Letter: Elders need consideration in middle school vote

Who stands up for us elders who have lived and loved Acton for 60 plus years? I am now 90 years old, obviously retired. I served Acton for many years as a pediatrician and, at the end of the time, as chief of staff at Emerson Hospital.

Pediatric visits cost $5 in 1968 and $35 when I ended my practice in 1996. Despite never living in a million dollar house or having a million dollar lifestyle, my savings are pretty much depleted.

I am sure there are many other Acton seniors in the same boat and the proposed middle school with its fancy gym, playing fields and auditorium terrifies us in our final chapters of our lives. Can’t we scale down some more of the “wants” closer to “needs?” Or is that thought too “old style?”

The flippancy with which $7 million was added to our tax bill, to the $102.8 million already voted, at Town Meeting Jan. 19 is, for many of us old citizens, our final blow.

I sincerely want the best TEACHING for our Acton children, but a lot of the ancillaries proposed are just over the top.

Nancy W. Hendrie, MD

Acton Greene