Well stated, Alec! It is refreshing to see that some young people have common sense and can appreciate the value of "living within our means." You were taught well and appreciate your input to the discussion.

Well, I completely disagree and do not think you make a valid argument Alec. The "living within our means" argument would be great if you didn't contradict yourself. How much is tuition at St Johns Prep? Based on the high cost of living, why not attend a public school? Then maybe you would not need to complain about, a mere $20 more to provide future children with a nice facility to engage in extra curricular activities.

Shameful, one should never put a price tag on education. Great job Alec for paying attention at such a young age.

Jim Bennett

Thanks for your responses. I graduated from Tewksbury High School less than 10 years ago. While I too am at a young age, my opinion is that voting against this will only hurt the children of Tewksbury. The amount of drugs, fights and chaos that I witnessed in my four years at the high school was horrific. Encouraging children to engage in sports at a nice facility, why would you fight that? You are all upset about money and the taxes, then move to a different town with lower taxes and stop complaining.

Also - yes I am sure it is Alec's parents living within their means. I'm also sure there is a reason why children are going to private high schools as opposed to the public TMHS. I 100% value my education; by attending the public high school and paying my own way through college I am well aware that money is tight. With that being said, I would pay the additional money in taxes, because during my time at the high school it was very sad the wrong path that many kids took.

Great to see you getting involved in the discourse Alec. A well thought out and crafted letter. I'll disagree with your assessment of an overtaxed community as Tewksbury has one of the lowest tax burdens around but I appreciate you adding your voice in such a reasoned manner.
I personally am somewhat torn on this one as I think the pricetag is reasonable and the project worthy, but I worry about the abutting property owners who seem none too pleased with the process.

Q: How many high school juniors know or even care what the town debt is?

Not every child participates in sports. So, the argument of " oh this will solve fights and drugs” is irrelevant .Those kids who are busy fighting, drugging etc are not interested in being “Tewksbury-tuff” and are most likely outsiders to that sort of sports lifestyle.
June, I too graduated a little under 10 yrs ago from TMHS- They cut several academics as well as academic extracurricular activities from the time I was a freshmen to senior. There are students who get bored in school because they don’t have a creative outlet or something they enjoy doing due to the lack of music, art and other classes/ activities they turn to misbehaving. There are also students who just will inevitably choose to misbehave due to something that is going on at home etc. A new sporting field is not going to solve any of that.
I think if spending money is needed then spend it on paying back debt, filling the new school with better teachers and more challenging classes. When I left TMHS there was only 3 AP classes available for students like myself who wanted to be challenged in school- They do not spend money where money is needed- They do not need a sports center, they need education and creativity.
Whomever thinks that spending money on going to a private school is foolish- Please take a look at the current TMHS curriculum. It’s pretty terrible/leaves kids unprepared for college. I would send my child to a private school if I lived in Tewksbury- I would make it a monetary priority.

My opinion is based on my experiences at the high school, and my involvement playing sports in the town. A few years ago the same exact sports programs were around. What was not around, were any nice facilities. In order to make the town better for the future, money should be put into these facilities. While I still live in Tewksbury now and would pay these extra taxes, I plan to eventually move out when I do have children. I would not raise my children in Tewksbury, but do hope this town can turn around. A my civic duty, since I currently reside here, I will take my vote to encourage something positive for future children.

Billvill: Ones who care about their future and aspire to do great things

Yes, the ideal situation would be to have classes that prepare kids for college and focus on things that may be helpful in the workplace. The language arts curriculum is in jeapordy- which is a shame because being bilingual is more important than a new sporting place. I did not participate in sports, I did not associate with the "jocks' or their counterparts. I didnt graduate or attend school with anyone who made a career out of playing sports. I knew plenty of other students who felt the same way about that and the educational system in the town. Going into college I felt unprepared comparing my education to others who had went to public schools elsewhere. I am glad you recognize that it is important to have more academics etc, but, spending money on this sporting stuff is not going to solve that problem at all. It may cause some more cuts if anything.

I too am in the "graduated from TMHS in the last 10 years" group, and I completely agree with Alec. This proposition is absolutely unnecessary and screams backwards priorities. Yes extracurriculars are important, but instead of spending the money on something that only a portion of the kids in town will ever utilize, why not spend it on something that ALL kids in the town utilize... the atrocious elementary schools that deter parents from wanting to put their children in the Tewksbury school system right from the get-go. I've worked in preschool locally for 7 years and when parents ask for advice about Kindergarten/1st grade it is hard to encourage them to choose the Tewksbury school system over a private school when their first impression of it is those elementary schools (with the exception of the Dewing). And that's not even getting into the situation at the highschool level...

I'm sort of off on a tangent here, but I just wanted to stress PRIORITIES. A Friday Night Lights stadium is not what the youth of the town NEED. Sure it would be nice idea if the town had excess money to spend on luxuries, but we know that is not the case for Tewksbury. BASICS need to be covered and brought up to par before a luxury like this is considered.

