By Darrell Halen 

Selectmen have withdrawn a $1 million warrant article to build a second road to Windham High School after a similar article was submitted for the school district’s March ballot.

A move may be made to modify the wording of state Rep. Charlie McMahon’s $1.25 million warrant article at the school district’s Feb. 8 deliberative session, but most officials are supportive of his proposal, said School Board Chairman Al Letizio Jr.

McMahon’s article, submitted by citizen petition, would extend the current road to the high school to Castlehill Road.

At a school district bond hearing on Friday, Jan. 11, McMahon told School Board members that state law requires a second road for safety for the school.

“We need to do this so the school opens on time,” he said.

Letizio added that placing the road construction article on the school district ballot enables the project to receive 30 percent in state aid, another argument that McMahon had made to the board a few days earlier.

“Substantial savings would be recognized by the town,” Letizio said.

A unique cooperative effort among School Board members and selectmen will get the project completed, he added.

McMahon’s proposal is one of four school district bond articles that voters will consider this year. Each requires a 60 percent majority to pass.

The other three would provide additional athletic facilities for the high school: $900,000 for a second gymnasium, $778,500 for three fields and $3,819,980 for a multipurpose sports center.

“I believe it fulfills the promise we made to residents that we provide a high school that offers the opportunities (students) had at Salem High School,” said Letizio.

He added that without the additional fields, the school can’t properly support a junior varsity program. “By not having land to put facilities on, the school district is shortchanging its residents.”

In order to accommodate the sports center and extra fields, the School Board is asking voters to approve a land swap so it can have 16 acres of town-owned recreation and conservation land known as the Gage property.

In return, the town would receive 40 acres of school district property.

Not everyone, however, supports the bond articles for additional facilities.

“I want to wait,” said School Board member Barbara Coish. “My plan would be to fundraise for bleachers and lights for the fields we already have and schedule properly before we build anymore fields.

“It would be nice to have,” she said of the gymnasium, “but my concern is I want the operating budget to pass and I feel these bond articles could jeopardize (it).”