Embarassment at the High School

[DaveH]

My embarrassment with the facilities at the Wethersfield High School Lecture Hall this evening; I was at a meeting there this evening and the place looked like a tornado swept through there. We hosted 60-70 baseball commissioners from all over central Connecticut and it wasn’t a pretty sight. The carpet was ripped, torn, pealing and just darn right disgusting. There had to be 30 seats ripped out, lights not working and the balance of the seats were wobbling. To start the meeting off the Jaycee Courant Director, Peter Kokinis had to start out with an apology to all guest for substandard conditions.

As a taxpayer the embarrassment is that the school budget doesn’t allow for the renovation /maintenance of our schools. I hope the new budget has allowance in it to fix this disgrace. How about the gymnasium, the paint is pealing off the bricks, missing lights just to name a few problems.

Come on; let’s spend some money on our infrastructure.

[oldetowne]

Understood and agreed. Unfortunately, you aren't going to get 200 rabid fans of seats and carpet (the indoor kind) to pack the Council chambers and make this the issue to end all issues. The same is true of the roofs and parking lots at the schools, pavement, sidewalks, drainage, etc. With limited dollars to spend, the Council and our state rep. have made it clear that the football field is the #1 priority.

[MikeC]

This issue has nothing to do with the football fields. This is just a lack of poor management and no funds. This type of problem should be budgeted every year to make improvements as needed. It's not this administrations fault, but the lack of vision for over 20 years with all this 0% tax increases. It is now rearing it's ugly head and thing need to be done.

[LouS]

There is a huge misconception about the organization that had 200 rabid supporters in the council chambers supporting the lights and field turf for Cottone Field (actually 300, as the extras were in the hall or had to leave due to fire regulations). The taxpayers of Wethersfield that are involved in this group range in age from just graduating high school and living on their own to my parent’s and their friends in their 80’s.

Our group supported and elected the town council members (top seven) and BOE members that made numerous public statements supporting the field and lights resolution. However, we are also a progressive group, not bound to keep spending to minimal levels that force our town’s budget to remain stagnant, which allows the lecture hall to be a disgrace and the roofs of our schools to leak and the text books to deteriorate, and the roads to become unsafe.

To the contrary, the town council members and the board of education members have our backing and our mandate to work together to ensure that adequate and cost effective budgets are developed to balance the needs of the town.

We see too many surrounding communities springing ahead, developing a positive and attractive “allure” that will attract those families that will aid the community in a constructive manner. We need to move out of the isolationist mode and understand that it is not 1960 anymore, that Wethersfield is challenged to make or break itself and anyone that is tired of the same old same old that over the past 9 years has created our current dilemma should be very aware that we are not a one issue organization.

[oldetowne]

Just wanted to make sure people were awake!

[Sparky]

The old saying, as long as the leaves get picked up, and the snow gets plowed, the rest is just details.

[Bill Randazzo]

I was talking to one of the Town Council Members about the Lecture Hall and in 2001 they allocated $35,000.00 to the BOE for repairs. Where the money went, I have no idea.

[DaveH]

It's been a month since our last meeting. We will be hosting another meeting Thursday 5-6, with the coaches from all over central CT.

Hopefully we can project a better image of our town than last time.

I'll keep you posted.

[Bill Randazzo]

Another meeting was held last evening and the lecture hall was still in shambles. I personally had to sit on the floor while there were 30 chairs in the corner piled up like they were being ready to be thrown out. The BOE has been holding on to $35,000 for almost 3 years to refurbish this place. Is it to much to ask where the money went?

[lakai17]

the lecture hall is barely used during school/for school purposes

[DaveH]

Bill is right. Fellow coaches had to sit on the floor. I was scheduling games and came time for one of our neighbor's to the west and " Does your team want to play in Wethersfield", and the following did not shock me,"NO YOUR FIELDS SUCK"!

By the way , it is an away game for us.