Dear Editor,

As a Nederland voter in favor of voting YES to provide needed affordable childcare to Nederland families, I’ve paid close attention to both sides of the debate regarding TEENS, Inc.’s generous proposal. Almost all of the claims in Jon Allen’s July 11 letter to the editor are false, despite the repeated correction of many of his assertions in previous public discussions of the project.

A parcel of town land will be leased, with a massive long-term return on investment, since all the funding will be acquired from outside sources. It will not be “given away for free.”

Highly effective nonprofits like TEENS, Inc. act as official conduits for outside money to pour into communities like Nederland – we just have to vote YES, and they’ll do the rest!

The referendum’s approval will increase public and private money for Nederland.

The value of the land in question is far below the $640,000 figure asserted in this letter.

The land was last appraised at $270,000.

The incorrect claim that the proposed building will be 14,000 sq. ft. is also of questionable origin.

This number hasn’t appeared in any plan or proposal that I’ve seen, in any meeting that I’ve attended or other public forum.

The proposed facility will be no larger than 10,000 sq. ft., although it will likely be smaller.

The Planning Commission approved combining the Old Town Shop site & 5th St. to make the lot ~ .75 acres - not .44 acres, as claimed in Mr. Allen’s letter.

The fire station, about 200 feet away, is on a similarly sized lot.

The petitioners then received 70 valid signatures to try to block the daycare with this referendum - not “close to 100” signatures, as Mr. Allen states.

Our governmental system does provide for petitioning to force a referendum.

However, when we were asked to sign and had a conversation with the petitioners, they were dishonest. They made no mention of the daycare - despite being asked repeatedly – and made many misleading claims. Our neighbors had similar experiences.

The resolution’s text is not misleading in any way.

As a result of the petition, the BOT had two options: kill the project or send it to a vote.

The BOT opted to send it to a vote – following the democratic process – the opposite of what Mr. Allen asserts.

As is the case with Mr. Allen’s letter, anti-daycare arguments often suggest an evil conspiracy to provide affordable daycare options to Nederland families. These suggestions are wildly absurd.

From the letter, e.g., “use your tax dollars to give away your public land for free to a corporate business”, “didn’t want you to know it”, the BOT “deliberately chose this route rather than send it to a vote”, “disenfranchising voters”, “bypassing the democratic process”.

One of the primary purposes of the BOT is to “make decisions for us”, particularly agreeing to, in essence, accepting a massive multi-year donation from a trustworthy nonprofit organization with an amazing track record. No one’s “political agendas or personal career aspirations” are being promoted. It’s just good governing.

It’s a nonprofit daycare that will generate income for the town and support families, without costing the town anything - too easy a decision to waste money on a vote.

TEENS, Inc. has been one of the greatest community assets in the town of Nederland since their founding.

They’re a private nonprofit organization governed by a volunteer board of directors, with the mission to support, educate, and empower youth and their families to thrive.

Unlike for-profit businesses, any profits they generate must be re-invested into their mission rather than given to shareholders like the “corporate business” Allen insinuates.

The process has been totally transparent, and the community has been involved in every step. TEENS, Inc. was involved in six public meetings on the matter. Additionally, they provided accurate information in letters to the editor and numerous social media posts.

Mr. Allen’s disingenuous appeals to protecting democracy, and/or distrust of government and corporations - all to manipulate public opinion - are definitively anti-democratic.

Based on the disinformation throughout his letter, it appears that some who would block affordable childcare for Nederland families are comfortable undermining democracy with propaganda strategies employed by autocrats throughout history.

A YES vote will ensure that we maximize return - both socially and economically - on this small piece of town land that has sat unused for almost 10 years. This is the best way to use this land for everyone in Ned, present and future – it’s an amazing opportunity. Please vote YES!

Shaw Ketels

Town of Nederland resident

Parent who needs daycare in Nederland