Poll: Should Mansfield Build 2 New Elementary Schools?

The saga continues.

, the town council voted to investigate the possibility of building two new elementary schools over a multi-year period, while phasing in improvements to the .

The physical future of the town's schools has been discussed for years now and through it all, many have voiced their reasons as to why the town does or does not need the nearly $66 million project.

Last night, residents spoke from both sides of the issue. Here is what some of them had to say:

"I really think that this community needs to keep its schools up to snuff and do it right, and from what I have seen the most cost effective way to do that is the recommendation of the council and the board of education," resident Arthur Wright said.

Resident Ric Hossack disagreed.

"Should we build two new schools and tear down two perfectly good schools?," Hossack asked. "No, I don’t think so. Should we send this to referendum? No, I don’t think so," he said. "I don’t think you’ve [the council] done your due diligence as far as the repairs to the school that are necessary. I would urge you to vote no on this entire thing," Hossack said.

Resident Brian Anderson told the council that he supported the school building project.

“I think the school is a good idea," he said.

Resident Greg Zlotnick said the economic condition would pose a challenge for the community.

“Whether or not we need two new schools, I probably suspect not, because the schools that we have are absolutely beautiful," Zlotnick said. "They’re local. It’s a draw to each part of our community. I just think that we’d be hurting ourselves in the long run," he said. “If you want to do something for the students and you want to do something for the schools, really take a look at what you have in hand. Because the bird in the hand is worth two in the bush," Zlotnick said.

Resident Robin Weiner urged the council to deeply consider its next move.

“This is the time in history to proceed very cautiously with spending such great amounts of money," Weiner said. “As a legacy, I would like to see the town not leave a huge amount of debt and uncertainty for the future of the town," she said.

We’d like to find out from our Patch readers their thoughts on the project. Should Mansfield build new schools? Preserve the ones it has? Join in the conversation by taking our poll and share your thoughts in the comments.