Political groups try to sway voters on Groton school proposal
Groton — The political action committees with opposing views on Groton's proposed school construction project hope to reach voters in the final weeks before the referendum.
The Groton Schools 2020 political action committee, which supports the plan, will hold two public forums this week, said Craig Koehler, co-chair of the committee. Forums will be held from 6:30 until 8 p.m. on Wednesday in the Robert E. Fitch High School auditorium and on Thursday in the Groton Municipal Building.
Rosanne Kotowski, co-founder of Groton Advocates for Tax Efficiency, a political action committee that opposes the plan, said she hopes the group's guest opinion published in The Day on Sunday will reach voters. The newspaper also published the Groton Schools 2020 opinion.
"I wish we had the resources to be out there, to do radio, to put out little leaflets," she said. "We're just a little PAC that's trying to save the taxpayers money."
Campaign finance reports filed in the town clerk's office show Groton Advocates for Tax Efficiency raised $210 from July 10 to Oct. 6, while Groton Schools 2020 raised $2,460 from Aug. 23 to Sept. 30. Contributions to Groton Schools 2020 includes donations of $100 or more by seven members of the School Facilities Initiative Task Force, which developed the plan.
The school building proposal would build one new middle school adjacent to the high school and convert the two existing middle schools into renovated elementary schools. The plan would cost $184.5 million, with Groton taxpayers covering an estimated $84 million financed over 25 years. The town anticipates state reimbursement of $100.5 million.
If voters approve the project but state reimbursement is less, the Town Council could scale back or kill the project.
Mayor Bruce Flax said he couldn't speak for the rest of the council, but believes that the project "would most likely be dead" if state money failed to come through. But he said the council might have a different view if the state provides nearly all of what's expected, such as $99 million.
Koehler has been speaking to voters in neighborhoods as well as addressing civic groups.
"I think that people are beginning to get the message that we need to do something and that we can't put this off for much longer," he said. If Groton delays school construction, it will cost more in the future and the town will miss the opportunity to attract new residents as Electric Boat increases hiring, Koehler said.
Kotowski said the project is too expensive. "We can't afford it," she said.
Members of the Groton 2020 group set up a booth at the Groton Fall Festival to speak to voters and spoke at the Groton Rotary Club, Mystic Rotary Club and Groton Senior Center earlier this month. Group members also attended at least four back-to-school nights, distributed about 1,000 door hangers and fliers over the weekend and passed out more on Monday. The political action committee has printed 5,000 fliers, Koehler said.
The group also posted about 100 "Vote Yes" signs over the weekend and had another 100 signs made.
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