Janet Mitchell

To the editor,

I volunteered to serve on the facilities committee for the School Board in Laconia and went to the first organizational meeting at the MMS Library in February of 2004.The charge was presented and we were asked to proceed with the plans that had been approved by a previous committee. This was to renovate LHS and replace the middle school on the same properties.

Most of the committee ended up thinking this would not explore all the possibilities and we should look at every possible solution before we made a recommendation to the School Board and ultimately the city council. Many comments were heard over the next couple of meetings and when it became apparent that there were not a lot of land options available I suggested the land on Parade Road and told them who to contact. None of us were really in favor of this but thought we should look at it since it was available.

Even aftera solid year plus of meetings, visiting other old, renovated and new schools, and reading reports most of us still can’t believe that we came up with a totally different plan. Buying the land to build on Parade and renovate LHS into a middleschoolturned out to be the best alternative. I was surprised to see the numbers.

All of the people who gave us advice, did studies on their own or presented answers to engineering questions or building questions have local, state and even in some cases national reputations to uphold. They certainly had everything to lose if they had tried to push an agenda. I feel badly that all of us who served are now being call liars. It certainly makes one understand why it is difficult to get people to serve on local committees. Why didn’t the people who are now so against everything serve on the committee? They certainly had every opportunity.

I have no quarrel with anyone being against the committee findings I simply ask that they have facts and figures to back up any alternative suggestions.

The information package being prepared for inclusion in the newspapers is being paid for by those of us on the committee who wanted to make sure everyone had the same basic information that we had. It’s not fancy but it will have the information.

Janet Mitchell

Laconia