To my fellow Charlotte residents,

I am writing to request your support for the Charlotte Central School “bare necessities” renovation bond that we will be facing this coming Tuesday, November 3. I have attended several of the public forums in which the School Board has presented the scope of work and requested and provoked public feedback on the bonds. After hearing the different sides of the debate, toured the existing conditions and read through the information provided on the board’s website, I am confident that the proposed renovation project is both responsible and feasible.

“Responsible” because it is clear after seeing the conditions in which local children are currently attending class that major renovations need to be made to the space. There is extensive leaking throughout the school due to not only the failed roof, but the Exterior Insulation and Finish System (EIFS) that has become compromised and is allowing water behind it as well as not performing its insulating duties, and windows that are allowing water to infiltrate through their sills and valuable heat to escape. As a result there is extensive water damage throughout the “1949 building” and there are major insulating inefficiencies that need to be addressed.

These problems will be fixed in the renovation by adding a new roof with functional drains and code meeting – or exceeding – insulation qualities. The EIFS will be removed from the exterior walls and new stud walls will be built with insulation blown in, drastically increasing the building’s R value and efficiency. New digitized heating and ventilating systems will be added to increase the efficiency of the boilers as well as regulating heat throughout the school. This will allow children to stop having to wear parkas and winter hats inside their classrooms throughout the winter months as well as to regulate the school’s fuel consumption much more efficiently than is currently the case.

The proposed bond is “feasible” because the School Board has come before us with a scope of work that addresses what absolutely needs to be fixed while doing so at the lowest possible cost. While some of our neighbors may be weathering the current financial crisis better than others it is necessary to keep in mind that this is a tough time to be asking anyone for an increase in taxes (the bond would increase a homeowner’s property tax by $30 for every $100,000 their home is worth). While some would like to see the building torn down and an entirely new one built in its place, the current scope addresses what needs to be done and does so with an efficient use of public funds. These are changes that MUST be made and will continue to grow more expensive as time passes unless we act immediately. Asking for enough funding to build a new school in this economy would be difficult for many of our residents, but doing nothing is not an option. Our School Board has acted responsibly to provide a scope of work that accomplishes what needs to be done and does so at the lowest possible cost.

The opportunity to acquire zero interest loans and with construction pricing at all time lows makes this a very economically advantageous time to make a long term decision like this. By not doing so we risk ever increasing costs as the school continues to deteriorate as well as further exposing local children to safety and health issues. To me, the decision when all the information has been reviewed is relatively simple: we need to vote yes on the “bare necessities” renovation bond and make our school a better, safer and healthier environment for our children and do so at a reasonable and responsible cost to taxpayers. I urge you to support the bond and I look forward to seeing you at the polls.

Your neighbor,

Evan Langfeldt