Letters
Support the Newman Elementary School repair project
On Tuesday, Dec. 8, Needham voters will head to the polls not only to vote in the primary for U.S. Senate, but also to make an extremely important local decision — whether to support the repair of Newman Elementary School. We urge everyone to get out and vote to approve the debt exclusion override to fund the Newman project.
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- The Needham Times
Second Ave
Why we must repair the Newman Elementary School now
Make no mistake about it, other than Needham High School, no project that our town has tackled in the last 20 years has had the urgency, complexity or price tag of the Newman School repair project. Our purpose in this column is to explain why this project is so important, and why the two of us joined in a unanimous vote by the Board of Selectmen to support the Newman School override.
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- Jerry Wasserman
Board of Selectman
Rolling Lane
- Moe Handel
Board of Selectman
Rosemary St
Support the Newman School repair project
As a former Newman parent and as a staunch supporter of the town of Needham and its schools, and as a current member of the School committee, I am writing in support of the Newman School renovation ballot debt exclusion override question, which will go before the voters in less than one week.
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- Connie Barr
Edgewater Drive
Clarifying misconceptions about the Newman School repair project
There were a couple of confusing letters to the editor last week that should be clarified.
In one letter, the cost per square foot for the Newman project is compared with the purported cost per square foot for the Norwood High School project.
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- Marianne Cooley
High Street
Needham School Committee
Needham Permanent Public Building Committee
School Committee Chairman supports Newman override
After months of debate and discussion about the renovation of the Newman School, there is little new that can be added to enlighten or add further clarity to the issue. After careful study, experts in the field of engineering and architecture have advised that the full replacement of the HVAC system is the wisest, and truly only, solution to the problem.
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- Joe Barnes
Chairman, School Committee
Get the facts and support Newman Elementary School override
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- Sharon Greenholt
High School students support Newman
As Needham High School Student Council members, we would like to address the upcoming override concerning the Newman Elementary School.
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- Needham High School Student Council
Vote ‘Yes’ on Newman
I am writing to express my support for the Newman override. Newman is our largest elementary school, and its deteriorating heating and ventilation system is a major liability that demands attention. A failure to pass this override would risk losing more than $8 million in state funding.
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- John O’Leary
Edwardel Road
Town Meeting member, Precinct 1
School Committee
No time like the present for Needham to do the Newman School HVAC project
Recently we found out that the roof on our house was leaking. The timing was lousy. We are paying college tuition bills, mortgage bills, rising utility bills and tax bills. For a brief moment, we considered putting off getting a new roof until our financial situation looked better, but then we came to our senses.
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- David Summergrad
Green Street
Health and safety is the priority
In these difficult economic times, we must focus on our priorities and principles. As a community, the health and safety of all our residents, students and our employees is our top priority. For this reason, we are supporting the Newman School ballot override question.
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- Denise C. Garlick, RN, selectman, former chairwoman of Needham Board of Health
- Edward Cosgrove, PhD, Needham Board of Health
Democracy in action
Just as it just made sense to pass the operational override to open High Rock once it was built, it just makes sense to put the new HVAC system into Newman to provide a permanent fix.
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- Bill Paulson
School Committee
School Street
They support Newman
We are writing to express our support for the override to repair and update the Newman School. Our reasons are simple and straightforward. It is obvious that the repairs are critical and must be completed as soon as possible.
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- Leslie and Paul Tillotson
Howe Road
Pay now or later for Newman
Full disclosure: I live in the Newman School district and have two children in the Early Childhood Center preschool. I am voting in favor of the proposed override.
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- Karen Kajmo
Marked Tree Road
Newman teacher supports override
I am a resident of Needham and have been teaching at the Newman School for 15 years. In the late winter and spring of 2008, I was teaching first grade when the ductwork at Newman breached. That, and other breakdowns in the failing HV system, compromised the air quality in the school and that of my classroom.
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- Heather Colwell
Alder Brook Lane
Repair Newman now
Do we really need to spend money on an override for Newman Elementary School HVAC system? Yes, we do.
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- Richard Crossman
Rivard Road
LWVN supports Newman
The Board of the League of Women Voters of Needham voted unanimously to support the question for the Newman School renovation on the Dec. 8 ballot.
