Editorial Not now, perhaps later

The desire of the community for a gathering center has been documented from the 1990s, as Recreation Strategic Planning Team Chair Tom Howard said. There is support for it in the community.

The problem is all in the timing. The Board of Selectmen spoke in favor of the center, but prior to the petition with 300 signatures, was reluctant to support it on the Town Warrant, due to changing economic conditions.

A lot is up in the air at the moment, economic issues at the forefront of everything. It wasn't so long ago that $20 could buy a whole tank of gas – now it might not cover half a tank. There are growing signs of economic hardship in the area, and it's not unreasonable to not want to dedicate a large sum of money to something the town can hold off on for a little while. There's also the possibility of Moultonboro becoming a donor town again, with the effect that a large chunk of change could be milked from the town, not to mention that once the snow melts, we're going to have to assess how badly winter has beaten up the roads. There's always the possibility that another spring nor'easter could blow through and flood, just like last year.

These represent a lot of "if" situations. If you get too mired in the ifs, you'll never take a risk, and you'll never gain anything really worth having. But these are some big ifs, and they're worth taking a step back to wait and see how things will play out.

We like the idea of a community/senior center, we really do. And we'd really like to see Moultonboro residents gather together as those in Meredith have. That's why this vote is an investment in hope, an acknowledgment that though things may be difficult now, the minds of Moultonboro residents is fixed on a bright future.