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A Building-Only Option

Since the Board of Education turned Academy School over to the Town of Madison in 2011, the Board of Selectmen (BOS) and public have grappled with what to do with this historic building.

After years of studies and debate, in October 2012 the BOS voted unanimously to retain ownership of the property and entered into a letter of intent with the Shoreline Arts Alliance (SAA) for a long-term lease of the building for restoration and creation of a cultural arts center. In 2016, the SAA deal came to an unsuccessful end. In the months since, First Selectman Tom Banisch and the BOS have pursued a development agenda and recently presented to the public four proposals for a multi-million-dollar, high-density residential development of the Academy School building and surrounding five acres of property, including the existing ballfields and open space.

In spite of calls by the public for the BOS to offer at least one building-only solution, Tom Banisch has stated that the referendum will be a single “Yes” or “No” vote on one of the high-density development proposals of all five acres. This is simply not fair.

To fully represent the residents of Madison the referendum must include a building-only option for disposition of Academy School, one that does not take our town-owned fields and open space.

Kathryn Hunter

Madison