I have lived in Tewksbury my entire life and graduated from Tewksbury High over 20 years ago. The facilities were fine when I was there and they will be fine for the future children, mine included and I am a big sports advocate. It would be nice to have the start of the art field to go with the school, but with that comes a price tag. I too am on the fence about this and will decide what my vote will be on Saturday. I would rather see my $20/annually go to re-building North Street school, which is what we will be asked for next.

Go Alec. Free speech is good. The conversation is valuable for all. You are a smart young man to give this a go!

Yes Alex I agree with you. People must get out on April 14 and vote "NO" to this project. What part of "we have no more money" personally to spend on any extras. Build the field that is in the original plans for the new High School. It is not like you will be doing without a field. Many residents have made the comment that it will cost us more if we do this Super Complex later. We do not need it, so later will never come. Don't try to put pressure on people about something that will cost more if you don't do it now. It is completely unnecessary!!!

I am a student at tmhs and no matter how much i would love this complex it's not worth it. Spend some money on better teachers and administration. The group running that school is a joke. Being able to compete on that field myself would be great but there is much more this town needs. I'm not sure what weight facilities are in place at the new tmhs but the money should be spent in that more than the field.

Alec- It's a shame you posted such a strong opinion without knowing the facts.
1. You can't just use the extra money to fix our debt, the money isn't transferable.
2. Turf fields actually cost less than the original plan of grass fields without irrigration- it would cost more to maintain.
3. You are SUPPOSED TO INVEST money to better the town. That is what successful towns do. Our problem in the first place was that we didn't invest enough to better our schools and community programs. I believe that's what led YOU to choose to leave and go elsewhere where you felt they better accomodated students.... WE are trying to do that here.
4. Having a centrally located athletic complex will lower costs required for buses and transportation of teams to fields in other parts of town and Lowell. It also lowers risk for students.
5. According to a recent study of educational acheivements comparing athletes to non-athletes: GPA's are .81 points higher, Absences reduce by 1.9 days, Drop-out rates decrease significantly, and graduation count increases
****6. The town originally approved to pay taxes for an 80 million dollar project (the highschool). It came way underbudget at 68 million. SO, by paying for the new complex, we are STILL paying less than we originally agreed to by voting.
7. $20 a year is one trip to the 99. Hopefully people will stop being ignorant and help the town create a community center to provide a lifetime of great experiences and memories.

-Adriana

Adriana, don't tell me how to spend my money, or anybody elses. Not all students participate in sports. Maybe more time in the classroom and less distractions would bring our students GPA's up. Don't blame a lack of a Sports Complex on absences, dropout rates, and graduation counts. That is a bunch of bull!!

For the people who are saying they would like to see the money go somewhere else, it can't. It is either giving it to build the athletic complex or it doesn't get used at all. VOTE YES ON QUESTION 1. It would be great for Tewksbury and is completely worth it. It will bring a lot of revenue to the town and the kids/community will have a great place on TMHS campus to play their sports. Go to ftcac.org and check out the detailed presentation. It answers most of your questions and shows that the athletic complex is much much much better than grass fields. A grass field costs more to maintain a year than turf. Again, VOTE YES ON QUESTION 1.

Just checking out the campus at Saint John's Prep in Danvers. Pretty impressive campus. I am sure the reader is enjoying the facilities. Oh ya, they got turf back in '09.

I would think his "peers" would love to see the facilities so I attached a link to some pictures.

http://www.rothschmidgall.com/sjp-athletic-fields.html

Everbody needs to just take a moment to take a deep breath. The money that the town approved is done, the high school is being built. The taxes per household will be what they are regardless of whether the Athletic Complex is put in or not because of the building costs coming in under budget. If the funds have been approved then why not have a nice facility to go along with a nice school? Alec stated that the town came in very low in a Boston Magazine article. Should the town sit idly-by and let it just be that way? The building of the new high school is not the magical answer to Tewksbury's issues, however, I believe it is a good start. It would be a wonderful thing to not lose so many talented students (both academically and athletically) to private schools, wouldn't it? Each positive step the town takes to improve itself is another step towards putting Tewksbury on the right track to a positive future. Unfortunately, money needs to be spent in order to do that. Currently Tewksbury has one of the lowest tax bases in the area, which makes it difficult to compete with the surrounding towns who spend more per-student. Finishing Strong is just what we need!

Kim, with all due respect, your logic is completely off. I do not see the correlation between a new athletic complex and improving GPAs and SATs. As I said to Adriana, turf does not mean better teachers. Turf does not mean more challenging classes. Why not use the extra money on curriculum, not on athletics? Turf also needs to be replaced. So a small cost to us now, means a big cost later. And are you suggesting raising property taxes even more? How about use the money in a more constructive manner.

Alec, no where in my response did I make a correlation between the new athletic complex and improving GPA's and SAT's. It seems that you just want to be argumentative and antagonistic because you do not have a vested interest in the town. You are very fortunate to be getting your education privately. Since TMHS is a public school, it would be unusual and rather difficult to privately fund any improvements. I wish you all the best in your endeavors. I hope you're planning to go into law and possibly be a prosecutor....you sure can argue!

