A forum on Wednesday, September 28, 7-9 p.m. in the Amherst Regional Middle School Auditorium will give the community an opportunity to hear different views about an upcoming town ballot question. The forum is being organized by the Amherst League of Women Voters.
At issue is Question 5 on the Town of Amherst November ballot. While the state will pay the majority of the costs of the Amherst Elementary School Building Project, a Proposition 2 1/2 debt exclusion override is required to fund the Town of Amherst's share. Question number 5 on the November 8, 2016 ballot reads:
“Shall the town of Amherst be allowed to exempt from the provisions of proposition 2½, so called, the amounts required in order to pay for the bonds issued to construct, originally equip and furnish two co-located elementary schools on the Wildwood site to educate all Amherst students in grades 2 - 6, including the cost of architectural design, project management and other incidental and related costs, as well as demolition of the existing building and other necessary site improvements?”
Representatives from Save Amherst Small Schools (SASS), Bold Amherst Schools (BOLD), the ARPS Building Committee and the Amherst Finance Committee will speak. The ARPS Building Committee will be represented by Mike Morris (chair) and Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham. Marylou Theilman (chair) and Steve Braun will speak for the Amherst Finance Committee. Liz Larson and Susan Bellak are scheduled to appear for BOLD, and Maria Kopicki and Laura Quilter for SASS. Each group will have ten minutes to present plus five minutes to respond to other groups' presentations.
The remainder of the evening will be devoted to questions from the audience. Please attend if you are able.
