Council sends $511 million school rebuild to November voters

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  The Enfield Town Council voted unanimously to approve a $511 million school project, supported by an $89 million town share. Voters will have final say in November.  The Town Council voted Wednesday unanimously to send a $511 million plan to Enfield voters to rebuild the town's elementary school system. The town's cost is $89 million, and that's what voters will be asked to approve in November. The plan builds four new PK-5 schools on the sites of Hazardville Memorial, Prudence Crandall, Edgar H. Parkman and Henry Barnard, and converts Eli Whitney into a new home for Eagle Academy. Work runs in two phases. The entire project will take seven to eight years. Mayor Gina Cekala said Enfield doesn't have much choice. "$89 million is a lot of money. It sounds like a lot of money. It is a lot of money," she said. But she put the town's share in proportion. Of the $511 million, "Enfield is going to be responsible for a maximum of 17% of this project."...
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The rough and unfair criticism of the Enfield March for our Lives protest


After the March for our Lives posted this on the Enfield Open Forum on Facebook. There was a lot of negative comments about student activism in Enfield. But Facebook forums are Facebook forums. They don't reflect the broader community.

Here's what I wrote:

Why are so many people on this Enfield forum so interested in tearing down the town's kids? Belittling their advocacy? There were a fair number of adults and families at today's Enfield event. It was very touching. There were several student speakers, whose names I don't know, who delivered articulate, passionate assessments of the problem. I was very impressed by them.

Enfield has always had a little bit of an off-center streak to it. When I was growing up here, I knew a fellow who was involved with the John Birch Society. They had an office in Thompsonville. Early 1970s. There's always been a conservative streak to the town, and a strong liberal one, rooted in the New England, Catholic tradition.

Something strange is going on in our society today and that includes Enfield. The people have been most impacted - the children - are demanding changes. But there's a lot of push back in Enfield. And overall, I think people in these forums have been pretty rough. A little too rough. And I think we need to step back a bit. People have hurled everything they can think of at them.

We're not in a good place, and hopefully we can agree on that point here. I know I can't change the minds of people who believe anyone should be able to own a AR15-type weapons. I give up on that. And the false flag arguments - i.e. it's bullying - are just that, but arguing on Facebook is pointless.

But what I will suggest is that we all agree is to remind the kids of this town that we are proud of them. We are proud of them when they take a stand. We are proud of them when they show civic responsibility. We are just, plain and simple proud of them. You may not agree with their stand, but don't use that disagreement to tear the kids down and belittle them. Some of you have been doing that, and it's not right.

This generation is inheriting a world that we left them. They have to clean up our messes. You can fight them when they run for office. But for now, we should applaud the spirit of this community. The entire community. Enfield was one of just several towns in Connecticut to hold a march. That's something. It says something about the town. Let's honor that spirit. Let's honor what's good, and that good is all around us.

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