On their second night of deliberation, Town Meeting attendees approved several capital expenditures for the schools and went away with much to ruminate on regarding plans for the elementary school renovation and its jarring price tag.
Each of three warrant articles seeking money for the schools from the Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund easily reached the required two-thirds support. Article 26 called for $84,000 for new locks on classroom doors at the Bromfield School, so that teachers can bolt them from inside in an emergency. Article 28 asked for $20,000 to renovate the middle school bathrooms. Article 29 sought $30,000 for a study on how best to deal with the deteriorating exterior ramp that serves as a required secondary emergency exit. (Article 27, on the renovation of a science lab, had already passed both at Monday night’s meeting and at the ballot box on Tuesday.)
Ron Ostberg speaks for the School Building Committee at Town Hall during the second night of Annual Town Meeting, April 5. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Then a majority voted to hear a report on the renovation project for the Hildreth Elementary School. The 1950s kindergarten wing almost certainly will be demolished, School Committee Chairwoman SusanMary Redinger reported. And the 1988 building needs upgrades to its mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, as well as better insulation and a sprinkler system—not to mention fixing the roof leaks that have plagued the building. On the outside, planners are also looking for ways to improve parking and traffic patterns at pickup and drop-off times.
A handout prepared by the School Building Committee presented the expected schedule for the project, with a funding request based on the schematic design to come before Annual Town Meeting in April 2018. Construction would begin in May 2019, with the intervening year going to final design approval and the bidding process.
A pricy proposition
Because Harvard is working with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), which will reimburse a significant share of the costs, the School Building Committee is required to consider three options, ranging from the minimum needed to meet MSBA standards to a completely new school. Based on that range of options, the handout showed costs to the town between $15 million (for the minimum rebuild) and $35 million (for a completely new school). These are the estimated costs after reimbursement by the MSBA; residents would be asked to approve amounts about $10 million higher, with the MSBA repaying its share as the money is spent.
Redinger said the plan is to finance the project through a 25-year bond. The cost to the average homeowner, she said, would be about $45 a year per million borrowed.
The report drew several commenters to the microphone. Mark Buell of Littleton County Road asked how complete the drawings would be on which cost estimates were based. Bruce Nickerson of Stow Road wondered about the criteria other than cost that would go into the decision. Building committee member Ron Ostberg said factors including MSBA standards, the school’s education plan, and a cost-benefit analysis would all influence decisions.
As the line of questioners grew, Moderator Bob Eubank reminded the meeting that voters did not have to decide on any money then and there. In the interest of time, he closed discussion and moved on to the next warrant article.
