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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998-11-05 ad Hoc School Building Committee MinutesV/- 6 READING SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE MINUTES , NOVEMBER 5 1998 A MEETING OF THE SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE WAS HELD IN THE MEDIA CENTER OF THE KILLAM SCHOOL ON NOVEMBER 5, 1998. THE MEETING WAS CALLED TO ORDER AT 7:38 PM. PRESENT WERE JOE LUPI, JOE FINNEGAN, TIM TWOMEY, RICH RADVILLE, JEFF STRUBLE AND RUSS GRAHAM. JEFF STRUBLE MADE A BRIEF PRESENTATION ON THE NEEDS PORTION OF AN ANTICIPATED PRESENTATION TO TOWN MEETING, HE HAD A GRAPH OF PAST ENROLLMENT., PRESENT AND FUTURE ENROLLMENT DEMONSTRTING THE PROBLEM AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL. HE ASKED FOR INPUT RELATIVE TO CHANGING THE FIGURES TO REFLECT THE KNOWN BIRTH RATE INCREASE. IT WAS FELT THAT WE OUGHT TO STICK TO THE NESDEC PROJECTIONS FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONSISTENCY ESPECIALLY SINCE THESE FIGURES WERE THE ENROLLMENT PROJECTIONS VOTED ON BY THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE AS THE OFFICIAL PROJECTIONS. THE MEETING WAS TURNED OVER TO SID BOWEN AND GORDAN CHRISTENSEN TO OUTLINE A PLAN FOR THE NEW SCHOOL ANF THE PLAN FOR ADDITIONS AND RENOVATIONS FOR THE BARROWS SCHOOL. THE PLAN OUTLINED THE REQUIRED NUMBER OF ROOMS AND CORE FACILITIES ON A GRADED LEVEL SLOPING TO THE BACK OF THE BUILDING. SID ALSO REFERENCED ACCESS TO THE BUILDING POTENTIALLY USING THE NEW ROAD ON SUNSET ROCK ROAD AND THE EXISTING FOX RUN LANE. THE PRIVATE OWNERSHIP OF OLD SANBORN BEING A PROBLEM, BEST TO BE AVOIDED. HE HAS MET WITH THE TOWN ENGINEER TO ASCERTAIN THE FEASIBILITY OF THIS TRAFFIC PATTERN. THE PLAN, AS PRESENTED, SHOWED ALL PARKING SEPARATE FROM THE BUILDING AND AT THE FRONT PORTION SIGNIFICANTLY RENOVED FROM THE PLAYING FIELDS SITED AT THE REAR OF THE BUILDING. MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE FELT THIS MIGHT CREATE A PROBLEM FOR THOSE USING THE FIELDS AND MOVE PEOPLE TO PARK ON THE RESIDENTIAL STRREETS ABUTTING THE PLAYING FIELDS. RICH RAVILLE POINTED OUT THAT NO ROAD WENT ALL THE WAY AROUND THE BUILDING, SOMETHING DESIRED BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AT ALL OTHER SCHOOL PROJECTS. SID BOWEN EMPHASIZED THAT THIS WAS MERELY A REFLECTION OF IDEAS TO SHARE WITH THE COMMITTEE AND IN NO WAY REFLECTED THE FINAL OUTCOME. HE ALSO DEMONSTRATED THAT THE BUILDING IS CAPABLE OF BEING ADDED ON TO IF FUTURE NEEDS REQUIRE IT. THE PLAN DOES NOT REFLECT A PARKING AREA ABLE TO ACCOMADATE BUSES, AND NO TURN AROUND FOR BUSES SINCE NO BUSING IS ANTICIPATED. A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC, MRS. MANDRELL POINTED OUT THAT CHILDREN BEING REASSIGNED FROM KILLAM WOULD BE CROSSING MAIN STREET AND THUS SAFETY MIGHT DICTATE THE NEED FOR BUSES FOR r THOSE CHILDREN. WHILE ACKNOWLEDGING THAT TO BE A PROBLEM TO BE ADRESSED, THE COMMITTEE POINTED OUT THAT NO LEGAL REQUIREMENT FOR BUSING WOULD EXIST AND