Correct figures for hotel tax obligation
To the editor,
It was brought to our attention that a letter to the editor was published in a local paper, questioning the amount of taxes the Colony Hotel pays to the town of Kennebunkport. When reviewing the 2019 Town Report, one might not realize that the Colony Hotel is owned by a corporation, known as the Boughton Hotel Corporation.
The business personal property is listed in the town report as the Colony Hotel; however, their real estate taxes are listed under the legal owner name of Boughton Hotel Corporation.
In the 2019 Town Report the total taxes for the Colony/Boughton Hotel Corporation is $105,656.11. For the current 2020-2021 tax year the Colony/Boughton Hotel Corporation tax obligation is $123,750.00.
Town of Kennebunkport
Hoping for relief
To the editor,
2020 is the first year I remember not sinking my toes into warm sand in Maine. I am sheltering from the pandemic at my second home in Mexico.
Since I canvassed for and worked a little for the Kennebunk Democrats in 2018, our planetary, economic and health needs have gone far off the rail. Many people are dying and many more are jobless because of the way the U.S. is mishandling the pandemic.
Where did we fail? What’s wrong? I search and search and come up empty.
In 2020 I hurt. I cry. I dread.
What is missing? Awareness, compassion? Civic involvement?
I hope for relief.
Helen Rivas Rose
San Miguel Allende
Kennebunk
A new way to suppress voting
To the editor,
Why would President Trump have it in for the U.S. Post Office? Because it’s a roundabout way to suppress absentee or mail-in votes, and the more votes that are counted, the more likely he will be defeated. In some states, this year thousands of mailed primary ballots were not delivered or didn’t arrive in time to be counted. The much larger general election could be worse. And what about voters in some states who wait up to five hours to vote because their former polling places have been closed? Absentee voting could help them lots.
I have to admire Trump’s transparency on this issue. First, he withholds money appropriated by Congress for the USPS in the Cares Act. Second, he appoints new
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a large donor and partner in crime. Third, DeJoy threatens to close rural post offices and curtails overtime pay even when essential work is at stake. These three things could prevent many mailed votes from being counted. The U.S. Constitution asks Congress to create our Post Office. Bravo to Maine’s delegation, who support it.
Meanwhile, to assure that your vote is counted, if you don’t choose to vote in person, pick up your absentee ballot early and deliver it to your town hall before Nov. 3.
Don’t let Trump rig the election by disabling one of our most basic institutions — one that is directly mentioned in our Constitution.
Vicki Adams
Kennebunk
What are we waiting for?
Summer is almost over and as October approaches it will mark the two year anniversary of the purchase of the Village Parcel by the town of Kennebunkport for $10 million dollars.
In that two-year period tens of thousands dollars have been spent on consultants and we’re still waiting to see what their plans are. They don’t seem to be in any hurry to do something while we pay to carry it.
In the meantime affordable housing is disappearing at an alarming rate as property values soar. One of the most visible examples is the Sinnott House in Cape Porpoise, once the site of 11 units of affordable housing is now 11 luxury condominiums priced from about ½ million to over 1½ million dollars, all on about 1 acre of land, less than 5,000 square feet per unit, clearly proving that density has little to do with RE values.
Density is one of the keys to creating affordable housing and currently the smallest lot size permitted in any zone is 20,000 square feet. Many zones permit two family homes on 40,000 square feet, which may be conducive for building condos but how many young families want, or can afford, to build two homes when they can barely afford one?
The town has already designated a site on the Village Parcel for a new town hall so why don’t they propose rezoning the McCabe piece, (behind Consolidated School, Map 9- Block 4- Lot 50), to 10,000 square foot lots similar to abutting lots. That could create at least 12 building lots for affordable housing. These lots are near the school, play fields, sidewalks and the town center, they are also less likely to attract second home buyers.
Every parcel the town owns is also off the tax roles so I don’t understand why they don’t act to put them back.
I encourage the town to propose changes to the L.U.O. (Land Use Ordinance), to promote affordable and elderly housing and to sell or develop parcels they own to do the same. That can be done with a special town meeting or additions to the warrants for the next regular town meeting.
The longer we wait, the worse the problem will become.
Bill Case
Kennebunkport
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