Letter: ‘What will it take’ to convince some of new school wisdom?

Posted 2/13/18

To the editor:

I’ve been fortunate to have a front row seat to the proposed Westport school building project. As a lifelong resident, a WHS graduate, and a volunteer for many of our towns …

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Letter: ‘What will it take’ to convince some of new school wisdom?

Posted

To the editor:

I’ve been fortunate to have a front row seat to the proposed Westport school building project. As a lifelong resident, a WHS graduate, and a volunteer for many of our towns community organizations, I’ve been fortunate to work side by side with brilliant minds that make our town exceptional.

I now volunteer to advocate for building a new school. I do this because our town has a problem; a closed middle school and an antiquated high school. Years have been spent by the volunteer Westport School Building Committee to find a solution to the problem our town is facing.

That’s a fact. Our town has a problem. We need a solution.

We, as a town, sit at the edge of a vote on Tuesday, Feb. 27, and all I can ask is, “What will it take”?

What will it take for everyone to realize we have a problem?  What will it take for everyone to seek the facts? What will it take for everyone to realize a "no" vote actually equals spending more? In fact, data shows $58 million today or $158 million tomorrow.

We need to vote "yes" for this one time opportunity. That 40% coupon worth $38.1 million from the state expires on February 27 at 8 p.m. when the polls close. We have to vote yes to use it or it goes away forever.   

What will it take to question letters written by people who have never volunteered a minute to find a solution, like Bill Reed and Marilyn Pease, who casually throw out lies and misinformation. They know the middle school isn’t viable. It has nothing to do with a lawsuit; that is like comparing apples and oranges. It was the EPA that deemed it unsafe but they know that fact. Just like they know the state has never once backed out of a financial commitment.  Ever. The funding is real.

They know ballot language is confusing so they use it to distract. They know the fact that our OPM either comes in on budget or under for the past 10 years. Our town won't be on the hook for more money unless you vote no. They twist to a new angle every time we respond with facts. What will it take for you to realize they’re using smoke and mirrors?

What will it take for the voters to investigate that we are between a rock and a hard place. We will never have zero students to serve. We can’t leave the schools the way they are; failed mechanical/electrical, temporary pods, no windows in the classrooms, no running water in labs, the list goes on and on.

What will it take for you to realize that all possible scenarios were investigated over the last several years such as renovating the middle school to EPA standards, additions to current schools, additions to the high school. They all cost more or weren’t feasible. This solution won because it was the most economical and we get state funding. Win-win if we vote yes; our problem is solved and we chose the most economical choice that will still keep us the 22nd lowest tax paying town out of 350-plus towns in Massachusetts. We'll have low taxes and new structures that will cost less to maintain. That’s a fact.

All I ask is that you dedicate yourself to finding the real answers and I am confident you will see Westport has one chance to get this right. We will pay more if we vote no; data shows us that fact. This is the best fiscally, community minded solution. Take it from someone on the front lines.  

Jeanne Girard

Westport

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