The School Building Committee has approved a plan, “Bloom” for the new high school and building on the current playing fields in the Center. Do you support this decision? If not, what would you propose as an alternative?

Based on the arguments, pro and con, for the various proposed designs, I feel the decision of the School Building Committee to approve the “Bloom” design is the right one. I understand there are concerns being voiced that include 1) whether or not this design can accommodate an increase in the town’s population owing to the MBTA mandate; 2) whether the town will gain approval for an “Article 97 land swap” to allow for new recreation fields when some are replaced with the new school building; 3) concerns that the Bloom design will be more expensive than other, phased, options; and 4) the impact on property taxes (and on seniors’ ability to stay in Lexington) when the debt service begins. I feel most of these concerns have been addressed to the extent possible at the present time, and I believe that the idea of building a new high school in phases to preserve the existing fields would be more disruptive and disquieting to our high school students and their teachers. 

The longer we delay, the new high school project is likely to become increasingly expensive. We’ve kicked this can down the road long enough.