WOODSTOCK, Vt. (WCAX) – Voters in several Central Vermont communities will decide on Town Meeting Day whether to build a new Woodstock Union High School.
The superintendent of the Mountain Views Supervisory Union, Sherry Sousa, says corroded pipes are just a small example of a huge problem. The middle and high school– which serves the towns of Barnard, Bridgewater, Killington, Pittsfield, Plymouth, Pomfret, Reading and Woodstock– was built more than 60 years ago. Now, the water, sewer and electrical systems are failing.
“Fixing those problems are extremely difficult and almost impossible, and so we are really dealing day to day with a potential of full system failure,” Sousa said.
If voters approve the $99 million bond for the new seventh-through-12th-grade building, taxpayers would be on the hook for the majority of the bill. With flat enrollment, the district estimates that taxes on a $500,000 home would increase by roughly $1,500 a year.
“It will have pressure on our taxes. I’m a Woodstock resident, I understand that. But the time has come where we really do have to make that investment. And the longer we wait, the greater the investment will be,” Sousa said.
The new school would be located on the adjacent football field so education would not be impacted during the 18-month construction period. The building would increase potential student capacity by about 150 kids, and district officials say enrolling more students would ease the burden on taxpayers.
“We also know that Killington is putting in a major housing project that we believe will result in increased students. And the more students, just with five more students each year, we really will begin to offset the cost,” Sousa said.
District officials say a “no” vote would simply be putting off the inevitable because the building is not sustainable in the long term. If the bond passes, site work will begin this summer.
The district will hold a series of public information sessions in the affected communities over the next two months. Click here for the schedule.