Financing “will be pursued and obtained” … sure, and I’ve got a bridge I’d like to sell you too. How much financing is required. Hey, nobody knows because site investigations are required to identify the scope of environmental remediation required. There are no plans associated with facility development, so there can be no estimate. We’re told “don’t worry about it” .. whatever the costs are, ‘we’ll pursue and obtain”. Pardon me if I’m just a bit dubious.

OSCC says they will do asbestos abatement — how nice. What happens if there is oil contamination of the soil … and of the underlying ground water. Anybody think that oil contamination isn’t possible considering the history of the site? Anybody every explored the cost of soil and ground water decontamination?

What about the costs associated with the ongoing facility operation. Staff salaries, resources, maintenance, utilities, etc. … where do those funds come from — the users? There is no kind of operational plan that provides any hope that the facility will be able to maintain itself, even if it were ever able to achieve functionality. Everything is “pie in the sky” and apparently based on the abilities of Wayne Creed to forsee the future. Pardon me again if I still am just a bit more dubious.

The OSCC proposal just doesn’t provide any detail to provide any kind of assurance to the Town that they can get the job done. Where is their project history — they have none — NONE! One could ask the same of Echelon; one should ask the same of Echelon — and the answer is that Echelon has a long history of successful historic renovation. They know how to turn an eyesore (e.g., our old school which has been decaying for years with zero interest expressed by OSCC or anybody else) into an attractive and functioning renovation. Check out their Project Portfilio of Historic Renovations at http://www.echelonresourcesinc.com/projects/index.html. Very Interesting reading – there is hope for the future of the old high school, but it lies with the Echelon Proposal, not with OSCC’s document – the latter isn’t worth the paper it is printed on. Congratulation to the town for recognizing it for what it is.