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- Karen Price, president
League of Women Voters of Needham
Realtors say vote Yes for Newman
On Dec. 8, Needham voters will be asked to approve $27.4 million ($18.8 million after state reimbursement) for the Newman School repair project. As Realtors in Needham, we can certainly tell you that one of the main reasons people move to Needham is the outstanding reputation of our school system.
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- Brian M. Barrett, Fairfax Road
- Paula Callanan, Lincoln Street
- Deborah A. Cerra, Arnold Street
- Angela Cox, Henderson Street
- Bill Dermody, Concord Street
- Jill Finkelstein, Pilgrim Road
- Amy Gworek, Coolidge Avenue
- Jennifer Lichtman, Hunting Road
- Cliff London, Tudor Road
- Maureen T. McCaffrey, Manning Street
- Pam McCurdy, Needham Realtor, Dover resident
- Jane McDonald, Great Plain Avenue
- Jane Migdol, Winslow Road
- Dalton Murphy, Howland Street
- Bill Paulson, School Street Address
CNS endorses Newman override
We, the Citizens for Needham Schools Board of Directors, unanimously endorse the override to fund Newman’s repairs, and we urge all residents to join us in voting Yes on Tuesday, Dec. 8.
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- Alison Atallah, Lindbergh Avenue
- Amy Goldman, Cedar Springs Lane
- Wally Johnston, President’s Way, Dedham
- Sarah Keselman, Newbury Park
- Susan Neckes, Gay Street
- Alison Reiser, Evelyn Road
- Caroline Sabin, Hunnewell Street
- Heidi Shaff, Meetinghouse Circle
- Jenny Solomon, Emerson Road
- Anne Weinstein, Carey Road
Together for Newman
The Newman School is a community asset. All Needham town buildings and schools are multipurpose property used and supported by Needham citizens. In Needham we build, repair and renovate town buildings together. Why? Because we are a strong town united by a mission to improve our infrastructure regardless of its preferential benefits to any one constituency.
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- Maureen Chamoun
Why support the Newman override?
Newman Elementary School houses about 800 children. Unfortunately, the heating and ventilation system has failed. It needs to be repaired, and it needs to be done right. The Town is presenting us with an override on Dec. 8 to finance this project.
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- Lita Young
Brewster Drive
Town Meeting Member Precinct C
Former Needham Schools Superintendent supports Newman HVAC work
As a retired superintendent of Needham’s public schools, I am familiar with the realities and constraints of school building projects.
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- Stephen Theall
Paul Revere Road
Support HVAC work at Newman School in Needham
As a parent of two grown, successful Needham Public Schools graduates (and the wife of another), I want to encourage my Needham friends and neighbors to support the Newman School override on Dec. 8.
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- Sheila G. Pransky, LICSW
Town Meeting member, Precinct C
Mayflower Road
Thanks for supporting Newman
We want to thank Town Meeting for its unanimous vote of support for the Newman Repair Project. As always, Town Meeting has acted decisively and with common sense in order to serve the best interests of our town and of our residents.
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- Madeline Wolfield
- Risa Sherman
- Ray Kwan
Co-Chairs, Together for Needham
Vote ‘Yes’ on Newman
As leaders in our school communities, we value healthy and safe learning environments for all children throughout Needham. Therefore, we join together to show our support for the plan to repair the Newman Elementary School so that it can continue to be a cornerstone of learning and community for the next 50 years.
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- Heather Goss, Fair Oaks Park
- Angela Cox, Henderson Street
- Karen Dasey, Brookside Road
- Lisa Hurwitz, Beard Way
- Jen Kirby, Great Plain Avenue
- Denise Bruno, South Street
- Andrea Longo Carter, Colonial Road
- Rachel Miller, William Street
Senior citizen supports Newman School repair project
I am a senior citizen whose four sons went through the Newman School. Newman functioned as a junior high then, and has since endured changes. Naturally, it has aged as all things must, and its aging has brought its own set of problems. Those problems include the breaching of the ductwork integral to the building, causing the HV system to fail.
