Recently, the School Building Committee sent postcards seeking input from the community via a survey. I’m puzzled by being forced to opt for either of two renovation variants, prior to the chance of voicing any comments and explaining why it is impossible for me to choose between these two options. The embedded video run-through is informative, but it is lacking other critical information to guide and enable a decision from my end. Meanwhile, I was separately made aware of a document that provides answers to a number of questions from the community. A link to this file on the survey’s website might have been helpful.
While the state of the Harvard Elementary School building obviously requires a solution, and the School Building Committee has put a lot of work and thought into this project, there are issues that make it difficult for me to reach a conclusion:
- There is no mention or estimate of any contingency budget. It is not obvious that lessons from the cost overrun at the Harvard Town Hall renovation have been considered or applied. The quotes to be solicited for this project may not meet the given cost estimates.
- It is not clear whether there are price tags calculated for other building enhancements, which might become prioritized at later stages of the project, for example, the cost-benefit of installing solar panels or providing AC to the building.
- I have not seen a third option that outlines and lists the bare minimum of expenses to address the most critical deficits, from absolutely required and urgently needed repairs (like the mold problem) down to “nice to have” improvements.
On a separate note, the Board of Selectmen may want to address the questions: Why could the mold issue, for example, at HES become so serious? How can such situations be avoided down the road?
Bernd Janssen
Bowers Road
