Dear friend,

As you may know, our town plans to modernize the Old Greenwich school. The process has been highly politicized, and the issue has been rushed. The proposed plan involves remediating asbestos and other contaminants in parts of the building while students are attending different parts of the building. Most importantly, safety issues have yet to be discussed transparently or in detail. Click HERE for a detailed analysis of this issue prepared by the Republican BET team. Below are some details:

1. Remediation of this structure has serious safety challenges: Any such remediation plan should be discussed at length with the community. We do not have the option of looking back after our children are exposed to airborne asbestos. There should be ZERO risk tolerance and FULL transparency. All reports should be made public.

2. Renovating this 100-year-old structure at a cost similar to rebuilding it defies economic sense. The proposed $42 Million for a partial renovation when a new build would be in the same ballpark does not pass the smell test.

3. It appears that school administration, including the Principal, is putting excessive pressure on parents and taking a political stand to support the rushed approval of a renovation. Honest discussion is impossible when school officials with authority start exerting pressure. One teacher, who did not want to be named, told me she opposed the renovation but could not speak up because of fear of retribution. Two parents echoed the same sentiment to me.

4. This school is currently in a flood-prone location, and spending $42 Million to renovate it without raising its level defies any reasonableness.

Please review this detailed analysis HERE - the exhibits are particularly insightful. Vote for all six BET Republicans on November 7th. They are doing actual due diligence and representing our resident's interests.
 
Sincerely,

Harry Arora