Over Budget Or Not, NHS Expansion Still Must Happen
Over Budget Or Not, NHS Expansion Still Must Happen
To the Editor:
In April of this year, the annual budget and the NHS Expansion Project were approved on the first try, with a greater number of voters coming out than has been seen in recent years. Once approved, the plans for the $38 million expansion project went out to bidders. Those bids have now come in significantly higher than anticipated, in the amount of an additional $6 million. The bids do include an upgrade to artificial turf on the field.
 Yes, these bids came in unexpectedly high and we are all in shock. The meteoric increase in materials such as steel and all fuel/petroleum products, coupled with our current economic climate, have put us in this difficult situation.
The need for this addition is still here. Rather than a small bubble, there is a wave of even larger classes starting next year that will continue to put our school significantly over capacity at least until the current second graders are at NHS. This year the school is over capacity by 130 students, and next year there will be almost another 100 beyond that. Additional portables will help provide classroom space next year, but it will not solve our school overcrowding problem. We need the expansion.
The Board Of Finance will be meeting on Monday night, September 8, to vote on the additional funds needed to complete the expansion project. An adjustment to the Capital Improvement Plan will also have to be made if the BOF approves this. The referendum for the additional funds will only happen if the Board of Finance, and thereafter the Legislative Council, vote in support of it.
If you have an opinion on this, please make it known to your representatives on the BOF. Their contact information is on the town website. You can also attend Monday eveningâs meeting, location pending. Check the Meeting Calendar on the town website for the meeting time and location or go directly to the site at newtown-ct.gov.
As an aside, the NHS PTSA meeting that was planned for Monday night, September 8, has been cancelled and will be rescheduled. Visit Channel 17 or the NHS website for a new date and time.
Thank you for taking the time to read this,
Sarah Beier
7 Yogananda Street, Sandy Hook                        September 3, 2008