Letter to the editor: Now is the time
Please note: This letter reflects opinions regarding the November 2022 school referendum to construct a new, combined elementary and middle school. It does not represent the current 2024 Cape Elizabeth school proposal.
BY PATT BOTHEL
Now IS the right time to build a new school. In the early 90’s I served on a building committee tasked with creating more space for our elementary school in CE. All three architects we hired agreed that the only way to address all of our issues was to build a new K-4 school.
The voters said no, so we put a large addition on our existing school.
The disruption to education was enormous. Classes that were in the connecting area had to be relocated. Air quality in the building had school canceled on multiple occasions. Art/music/health/library/ and PE were canceled because those spaces were used for the displaced classrooms. The addition was placed where the original playground was, so there was no outdoor recess. What was supposed to take 18 months took three years. The cost overruns, directly attributed to work not done during student hours were 33%.
Within five years of the completion of the addition a brand new K-2 school had to be built anyway.
Back in the 90’s here, when CE put 21 million into the last huge renovation, it WAS recommended that a new school be built.
We are now reaping THAT poor decision. We can no longer afford to kick this can down the road. Building a new school is an investment in our future as a town. I ask my fellow townspeople to join me in voting for this investment.