Honestly, this looks like a person posing to be a "Student" to antagonize the whole process and making an attempt to dilute the people that are against the FOTCAC and this project.... Let your vote do the talking!! VOTE NO ON QUESTION 1!

Friend of Ferncroft, I agree with you, " VOTE NO ON QUESTION 1". I am tired of debating this issue. No one wants to hear that if you don't have the money for it, you can't buy it. I feel like I have to tell all of the people that wants this Super Complex put in, what part of NO don't you understand. I used to use this statement with my kids when they tried to heckle me to buy them something. I guess we are dealing with children here. Put in the field that was originally put into the plans for the school.

Adriana, writes "$20 a year is one trip to the 99. Hopefully people will stop being ignorant and help the town create a community center to provide a lifetime of great experiences and memories" Your statement is every bit of what is wrong in this Town! Numbers can be made to say what ever you or anyone wants them to say, now I got some numbers for you- 2......TWO NO VOTES from this house, after comments like yours I can see why people are so upset with the group. I played football on a dusty weed filled field, our team won the GBL Championship! The center went to USC and works on Wall st, the 4 Star left guard is CFO of a Billion dollar company in Chicago, I went to UMass.... imagine this Adriana, on a grass field. Maybe you and your family are well off, but I'm not and I work 2 1/2 jobs, my wife works and we both volunteer in Town while raising two beautiful children! I would put $20.01 toward the South side fire station being open 24/365 before I put up a penny for your field of dreams! The student, their hard work and those supporting them determine his/her success in the future not a turf field! The gall of some of you to speak ill towards your fellow citizens speaks volumes! VOTE NO ON QUESTION 1, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

Wasn't the FOTAC supposed to raise the $$$ privately to pay for these unnecessary upgrades? What happened? Also when I was in school, I would have gotten straight A's if we had a turf field and I'd probably be a doctor (sounds silly doesn't it).

A turf field is not going to bring new businesss to Town, is not going to save lives, is not going to lower my taxes, families are not packing up and moving to Town because we have a turf field, actually, as I sit here typing, I cant think of why a family would want to move here now, with the water/sewer rates, property taxes, mcas scores, part time fire stations, numerous empty store fronts, the appearance of the "haves and the have nots" bickering over turf field. There are more pressing issues than a turf field in this Town and until all of us realize that we will continue down the happy road to bankruptcy, personal and otherwise! oh, one more thing Adriana, Towns invest in economic growth, education, and fiscal responsibility!

I appreciate the responses. I never said the field would save lives, lower taxes, or bring business. I just believe that as a student, who is involved in athletics, arts, and academic clubs, it would be a positive addition to our new school. If we voted on the amount already, why not make a positive change? It's not going to change lives, but it will provide something for kids and families to enjoy and look forward to... Maybe that's just what everyone needs!

I graduated from TMHS a few years ago. I was a three sport athlete and a member of the NHS. Sure, I would have loved a turf field to play on but I would have also loved an AP chemistry class. I got into an extremely competitive program in college and it wasn't because of the sports, it was because of my hard work in my classroom. I am not saying that being a student-athelete is not beneficial, I am simply saying it's not what got me here today.
I urge you to vote NO on this issue! Just because a project comes under budget doesn't mean we should USE that left over money PLUS $20 on an unnecessary, costly project. I love Tewksbury and hope to someday raise a family here but we cannot continue to burden families with extra taxes.

Steph and charmed, what does her being a student have to do with anything? Adriana made some comments and I made a couple of comments??? Dont come off the bench and try to make something out of nothing. Its called dialogue. Goodnight Tewksbury, tomorrow is a new day.

Yes, goodnight all. I still have my mind made up. NO NO NO on Question 1.

Is it possible to build the complex with a grass field? What would the cost differential be? In the mean time, VOTE YES to anything that improves the schools and public safety.

@June – your point about drug use and violence at TMHS actually reinforces why this complex should be rejected. According to statistics on bullying, school athletes are more likely to bully other students, engage in physical violence against other students, and have adjustment issues after high school which leads to substance abuse. These issues are underreported since school athletes are often considered to be a privileged group at most high schools so administrators look the other way. Spending additional resources on this group that already have a disproportionate amount of funding compared to other students only reinforces this trend.

With that said, many school athletes do learn valuable life lessons through sports. I am firm believer that many individuals learn more life lessons and learn skills that will help them in the workforce later in life. I have seen many individuals prosper in life as a result of these skills. Please keep in mind that every program at TMHS will continue to exist after this vote. However, making a statement that school athletes are above the chaos at high school is misleading. The current system actually makes life more difficult for some athletes post high school since they are unable to let go of their athletic glories from high school.

Everyone has to do what THEY feel is right. Let it go to vote and see what happens. Personally, I feel for the folks that are going to have to deal with the fall out of the field if it passes. My property value has already been damaged due to the placement of the school with the proximity to the lot line. Hopefully the Building Committee will live up to their word about the buffer and same true for the field. However, with everyone on FOTCAC not being abutters, or even remotely close to the field I doubt it. After Saturday, maybe the SC could talk a walk around the Trahan school. Looks great!! Probably what the complex will look like in a few years due to lack of maintenance. It's a shame that school looks the way it does after the death of Louise Davy Trahan, not a way we should remember her life!!!!

