second public workshop on Nov. 13. This is a critical step in establishing the cost and benefit of locating certain community activities in Town Hall, Hildreth House and the old library. In this workshop we will ask residents to evaluate the benefit of alternative approaches to accommodating town government, senior life and a cultural center.
Like many subjects we face as citizens, this exercise raises difficult questions. Two authors give voice to quite different positions.
Professor Garrett Hardin’s essay, titled “The Tragedy of the Commons” explores this hypothesis: “… the inherent logic of the commons remorselessly generates tragedy.” He argues, while communal resources are available to everyone, the incentive to husband them is not equal. Lacking clear ownership—leadership and responsibility—the resources deteriorate. Anyone drenched by rain from the broken downspout at the rear entrance of Town Hall will attest to the merits of this position.
Karl Linn provides a very different perspective in “Building Commons and Community.” He observes, “… in the process of constructing each commons, neighbors came to know one another more deeply and conceived strategies for dealing with the inevitable conflicts that arise when people work closely together. They developed participatory processes that drew more members of the community into the creative process and broadened the base of neighborhood involvement.” Anyone who has experienced the delights of the new library, or participated in the process of creating it, will attest to the merits of this position.
The give-and-take of community life and national politics find their origins in these contrasting voices. To date, the felicity of the American Experiment has been a framework of self-government which, with difficulty, eventually forged a productive society from the energy of constructive opposition.
We urge residents to participate in this workshop—at the old library, 9 to noon, Saturday, Nov. 13.
The last workshop, on Dec. 18, will address cost. Together, the two workshops will provide insights and information on the relative cost/benefit of alternative approaches and form a basis for a recommendation to our April 2011 Town Meeting.
Ron Ostberg
on behalf of the Municipal Buildings Committee
