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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-02-10 ad Hoc School Building Committee MinutesREADING SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE MINUTES FEBRUARY 10 1999 A MEETING OF THE READING SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE WAS HELD ON FEBRUARY 10 1999. THE MEETING WAS CALLED TO ORDER AT 7:51 PM. PRESENT WERE ROGER SANSTED, MARGARET COWELL, RICH RADVILLE, TIM TWOMEY, JOE FINNEGAN, JEFF STRUBLE AND RUSS GRAHAM. THE CHAIR COMMENDED THE COMMITTEE FOR THE EFFORT AND DEDICATION LEADING UP TO A VERY SUCCESSFUL SPECIAL TOWN MEETING RELATIVE TO THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROBLEM. EIGHTY PERCENT OF TOWN MEETING SUPPORTED THE RECCOMENDATION OF THE SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE RELATIVE TO THE SOLUTION TO THE ELEMENTARY ENROLLMENT PROBLEM. THE READING SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE, BEING A SPECIAL COMMITTEE OF TOWN MEETING, WAS THUS VERY SUCCESSFUL IN CARRYING OUT ITS RESPONSIBILITY. A SPECIAL ELECTION WHICH WAS CALLED RELATIVE TO THAT TOWN MEETING VOTE OVERTURNED ONE ARTICLE ON THE NEW SCHOOL AND APPROVED THE OTHER ARTICLE RELATIVE TO RENOVATING AND ADDING ON TO THE BARROWS SCHOOL. THE RESULT CREATES A QUANDARY FOR THE TOWN IN THAT THE TWO ARTICLES HAD TO BE TAKEN AS A SINGLE SOLUTION TO THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ENROLLMENT PROBLEM. WHILE THE TOWN COULD PROCEED TO CARRY OUT THE VOTE, THE SBAB HAS MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT THEY WOULD NOT SUBSIDIZE THE BARROWS AS A STAND ALONE PROJECT, BECAUSE IT DOES NOT SOLVE THE ENROLLMENT PROBLEM. THUS THE TOWN WOULD PAY THE FULL COST OF THIS PROJECT OF 6.6 MILLION DOLLARS, AND NOT HAVE SOLVED THE PROBLEM. THE BUILDING OF A NEW SCHOOL IN TANDEM WITH THE BARROWS PROJECT WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM AND BE REIMBURSEABLE BY THE STATE LEAVING A NET COST TO THE TOWN OF 5 MILLION DOLLARS FOR BOTH, A SAVINGS TO THE TOWN OF 1.6 MILLION DOLLARS AND OFFERING THE TOTAL SOLUTION AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT GONE AWAY, AND THE READING SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE NOT HAVING AN ECONOMICALLY OR EDUCATIONALLY FEASIBLE ANSWER TO THE PROBLEM BEFORE THE TOWN, IS LEFT WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY OF FURTHER ADVISING TOWN MEETING AS TO WHAT IT SHOULD DO TO SOLVE THAT PROBLEM. THE CONSENSUS OF THE COMMITTEE WAS THAT THE BUILDING OF A NEW SCHOOL AS PREVIOUSLY PROPOSED ALONG WITH THE APPROVED BARROWS PROJECT REMAINS THE BEST ANSWER TO THE PROBLEM. RICH RADVILLE MADE A MOTION, SECONDED BY JOE FINNEGAN THAT THE READING SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE BRING BACK TO THE SUBSEQUENT TOWN MEETING IN NOVEMBER 1999, AN ARTICLE AGAIN PROPOSING A NEW SCHOOL AT THE DIVIDENCE ROAD SITE. THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. THE CHAIR WILL PRESENT THAT VOTE AND PLAN IN HIS REPORT TO TOWN MEETING AT THE ANNUAL TOWN MEETING IN APRIL ON MOTION OF ROGER SANSTED, SECONDED BY TIM TWOMEY, THE COMMITTEE VOTED TO ADJOURN AT 8:43 PM.