Stu’s Letter to the editor – Newburyport Daily News
I love Newburyport. My 8 month pregnant wife and 10 year old son Drew moved here in January of 2005 in about 6 feet of snow right before the 3rd Patriots Super Bowl Victory.
Since then, the city has embraced us and we have made so many lifelong friends in this amazing community. We found out shortly thereafter that not all was great, specifically as it pertained to our schools and facilities for seniors. It is for this reason I write to you today.
You see, we consider our beautiful seaside port a world class city, an oasis of sorts. But it cannot possibly be that way if we do not take care of our children and our seniors. Currently our kids are going to schools that are falling apart, are meant for fewer kids, and are in desperate need of updating. Every year the NEF (Newburyport Education Foundation) holds fundraisers to upgrade the woefully inadequate technology in our schools. Our seniors barely have any place to go to recognize some sort of community of their own.
For a city with so many families and seniors, something has to give. There are 3 projects to tackle: a new Bresnahan School ($38 million), a remodeled Nock middle school ($27 million), and a new senior center ($6.5 million). The cost of the first 2 will be subsidized by the state to the tune of 50%. I also could not believe it when I read the city made a promise over 30 years ago to build a senior center. It is LONG overdue, and the time is now for the fastest growing segment of our community.
As a local financial advisor and CPA, the math on these projects is extremely favorable. I do understand seniors and other families on a tight, fixed budget. I work with many people like this all the time. But these school projects will be subsidized by the state at close to 50% of cost! What a deal. Interest rates are historically at the lowest they have ever been. The construction costs can be minimized by putting the project out to bid in a very competitive environment. The new construction will be built with “green” initiatives in mind, thus the projects will be far more environmentally friendly, leading to reduced operating costs going forward! This is most exciting to me.
Our family is now 5, with 2 wonderful girls age 7 and 3. We feel fortunate to part of the River Valley Charter School Charter School community, but that does not minimize the importance of these projects in our minds. Progress is what has made our country great, and the same is true for our seaside city. We need to progress and bring our educational facilities and senior center into the 21st century. The time is now and it is long overdue. Please vote YES on June 5th and take care of our children and seniors! They certainly deserve it!
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