To the editor:

We urge Newburyport residents to vote yes on May 13 for a debt exclusion to fund construction and fit-out of the recreation center and gym.

The four of us served on the Newburyport City Council for many years. We spent thousands of hours balancing the pros and cons of many city projects, always in the context of fiscal reality.

We watched, and voted for, the once-modest Youth Services program to grow into today's Recreation and Youth Services Department. The importance of the department was seldom in question, and remains salient.

However, for well over a decade, the city has struggled to establish a permanent home for the department that it can afford responsibly. Collectively, we participated in years of debate over the right location.

After we had each left office, 59 Low St. emerged as the answer to "where?" More recently, the City Council has reviewed schematic drawings and construction bids, enabling them to determine "what" precisely the rec. center and gym. For our part, we believe that these plans are reasonable.

On May 13, it is up to residents to determine "how" the project can proceed. Only the voters themselves have the power to approve the necessary exemption from Proposition 2 1/2, which is as it should be.

We hope that they do.

Based upon our experience prioritizing city investments, and the specific plans that have passed through the City Council since we left, we believe that the project will have lasting value to Newburyport, fully commensurate with its cost.

Some may worry about costs escalating during construction. However, Newburyport has a history of completing projects on budget, and a firm bid has been selected for this project.

We join together in support of the debt exclusion, as the rational and final resolution to a thorough public process. Please vote yes.

BARRY CONNELL

JARED EIGERMAN

TOM O'BRIEN

CHARLIE TONTAR

Newburyport