We are writing to urge all residents of Westbrook to get out to vote May 22 to support the referendum for the new Westbrook Middle School. We have lived in Westbrook for 46 years. We raised seven children and now have 18 grandchildren and four great grandchildren, so you can see how important having a new school is to our family.

The old junior high is antiquated. We don’t know how teachers can teach there and how students can learn. The sports facilities are inadequate and the only good thing we can say about that school facility is that the pool has been a good thing for the students, the swim teams and the senior citizens who use the pool.

We think it is important for people to know that if we don’t vote for the school on May 22, the money the state has decided to give to Westbrook will be gone. They won’t keep it on hold for us; they will give it to another school that is waiting for help to build their school. We hope everyone knows this, because we have been trying to get on the building list for the state for many years.

We also really hope that the auditorium will be supported, as well. It costs the city money to rent the Merrill Auditorium for functions. For the same amount of money, we could be supporting a nice new auditorium in our own city and renting it out to other venues to raise money. We read that the average citizen will see an increase of about $40 a year to support the construction of the auditorium. It costs that much to go to one play in Portland.

Please get out to vote on May 22. Support this school. It will be a wonderful investment in the city and a necessary investment for the future of our youngsters.

Mary Jane and Malcolm Noyes

Westbrook