North Stonington received a petition to reconsider the May 2016 vote approving the School Modernization Project. A referendum vote will be held Thursday.

The design for the project is complete, the State of Connecticut has approved the project and the 46.07 percent reimbursement the town was promised.

The School Modernization Committee has hired a construction manager, who has received bids and is ready to award contracts and start construction, to date spending $1.6 million authorized by the May 2016 referendum. The town has secured lending through the USDA at a fixed interest rate of 2.75 percent for the life of the loan.

The last school project was completed in 1995. We now need to address environmental abatements, safety issues and efficiency for learning. A “no” vote would force the town to address some pending issues in a piecemeal fashion with higher construction costs, more design engineering fees, and legal costs and the possibility of no or very little state reimbursement and a higher interest rate for borrowing.

A project cancellation at this time makes no sense. This project is long overdue. North Stonington schools receive above average test scores, honored as “Schools of Distinction.”

Vote “yes.” Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at New Town Hall, 40 Main Street.

An educated child is an asset to his family, community and our society.

Nicholas H. Mullane II

Former first selectman and selectman

North Stonington