Vote Yes to help our district qualify for $652,206 in state funding
HAMILTON TOWN MEETING
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 9:00 A.M.
WINTHROP SCHOOL
The good news:
Last week, the Massachusetts School Building Authority agreed to reimburse HWRSD for 42.58% of the cost of a new heating and ventilation system for the Cutler elementary school. This is fantastic news, a hard-won victory after literally years of work on the part of the district.
The bad news:
We will lose this funding unless two-thirds of the people at special town meetings in Hamilton and Wenham vote to fund the remainder of the project.
Two-thirds means two Yes votes for every No vote. It means you have to show up to Hamilton town meeting, even though it is on a Saturday morning that is already jam-packed with sports, testing and other extracurriculars. And it means all adults in your household have to be there to vote. (If you plan on using our on-site child care, please hit reply now and tell us so.)
The facts:
- The Cutler heating system is 57 years old, inefficient and in need of major renovation.
- We can’t replace just the boiler. We need to upgrade the delivery system as well, and the state money does not apply to a "boiler only" project.
- There is no money in the current school budget for this project. Money in the "E&D" account is already committed for a separate wastewater treatment project at the middle/high school.
- If we fail to approve a debt exclusion now, it’s extremely unlikely the MSBA will fund this project in the future. What’s more, a No vote will make the MSBA much less inclined to award us funding for any future projects.
- If we lose this state funding, our towns will have to finance 100% of the project costs, which will be significantly higher than the funding now requested.
Want more details?
Cutler HVAC fact sheet
http://www.hw-regional.k12.ma.us/Cutler%20HVAC%20Project%20Fact%20Sheet%2010%2002%2009.pdf
Cutler HVAV project timeline
http://www.hw-regional.k12.ma.us/Cutler%20HVAC%20Timeline%20F%2010%2002%2009.pdf
Cutler basis of design narrative
http://www.hw-regional.k12.ma.us/Complete%20Revised%20Report%209-14-09[2]aa.pdf
Remember, we need two Yes votes for every No vote.
Hamilton votes first – Saturday, October 17
Meeting starts at 9 a.m.
Boiler vote comes up near the end
Follow us on Twitter to find out when the vote is coming up – http://twitter.com/hwsos