THAT CURRENT SCHOOL POLICY IS TO NOT BUS ANYONE EXCEPT WHEN LEGALLY REQUIRED. A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC, MRS. COOPER WONDERED IF SINCE THE BUILDING IS ABLE TO BE EXPANDED FOR POSSIBLE FUTURE NEEDS SHOULDN'T THE ACCESS ROADS AND PARKING REFLECT THAT FUTURE POTENTIAL AND BE BUILT ACCORDINGLY. SID BOWEN ASSURED THE COMMITTEE THAT NOTHING IN THIS PLAN WOULD PRECLUDE THE ABILITY TO ADJUST TO FUTURE NEEDS WHEN AND IF NEEDED. THE PLAN FOR BARROWS WAS PRESENTED RECONFIGURING THE PRESENT BUILDING AND ADDING THERETO THE NECCESARY CLASSROOMS AND CORE FACILITIES. THE TENNIS COURTS AT BARROWS WOULD BE TAKEN TO ACCOMPLISH THIS, BUT IT WAS POINTED OUT THAT SIGNIFICANT LAND WAS LEFT AT BARROWS FOR RECREATIONAL USE AND IF BUILT TO REPLACE THAT TAKEN FOR SCHOOLS SUCH RECREATIONAL FACILITIES WOULD BE PAID FOR BY THE STATE AT THE TWO THIRDS REIMBURSEMENT LEVEL. THE CHAIR EXPLAINED TO THE COMMITTEE THAT FITTING THIS WHOLE PROJECT INTO THE CAPITAL, PLAN WAS AN ONGOING EFFORT AND THAT THE BIDS FOR THE LANDFILL WERE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE CAPITAL PLAN IN GENERAL. THE EFFECT ON THE OPERATING BUDGET OF A NEW SCHOOL WAS DISCUSSED AND THE CHAIR EXPLAINED THAT ANY DISCUSSION OF BUDGET TO TOWN MEETING WOULD BE TURNED OVER TO THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE AND OR ADMINISTRATION, SINCE SUCH WAS NOT THE BAILIWICK OF THE SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE. THE SUPERINTENDENT, HAVING JOINED THE MEETING, SAID THAT HE WAS SURPRISED AT THE LOW IMPACT OF SUCH A BUDGET, MAINLY BECAUSE OF THE ELIMINATION OF BUSING MADE POSSIBLE BY THE NEW BUILDING. A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC, MRS. COOPER POINTED OUT THAT NOT DOING BUSING HAD AN IMPACT ON REIMBURSEMENT TO THE TOWN ON THE OTHER END AND THIS SHOULD NOT BE LEFT OUT OF THE CALCULATIONS. JEFF STRUBLE ASKED THAT IN THE DISCUSSION ABOUT SPACE AND ENROLLMENT, THAT THE SIGNIFICANT NEED FOR CORE FACILITIES WAS ALSO BEING MET IN THIS PLAN. THE SUPERINTENDENT OUTLINED THENEEDS FOR CORE FACILITIES WITHIN THE SYSTEM AND STRESSED THE COST OF DOING THOSE WITHOUT SBAB REIMBURSEMENT WOULD BE GREAT. THE CHAIR CAUTIONED THAT TOWN MEETING WOULD RECOGNIZE THAT THOSE NEEDS WITHOUT SBAB WOULD BE AT THE DISCRETION OF TOWN MEETING WHEREAS THE CORE FACILITIES WITHIN THE PLAN BECAME NECESSARY BECAUSE OF THE TWO THIRDS REIMBURSEMENT BY THE STATE. A SERIES OF MEETINGS WILL BE HELD BETWEEN NOW AND TOWN MEETING. EACH OF THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS WILL HOST A MEETING. A MEETING WITH THE NEIGHBORS WILL BE HELD AT THE PARKER MIDDLE SCHOOL ON NOVEMBER IS. A MEETING SPECIFICALLY GEARED TO TOWN MEETING MEMBERS WILL BE HELD ON DECEMBER 5 AT PARKER MIDDLE SCHOOL OTHER REQUIRED MEETINGS WITH TOWN BOARDS AND COMMITTEES WILL BE SCHEDULED AS NEEDED. THE CHAIR WILL MAKE A REPORT OF PROGRESS ON MONDAY NOVEMBER 9 AT THE SCHEDULED SUBSEQUENT TOWN MEETING. ON MOTION OF RICH RADVILLE, SECONDED BY TIM TWOMEY, THE COMMITTEE VOTED TO ADJOURN AT 9:35PM.