Sam. No it is not. I meant I would vote YES on any matter that improves schools or public safety.

Alec, as a student in TMHS, I am impressed with the involvement, dedication, and knowledge of many teachers. I take AP courses and I believe they are extremely rigorous. We currently have students accepted to Harvard, Cornell, and Georgetown, as well as many other great schools. Of course, everything can always use improvement, but unfortunately, we can't magically fix everything at once. Why not bring the town together on one thing we can accomplish, something positive. Instead of complaining about our town with no solution, let's take every little step to make it a great place to have a family and be involved in the community. Our new school is getting state-of-the-art classrooms, library, auditorium, and other facilities... why not add what we can to make our school even a little bit better. I respect whatever choice people make, I just hope everyone takes time to look over the facts and consider both options!

Alec
You have every right to voice your opinion, but you are not a student at the school and you are not a taxpayer either so your opinion doens't realy matter much to me. However, good for you for voicing your opinion.

I don't think anyone on the FTCAC imagined that some people in the town would react so negatively with regard to this issue. As stated before, the funds have been approved for this much-needed building. The TMHS curriculum will now be supported with new science and computer labs, a beautiful auditorium, state of the art classrooms, smartboards, etc. Students have been getting into colleges and going on to have successful lives in spite of the aging facility, however, that doesn't necessarily mean that Tewksbury should be satisfied with the "status-quo". Young families are attracted to towns that value education. The FTCAC is trying to take advantage of the timing and funding of this facility. The approved tax increase will be what it is regardless of a nice athletic field. You pay your $20.00 annually. With that, you get a nice facility with a yes vote, or you don't get a nice facility with a no vote. You still pay your annual $20.00. There's no magical potion to remedy all the issues the town faces. It just takes cooperation from the residents who want to affect change. I support all students of TMHS, scientists, drama students, band members, artistic students and even athletes. I will be voting YES on April 14th.

@ Kim -your comment indicates we are paying the $20 even if the complex is rejected? Can someone confirm or deny this point?

Was re-examining the FTCAC proposal online this evening. On page 7 there's one phrasing on there that concerns me quite a bit: '"This is what is currently planned but things can change when design begins."

That's a double edged sword that I hope that people will think about. Things have already changed quite a bit from what voters originally approved when the school was voted in. They changed when news of this complex became public. They changed when the decision was made to seek taxpayer funding. They changed when they said lights were being removed from the proposal 'out of concern for the neighbors' and then they reappeared. Last night news of 5 tennis courts to go on the opposite side of the building was revealed.

Given the history of this...that little phrase worries me quite a bit. The design can change and the costs can change.

Health Risks of Artificial Turf Fields

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/12/29/BA501GQJ6B.DTL

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-04-18-2021815175_x.htm

http://files.zszs.us/files/12%20-%20Artificial%20Turf%20Dangers.pdf

http://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/outdoors/synthetic_turf/crumb-rubber_infilled/fact_sheet.htm

Scott - I re-read the proposal and was taken aback by the exact same sentence! I think everyone should focus on it. There are also many "to be determined" type statements in this presentation (which BTW still contains much of the same inconclusive and/or "biased" supporting research). It seems they plan to leave many decisions to the school committee as well. As for the design and costs, I don't think anyone truly knows those now since we are supposed to approve this first and then a design team will get involved-that scares me. I hope that the sheer number of unknowns and vague/broad generalizations in that presentation will make everyone think long and hard about their vote.

Even the SF Chronicle attempting to bolster the Turf position admits to increase abrasion and skin injury. They don't however, cover what the long-term issues are should that field not be properly disinfected on a regular basis. MRSA infections from broken skin on turf fields are happening:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=alxhrJDn.cdc

Who is this kid?

For me:

Unclear, potentially changing building plan
+
Increase in my personal tax burden
+
Health risks/environmental concerns associated with turf fields
= A Big No vote

Alec, you stated your position well whether one agrees or not. However you displayed your youth by answering comments in opposition. One could sense some arrogance as you went on criticizing the high school administration, teachers and curriculum. By that point you were thrown completely off the subject. I wish you well as you mature. I do believe that you are an intelligent young man with the potential to grow into a future leader.

Two quick points.

There is no extra money. The town borrows what is needed to pay the bills to build the school. If $6 million of what Town Meeting authorized isn’t needed to build the school according to the plan presented to Town Meeting, then that $6 million is not borrowed and isn’t available to use for something outside that plan. Residents will pay the (average) $20 extra in taxes if the expanded facility is approved, and they won’t pay it if the facility is not approved.

