Yes on Measure L

Support for Measure L

I urge Kensington residents to support Measure L for very practical reasons. The building is in severe need of updating and maintenance. It makes good economic sense to do the work now, as interest rates have never been lower than they are today, and the rates won’t stay this low.

Having an updated building could compete with the Brazilian Room in Tilden Park and generate additional income as an attractive place to rent for special events. Seeing Kensington for the first time, a young visitor from Fresno described our town to me as “enchanting.” An improved building will keep our property values up, as outsiders learn about Kensington through renting this facility, in addition to generating more income.

Making the repairs and improvements now is good long range planning for several reasons. Bonds can be issued at a low interest rate, which probably won’t be true in the future. We can avoid expensive emergency repairs, such as a leaky roof, dangerous electrical problems, and seismic construction fixes, among others. Construction costs to repair and improve the building will only continue to go up. We all know what happens if we don’t tend to maintenance needs as they arise. If you don’t clear your gutters, eventually your roof will leak, and then instead of paying for a handyman, you will be paying for a new roof. Likewise, the community center has seismic, electrical, as well as, plumbing problems. We fix it now, or we pay later at a higher cost with much more damage caused by neglect, impacting our slim police budget, and depleting reserves.

The telephone pole posters which say the project is “not kid friendly,” is a design issue. We should not throw the baby out with the bath water! It makes no sense. Get involved with the citizens who volunteer their time to make Kensington a great community.

Let’s be financially smart and vote Yes on L.

Gayle Shortridge Tapscott