Faced with some staggering cost estimates for repairs to Bromfield House and renovations for the Bromfield School science labs, the School Committee held a special meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 25, to consider the reports from Gorman Richardson Lewis Architects (GRLA) in which the cost estimates had appeared. As the discussion began, it was clear that substantial reductions to the ambitious plans were in the works.
According to the GRLA reports, first presented to the committee on Sept. 16, bringing the Bromfield House up to code and making it accessible per the Americans with Disabilities Act would cost $686,572. In addition, GRLA said, repairs and improvements for the Bromfield School’s eight science labs and classrooms, plus four prep rooms, would total $3,474,300. The School Committee inserted those costs, totaling over $4.1 million, in its draft Five-year Capital Plan, but only as placeholders.
Science lab plans to be scaled back
By the meeting last week, however, interim Superintendent Joe Connelly said that he and Science Department head Deb Pierce had agreed that the $3.4 million figure was “very unrealistic.” Connelly estimated that reducing the scope of the project could cut the cost by at least a million dollars. He explained that the GRLA figures assumed all eight rooms were to be fully equipped as labs, whereas in fact only three rooms are used for that purpose. The other five are classrooms that contain some scientific equipment.
A major problem with all eight rooms is their heating and ventilation. According to Pierce, one science room in the sixth-grade wing has no ductwork for heating at all, and students frequently wear coats in class. Other rooms lack ventilation that meets the standards for labs where students use burners and conduct chemical experiments. When someone lights a burner in one lab, Pierce told the committee, the smell is detectable throughout the school.
Pierce suggested that the Finance Committee and the Capital Planning and Investment Committee might be better able to assess the school’s needs if members did a walk-through when the science rooms are in use. She said that safety is her primary concern, describing one room as “an accident waiting to happen.” Pierce also suggested that the committees compare the Bromfield facilities with those at the newly constructed high schools in Ayer and Maynard, which are fully compliant with state standards.
Options for Bromfield House
The School Committee then turned to consideration of the repairs to Bromfield House, where school administrative offices are currently located. A consensus quickly emerged that the building was not well suited to its present use.
Chairwoman SusanMary Redinger said that the School Committee has a responsibility as “steward of this property that is iconic in Harvard.”
Committee member Keith Cheveralls said, “I struggle to see this committee spending this kind of money on an antique house. I love the house to death. . . but it’s a very, very tough sell to me.”
Bob Sullebarger agreed, drawing a laugh when he said, “I feel like we are asking this house to commit an unnatural act by using it as office space. . . . It is a home and should be a home.” Sullebarger made clear that he did not want to see Bromfield House torn down, but said that upgrading it for residential use would cost a fraction of the amount needed to bring it to the standard required of a public building.
Earlier problems at Bromfield House that posed safety concerns have already been addressed, Superintendent Connelly said, so the committee can take time to consider all options. He also noted that, while it is convenient to have community education and special education offices in the same building with administration, many school districts house these departments in separate locations.
‘Fix it, sell it, or tear it down’
Cheveralls summarized the options as “keep it, fix it, sell it, tear it down.” He added that the GRLA report assumes that the town will be able to get variances on some building issues and that “the cost will only go up” from the current estimate.
Committee members agreed that the next step is for Town Administrator Tim Bragan to ask Mark Lanza, Town Counsel, what limits are set by the trust document under which the building was given to the schools. They also asked Connelly to estimate the space that school central offices need, so that the committee can consider other possible locations.
