This is the letter discussed Tuesday evening, March 28, at a joint meeting among the Hopkinton Board of Selectmen, the Hopkinton School Committee, and the Hopkinton Elementary School Building Committee.

Members of those boards and Superintendent of Schools John Phelan made various suggestions on how to phrase the letter.

Town officials wanted the Massachusetts School Building Authority to see that although Hopkinton voters had rejected a plan for a new school, Hopkinton's consensus is that a new school is needed, just not the one in the plan.

At the same time, board members at the meeting wanted to ensure that the letter accurately represented voters' wishes.

A major complaint among those oppsed to the plan was that residents weren't in on details of the project until it was time to vote.

So town officials at Tuesday's meeting didn't want to start off the next try at planning for a school building project without residents' input.

But the letter was due at the MSBA offices within 41 hours.  The deadline was close of business March 30, 10 days after March 21 special Town Meeting.

Superintedent Phelan and selectmen Chairman R.J. Dourney worked on the letter over the next two days and delivered it on time.