Meet me at Town Meeting!
I have cleared my schedule and booked
my babysitter. I am totally pumped for a night on the town. I will be spending the
evening with forward-thinking, passionate and engaged people.
Yup! I’m going to Town Meeting!
On Monday, May 14, the citizens of Wakefield will be given a
historic opportunity to vote in favor of a prosperous future for their beloved
town. We can show our support for our children, our businesses and our property
values by voting for the new Galvin
Middle School. I urge you
to join me at Town Meeting and be counted among the supporters of this
necessary improvement. Without your voice, Article 5 for a new Galvin will not
pass.
We’ve already cleared two major
hurdles in the 4-step process to give our town’s children a new middle school.
The first was to approve the $686,400 schematic design and feasibility
study. The second was to have the budget and plans approved by the state to
have them contribute 54.67% of eligible project costs. The third is to pass
Article 5 by a two-thirds vote at Town Meeting in order to get the debt
exclusion on the ballot for the June 9th election. The fourth is to
pass the debt exclusion in the town-wide ballot question.
We are half-way there. If we don’t
get support at Town Meeting, all of the work and research we’ve done, all of
the time and money we’ve spent, all of the excitement and awareness we’ve
generated will have been for nothing. We will have to tell the children of Wakefield, the
businesses, and the property owners that we did not care enough to vote for
their futures.
We have an opportunity to impact
this town by simply raising our hands at Town Meeting. If the vote does not
pass, there will be no ballot question vote on June 9th. The school will remain
in its current state and continue to deteriorate. The Town of Wakefield will lose a $34.7 million State
Grant to offset the total project cost of $74.6 million. There are no
alternative plans or funding available to remedy the numerous deficiencies of
the current facility.
I have two children that will
attend the Galvin – new or old. I will not pretend that they are not a large
part of why I support a new middle school. Obviously they are. But even if I
were not a parent of children who will benefit, I would still raise my hand at
Town Meeting to support Article 5. Without quality schools, property values
will decrease. Without a vote for our children, families will not consider Wakefield when looking
for a home. Without a community vested in its own future, businesses will
reject Wakefield
as a place to conduct operations. A “Yes” vote on Article 5 at Town Meeting is
the right vote for everyone.
I’d like to thank you in advance
for your support for a new Galvin
Middle School. I am
looking forward to seeing you at the upcoming Town Meeting at the Galvin Middle
School Auditorium on Monday, May 14th, 7:30 pm.
So… what are you waiting for? Call your sitter! I’ll save
you a seat!
If you would like more information or would like to
participate in helping to promote a new Galvin Middle School,
please contact the Galvinize Wakefield Committee
(http://www.galvinizewakefield.com/).
