Letter: Approve transfer of North School

This March, the voters of Springfield will be asked to approve the transfer of the North School in North Springfield and its surrounding property to the newly formed North School Preservation Society, a nonprofit organization made up of local citizens who are dedicated to the preservation of the building and grounds for community use and recreation.

The property is well known in Springfield as the site of a playground, an ice skating rink and a soccer playing field for the Town of Springfield Recreation Department. It also includes a hiking trail that is used by nature lovers and winter sports enthusiasts. The school building, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2009, is an impressive building that has been the source of education and thousands of fond memories for several generations of local elementary school graduates and their teachers.

The North School Preservation Society, which is made up of members of the North School Recreation Park Committee and others, was formed expressly for the purpose of saving the building and property for community and recreation use in the years to come and for future generations. The officers of the society include myself as president, Vice President Jean Willard, Treasurer Christy Gilchrist and Secretary Edwin Fransen. We, along with some of our neighbors, have joined together to maintain the property for recreation and restore the building as a community center for civic pursuits, arts, history and recreation. We are actively seeking grants and donations, both monetary and voluntary, to make the North School and its grounds a vital center for community activity.

We ask the voters of Springfield to support our cause and vote to allow the transfer of this property to the North School Preservation Society when they cast their ballots on March 2. A vote in favor of this transfer is a vote to save the school and playground now and for posterity. It is also a vote of confidence in the future of our town and community.

Our members will be at Town Meeting on March 1 to introduce ourselves to the voters and be available for questions. For more information about the North School Preservation Society or how you can help, you may call me at 886-1186 or Vice President Jean Willard at 886-2730, or check our Web site at http://nsvt.awardspace.us.

We look forward to seeing you at Town Meeting on March 1.

Francine Provost

(President, North School Preservation Society Inc.)

North Springfield