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An Important Vote

An important vote is coming. On Tuesday, May 2, the towns of Chester, Deep River, and Essex will hold the annual referendum for the Region 4 schools' budget. There will be a second question, and you will have the opportunity to vote on a proposal for the Region 4 Schools to issue a bond for the refurbishment of the Valley Regional High School and John Winthrop Middle School (JWMS) sports fields. This long-awaited project has been three years in planning and is the product of working collaboratively with multiple stakeholders.

The Region 4 Board of Education (BOE) and Superintendent Brian White worked with BSC Group–a land development engineering firm. Information about the firm can be seen on its website, www.bscgroup.com. The original proposal was for $16 million of renovation, but the Region 4 administrative team and the Region 4 BOE worked to identify the truly essential elements of the project and have brought forth the current proposal of $9,966,000.

Information and details of the proposed renovations may be seen on your town's website. Details on the proposal and cost can be found on the R4 website, meeting agenda for March 29. There will also be one more public informational meeting scheduled for Thursday, April 27, at 7 p.m., at JWMS.

Your vote is important!

Carl Boland

Ivoryton