Special Board of Aldermen Public Hearing — 12/16/2019 Page 18
So my question | guess for Alderman Dowd being the Chair of the Committee, | want to get a sense for sometimes
as we are expressing these concerns we are feeling placated, and | want to know, what is your plan. What is the
JSSBC, the Aldermen’s plan for working with us, the community? Because you had said yourself at one of the
JSSBC meetings that the top priorities are the safety of the children because we have concerns about the streets
and how Buck Meadow is going to work, you know, that is a very narrow road, there’s fog, there’s wetlands,
whatever. You know there’s concerns about having the safety of the children but also, the least disruption to the
neighborhood. So that’s my question is how do you plan to work with us to make sure that happens. Because |
can continue showing up at these meetings, you are not going to get rid of me that easily. But you know we want
to make sure that if this school is going in 100% yes, then our view has changed from “No | don’t want it”, to “OK
let’s compromise” and that means we are willing to compromise but we want you to compromise too.
Chairman Dowd
I'll let Harriman chime in as well but it has been our, as we mentioned in several of our meetings before, we are in
the concept phase now, we are going into detail design phase and we will be interfacing with all of the parties that
we have interfaced with since the beginning; whether it is local City Departments, neighbors, teachers,
administrators, as we have finalize the design. The intent is to make it as more neighborhood friendly as possible.
Would you like to add some more?
Mr. Lee
Sure Alderman Dowd and we have appreciated the input that we have received from the neighbors at the two most
recent public hearings that we have had so we echo sort of the sentiment of sort of collaboration going forward. If
the project were to move forward, we are committed also to continuing that dialogue to understand how we can
look at the development and create the least possible impact to the abutters.
Ms. Ford And | do want to thank you for the design, you know, | had said | think at the last meeting where | saw
you, specifically how the main use of the buildings where the classrooms are sort of on that south part where they
might be after school weekend activities that are in the northern part of the design, where that would be just
physically further away from the housing. So that’s great, | want to thank you for that, that kind of thing, right? |
know there will be JSSBC meetings, but will have they public input through the detailed design phase?
Chairman Dowd
Oh absolutely, absolutely, and you'll be invited.
Ms. Ford You can’t stop me, I’m not going anywhere.
Chairman Dowd
We don’t want to stop you.
Ms. Ford But | do want to say as much as | was staunchly opposed to it, like | said, once Harriman came out with
their design | felt a little bit better about it. You know, as a parent, | do want to state for the record that | feel in
favor of this, | have a daughter she’s 3 years old, eventually she will be going to this new school. | much prefer her
in a State of the Art brand new school than at Elm Street, the current school as it is. So thank you for your time.
Fred Teeboom 24 Cheyenne Drive. | looked at the questions that were just handed to me, but nowhere in the
questions is a question “can we afford this”. Answer the question, can we afford that. So | have a couple of
questions, first of all you mentioned detailed concept design. To what detail have these concepts been
developed?
