The high school is long overdue and the time is right, at the very least financially – before the economy fully recovers along with that recovery increasing cost of borrowing, construction, and about everything else we incur in the costs of living our lives.

I hear what the groups are saying, and I applaud all that passion and the many good points – on both sides – but I am saddened that more wasn’t done to seek alternatives that could have brought the competing options together instead of dividing not just the three towns, now even Freeport is being divided. For example, did anyone consider AOS (Alternate Operating Structure, which allow local control within a consolidated district) that several districts attained? And can we truly not renovate while going through this long withdrawal process? Based on the bond as written, there isn’t anything barring it. There is a pinky swear out there saying we can’t, but isn’t it really just an accounting exercise? Plus, the new high school design is so bare bones, but yet, smartly designed with growth options, that it wouldn’t need to change whether Freeport ends up stand-alone or with RSU 5.

This is not an easy one, but let me leave you with this thought: to those who have been in Freeport pre-RSU 5 and those new since, working with the town to get anything passed for the school was no picnic. Who remembers watching (since we had no say) as the town cut school items line by line? The council had a preference to boost retail-tourist traffic over education and a strong school system. And if you think that has changed due to the “new blood,” you only need to look to the blank stares and few words the council had for all those concerned and interested residents attending the meeting on Dec. 3. And additionally telling was them not proactively moving the meeting to a venue that could better support the amount of expected attendees and the importance of the presenters/presentations. Seems to me like Moving Freeport Forward would actually be moving us backward – and that view back is not a pretty one.

Terry Agnese

Freeport