I write in response to remarks written by Jackie Dwinal about the Bath Youth Meetinghouse and Skatepark, in her Nov. 4 local commentary titled “ Bath residents deserve more respect from city councilors.”

The Bath Youth Meetinghouse and Skatepark ( The Park) on Summer Street is now scheduled for closure on Sunday, prior to the next City Council meeting. Its home, the old YMCA, will be demolished shortly thereafter.

The Park’s future is uncertain and has become a contentious matter. I know this because I have been involved there for some time — as a parent of two skateboarders, active volunteer and former board member. I am also a Bath resident and taxpayer.

In June 2010, the Bath City Council voted to purchase the former Armory Building from the National Guard for $175,000. The 17,000-squarefoot building on a 1.9 acre lot had been vacant for years.

Sen. Seth Goodall, D-Richmond, sponsored legislation that allowed the National Guard to sell the property to the city for less than its appraised value of $369,000. As I understand it, the terms of the sale specified that the property would be for public use.

Shortly thereafter, the city of Bath did remediation work on the building and grounds using funds from a Brownfield grant. Then the city spent $5,000, as Ms. Dwinal points out, for a study to determine the cost to bring the facility up to code allowing it to be used.

Therefore, as of this writing, the city has spent $180,000 of the Bath taxpayers money (remember the remediation funds came from elsewhere) for an asset worth far more. It is centrally located — next to Bath Middle School, athletic fields and several area businesses. In fact, 0.3 acres of its lot is already occupied by the middle school parking lot.

This is hardly an example of fiscal irresponsibility or reckless spending. Ms. Dwinal protests that this decision should have gone to public referendum, but she does not address the risk posed by not purchasing the building, e.g., that the property remained vacant and became blighted.

I lived for years in the Sanford Springvale area, which experienced the closure of the textile, garment and shoe industries due to globalization, as well as the bankruptcy of Nasson College. The taxpayers there understand the risks posed by vacant properties, and I believe they would have agreed with our council’s decision to buy the armory and control its future.

Additionally, purchases of this magnitude are made every day by municipalities without incurring the time delay and additional financial costs of a public referendum. A single sewer cleaning machine, for instance, can cost far more than the armory purchase.

But what to do now is another question. Bringing the building up to code will cost an additional $308,000, increasing the city’s investment to $488,000. But this sum is probably still significantly less than what the improved asset would be worth.

So it still looks like a good deal to me. But to what use should this “good deal” be put?

Many will discount my opinion as the selfish interest of a parent of two skateboarders.

Although I find little common ground with Ms. Dwinal, I do think that this project should cause very little or no additional taxpayer burden. To do so, the facility must generate significant revenue through user fees and private fundraising if it hopes to meet its operating expenses.

I ask that the reader consider doing the following:

— Urge the Bath City Council to make The Park’s history of revenue generation the measuring stick for other proposed uses. The Bath City Council has access to these figures, and should be very familiar with them.

I have heard many other good ideas for other uses, but no commitment to revenue generation from other groups.

— Recognize the off-thebooks benefits The Park has provided to the youth and to the taxpayers of Bath in the past. To name just a few: It has provided a safe place to go afterschool offering many different activities. Qualified tutors are available to help with homework. Downtown skateboarding, a dangerous nuisance has been virtually eliminated.

— Urge the Bath City Council to recognize the income it receives through the Park from Bath non-residents. Ms. Dwinal seems to object to nonresident usage. But nearly all of the out-of-town users come to skateboard or bike, so they pay users fees. And the fees charged to non-residents are higher than those paid by residents. The right kind of facility could increase this revenue.

If the Bath City Council approves the $308,000 expenditure at its next meeting on Wednesday, there will almost certainly be a petition drive to overturn that decision, forcing a public referendum vote in June 2012.

I ask only that you require the petitioner to show you the tax increase per household per year that will be required to repay the bond before making your decision.

The Parks board is an entirely volunteer organization — no one draws pay for their service. Further the board has no overhead.

They meet at The Park regularly, but work from home. This is important. It means that each dollar they raise goes to the project. I know of no other group interested in the Armory that has a history of serving in this manner.

The Parks Department and its staff have done good work.

Both groups stand ready to continue. Both have been open- minded about other uses. They deserve a chance.

RICHARD RECKNAGEL lives in Bath.