SSBC Discusses Residents Concern With School Building Project

The Secondary Schools Building Committee (SSBC) discussed residents concerns about the Tuesday.

Residents are concerned with the . Explaining the financial implications of the proposed project is a priority for town officials. The SSBC has identified a series of dates and venues to present the financial details. They will carefully detail their vision of how the future construction will be handled and provide a comprehensive explanation of how taxpayers will be affected.

Preliminary indicators suggest some excitement for pursuing the project according to Steve Nathan who participated in a neighborhood discussion group.

"There was some skepticism at first," Nathan reported. "But once they heard the plan and had their questions answered they were eager."

Geof Simons, a volunteer member and planner of Invest in North Reading said that his group has received questions about the expected increase in their taxes.

"It's not clear to many residents just what the increase in taxes will be or how the tax payments are structured," said Simons. "Giving answers to the questions people have in mind dispels rumors and misinformation. People often find their lives won't change as much as they may have thought."

Once the Massachusetts School Building Committee approved the scope and budget for the building proposal on January 25 the clock started on the 120 days the town has to disseminate information,  and to hold a town-wide vote to pass the proposal by a simple majority. 

The Special Town Meeting vote will take place on Monday, March 19 at 7 p.m. The Special Town Election vote is March 24 at .

For further details, visit the SSBC's Web site or www.investinnorthreading.org.