HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-09-17 ad Hoc School Building Committee MinutesREADING SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE
SEPTEMBER 17 1996
A MEETING OF THE READING SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE WAS
HELD AT THE SUPTS CONFERENCE ROOM ON SEPTEMBER 17 1996.
PRESENT WERE MARGARET COWELL, ROBIN DANTONA, RICH
RADVILLE, JOE LUPI, ROGER SANSTED, BOB GRASSO AND RUSS GRAHAM.
THE MEETING WAS CALLED TO ORDER AT 7:36 PM.
THE CHAIR REPORTED ON A MEETING HELD WITH THE DIRECTOR OF
FINANCE BETH KLEPEIS, ROBIN DANTONA AND THE CHAIR ON SEPTEMBER 11
1996.
THE FINANCE DIRECTOR HAD RUN A NUMBER OF FINANCIAL
MODELS PROJECTING THE 30,000,000.00 COST FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL CONTAINED
IN THE DRA FEASIBILITY STUDY.
THE COST OF THE PROJECT WOULD HAVE A SERIOUS AND VERY
NEGATIVE EFFECT ON THE FISCAL CONDITION OF READING. THE TIMING OF
REIMBURSEMENT BY SBAB WOULD HAVE PARTICULIAR IMPACT.
THE DEFICIT CAUSED BY SUCH A PROJECT WOULD START IN FY 1999
WITH A NEGATIVE TO THE OPERATING BUDGET OF THE TOWN OF
$1,632,000.00AND WOULD BUILD ITS WAY UP TO $3,500,000.00 IN FY 2002.
IN ADDITION, MS KLEPEIS HAD ATTEPTED TO SHOW WHAT VARIOUS
OVERRIDES MIGHT COST THE TAXPAYERS OF READING. EACH OF THESE WOULD
CREATE LARGE INCREASES IN THE PROPERTY TAXES.
THE CHAIR REMINDED THE COMMITTEE OF ITS LONG STANDING
COMMITTMENT TO ALWAYS BRING TO TOWN MEETING A PLAN WHICH WAS
FINANCIALLY FEASIBLE AND WHICH WOULD HAVE NO ADVERSE EFFECT ON
THE FINANCIAL STABILITY OF READING.
MRS DANTONA STATED THAT NOTHING WOULD SUGGEST AN
INCREASE IN REVENUE TO OFFSET THE COST OF THE HIGH SCHOOL PROJECT
AND EXPRESSED GREAT CONCERN ABOUT THE IMPACT SUCH A DEBT BURDEN
WOULD HAVE ON THE OPERATING BUDGET PARTICULIARY THE SCHOOL SIDE OF
THAT BUDGET.
ROGER SANSTED SAID, GIVEN THE HISTORY OF THE COMMITTEE, IT
WOULD BE IRRESONSIBLE TO RECCOMEND THAT THE TOWN PROCEED WITH THE
RECCOMENDATION OF THE ARCHITECT DESPITE OUR KNOWING THAT MUCH
NEEDS TO BE DONE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL
RICH RADVILLE POINTED OUT THAT THE FACT REMAINS THAT THE
STUDY EMPHASIZED~THAT THE BUILDING WAS STRUCTUALLY SOUND AND HAD
PLENTY OF SPACE, AND THUS ANY ACTION NEEDED WAS NOT OF AN
EMERGENCY NATURE.
ON MOTION OF ROGER SANSTED SECONDED BY RICH RADVILLE THE
COMMITTEE VOTED UNANIMOUSLY TO NOT RECCOMEND TO TOWN MEETING
THE PROJECT.AS PRESENTED IN THE FEASIBILITY STUDY FROM DRA.
THE CHAIR WAS URGED TO POINT OUT THE REGRETS OF THE
COMMITTEE AND TO EMPHASIZE THE REAL PROBLEMS OF THE HIGH SCHOOL
BUILDING TO TOWN MEETING WHEN REPORTING THIS NEGATIVE