Though the issue of rebuilding Hanover Middle and High Schools was a small part of yesterday's Dresden School Board Meeting, it was hot on the minds of attending Hanover and Norwich residents.
A Hanover man pleaded with the board to keep the high school downtown, fearing Dartmouth will breach the "integrity of the town" if it acquires the high school's current site.
A Norwich man responded, supporting building new schools on new sites as "the best way to improve education." He suggested that the board consider building a middle school in Norwich, "to empower Norwich as part of the Dresden District."
The residents at the meeting were commenting on two plans proposed by the Dresden Building Options Committee, a committee specially formed to examine the issue. The committee gathered cost information and surveyed residents' preferences, narrowing nine original options to two. Residents were polled in Hanover and Norwich, as Dresden encompasses both towns.
In the first plan, Dartmouth would buy the land where the middle and high schools now sit for $18.7 million. Dartmouth would also donate land on the corner of Lyme Rd. and Reservoir Rd. for Dresden to build new middle and high schools.
In the second, more expensive plan, Dresden would renovate Hanover High School at its current location and build a new middle school next to the Dartmouth Printing Company, on Lyme Road. The option would cost an additional $13 million for taxpayers in Norwich and Hanover.
The College claims that it isn't pushing for either option. "Dartmouth's only concern is improving Hanover and Norwich Schools," said General Counsel Robert Donin. He mentioned that Dresden schools educate the faculty's children and maintaining a strong surrounding community attracts the best faculty to Dartmouth.
Another school board meeting will be held Jan. 22 to discuss the options further. To please residents in the Dresden district, the Building Options Committee may have to revise its proposals. For now, the only agreement among town residents is that the outdated, overfull middle and high schools must be renovated.
