Dear Editor,
At the Dec. 9thPutnam Development Authority meeting I attended, the renewal of an expired Tytan contract was on the agenda. This agenda item was tabled until a request to Tytan is fulfilled, to come to the PDA to discuss details of what Tytan will do to fulfill this contract.
So, no, the PDA does not have a current contract with Tytan unless it was recently done behind closed doors. The old Tytan contract has been expired for a lengthy period of time. Mr. Rocker admitted he “was” the CFO for Tytan and worked for free. I find that hard to believe that someone would be a free CFO for a company unless it was his own.
The PDA states they approved the bond unanimously for Helms Farm in October. There is nothing on their October agenda that mentions this issue, yet it was voted on. That is a strange way of being transparent with the community. Unlike BOC and BOE meetings, the public does not get time to speak on the record at PDA meetings.
The PDA has lost the public’s trust. They held public forums regarding the Helms Farm issue. I attended what I assume were all of these forums, and I feel that the public rejected it. Then the Board of Education publicly denied it, and commissioners rejected it twice. How does this public response equate to the PDA thinking they have public support?
Public support/trust go hand in hand. I think the PDA needs to be reformed from top to bottom. They have way too much power. More than elected officials. I feel that Helms Farm will have a negative financial impact on our county, with taxpayers will be stuck holding the bag for.
There might be a national housing crisis, but I feel that until Putnam brings more jobs into our area, we do not have a housing crisis, as they stated. Helms Farm does not provide affordable housing at $2,000/month rent. According to the PDA statement, we have 22 homes that are not rented. And yet there are several subdivisions being built right now! What about the 150 jobs we just lost? And the two new boat stores? Are those people moving away? If so, their homes will be on the market.
Greene County reports that over 6,000 homes have been built in the past two years or are currently under construction. I see a job shortage issue. Isn’t that what the PDA is supposed to be doing, bringing jobs here? Let developers bring the homes.
Thank you, William Vargo, Putnam County