The road to school reparations in North Stonington has been a long with many twists, turns and course adjustments. Over the past 12 years, there have been several different school modernization committees formed that were tasked with finding a solution for our aging schools. Each different committee has come to nearly the same conclusion. Renovating the schools as a “project” that reaps nearly half of the cost from the state is the best approach.

There are many reasons for this. Our schools have serious issues that absolutely must be fixed including remediation of hazardous materials, indoor air quality inadequacies, leaking and out-of-warranty roofs, fire suppression/sprinkler system deficiencies, security concerns, code requirement needs, inaccessibility for disabled students and 70-year-old science labs with safety and instructional limitations.

For those who would prefer we only fix what we absolutely must (the aforementioned issues), they should know that it will cost the town approximately $27 million at a minimum, with no state reimbursement. That is more than the $21 million in local funding, after accounting for state grants, that is necessary to do the job right and provide our community fully renovated state-of-the-art facilities that meet the town’s needs.

Also, this latest plan will cost several million dollars less than the one presented to voters two years ago. In many ways it is a better plan, but also a scaled-back version of what was presented last time.

If voters reject this proposal the Board of Education will have to consider partial school closure. Closing a school also costs the taxpayers money. Sending our kids to other schools will likely cost a lot more money per pupil when you consider the busing and other associated costs.

Additionally, we as a community have no oversight of our out-of-district students nor control over rising tuition. Our children will likely suffer by not being able to participate in extracurricular activities due to long commutes and an inability to get to and from school. Remember, North Stonington is one of the largest towns geographically in the state and just because a neighboring high school is close for some, that commute could be over an hour for someone living on the far side of town.

Finally, the town cannot likely send all students elsewhere, so a project would still need to be done to house kindergarten through 8th grade. Add up out-of-town tuition, building renovations, time escalation, student phasing costs, and building demolition, and North Stoington is right back to where it started, moneywise, with the project being proposed now.

Believe it or not, North Stonington ranks fourth lowest in tax rate as compared to 16 similarly populated smalltowns in Connecticut. Although citizens may consider their taxes high, comparatively speaking, they are not. North Stonington currently has very little debt. Interest rates remain at all-time lows. Investing in school modernization has proven affects on academic performance as well as economic development. Many people like the way things are and do not want to see things change. If nothing is doine to fix our aging facilities, North Stonington will not be able to enjoy the way things are any longer. There will certainly be change, and perhaps not the kind many want to see.

In closing, I would urge everyone to go to YouTube and search North Stonington to view one of the video presentations regarding school modernization. Once you see the hard work and countless hours and research that this and former Modernization Committees have done to reach this conclusion, you will also see that the project being proposed is the best option for the schools, community, and most importantly our students. I would urge you to support this project and if you have any questions please contact the committee at nsschoolmodernization@gmail.com.

Mike Urgo is chairman of the School Modernization Committee. A referendum date has not yet been set for the project, expected to cost about $38 million.