To the editor,

Demolition of Westport Middle School is done and abatement is in progress. Funding for drainage, roadways, utilities, site improvements, parking expansion for students and staff, athletic fields, tennis courts, and all incidental or related expenses in addition to a fully-furnished building for almost 900 students and employees to be crammed onto 400 Old County Road, was approved by voters January 23 and February 27 of last year.

I invite your readers to revisit the language of the Town Meeting motion to Article 1, January 23, 2018. $96,884,896 was approved for a debt exclusion “without a peep” as suggested by Shana Shufelt, chairwoman of the Westport Board of Selectmen (Shorelines, Feb. 7, 2019).

Town moderator Steven Fors informs us:

“The motion when it was read went on for about a minute and a half with all kinds of legalese...People were justifiably concerned that they were voting on something they heard fly by at light speed.”

(Shorelines, Feb. 7, 2019)

One member stood up at that Town Meeting and complained that most attendees didn’t have a copy of what they were voting on. But it passed anyway with more than the required 2/3 majority.

Contrary to Ms. Shufelt’s remark that debt exclusions “go down in flames at the ballot”, this one passed easily on Feb. 27, 2018 without a dollar amount nor mention of a grant from the Massachusetts School Building Authority.

Now that more debt is looming for the purchase of Westport Campgrounds, and the School Building Project is at the point of no return, perhaps Ms. Shufelt is, and taxpayers should be, concerned with the possibility that the unelected Building Committee will beg for more money (on top of $96,884,896) to fund their Big Dig.

Marilyn Pease

Westport