The dictionary definition of iconic “describes something that is symbolic of something else.” Abraham Lincoln once said, “How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling the tail a leg does not make it a leg.” Likewise, simply calling the Hahnewald barn iconic does not make it iconic.
I have lived here for 35 years and never really thought about the barn and certainly never considered it a symbol of Avon. The only thing I associate it with is the sewer plant. Not exactly the image I’d bee looking for in a town symbol. I don’t think spending untold millions of dollars to possibly make it an icon is a good idea. Success is anything but certain.
The town of Avon has limited revenue and limited resources. Any money spent on the barn would take money away from other town projects. Already the current plan to fund the initial $1.6M is to take a little from here, a little from there, a little more from here. The pro-barn forces say they are not raising taxes, but they are spending tax dollars and that puts a strain on the town budget and will continue to do so in a much bigger way in the future.
I urge everyone to vote. I will be voting against the barn and I hope you do also — but either way, vote. Vote correctly, sign the envelope, and if you are mailing the survey in please do it early. The survey must arrive at the town by 5 p.m. on April 2. You may hand deliver the survey to the town offices at 100 Mikaela Way until then.
Buz Didier
Avon