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- Lois Sockol
Greendale Avenue
Eliot parent supports Newman School repair project
I am an Eliot parent, and I support the Newman override. I encourage all parents from all schools to join me in voting YES for Newman on Tuesday, Dec. 8.
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- Caroline Sabin
Hunnewell Street
Town Meeting Member, Precinct B
President, Citizens for Needham Schools
‘Making lemonade’ by fixing Newman
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. So says an old proverb. Well, like it or not, the Newman HVAC gave our town a lemon, but the MSBA is giving us a chance to turn this into lemonade by committing to pay $8.6 million of the cost, or almost 40 percent of everything except the temporary relocation (which we have no choice about) and the auditorium (which they never fund for elementary schools…
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- David Harris
Town Meeting member
Myth vs. Fact on the Newman School Project
As co-chair of the Newman Override Campaign, I have purposefully not written letters to the paper, instead allowing others to reflect the prevailing opinion in Needham that this work must be done. That said, I now feel compelled to respond to letters and articles of the last few weeks that have contained erroneous information, misleading statements, and distortions of truth.
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- Risa Sherman
Co-Chair of Together For Needham
Standish Road
Louise Miller, Jim Healy respond to accusations
The Times has allowed us to respond to a letter mentioning our names in last week’s paper. Given our collective 22 years of service on the Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee, School Committee, Town Meeting and Cultural Council, we take our integrity seriously.
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- Louise Miller
Town Meeting member, Precinct C
- Jim Healy
Town Meeting member, Precinct B
Defending Needham’s responsible town leaders
I am writing in response to a letter to the editor written last week. In reading the letter, I am disturbed that the author would call into question the truthfulness of a few of our town’s most well respected, hard working and fiscally responsible town leaders.
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- Jill Daly
Town Meeting member
Precinct D
Explaining Newman School costs
I have a finance background, so I dug into the numbers for the proposed Newman renovations. I’d like to share with you what I’ve learned.
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- Andrea Longo Carter
Colonial Road
Support Newman
In tough economic times, it is neither easy nor popular to advocate for a capital improvement project. But that is what I am doing in the case of the Newman School’s repair and renovation plan.
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- Jack Cogswell
Great Plain Avenue
Let’s be reasonable about Newman
As stated in a previous letter to the editor, it is time to shift the conversation about our town needs to common sense and reason.
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- Scott Brightman
Town Meeting member, Precinct C
Standish Road
Support Newman override
Imagine you are a teacher with a cough that lingers for months or inexplicable symptoms that cause hospitalization and long-term health issues that force you to leave your job. I don’t have to imagine it because we lived it at Newman during the 2007-08 school year.
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- Barbara Shapiro
Bridle Trail Road
Needham should make rational decisions about Newman and the Senior Center
We are facing important decisions about infrastructure projects that affect everyone, specifically the Newman school repairs and a new Senior Center building. It is time to shift the conversation from politics to common sense and reason.
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- Louise Miller
Town Meeting Member, Precinct C
North Hill Avenue
- Jim Healy
Town Meeting Member, Precinct B
Bess Road
Needham residents should vote ‘yes’ on Newman, make informed decision
Voting is both a privilege and a responsibility that we share as community members. On Dec. 8, I hope Needham residents will make an informed decision to vote yes in support of the Newman Renovation Plan.
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- Debbie Schmill
Brewster Drive
Support a healthy Newman
The School Committee will be discussing the Newman project and the MSBA contributions at our meeting on Oct. 6. We encourage your support of a safe and healthy educational environment for all of our students.
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- Marianne Cooley
- Heidi Black
Members, PPBC and School Committee
Support Newman override
I am writing to express support for the planned debt exclusion override to support the repair of the Newman School HVAC system.I was initially skeptical of the high price of the project, but I have learned some key facts that have convinced me that the project should be undertaken…
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- Sean Taylor
Warren Street
Good time to fix Newman
There’s no doubt that in this difficult economy it seems like a tough time for voters to think about passing an override to pay for repairs to the Newman School. But if you step back and analyze the situation, it’s actually a good time to fix the school.
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- Aaron Pressman
Support Newman renovation
…Needham’s citizens should come together again and support the renovation of the Newman Elementary School.
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- Daniel Katcher
Standish Road
