To the editor:
The Hardwick Academy (HA)/Hazen Union Alumni Association mailed out ballots to all H.A. alumni (if they had your address) to determine the future of the Academy’s Meneely bell. The bell has been in Hardwick’s Memorial Park for almost 50 years. There has been a push again to move the bell to Hazen. The choices given were to move the Hardwick Academy bell to the Hazen bell tower, where they already have a bell, or to leave the bell in its replica Hardwick Academy bell tower at Hardwick’s Memorial Park.
The alumni association’s letter did not tell people that two of the association’s board members had met with three Class of 1970 graduates in May. They knew that the Class of ’70 had a plan for the bell’s future. The Class of ’70 registered the “Class of 70 Bell Fund” with the Vermont Secretary of State, and created a bell maintenance fund for the bell. In fact, at that meeting, the Class of ’70 members were told that the association no longer wanted to move the bell to Hazen. That’s important information that they left out of their letter, considering they questioned who was going to take care of the bell after all the HA alumni were gone. You should have had that information before voting.
If the bell were moved to Hazen, who will care for the bell? Is it implied that the school would take over the care and maintenance of the bell? Who would pay to move the bell and how much would it cost?
The HA bell belonged to the Town of Hardwick School District. It had nothing to do with the Town of Greensboro or Town of Woodbury. Their students were tuition students.
If you did not receive a ballot for voting on whether to move the bell to Hazen or leave in in Memorial Park, contact Dave Burnham at [email protected].
If you are not on Facebook, you can join Facebook, then join the Hardwick Academy/Hazen Union Facebook Group.
Be sure to send in your vote. Vote to keep the HA bell on Hardwick Town property and not on property owned by the Hazen Union School District.
Jeannine A. Young
Craftsbury Common
