Politics & Government
Letter to the Editor: Real Estate or Educate?
Hamilton resident Warren "Bob" Gray writes that a Virtual Department of Public Works should be established to take care of all of the town and school-owned buildings, so that the School Committee can spend more time on educational issues and less time on
To the Editor:
Does anyone else notice that the Hamilton-Wenham School Committee seems to spend an inordinate amount of their time trying to take care of the physical plant instead of educational issues?
Is this really the best use of their time? Over the years so many arguments, workshops, meetings, etc. have been spent on maintenance issues that our head spins!
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Maintenance money diverted to educational programs, bonding projects that don’t need bonds, terms of leases not adhered to, unqualified people making construction decisions - the list goes on and on!
School Committee members can’t be all things to everyone and maintenance expertise is obviously very low on their qualification ladder (with the exception of one member).
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There is now a proposed program that is the answer to their prayers! To recite an overused expression, this program should be a “no brainer!” It is...the VDPW (Virtual Department of Public Works)!
It is pretty obvious to an outside observer that this makes perfect sense and should be implemented ASAP. To put it in simple terms, the VDPW would be responsible for the maintenance of all the town and school-owned buildings, thereby giving the responsibility of the maintenance to people who do it for a living!
Other local towns are doing it, so let's get smart and turn the maintenance responsibility over to people in the maintenance business and let the School Committee members concentrate on educating our children!
Warren Gray
Bay Road, Hamilton
