Residents of Franklin County Technical School’s 19 member municipalities had their say on Tuesday regarding a proposal to construct a new $236.6 million building.
If the proposal passes, it would authorize construction of a 21,000-square-foot building to replace the existing 50-year-old school. The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) would reimburse up to $113.8 million.
In Shelburne, the Selectboard and Finance Committee voted unanimously against the proposed new school, a move that influenced Shelburne resident Ann Dubie.
While Dubie said she is “all for education,” she described the price tag for Shelburne as too high. For Shelburne, a new school building would leave the town shouldering $243,000 per year. The average single-family tax bill in Shelburne is estimated to increase by $237.37.
“It’s a lot of money,” Dubie said, adding that the cost burden would fall on the shoulders of retired, elderly Shelburne residents who may have trouble affording it.
She called for “creative solutions” to address the building concerns at the school.
“We can be creative,” she said. “We need to get smarter.”
In Montague, James Mussoni voted against the proposed new building.
“I think the taxes in Montague are too high already. … This [current] building is fine,” he said. With the town tackling ongoing projects like the cleanup of the former Strathmore mill complex, he said, “One more thing on our plate would be too much.”
Turners Falls resident Joanna Rueter voted in favor of the proposal.
“The school is great,” she said. “I think it should be given what it needs to continue.”
Like Rueter, Montague residents Jennifer Morrow and her mother Joanna Morrow also voted “yes,” stressing the importance of the school providing local students with a technical education.
“It’s good to have the tech school,” Jennifer Morrow said. “From what I’ve heard, it sounds like it really needed the work.”
“It’s an important education,” her mother added, saying the students are more likely to stay in the area after graduating from the school with skills in technical fields.
“It needs to happen,” retired teacher Kathy Chevalier said outside the Franklin Tech polling location. “It’s our town, it’s very important.”
Rudy and Jo-Ann Demers, who voted in Montague, cast a “yes” vote for the new building proposal. Several of the couple’s grandchildren attended the school and now work in the fields they studied at Franklin Tech.
“It’s essential for the community,” Rudy Demers said.
Jo-Ann Demers works in the Tech School’s cafeteria, where freezers and other equipment have broken down.
“There’s always a problem,” she said.
For Jo-Ann, she is “OK” with the cost of the new building, “because I know what it benefits… the young kids in the community,” she said.
Mariah Jackman, who voted in Montague with her two kids, agreed that the cost of the new building is worth its impact.
“It’s really important for these kinds of schools to thrive,” she said. “The future is in these jobs.”
Megan Beaulieu, who has lived in Northfield for 11 years, said she voted for a new facility.
“I think the school deserves a new building. I don’t know much about [Franklin] Tech, but I know that they need one,” she said. “I’ve just been listening to everybody that goes there, and I know my nephew’s going to be going there next year.
Jill DeLisle, the Warwick Finance Committee chair, said she thinks a new building is a good idea.
“They need it; they absolutely need it. Some members from [the] Finance Committee went to look at the building,” she said outside Warwick Town Hall. “They paid a visit just to be sure that we had all of the relevant information.”
Kady Ivinwood, a Pioneer Valley Regional School alumna who got married over the weekend, made it to the polls in Warwick to vote for a new technical school building.
“I did not go to Tech, but I had a lot of friends who did, and they really enjoyed it there. And now they’ve got cool careers doing technical things. And I work somewhere where we have a lot of technical students, so it makes sense,” she said.
Leanne Limoges, who has lived in town for 33 years, said she makes a point to vote in every election “because it’s important to be part of our community.” She also voted in favor of a new technical school.
“I have a son that went to Tech … and I think it’s incredibly valuable to have that,” she said. “And if that’s what they need, that’s what they need.”
Resident Keith Ross also voted for a new building.
“I voted my conscience. I’m in favor of it,” he said after voting. “They gave a great presentation. It’s a good idea.”
He implied the issue can be a contentious one in the town he has called home for 45 years.
“I’m definitely a newcomer, because I was not born here.”