People have said that the expanded facility could have been done through a change order by the Building Committee under the prior Town Meeting authorization, without going to Town Meeting for a new authorization or having a Proposition 2 ½ ballot. That is incorrect. Town Meeting decisions are restricted to the scope of the article that is passed. Town Meeting authorized borrowing to cover the expected and incidental costs of building a school according to a specific plan that was presented to the voters. The expanded facility was not part of the plan, and it is not an incidental cost, so the expanded facility is outside the scope of the original authorization. The cost of this facility is new debt, and it requires a new Proposition 2 ½ ballot vote and a new authorization by Town Meeting to borrow and spend the money.

I hope this helps those involved in this lively discussion. It’s great to see young people participating.

Keith Rauseo
Town Moderator

I am urging my fellow citizens to vote “no” on ballot question one on April 14. I can't afford it

A wise person said to me: "I now understand how Tewksbury motivates its residents to come to the polls at Town Election -- every year there is a debt/exemption or over/ride that goes on the ballot, people get excited on both sides of the issue, and this way much more come out to vote than would come out for the election of town leaders alone."

While I still live in Tewksbury and Would pay these extra taxes, I plan to eventually Move Out when I have children. I will not raise my children in Tewksbury!!!!Thanks June, I'll thinkl of you everytime I pay my taxes!!! a class of 65 TMHS and 42 year Tewksbury tax payer!!!

Given the choice, I'd rather use the $20 to pay the overdraft fee on my checking account. I was in good shape until I paid my water bill.

As a student who chose to go to TMHS I have seen many people leave the school district for the Shawsheen Tech and various private schools. Many of the kids who do not attend TMHS cite the building and school resources as the cause. For every kid who goes to the Tech the town and TMHS looses $90 that would have gone to students at TMHS. In 2011 Tewksbury paid $5.08 m for education at the Tech. This value is expected to increase to $5.63 m. To see a decrease in this cost, TMHS needs to stop loosing students. When more kids choose to go to TMHS, money can be allocated to improving education significantly. As I said before facilities and resources at the existing TMHS were a big turnoff for many families who chose to send their children elsewhere. With the significantly better facilities proposed by FOTAC, TMHS can attract more students. Think of the new community athletic complex a first step that will lead to greater things. Finish Strong and Vote YES!

To the people saying that being in sports makes better students:

Astroturf and lights will add exactly zero atheletes. Not one extra student will be in the sports program. (the exception is, as I understand, if we build tennis courts we could add a boy's team) I agree that sports are important, but we aren't talking about cutting any sports!

t

Point of information! With all of this debate up and back about this upgraded field, doesn't this show the need to keep an Open Town Meeting. No to the Sports Complex, and No to the Town Council form of government!

Wow and Wow. Good stuff on both sides. Private school vs public. Money towards schooling vs fields. A dusty field center that went to USC. TMHS students speaking their mind about how school sports plays a part towards schooling and the future of a town? What I don't get is the oppostion side complaining about the $20 a year, ok maybe more for maintenance etc..

Lets start with schooling. Tewksbury is an average school system in Massachusetts. Do students go onto Ivy league schools yearly?..yes. Honor classes at Tewksbury follow the curriculum of many Private schools Alec. You want a better school system? Better teachers? The best public systems in the state have average and below average students, those who work and are pushed make it, the rest all fall under average.

It all starts at home. Home, Tewksbury for us. The place where people do go and will go to football games on a Friday night under the lights when this passes ( and it will) . The community grows off of support of sports along with many other things. This leads to students confidence in MANY areas. This is NOT just for the student athletes...what about the supporters? Students and residents?

We bring in outsiders from other towns to display our interest/support in our students AND team sports. Does that dusty field of a zillion years show we have progressed at all? Sure some went to USC and new people have moved into town and want change...its time. For you without children....look at Reading, Acton, Lexington, Andover, N. Andover...even Littleton. Sports facilties do NOT make good students but build a community, and that leads to others wanting to move there, which lead to YOUR property value going up,when real estate turns. Lawrence , Lynn? That is your comparision? Those are cities? Not towns. All towns have rift raft that hang out at Friday night games...Andover, N. Andover etc... They also have Families, students, children and older residents that gather at a TOWN event and are proud to have other towns attend. It doesn't make average ANDY the "C" student get better grades, but it does make families realize that Tewksbury is serious about schooling AND school sports which builds a town. Go to ANY private school and point out ONE that plays on the dusty field...its part of the formula people , live with it. You want your property to go up, this School AND the complex will help. A 20$ a year investment is a joke...yes a trip to the 99's , maybe French's even. By the way they added a new sign...why not keep the old one? Maybe because new things are happening in tewksbury and maybe we just might be proud to drive down 38 and see new change.

There is a new family fun complex....going into South Tewksbury I hear....do I want to hear the old residents down play how bad that used to be and nothing makes it there? I want change....kids/ residents wanting change. These students want it that post on here and live here and the people want it. Why? To better our community..and incase you all dont know ...to increase our property value. Say 25$ so I dont have to hear the complainers saying increases....$25 x 20 = 500 over 20 years....see what type of increase you get on the offer on your house when somebody comes in and looks at the high school thei young child will be attending.

