Underride Will Undermine Capital Planning

Submitted by: William Parker

Amesbury’s Master Plan (2004) lays out a vision of what Amesbury should “look like in the next twenty years”. Action items are defined for the Plan Elements, including “Land Use” and “Infrastructure”. Short-, intermediate- and long-term goals define this vision.

Each element is categorized by time frame (Immediate, Near Term, Medium, Long Term and On-going) and is assigned a potential cost (Low, Medium or High) with Low less than $50,000 and High over $250,000. As with all good planning, there is recognition that investments in Amesbury’s future carries price tags.

Without question, the Infrastructure costs in the Master Plan are the big ones. Some significant Master Plan action items coming up:

• the library expansion or relocation
• relocation of the DPW yard
• expansion or relocation of the Fire Department

And we know that we’re facing costly improvements to our water infrastructure.

Good capital planning saves money over the long run, just like making sure you are prepared to pay for a new roof on your house when you need it. It takes well-planned investments to improve and expand Amesbury’s resources. An underride as big as the one on our ballot would dramatically hamper our ability to make these investments and follow our Master Plan. The current council has made much about being fiscal watchdogs but good financial management means knowing how to plan well.