To the editor:
Taxpayers in Great Barrington, Stockbridge, and West Stockbridge face a straightforward choice: pay once and pay wisely or pay endlessly and inefficiently.
The cost of building a new high school or attempting to patch the old one is nearly identical, about $89 million. That means one thing is certain: Our taxes will rise no matter what. The real question is whether we take on this obligation strategically or stumble into it piecemeal at a higher cost.
A “Yes” vote secures a single loan at a low municipal bond rate currently hovering in the range of four to five percent. It gives taxpayers predictability and efficiency. A “No” vote, by contrast, leaves us with the worst of all worlds: endless repairs funded through smaller loans at higher interest rates, layered with special assessments. Anyone who has ever renovated an old home knows what happens: costs spiral, delays multiply, and the bill comes in far higher than anticipated.
And unlike new construction, repairs come with hidden expenses. While classrooms are torn apart, students must be relocated. Those housing costs are not factored into the repair estimates, yet they will fall squarely on taxpayers.
The “No” path ensures that millions will be drained from our community every year, indefinitely. Those expenditures cannot be wrapped into a single, cost-efficient bond; instead, they will be spread across a patchwork of borrowing at disadvantageous terms. It is the equivalent of financing your mortgage on a credit card.
Opponents of new construction are correct about one thing: Taxes will go up. But the frugal choice—the Spartan Choice—is to vote “Yes,” lock in favorable financing, and solve the problem.
Bronly Boyd
Stockbridge
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