Residents Given Tour of Rideout School in Wilton

The Nashua Telegraph is reporting that the residents of Wilton, New Hampshire, received a tour of the aging Florence Rideout Elementary School in an effort to sway voters to support a proposed $8.3 million expansion and renovation plan for the school.

With newest portions of the school already 50 years old, the schools’ facilities have greatly decreased. Currently seperated into three buildings, the proposed plan would connect one of the buildings with the gym. The connection would be three stories and would include new classrooms, cafeteria, library, entrance lobby, and upgrades to various infrastructure, including heating and ventilation. These new classrooms will replace the older ones currently located in front of the gym, which will simply be removed.

Some issues that the school faces are a lack of space (for the students and for storage), irregular temperature (temperature can differ over 30 degrees in one day), a lack of space for a special education program, a failing plumbing system, and a woefully undersized cafeteria. Most – if not all – of these issues would be addressed in the current proposal. These tours were intended to demonstrate to parents and other residents just how poor the conditions are for the students at the school.

The town will hold a public hearing to address the proposal and allow Wilton citizens to ask questions and discuss the plan.