The town of Longmeadow, with its excellent public school system, has the immediate need of a new middle school as the current two, Glenbrook and Williams, are in deplorable and outdated condition and repeatedly need maintenance and costly repairs.
The centrally located site for a new state-of-the-art middle school is on the Williams School athletic fields has met opposition from those in the immediate abutting neighborhood. Their focus is on traffic that one new middle school at Williams will be a negative factor in their immediate area during the 180-day school year.
Traffic throughout Longmeadow continues to increase from other factors but those in opposition to the new school fail to address those if traffic is their major concern. Pending expansion of the Longmeadow Shops, two new developments in the East Longmeadow office/industrial complex and the possibility of a warehouse at the former Package Machinery in East Longmeadow will all impact increased traffic into Longmeadow. The office development on the Longmeadow-East Longmeadow over the last few years has also increased traffic. Traffic filters into town daily from bordering Springfield and Enfield which have combined populations of over 200,000 residents.
The reality is Longmeadow is only going to receive approval for one new middle school as the town of 16,000 is built out and best option is at Williams as this would provide cooperative benefits and learning experience for students and teachers in one building. Teachers can take measures to collaborate across the school district to ensure curriculum and expectations are aligned and provided for our middle school children. Longmeadow residents are proud of the educational system it provides our children, and a new state-of-the-art centrally located at Williams is the best option.
Vote yes on Article 6.
Fran Bogdanowicz
Longmeadow
