My name is Will Gartley and I have been a Rockport resident most of my life. I have had the privilege of being able to return to the area after college to raise my children and grow my Engineering and Surveying business. I have participated professionally and personally in the planning and construction of the high school.

I have a unique perspective on the Middle School, I went to fourth grade through high school at what is now the Camden-Rockport Middle School, my two children went there and my wife taught there. I have also been involved in the Building Committee since the fall of 2013, most recently as the co-chairman.

My main reasons for getting involved are the impact the schools have on my taxes and the impact the schools have on our community’s ability to attract and keep our young families here in Maine, and more importantly in Camden and Rockport.

I strongly support building a new Middle School. I joined this committee with an open mind and certainly not convinced of the need for a new school. However, after closely inspecting the facility and reviewing the engineering studies, I have concluded that a new school is the best financial option to provide our community the facility it deserves without wasting tax payer money.

For me there are three main reasons:

1. Renovating or Patching the existing facilities would result in spending a significant amount of resources on Building and Energy code issues that have no real benefit to the educational use of the facility.

2. We are currently maintaining and heating more than 30,000 square feet of space that includes long corridors, connectors and stairways that could be eliminated with a new efficient layout. This would reduce operating costs and greatly improve safety and student supervision.

3. There is a point with most old structures, especially those no longer being used as originally intended, that it is time to

. I feel we have reached that point, no matter what we do to this facility it will still be an old, inefficient building that is not ideal for the education of the children of our community. The cost of new construction and the cost of borrowing money will continue to rise, now is the time to act. Please join me in voting yes for a new Middle School on June 13, 2017.

William B. Gartley, P.E. lives in Rockport