Organization formed to spread information and build 'Minnechaug Pride'

Date: 7/13/2009

By Courtney Llewellyn

Reminder Assistant Editor



WILBRAHAM - Once the state releases the funding numbers that the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) will receive to help school districts renovate or build new schools at the end of July, the clock is ticking.

The districts that have been selected as the best candidates for a new school project will have 120 days to set a time for voters to approve the projects or deny them.

The members of Minnechaug Pride, a political action committee organized to promote excellence in education at Minnechaug Regional High School, will take the time between the release of the budget and the voting to get as much accurate information out to the taxpayers of Hampden and Wilbraham about the project as possible. They will do this through their Web site and through public meetings.

"This is an opportunity to build a new school," Jim Ross, a founding member of Minnechaug Pride, told Reminder Publications. "The goal is to have a new high school built by fall 2012. We're offering the support to help make that happen."

Ross said the impetus that led to the creation of Minnechaug Pride was that state stepping forward and offering 63 to 64 percent of the capital to build the new school.

"That's a benefit to both towns," he said. "[The money from the state] makes the project feel more affordable. We believe we're getting a great deal from the state. There could be a 'sticker shock' when it comes to the total cost, but we think it will be a reasonable price for quality education."

He added that programs at the high school are being hampered by the facility, and noted that the school is not just used by students but by the community at large.

"When we started putting this project together, we found out there were not a lot of people for or against it - they just want to know what's going on. They want the facts," Mike Flynn, a fellow founder of Minnechaug Pride, stated.

Flynn said he believes the high school's current state - which was rated a 4, the worst possible grade from the MSBA - is not due to a maintenance issue. "It's just wearing out," he said. "It's 50 years old."

Minnechaug, which is the only building in the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District owned by both towns, was one of two new building projects approved for the model school program. The new building, if approved by voters, would be modeled on the high school from the Ashland School District.

"This is not a 'vote yes' committee," Ross averred. "We only want people to understand the ramifications. However, we as a group are very supportive of this [project]."

"Both communities are very, very supportive of the educational system," Flynn noted. "They have always supported building projects in the past."

Ross added that Minnechaug Pride is a "very, very open group" that would like as many people to get involved as possible.

The group's Web site, which is currently under construction, should be fully launched by the end of July.

For more information on Minnechaug Pride, visit www.minnechaugpride.com, e-mail info@minnechaugpride.com or send a letter to P.O. Box 373, Hampden, MA 01036.