Clean Water For The School—

Town Meeting Approves

Middle Gate Water Line

By Dottie Evans

A special town meeting was held Wednesday, June 16, on the question of whether to borrow $500,000 to connect Middle Gate School to a water system operated by United Water.

The resolution in favor of appropriating funds “for the design and construction of a water main extension to provide clean drinking water to Middle Gate School” had already received unanimous approval by the Legislative Council on June 2 following approvals by the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance on May 27.

After an informal hand count was taken by Town Clerk Cindy Simon, the resolution passed by a nearly unanimous vote, with one vote against the proposal. Two residents spoke during the period for public comment.

Speaking against the proposal was Kevin O’Neill of 28 Washbrook Road. Mr O’Neill has one child entering Middle Gate School in the fall.

“I want to go on record as being opposed to this. I live on a dirt road in the next neighborhood over from the street where this water line will go, and there are 20 acres of wooded open space between my road and the school. We don’t want to see high density housing going in there,” Mr O’Neill said.

In his view, access to an already installed public water line would make approval of such a large construction project in his neighborhood nearly automatic.

Josephine Schmidt of 11 Serenity Lane, who is a teacher at Middle Gate School, spoke in favor of the proposal.

“It’s very difficult to deal with things as they stand now. The children need to take time to sanitize their hands after using the bathroom and that takes away from learning time. The kids should be allowed to have clean drinking conditions all the time.”