As Chairman of the Franklin School Building Committee, I thought it would be helpful for me to provide an update to the citizens of Franklin regarding the Committee's work. As many will recall, the Town Council appointed a diverse group to serve on the Committee. Our charge was somewhat unusual. It was not simply to build a new school. Rather, it was to confirm the need for the school, find a site that would be appropriate, and come up with a project proposal that would be supported by a wide majority of the voters of the Town.
Most citizens are already aware of our efforts to achieve the first two objectives.
First, we hired a consultant last year to examine the need issue. The report also suggests the Town consider renovating and expanding Horace Mann as a second step. But our Committee has deliberately chosen to take only one step at a time and leave the Horace Mann project for consideration at a later time. Second, we found a site that we believe is appropriate and will be acceptable to a majority of the taxpayers. A report was issued by our Committee at the end of March on the Site Evaluation and Selection Process.