Move Forward With

The NHS Expansion

To the Editor:

I am writing to you after attending the Board of Finance meeting on Monday night at the middle school regarding the Newtown High School expansion project. I am a parent and a concerned taxpayer. I do not want to spend more money than is necessary to give our children the best education possible. However, it was extremely frustrating to sit there and hear people asking the same questions because they are not getting the answers they want to hear.

*It has already been established that there is a desperate and current need to expand the high school due to overcrowding and especially due to a change in course requirements forcing the children to take more classes to graduate. This has not changed and will not change unless there is a mass exodus in this town.

*The town has already voted and approved the requested $38.8 million to build the high school addition. It is now a fact that because of increased costs and supply and demand the project has increased by $6 million.

*Many intelligent people with expertise in these specified areas have reviewed all possible options. We are told by these people that if we go back and redesign and rebid the project, the costs will surely go up, the project will be delayed by as much as two more years, we will need millions to attain and keep portable classrooms, and we will lose critical state funding.

*We are also told that the design cannot be altered to simply take out the additional $6 million. They cannot change the gym design for that is the basis for holding up the structure of the new addition and we cannot eliminate the stadium renovation because it will only add costs due to that portion being bundled into the demolition costs.

We have been reviewing and reviewing these plans, designs, and needs for four years. The bottom line is that the addition can no longer be built for $38.8 million, we need an additional $6 million of which right now, the state will cover 30 percent of the costs. Please urge our town leaders to move forward with this project or we will lose needed state funding, much needed space and facilities, and a chance to show our town and its children that we care about their future.

Sincerely,

Barbara Jagoe

19 Monitor Hill Road, Newtown                                                                     September 9, 2008