It’s going to hurt to authorize an additional $1.3 million for our new Oak Bluffs town hall, as we are being asked to do at a special town meeting next Tuesday and at the polls two days later.

But in the long run it would hurt a lot more to abandon the project at this critical time. People have worked long and hard, with constant public input, to develop a sound project. Delay is expensive. We know this from our experience with the new fire station. Construction costs keep going up, relentlessly.

This seems to be a clear case of pay for a sound plan now, or pay a lot more, for a lesser plan — who knows when? Meanwhile we are providing a discouraging work environment for a dedicated staff and the townspeople who go there to do business. In one of the most beautiful and diverse towns in America we continue to pour money for maintenance into a rundown building which violates safety and accessibility laws every time it opens it doors.

It’s time to do the right thing, and actually save money in the long run.

Peter and Annie Palches

Oak Bluffs