Rundlett at a crossroads
We appear to be at a crossroads for the whole Rundlett Middle School saga. There is no way that Concord citizens are going to support the School Board proposed plan that will cost upwards of $150 million plus interest. Of course, people might like a gorgeous state-of-the art facility with a lot of extras but this is a luxury we can’t afford. While moving forward with the grandiose scheme for RMS, has the Board just forgotten that the people who they will tax (and lead into more debt) are the same ones that the City will be appealing to for funding a new police station and a significantly improved Memorial Field?
Like most of the community, I support plans to improve the educational, recreational and police facilities but the requested costs have to be moderated. Remember, when touting the $150 million price tag for Rundlett, the School Board told us there would be $70 million in state building aid — oops! There is NO aid on the horizon now, it will be funded totally by our property taxes. Accordingly, why doesn’t the School Board pursue something more affordable that will still provide our middle school students with a great educational facility?
Ask the architects (who have already received over $13 million in fees), “What can be built for $80 million, $90 million, $100 million?” Let us see alternatives that might just work for all of us — administrators, teachers, students AND taxpayers.