BY JIM DEVINE
WINDHAM – If school officials
want the state to reimburse
part of the second access
road to the high school,
it cannot be a public throughway,
state officials have mandated.
Superintendent Frank Bass
said the condition was made
clear during a special meeting
called between selectmen,
School Board and department
of education representatives
on Monday, March 3.
“If the road should eventually
become a throughway,
that changes the design of the
road as far as the department
of education is concerned, and
it would make it ineligible,”
Bass said.
Previously the town planned
to extend Londonbridge Road
to the high school for $1.25 million
when state Rep. Charles
McMahon submitted a petition
article to make it a school project
to qualify for 30 percent reimbursement
from the state.
“The road is needed because
the school is there,” McMahon said. “Otherwise the
town wouldn’t need it.”
Regardless of the possible
$375,000 reimbursement, the
road is required to provide a
second access road to the future
Windham High School,
which is presently under construction
along Route 111.
While McMahon was confident
the road would be reimbursed,
he was happy a meeting
could be called on short notice
to give voters a clear idea on
the final cost for the road.
“If that (front entrance) was
ever blocked, say there’s an accident
on Route 111, there’d be no
way out,” McMahon said. “You
need that second access road and
that’s what’s required. There’s no
doubt about it. You just don’t wait
until after the fact to determine the
final costs.”
School officials were to discuss
the final purpose of the
access road at their Tuesday,
March 4, meeting.