Direct Abutter Sharing Concerns re Proposed School Build at North Intermediate

Dear All,

My name is Karen Kenney. My husband's name is Sean Kenney. We live at 24 Ballardvale St. We have 3 sons and 2 dogs. We are direct abutters to the proposed project.

Abutter Related Comments

I’m worried about the hazardous debris and dust from the demolition and construction. I’m worried that they aren’t going to give us enough protection from it. A 5 foot fence with a tarp loosely tied to it is not enough.

The school is oversized for the space. I have the Town’s survey and I had to get my own survey which cost me $3,000 out of my own pocket. I frankly don’t know how they are going to fit this school between our properties. It’s an extremely tight fit and everyone knows it.

I’m worried about the noise that will now triple. I’m worried about my privacy and I’m worried about my health, the health of my family, and the health of the other abutters.

Which brings me to the pickup line. The requirement is it has to be 10 feet from my property. The exhaust from cars in the pickup line will contain harmful substances like nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter. These substances can worsen asthma, trigger respiratory illness, cause eye, nose and throat irritation, reduce lung function, and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. The exhaust can cause lung cancer and contribute to neurological conditions. This info comes from the EPA and NIH.

Please don’t let them put a school and its surrounding structures and roads, right on top of our properties.

Resident Related Comments

This is an oversized and overpriced project. If you don’t want to pay for that, vote no.

This project will heavily increase traffic. If you don’t want traffic to worsen, vote no.

This project will make taxes go up. They’re saying on average, the cost of a cup of coffee a day. You might as well make that 2 coffees and add in breakfast sandwiches. If you don’t want that every day for the next 30 years, vote no.

This project is extravagant, filled with too many wants and things that we will have to pay for that MSBA won’t cover. I’m talking about the other stuff, the stuff that’s not related to the definite needs of the kids.

We’ve been led to believe that the current plan is the only option. It’s not the only option. We can continue to work together to pursue an option that works for the kids and everyone. We’ve been told we’ll lose money already put in. That unfortunately is part of the process. We can’t focus solely on that. We can compensate for that by choosing a better, less extravagant option. We have to get it right. We need a better option for all. If you want that, vote no.

Sincerely,
Karen Kenney