A note to my fellow seniors about the school bond

This plan was voted on unanimously. It was developed during Republican and Democratic councils. Everybody arrived at the same conclusion. About 20% of the town is over 65, and we've been losing families to other towns. Census data shows it. Parents with means aren't going to want to send their children to these schools.

A "no" doesn't end the problem. The schools are deteriorating. The town will pay the full cost of emergency repairs. If it concludes an emergency HVAC replacement is needed in any one building, it will have to go to voters with a multi-million dollar bill. Water leaks are different problem. It turns stable asbestos materials into a danger, which requires isolation, abatement and a long-term fix.

I don't think it's a good idea to put kids in a schools that have potential environmental hazards, and because of inadequate HVAC are damp, stuffy and hot -- per the town's own studies. The town is required to conduct periodic reviews -- every six months - to check for hazardous environmental conditions. This is what a "no" vote continues. A "yes" vote ends this.

The voters rejected the JFK renovation the first time. The town shaved some millions off it and it was approved the second time. But this project, financially, is much more complicated. The state reimbursement/incentive for early childhood education, which improved the reimbursement rate, could disappear. If we shrink the project, we may not gain savings.

I'm fully aware of the cost. If the peak is $600 a year, that's an extra $50 a month plus normal budget growth. (But these estimates don't take into account inflation, or new revenues into the town, which offset that numbers.) And since most seniors own their homes and pay year-end, the check feels like an iceberg. I'm almost 72. When I was working full-time, I did my retirement planning and the numbers seemed to work. But when you transition away from full-time work, the confidence goes and what seems assured now seems little scary. But that's life.

What I do, however, is my own research. I published, on my blog, the first estimate of tax impact. I didn't hide the numbers. They weren't on the town's website or in any publication. The local news outlets don't do that. I asked the school district to see the asbestos reports. I wanted to see for myself the conditions. I also was shown Hazardville Memorial and what it looked like. There is a mountain of reports on the Board of Education spelling out all the options and everything they looked at.

If you vote "yes," I know full well that you will taking on a cost. The town has a calculator to help figure it out.

But I balance that against a few things.

(1) A moral obligation. I benefited from new schools in Enfield in the 1960s.

(2) The town's support for schools is directly linked to its ability to attract businesses and grow its tax base.

(3) Enfield may approve a homestead exemption that will significantly reduce the tax impact.

(4) We need to accept that some parents won't want to live in this town because of schools. We need to ask whether it's right to continue to send our future to these schools.

(5) If we vote yes, it's done. If we vote no, there's a real possibility that the town will have to approve bond-after-bond to fix the schools or rebuild new ones with less state reimbursement.

Now that I'm in the final chapter of my story, the priorities, always clear, are now headlines. A legacy I'd like to leave -- and this is a small sacrifice and all those my age know it -- is a better foundation for the future.

I voted "yes" yesterday. I hope you do the same.