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863 Windrow Drive Little Canada, MN 55109 October 30, 1996 Hon. Michael Fahey 515 E. Little Canada Road Little Canada, MN 55117 Dear Mr. Fahey: I am a resident of Little Canada, having moved into the city from a nearby suburb approximately 1.5 years ago. I am writing to you and to the other Council members regarding the proposal to construct an addition costing nearly $300,000 to the City Hall in order to accommodate the Little Canada Historical Society (LCHS). When I first heard of the proposal, I was somewhat amused and bewildered that the City would consider such a proposal. I held my tongue, however, confident that the Council would dismiss the idea of spending large sums of money to benefit only a few citizens. Alas, my confidence appears to have been misplaced. Reading the posting in the local newspaper, I discovered that the proposal has been approved in principle, and is merely subject to finding various funding sources. I am opposed to the proposed addition for a number of reasons, including but not limited to the following: 1. Providing permanent space in a City -owned building to a private organization appears to be spending public monies on behalf of a very few individuals. I see virtually no public benefit in this arrangement. Would the LCHS be required to pay rental to the City at market rates for office and storage space? Using a 30 -year amortization, the cost of the addition would require annual mortgage payments of over $26,000 (at 8 %). 2. Building an addition may impinge on the property rights of adjacent property owners. The proposed addition, as I understand it, would extend north and east from the current building. Such an addition would appear to come very close to the property lines of the neighbors to the east of the current building. 3. The proposed building addition, while purportedly increasing the traffic at City Hall, would actually result in FEWER parking spaces available. This additional congestion could cause unpleasant and perhaps unsafe traffic conditions for the neighborhoods in the vicinity of City Hall. It should be the City's goal to have its government buildings intrude as little as possible into the City's residential areas. 4. The proposed addition would result in a PERMANENT increase in the operating costs of the City of Little Canada. The costs of maintaining the addition, staffing the building during LCHS meeting times, and other related costs would continue year after year. This would appear to be at odds with your stated goals of minimizing the tax burden on the City's residents. Little Canada is already a high -tax community. Would the Page 18