Residents living near Hutchinson School with whom the Pelham Examiner spoke welcome their neighborhood’s biggest construction project in decades.

With nearly 70 percent support from Pelham voters, a bond was approved on May 15 to provide funding for the construction of a new building for Hutchinson School and for the “remediation and demolition of the existing Hutchinson School and portables,” according to the Pelham Board of Education. 

“I’m a pretty staunch supporter of this,” said Stacey Kaplan, co-president of the Hutchinson PTA and a resident of the neighborhood. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s worth it in the long run for all of Pelham, as we need this new school. We’ll just have to figure out a way to live through it.”

For two years, the existing school has undergone a construction program to replace its deteriorating exterior. This prompted the proposal to fund the construction of the new elementary school building. The bond has since rallied support from the majority of the residents who live near Hutchinson School today.

Despite the widespread support for the project slated to begin in the summer of 2020, residents are not without concern for the massive effort the construction of the school will entail. Major construction in a suburban setting could harm the community with poor air quality, unwanted noise and increased traffic. Some Pelham residents have also taken into consideration the effect of the project on real estate around the area.

“In the end, it’s going to be lovely, but it’s a five-year thing,” said resident Linda Levine, who may want to consider selling her home in the future, “It’s going to be very disruptive in my area. It’s going to keep us holding on to the house unless we don’t want to get what we might be able to get for it. I’m not thrilled about that, as a homeowner right here. We’re going to have to hold tight for a while.”

Nonetheless, Levine was in support of the bond: “It’s not going to be ideal for people that live here, but I think it would be short-sighted to really seriously let that affect my decision (to support the bond). I don’t see how you could be opposed to it.”