My kid is a straight "A" student and will be going to the high school....no question. Will she be cheerleading, no? Playing football? I wish but no. Will she and I be attending events at a classy sports complex...yes and proud of it. Take the Ryan and your past with it and bury it! Change is here. We we build Tewksbury. To those of you that want the Central Catholic, St. Johns, thats fine. The change here is good and I will grow with it. If you live here you want this...kids or not. It helps your community, for a very short cost. It should have been part of the intitial cost and we saved on that. Great posts by the youth. Way to get involved. Well off or not the kids are speaking up. I'm sure they all want the same thing....to be proud of their town, not laughed at when others drive thru.

June - Agreed.

If you have not seen in past 10 years the school system HAS improved. Now the new school , new administration is next...things are changing. Isn't it obvious? You got in for cheap. Pay Andover prices and taxes and see if it measures up. Tewksbury is a deal, and now we have a new high school and sports complex.

Wait your child had a few "bad" teachers along the way and still made it? Is that bad? or reality? He made it right? I am glad he had to struggle a bit with the bad teachers. Some move them out of aclass rather than fight thru, and EVERY school system has some of those teachers.

PLEASE name ONE other of these contributions you want to make that has a direct impact on the community? Pay ourselves for OUR field? Its a town field. The budget for this school has already saved the tax payers......AND increased your chances of making money on your home when the time comes. Stop gathering names to vote NO and collect the few cans you need to make your yearly payment. It is not a lot.

MVP, you are a very arrogant person to tell anyone how to spend their money, (if they have it), and to pick up a few cans to make their yearly payment. Who are you to say that this proposal is not costing a lot. Speak for yourself!

TMHS - Maybe there is not enough parents that push their kids...could that be it? Rather than blaming teachers we need to be more accountable. I still know it has improved and will continue. Do you think the people in Tewksbury has changed the past 20 years? For better? For worse? More involved in Education? Not just the outsiders moving in, but the ones who were raised here and stayed? I do.

By the way, has anyone ever wondered where all these cans come from that are littering our Town? It is our teenage kids that don't have a job, and get their money from Mom & Dad. If they want the field so much, why don't they turn the cans into nickels to support their own cause, we would have a cleaner town, and it would be a win win situation.

I wouldn't count your chickens until after Saturday and to be fair there were students' opinions on BOTH sides of the issue. The money saved on the HS project is less we have to borrow as a Town which is a good thing. If the funding was privately raised AS PROMISED you would probably see a lot more converts.... though that would not relieve the burden to the abutters which seem to be the "forgotten element" in all of this. VOTE NO.

With or without this "turf" it is part of the formula. The Ryan dust is not. You are either in or not. For $20 a year. The school went under budget no? We are not asking for a dome for 12 million...a turf, some lights...Are we over doing it? Cheaper lights? Seeded grass? It still costs. You want to be down there and say wow I wish we did this alittle different . You are not being asked for more. 20$ a year? vs what we got assisted with and saved on the high school. I am shocked how much people want to argue over improvement. $20 a year in the formula, that has gone under budget alrerady...is that a bad formula?

Mary , Mary and Mary. Since when is picking up cans for money degrading? I do it. I taught my daughter to. You do make money doing it right? How to spend that "can" money is up to you, or me? Is rolling quarters or pennies better? Saving change to better your community? Do you even want to be invoved or better your community? I question that.

My eight cents...and I hope this goes thru. Good town and improviing....up and down rt 38 and our schools. I am finishing my diet coke , keeping the can and returning it. Not a bad thing. Back to work. See you on the field folks. Do the right thing for $20 a year.

Mary lead by example. Start a clean up fund. Great idea. Adults litter also. Good luck with your profits. Invest wisely. A town is a great place to start.

Karyn, well put. It is less than was proposed though. I am done counting chickens.....I count cans now.

Kim - I put a lot of effort into typing all that...its about time I had a supporter. Thanks and keep them coming. My Tewksbury tattoo is on hold though .

v

I have three children that have gone through the school system and I have been reading the various threads about the new athletic complex over the weeks because I have been torn over how to vote. Our experience with the high school was a very positive one, both in terms of academics and athletics. The investment in the physical school is long overdue, as is the investment in the track and various fields strewn around town, so a small investment of $20/year doesn’t seem unreasonable. However, like everyone else, our paychecks are not increasing with the same speed as our bills, so managing debt has to be a priority too.

So, I’ve been trying to follow along with all of the various opinion letters and other articles written about the complex. Every now and then there’s a morsel of fact, laced with LOTS of opinion. And it seems as though the same handful of posters, mostly against the complex, voice their opposition at every opportunity, so it's nice to see some new posters here. (Kudos for the students that stepped up to voice their opinions – both For and Against). However, once you've stated your opinion, is there really a need to come on this site repeatedly and keep re-stating it? Unless you want to give the impression that lot's of voters are against the proposal, which I’m not sure is accurate. So for the next 2-3 days, I’ll keep reading, looking for the facts of both sides of the argument, try to skip over the personal attacks and the repeat posters, and make my decision at the polls on Saturday.

