HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-09-10 ad Hoc School Building Committee MinutesSCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTE
SEPTEMBER 10, 1996
A MEETING OF THE SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE WAS HELD ON
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 10 1996 AT 7:30 PM AT THE NEW PARKER MIDDLE SCHOOL.
PRESENT WERE ROBIN DANTONA, MARGARET COWELL, JOE LUPI,
BARBARA POOK, DAVID WILLIAMS, RUSS GRAHAM AND ROGER SANSTED. ALSO
ATTENDING WERE DR. HARATUNNIAN SUPT OF SCHOOLS. FRANK ORLANDO PRINCIPAL
OF THE RMHS AND SUE CAVICCHI CHAIR OF THE READING SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
DR. DELANEY PRINCIPAL OF THE PARKER MIDDLE SCHOOL WAS PRESENT
FOR THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING WHICH CONSISTED OF A TOUR OF THE NEW
BUILDING, NOW UP AND RUNNING AND BASICALLY FURNISHED.
THE BUILDING REFLECTS ALL THAT THE SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE
HAD HOPED FOR. IT IS A CLEAN EFFICIENT AND MODERN FACILITY ALLOWING FOR A
SUPERIOR EDUCATION FOR THE MIDDLE SCHOOL POPULATION AND A BUILDING IN
WHICH THE COMMUNITY CAN TAKE GREAT PRIDE.
DR. DELANEY INDICATED THAT THE RESPONSE OF FACULTY,
ADMINISTRATION AND THE COMMUNITY, SO FAR, HAS BEEN EXTREMELY POSITIVE.
UPON RETURNING TO THE LIBRARY, THE COMMITTEE WAS JOINED BY
PAUL MOORE OF DRA WHO.PRESENTED A RECAP OF THEIR FINDINGS AND
RECCOMENDATIONS RELATIVE TO THE HIGH SCHOOL.
BASICALLY, THE BUILDING HAS PLENTY OF SPACE AND IS STRUCTUALLY
SOUND. THESE ATTRIBUTES WHILE GOOD TO HEAR DO NOT LEND THEMSELVES TO A
PLACE OF HIGH PRIORITY WITH THE STATE SCHOOL BUILDING ASSISTANCE BUREAU.
IN A MEETING WITH SBAB, DRA HAS BEEN TOLD THAT CATEGORY 3 AND
CATEGORY 2 HAVE BEEN SOMEWHAT MELDED TOGETHER,BUT A LACK OF SPACE
PROBLEMS AT.THE HIGH SCHOOL WOULD PLACE IT AT A VERY LOW PRIORITY.
DRA THEN PRESNTED A MENU OF OPTIONS WITH ANTICIPATED COSTS
ATTACHED BROKEN DOWN TO "MUST BE DONE" "SHOULD BE DONE" AND "OPTIONAL".
INCLUDED IN THE OPTIONAL WERE AN EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER, A
COLLABORATIVE AND A TEACHERS TRAINING CENTER.
THE TOTAL COST OF ALL OF THE ABOVE WAS $29,420,282.00 WITHOUT A
CONTINGENCY AND WITHOUT U PGRADED FURNITURE AND EQUIPMENT. FURTHER DRA
STATED THAT SBAB WAS NOW REQUIRING THAT ALL STRUCTURES FUNDED BE MADE
EARTHQUAKE RESISTANT; THE COST OF WHICH IN THE CASE OF RMHS COULD BE IN THE
VICINITY OF $4,000,000. TO $5,000,000.00 BASED ON THE SQUARE FOOTAGE OF THE
BUILDING.
IF WE WERE TO REMOVE THE OPTIONAL RECCOMENDATIONS, ADD A 10%
CONTINGENCY, ADD EARTHQUAKE PROOFING AND A $5,000,000. RECCOMENDED
FURNITURE AND EQUIPMENT BUDGET, THEN THE ANTICIPATED COST WOULD FALL IN
THE $32,000,000. TO $35,000,000. RANGE.
QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION ON PROGRAMS AND ON ASPECTS OF
CHANGES TO THE BUILDING TOOK PLACE. NONE OF THESE SIGNIFICANTLY ALTERED
THE PHYSICAL OR FISCAL ASPECTS OF THE PROPOSAL.
THE EXTEMELY HIGH COST OF THE PROJECT WOULD OBIOUSLY HAVE
SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE FINANCIAL STATE OF READING AND THE CHAIR ASKED,AS
WE HAVE DONE ON ALL PAST PROJECTS, THAT A SUBCOMMITTE CONSISTING OF ROBIN
DANTONA ROGER SANSTED AND CHAIRMAN GRAHAM MEET WITH THE DIRECTOR OF
y- •
FINANCE AND TOWN ACCOUNTANT TO HAVE THEM WORK THESE FIGURES INTO THE
CAPITAL OUTLAY PLAN AND DETERMINE WHAT EFFECT IT HAS.
THE COMMITTEE WITHOUT OBJECTION CONCURRED AND SUCH A
MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE PRIOR TO THE JOINT MEETING BETWEEN THE SCHOOL
COMMITTE AND THE SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE SCHEDULED FOR THURSDAY
:SEPTEMBER 19TH.
THE CHAIR ASKED MEMBERS TO SET ASIDE TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 17TH
FOR A TENTATIVE MEETING SHOULD FURTHER DISCUSSION BE NEEDED AFTER THE
FINANCIAL MEETING.
ON MOTION OF ROBIN DANTONA SECONDED BY MARGARET COWELL, THE
COMMITTEE ADJOURNED AT 10:10 PM.