Overrides win and lose in Tri-Town
Middleton turns out for new school
Thirty minutes into the Middleton Town Meeting, people were still lined up outside the building waiting to register when the moderator called for a recess to ensure all votes would be counted.
"In 26 years, I have never seen a turnout like this," said Susan Gannon, executive director of the Middleton Council on Aging.
The packed house at the North Shore Technical High School Tuesday night provided the two-thirds vote for the $16.3 million Proposition 2 1/2 override necessary to secure state funding to build a new Howe-Manning Elementary School.
Elsewhere in what is known as the Tri-Town district, Boxford residents said no to overrides supporting a new library and senior center, while earlier this month Topsfield residents passed a $130,059 override to cover general government and school operating expenses.
In Middleton, there were 683 yes votes and 118 no votes cast to fund the spending plan for the new school, which will face another test when it goes to a townwide vote tomorrow.
Only a simple majority is needed to access $15.1 million (48 percent) in matching funds from the state for the estimated $31.4 million cost of the new school.
The remaining $16.3 million will be paid for by a 10-year debt exclusion, a property tax increase over the limits of state law Proposition 2 1/2.
State and local officials say the school is currently operating at 60 percent above its intended capacity. School children like fifth-grader Nathan Bradstreet complain that the heating and air conditioning are so bad at Howe-Manning that students are often unable to concentrate on their work.
"If you vote for a new school, pat yourself on the back because you will make the students very grateful," he said.
Town resident Mike Fitzgerald said the Howe-Manning school was built during the Depression, and like today, the town had to put up 50 percent of the construction costs with the rest paid for by the government's Works Progress Administration.
"Howe-Manning doesn't meet the standards of today and does not allow for [the students] to meet the standards of tomorrow," Fitzgerald said. "Doing nothing is not an option."
Resident Dan Leary argued that the Middleton School Building Committee had left many questions unanswered regarding the cost of a new bridge and power lines that will be required to complete construction of the new school, as well as the cost of ongoing maintenance.
"I have neighbors who have no power," Leary said. "I work three jobs to support my family. . . . These are legitimate questions and not one board member has answered."
Middleton School Committee chairwoman Teresa Buono assured voters that the $31.4 million represented the total cost of the project, including bridges and power lines.
In Boxford, supporters of a plan to build a new library on 20,000 square feet of land in the town's historic district failed to gain the two-thirds vote required to have the measure added to this year's town election ballot.
Plans called for a Proposition 2 1/2 override in the form of a debt exclusion to fund $470,000 for a design plan for a new building with an estimated cost between $6 million and $8.5 million.
The state would have contributed $2.5 million in grant money for the new library.
Some argued for downsizing the project, but that would have made the town ineligible to receive the state grant. The Historic District Commission, which oversees the exterior of all buildings within the historic district, argued that the new library would change the character of the East Village area.
The vote was 239 against and 161 in favor of the library proposal.
The Trustees of the Boxford Public Libraries sponsored the article, but the Board of Selectmen voted against it.
The town also failed to gain the votes necessary to authorize the treasurer to borrow $250,000 for planning and all other related expenses to design and permit the renovation and expansion of the building located at 188 Washington St. for a new senior center. The article was sponsored by the Council on Aging. The Board of Selectmen did not support the recommendation, and neither did voters: the final Town Meeting tally was 116 against and 93 in favor of the recommendation.
In Topsfield, residents voted in favor of a $130,059 permanent override to cover general government and school operating expenses at the town election on May 7. The override will result in an increase of $60 annually on the average tax bill.
