The Will Of A Divided People

To the Editor:

I was very discouraged with the failure of the high school referendum, but with the sagging economy, the No votes are at least understandable. Now the question is what to do about this situation. Here’s my opinion.

The bid alternates are no longer an option, including the track and field. That’s about $1.4 million of the current low bid.

I’d like the Board of Education and Morganti to confirm that there is no way that rebids could get us down another $4.6 million. In a tough economy, and with steel and oil cost declines, contractors might be more willing to bid aggressively. If there is hope, then it might be worth the risk delaying the start of a redesign.

Assuming that rebidding is futile, I would like it confirmed that it is impossible to complete a redesign and finish state review processes in time to submit for state approval by the June 2009 deadline. If at all possible, we should attempt to leverage the existing design work and accelerate the schedule. We should also have a penalty clause for the contractor in a redesign that kicks in if bids do not come in under our price cap. We know that we will have to pay additional architect fees, rent for portables, and roughly ten percent more due to the newly mandated green building requirements. So be it. Let’s see whether we can meet some minimum requirements with $38.8 million.

If we cannot make the June 2009 state deadline, then we will be forced out to June 2010. That puts us on a full two-year slip, finishing an expansion in time for today’s fifth graders — four years from now.

I’m ashamed at our town’s failure to meet the needs of our children. Now we should take the $38.8 million that has been approved by the town, and turn it into a high school expansion as soon as possible. We have handed our Board of Education a really tough problem to solve, and they deserve our support.

I am convinced that like the last major expansion of the high school, this new expansion will finish just in time to require yet another expansion. This week’s No vote will end up costing us more money in the long run. That is the will of a divided people. We should make the best of it and move on.

Thomas Bittman

17 Rose Lane, Sandy Hook                                          October 8, 2008