Letter to the editor: Make a responsible investment in our community’s assets
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 SCOTT MAZUZAN
Vote YES on the school bond referendum and support a responsible investment in our town’s infrastructure. We are at a critical juncture; there is no $0 option.
A $70-80 Million renovation – 60-70% of the cost of the proposed bond – would be poured into the structurally deficient, energy inefficient, sprawling PCES and CEMS campus. Would this investment buy us 50 years of useful life? No – this renovation (like those in 2004, 1994, and others before) would merely kick the can down the road another decade or two, at which juncture CEHS will also be reaching the end of its useful life. Back to square one.
Couldn’t we cut costs? To save $10-20M, the town could decide to consolidate the elementary and middle schools, combine the shared cafeteria and auditorium, limit outdoor learning and shrink classroom sizes. Such decisions contradict the needs identified by our community, impact the future useful lifespan of the facilities, create resource scheduling limitations and increase the likelihood of necessary additions or improvements in the coming decades. That isn’t a great tradeoff.
This bond is expensive, but it isn’t hasty or fanciful. Years of transparent planning, needs analysis and cost evaluation have gone into this project. Alternative options will only cost more in the long run; opting for the “lowest current cost” in the past has contributed to our current position. Vote YES and make a responsible investment in our community’s assets – one that will pay dividends in the form of enduring facilities for generations to come.
