Thinking About Tarkiln

1870-2010...

a PORTRAIT OF community action THROUGH the centuries

By The People, For The People

Tarkiln is a capital asset belonging to the citizens of Duxbury. Duxbury has a long tradition of residents spontaneously providing for our capital needs. The Tarkiln school is one of many examples of this deeply generous aspect of the Duxbury civic spirit. Even in present times, many construction projects in town continue to be funded to a great degree by donations from private individuals.

Perhaps due in part to this history of generosity, the town has not had to come to grips with the fiscal realities of supporting and sustaining our infrastructure in the face of a growing population. Now that the benefactors of decades past are no longer with us, the taxpayer is left to find a way to service the town’s capital needs through our own wits and the mechanisms of our town government. Make no mistake - this is a potentially difficult change for Duxbury.

The People Spoke - Then Balked

The Tarkiln Community center has been a subject of official study by three different appointed committees since about 1980. Proposals to maintain the property were drafted and discussed, but were not brought forward for action at Town Meeting. Then, in two separate votes during the 2006 and 2007 Town Meetings, the people voted in favor of expending a total of $160,000 for design and bid documents, thus crafting a project plan to renovate Tarkiln.

In 2007, the fully formed historical restoration project - estimated at a cost of over one million dollars - was assembled, bids were solicited, and a plan with a firm cost estimate was presented to Town meeting for a vote in March 2008. The vote was held on Monday, after a contentious Saturday where the residents strongly rejected a separate plan to expend millions of dollars on building a new police station on undeveloped wild lands.

So, on Monday night, the $1.26M Tarkiln Restoration motion failed to gain the required 2/3 supermajority at Town Meeting. Thus, the building remained - two years after its closure - in a state of deferred upkeep.

A Hidden Asset

Tarkiln is a useful and informative case study in Duxbury’s fiscal evolution. The facility was managed for decades by local activists at little or no cost to the town. Because town governmental was not involved in scheduling the activities or performing maintenance, the facility was “off the books” so to speak. Very few people in Duxbury understand the value provided by Tarkiln, or the cost basis of its operation.

In 2008 Town government was still not fully aware of the level of usage at Tarkiln, despite the fact that the Boy Scouts of America, several local dance troupes, local musicians, local artists, two separate religious bodies, and two Alcoholics Anonymous groups were meeting there every week.

Back to The People

So, it could be said that in the dwindling days of the twenty-first century’s first decade, Tarkiln serves as the canary in the Duxbury municipal coal mine...

Will the citizenry once again step up to maintain their resources?

Will the government continue to find innovative ways to maintain services by working in direct partnership with individuals and community groups?

Read on to understand the choices before us for 2009 and beyond...