Obamanable. Vote NO!!!!

Obama has now been mentioned in a debate over a local athletic complex. Great to see the calm heads of Tewksbury prevailing.

Questions..it was stated that no study of impact of noise on the neighborhoods has been done. Who's paying for that? This turf field will sit within a few feet of wetlands. Who's funding the environmental impact study and what happens if it finds that additional measures (and costs) are necessary. Who's funding the traffic study that needs to be done since there is just one access road to the facility? Who's funding the police details that will be necessary at major events to move people in and out?

On the lighter side ....

Modern Idiom meets Classic(non-artificial) Roots:

A "turf war."? "Grass roots" organizing.

"Where the pelletized rubber meets the road?"

"For the kids." The politics of the playground.

Tradition. The "chariot track" inside the Roman Colosseum is the 'curriculum.'"
"Ludus" means "school" and "game."

The school was for gladiators. And is the root of "ludicrous."

This thread is consistent with a nearly 2500 year old tradition!

We are voting YES on #1 at our house. I am sure my comments won't sway the opponents, but I would like those on the fence to consider another viewpoint. If you read through these threads, many are the same people posting over and over. Consider that when tallying the real public opinion.

The upgraded sports complex will enhance the overall TMHS campus. I agree that a sports complex may have little impact on MCAS scores, but I can almost guarantee that a parent driving thru the campus on a house-hunting expedition will be impressed (even if their kid is not involved in sports). It will say that Tewksbury cares about our schools and education. Ask any realtor, a better campus WILL help sell houses.

Even with the upgraded sports complex, we are far below the approved budget. Some would call that "Living within your means". Others would have you believe that $1 over Prop 2.5 is not living within your means. In a perfect World, we would pay cash as we go, it is just not reality. This is a valid project that will add to our town's value with a reasonable price. Sometimes you have to make a personal sacrifice for the good of the community, even when you will not directly benefit. I think that is part of being in a community. Please Vote Yes on #1.

P.S. I will gladly support future debt exemptions to pay for new elementary school(s), a new fire station and any other project that improves Tewksbury!

i guess you are lucky that you can pay

Our Town Moderator, Keith Rauseo has posted some great information he procured by asking specific questions of our Town officials regarding this proposal with the intention of providing the voting public with the latest information possible prior to the vote on Saturday. For an overview check it out at:
http://tewksburyissues.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=10176
Keith provides a link from there to the questions asked and the (telling) answers given.

A few facts in relation to Tewksbury's 2012 Tax Burden:
1) Out of 351 cities & towns in Massachusetts, Tewksbury had the highest property tax increase in the state for 2012 of 13%. This $600+ increase in my property tax, definitely hit my radar screen and am now asking myself are we getting value for that $ on top of my other local and state tax burden? Clearly time to do some window shopping.
2) After doing a local property tax analysis of the 40 surrounding towns/cities to Tewksbury, I learned Tewksbury now has the 11th highest tax rate ($14.93/$1k) of these 40 towns/cities which almost puts the town in the top quartile which includes towns like Groton, Topsfield, Stow, Westford, Boxborough, and Littleton. The towns of Reading, Lynnfield, Winchester, Andover, Middleton, North Andover, Marblehead, Georgetown, Newburyport, Ipswich, Groveland, Boxford, Essex, and Rowley to name a few now have a lower property tax rate than Tewksbury. With this additional $2 million in proposed debt, Tewksbury will most likely make it into the top 10 list of these 40 communities highest tax rates for 2013. This is not a list you want to be on top of and I'm sure there are other Tewksbury folks doing similar analyses. People have choices and when folks leave a community due to a high tax burden due to either perception or reality of not receiving value for that burden, everyone loses. I don't know how any group can ask anyone in town to add on more debt after this enormous increase.

Gave my opinion before, as to my No vote, and being in town over 50 years. My folks Still live here and are in their 80's now. On their fixed income every New I want adds to their having less. A lot of people in town hurting now, and if you believe that it's only going to be 20 bucks extra...I have a bridge at the end of Whipple I would like to sell you!!

Two "NO" votes here for a useless inflated Field of Dreams.. we dont need another tax increase... i grew up playing on half grass half rock and sand filled fields.. we won many titles and recieved many cuts but made me stronger mentally and physically...not like the pussification of our youth now..mostly due to all you HELICOPTER parents. This town has jammed more usueless tax increases down my throat since i bought here 3 yrs ago... yet i still have to take detours around a so called bridge that no one owns... and pray that my house catches fire during buisness hours...All you buffoons who think your almost mediocre children will be the next barry sanders or mia hamm need a slap in the mouth...when reality finally sets in we will still have an over taxed town with the same red bonet antiquated corpses running this sh*$ show

I like the to fart in church, so why am I going to pay for a tax incrise? Kind of like a pussification? idk

Alec, I don't know where you get off trying to talk about what its like to attend TMHS? You've never attended this school so everything you think you know about the school is bull. Just because you were the kid in tewksbury youth football that got his 6 required plays a game, and couldn't keep up with the real athletes doesn't mean you can put down what tewksbury athletics is trying to accomplish. Unlike some people who can afford to go to private highschool and have their parents pay for college some of us will hope for an athletic scholarship. The turf field can only improve the exposure for Tewksbury athletes.The field wasn't passed, but at least everyone who reads this will understand that you have no town pride.
And for you Melissa, don't compare tewksbury to a town 30 miles away. Tewksbury is a special town especially when it comes to athletics. Something you clearly know nothing about. You couldn't spell tewksbury tough if I gave you all 14 letters. Your ignorance and unathleticism jumps off the page.
So we might not have a turf field, but we'll still be successful because we fight through adversity and don't have everything handed to us in life like private school kids.

