Many East Haven residents at the Jan. 12 public hearing, when given the opportunity to say what they felt should happen to the old high school building on Tyler Street, repeated the same two complaints.

The complaints? That the town and Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr., was rushing by only taking six weeks to make a decision. And, that the town, and Maturo, was ignoring the results of a referendum a few years back in which voters said their number one choice was to use the building as a community/recreation center.

The Courier asked Maturo to address the allegations. Here, in his own words, is his response:

“I do not believe a six-week timetable is short considering it’s been a political football, back and forth, tossed upside down and sideways over the past 20 years. It is costing the town thousands of dollars every month that goes by. I campaigned on getting this done in a timely fashion if re-elected.

“This school was a very hot topic during the campaign. We believe we set a workable time table for this committee. It will then go to many other departments such as zoning, Board of Finance, and ultimately the Town Council for final approval. There will also be many more public sessions on this development. This timetable is for the committee to bring suggestions to my office.”

Maturo continued, “My thoughts on the building are no secret. I answered questions during the campaign regarding it being used for...but not limited to: government use for the gym, pool, Historical Society, [and] Teen Center, the rest of the building for senior housing. This [senior housing] is the biggest request I get as mayor of this town for over 16 years.”

Maturo concluded, “The Baby Boomer generation is a very big part of our population and they will be downsizing and looking for this type of housing to make their later years more enjoyable. It would also help put this large building back on the tax rolls to help our already overburdened residents in our community.

“East Haven does not have a large area for industry to help residential taxpayers. It is very important to make sure we use every space possible to help our residents cope with living in a single family home, raising our family in one of the highest-taxed states in the U.S.”