‘Let’s make sure our dollars count’

BY SCOTT MAZUZAN

Please join me in thanking the School Board and Town Council for their continued efforts to identify a community supported solution to our aging school infrastructure. After being decisively elected in November, the new councilors and board members went immediately to work on this crucial issue.

If you have not followed this project closely, or if you voted against the school project in November, please tune in to the next Public Forum on February 11. You will hear from our elected representatives who are working together in a collaborative fashion to integrate feedback from the public with the professional advice from our Owner’s Representative and Architects. Crucially, all parties are committed to a true “three-school solution”: a project that resets the clock on our oldest and most problematic facility while also addressing key projects at Pond Cove and CEHS.

Pouring scores of millions of dollars into a rapidly deteriorating infrastructure is an irresponsible use of taxpayer dollars. Renovations are prone to delay and cost overruns — especially in patchwork facilities with mixed systems and materials (like CEMS). This is not a solution — a “renovations-alone” approach represents a short-term fix at long-term prices.

But as I said before, don’t take my word for it. Please tune into the Public Forum and hear what our architects and Owner’s Rep are saying. You will find that our elected officials are working towards a three-school solution that will last for three generations. Let’s make sure our dollars count for the long run.