I was attacked first when tmhs athletes were called drug addicts. So the way i see it i was only defending myself from other comments

If you felt personally attacked, I'm sorry to hear that. However, your comments only serve to perpetuate a wrong. Why not stop any name-calling and just talk about your own feelings, opinion or experience? THAT would be something about which to have pride.

It's sad that you continue to be on the attack and apparently to condone it. All Alec did was state his feelings without calling anyone names. Matt could certainly have done the same but chose to make it personal. And if you notice, RunningGreen is ALSO at TMHS yet did not feel the need to post by going on the attack. No one is expecting any high schooler to have answers to the town's problems. However, even a high schooler (and I've raised three so far) should have learned by now how to share an opinion without attacking someone else who possesses a different one.

I think your poor grammar sums up TMHS. There's a reason that the highschool ranked 104 out of 135in the Greater Boston Area, and the reality is, truth hurts. For the record, I am a taxpayer: I pay income tax on my paychecks, meal tax, and sales tax. To say that I don't have a right to voice my opinion is absurd. This is America I can voice my opinion, and as long as I stick to the facts, you can take it or leave it. I do not appreciate the personal attacks and quite frankly, they were uncalled for. If you have a problem with me, or what I have to say, I will be more than happy to discuss my views with you man to man, not over Patch. I do, however, thank you for your feedback and understand our differences.

i am not a product of tewksburys highschool school system if that puts your nose any higher in the air Tewks parent (<- great grammar).

Before this gets out of hand, let's just go out and enjoy the good weather for the next few days. After that whole debate, it seems like a good time to head outside and enjoy the fresh air.

This is a joke you go to private school and you have no pride. It will cost tax payers around $20 a year for the new complex. Your parents can afford to send you to private school, but don't want to spend the $20 for the loyal athletes of Tewksbury? Take a hike bro I didn't know this was st. Johns patch

I think there are more constructive ways to spend the left over money from the project, "bro." A new complex is reckless and unnecessary. I am just as much a citizen as you, and I have just as much right to my opinion. I really like how you can be confrontational and not state your name.

The saddest part is, you people fail to look at the bigger picture. You sit there and complain about all the problems we have, all the more important problems, without ANY attempt to fix them. Complaining without a solution or effort to find a solution is the worst thing you can do. If you're so concerned with something, do something about it, just as the FTCAC did about something they cared about. Each step to improve the town is only a LITTLE PIECE of the bigger picture- to improve Tewksbury, the experience of it's residents, and overall appeal and worth. Yes, this includes the library, senior center, police station, high school, and field. Don't be satisfied with what we've already done or we'll always be mediocre. Each project may not affect you directly, but the combined products of them will. If we are not willing to invest in each step together as a community, the town will never grow and prosper. Wake up people. Hopefully next time there is an attempt to improve an aspect of the community, you'll step up and take part in the town's progress.

Time for a reality check.

Matt – your attacks on Alec validate my decision to vote no. Athletes at many schools are considered to be a privileged group and are more likely to engage in bullying at school. This issue weighed heavily on my mind since this is a real issue at most schools that prides athletic success.

Your words lead me to believe that you are a bully. Most people are not blessed with athletic skills and have other redeeming qualities that make them great people. In addition, I did not see any mention of anyone outright calling TMHS athletes drug addicts like you claim.

Alec – I would choose your words wisely when talking about the downfalls of TMHS. Commenting on the quality of TMHS as a private school student is going to make you a target. Although I respect your opinions, I would take a less aggressive approach since antagonism usually fails to work in corporate America.

I am well aware of the institutional arrogance of St John’s Prep. I grew up on the North Shore and I attended Bishop Fenwick. Not every St. John’s Prep student goes on to be a success like the Prep would like you to believe. Many grads have been successful as advertised. However, I know several Prep grads who struggle at life both personally and professionally. I also know individuals who went to tech schools and public schools that have been successful. I truly believe that test scores, GPA's, and grad rates fail at 17 fail to indicate future success.

Chris well stated. I suggest we wrap this discussion up and move on.
I am very impressed with the passion of the young men and women of Tewksbury, you are our future leaders.

I would love to work with the Friends committee, the Patch and other local folks to organize a candidates Q/A geared for our younger folks before the Sept primaries.

Not a debate, just an information session.

I applaud Moderator Keith for all the information.