I was very disturbed to read an article in the Press last week giving an update on the HES school building project. Failure to report required information to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), the agency that will be reimbursing the town approximately one third of the cost of the new elementary school, is of great concern.
Even more troubling was reading that some of the rooms were changed to be smaller than they had been in the final approved drawings. Who approved those changes? One School Committee member with whom I spoke learned of the changes while reading the Press article. Is the School Committee not updated with proposed changes as the project moves forward?
Harvard taxpayers approved $53 million to be spent on a school project that had very specific goals, one being to increase the size of the cafeteria. Why was the School Committee not part of the discussion to decrease its size? Why were the changes not discussed at a School Building Committee meeting? And why was the chairperson of the School Building Committee calling its members to explain the issues outlined in the letter from the MSBA rather than having an open discussion at the meeting after receipt of the letter? Has the committee forgotten the open meeting law again? Have they forgotten the importance of transparency?
I would like to thank the Press for its excellent coverage. I would like to thank the MSBA for requiring several classrooms and the cafeteria to be restored to the size as stated in the final approved drawings. Finally, I would like to request that the School Committee and Select Board commit to asking for regular updates from their respective building committee members. A project of this scope should command transparency.
Willie Wickman
Willow Road
