By TESSA ROY Mayor Scott Avedisian has expressed support for releasing the $4 million in bond funds to the School Department, but City Council members are still looking for answers. I support releasing the bond money to allow the school department to"
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Mayor Scott Avedisian has expressed support for releasing the $4 million in bond funds to the School Department, but City Council members are still looking for answers.
“I support releasing the bond money to allow the school department to move forward with the repairs to the heating system and other improvements at Warwick Veterans,” Avedisian wrote in an email this week.
The issue of the bond funds was discussed for approximately four hours at last Monday’s City Council meeting before a council rule was invoked to end the meeting at 11:30 p.m. That delayed the conversation until the next meeting on March 20.
Councilman Jeremy Rix detailed in a letter to the editor that though he supports “allowing the voters to consider a large bond that would address the most urgent priorities” in schools, “haste makes waste,” and that schools cannot afford more waste.
“The City Council and School Committee must act carefully before spending millions of taxpayer dollars. Our schools are in desperate need of repairs, as detailed in the SMMA study,” Rix wrote. “My fellow councilors’ words speak for themselves: we are deeply concerned with the schools but will not vote on millions of dollars of spending without asking questions and getting the answers we need.”
Rix also commended Dean Johnson, who had reasoned building new schools would be more worth the cost than spending money on fixing the aging buildings.
“Our newest schools are over 40 years old; the average is 60 years old; some were built before World War II. The costs of HVAC, electrical and plumbing repairs/upgrades, ADA compliance, asbestos removal, etc. add up fast,” Rix wrote. “A study of replacing the buildings in greatest disrepair may lead to millions of dollars in long-term savings. At the same time, creating state-of-the-art schools for children will make Warwick a destination for young families once again.”
The council will hear the request again at a meeting Monday night.
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richardcorrente
Dear Mayor Avedisian,
The biggest problem facing Warwick is our schools. It is the taxpayers largest expense and our schools are terribly mismanaged by a School Committee that has lost the trust of parents, teachers and especially students who are leaving by the thousands.
Taxpayers have faithfully donated over A BILLION DOLLARS SINCE 2009 to the School Committee and what are the results in your honest opinion Mr. Mayor? In my opinion and the overwhelming opinions of everyone I speak to every day the SC has done a horrible job at managing their secret budget of over $160,000,000 a year. Don't you remember the tragedies of David Laplante, Mario Atoyian and the Ragosta Report? Please don't support giving them another dime without accountability. The Warwick City Charter says that "once we give them our tax dollars the School Committee has full control". Since the city owns the buildings, the city should be able to renovate them with the City Councils control, not the School Committee. Spending money on needed repairs is one thing, and I agree that we should, but giving money to the School Committee to spend with absolutely no guarantee that they will not misappropriate it is foolish, and Mayor Avedisian, you and I disagree on a lot but no one has ever accused you of being foolish.
Please don't start now.
80,000 taxpayers are watching you sir, and they are the ones paying the tab.
Happy Spring everyone.
Rick Corrente
The Taxpayers Mayor
Thursday, March 16, 2017 Report this
Justanidiot
eyes donot member donating any money to the city. they taxed it out of me with the threat of jail fines and taking my privates property. we needs a mayer that looks out for the tax payer not the elite rich who makes donotations to the skuls
Friday, March 17, 2017 Report this
NoStoryHere
Mr. Mayor. You would say that since you, and the majority of Warwick politicians, and their children, had lower property assessments last year. That means you pay less taxes than the unconnected people, so you won't have to pay for the increases.
Do everyone a favor and JUST GO AWAY, before the RICO POLICE COME to Warwick, and you and Ex-speaker FOX can have fun together in Federal prison.
WE ARE WATCHING YOU !!
Sunday, March 19, 2017 Report this