Thursday, June 28, 2007
Wayland Town Building
School Committee Conference Room
Attendees
HSBC members: Lea Anderson, Josh Bekenstein, Steve
Breit, Brian Chase, Jim Howard, Fred Knight, David Lash, Mary Lentz, Cindy
Lombardo, Joe Lewin, Eric Sheffels, Jennifer Steel, Karen Talentino
Absent: Dianne Bladon, Steve Tise
Ex Officio members: Gary Burton, Louis Jurist. Jane
Ezbicki
HMFH/Turner team: Dick Amster
Call to order Ð HSBC Chairman, Lea Anderson,
called the meeting to order at 8:10 p.m.
MSBA Update Ð Facilities
and Maintenance Assessment conducted.
Chairman Lea Anderson reported that two groups from the Massachusetts
School Building Authority visited Wayland during the last two weeks. On June 20th, Joseph Buckley,
P.E., Chief Engineer for the MSBA, and ten other architects and engineers came
to Wayland to begin a three day study of all five schools as part of the
Facilities and Maintenance Assessment.
Wayland is one of 18 towns in a pilot program for the assessment. The HSBC reviewed a memo from Katherine
Craven of the MSBA who stated, ÒThis assessment will be instrumental in
verifying the deficiencies identified in the Statement of Interest and for the
MSBAÕs 7-member Board of Directors to determine which facilities will receive
funding when the moratorium on acceptance of new applications ends on July 1,
2007.Ó
Joy Buhler, Business
Administrator for Wayland Public Schools, is gathering data on energy use and
maintenance costs for the last three years as requested by MSBA.
On June 14th,
Matthew Donovan, MSBA Outreach Coordinator, and two other consultants toured
Wayland High School to see firsthand the conditions of overcrowding. Dr. Burton, Charlie Ruopp and Lea led
the tour. The MSBA people asked to
see spaces that demonstrate WaylandÕs effort to remediate overcrowding. They were shown many spaces that have
been converted from previous use, such as staff dining
room converted to student cafeteria annex, reference centers converted to classrooms,
modular science building, furnace room converted to health classroom,
conversion of TEC space to classrooms, and many significantly undersized
classrooms and science labs, auditorium, and locker rooms relative to MSBA
standards.
Lea reported that Matt
Donovan said that Wayland was very well prepared to proceed,
compared with many other districts he had seen.
Dick Amster said that
MSBA is figuring out the process as they go along. MSBA is expanding at Center Plaza. He also remarked that the new MSBA
standards are very close to WaylandÕs earlier preliminary design. MSBA will approve project managers and
architects. Dick said that he
expects selected towns to be preparing Feasibility Studies by early 2008.
Town Pool Discussion Ð Ben
Downs, a Wayland citizen interested in building a new town pool with private
funds, updated the HSBC on the work of his group. The current town pool operated by Park
and Rec is in disrepair and is losing money. The Fincom has agreed to budget funds
for the pool only through Fall of 2009. Ben explained that there is a private
fundraising effort underway to build and operate a new year-round facility with
summertime open-air design estimated at $3 million to $4.5 million. His group has talked with neighbors of
the high school and the Wayland School Committee who suggested talking with the
HSBC.
Ben asked the HSBC if it
sees any benefit to swapping the current pool site with another parcel on the
high school property. He mentioned
an area outside the wetlands buffer and Happy Hollow well zone near the
softball field and student parking lot as a possible location.
There are three locations
being considered for a new pool Ð the current pool site, a high school site,
and the Town Center. There are
benefits to having the pool easily accessible to the high school for use by the
swim team and a potential physical education component for Wayland High School
students.
Ben said that a decision
will have to be made by April 2008 Town Meeting to meet the groupÕs schedule.
It is possible that if
the Fincom sees light at the end of the tunnel on funding the pool, there might
be some flexibility on timing.
The decision on location
will be driven by cost.
HSBC members commented as
follows:
-
Timing is the issue. If WHS is one
of the first MSBA selected schools, then the Feasibility Study might be
happening in early 2008.
- Until the future of the high school
project is known, it is unwise to limit options by swapping a parcel that might
be needed.
- There might be an area where there is no
chance of running into the high school project, such as the area next to the
softball field and student parking lot.
- Are there options for use of other pools
in the area if it makes sense to tie the pool in with the high school
project? (Ans. Facilities are
available at odd hours because they are being used by other school programs.)
- This committee needs to look cost
effective.
- There is the potential for significant
cost efficiency if the pool is built close to the high school athletic facility
and can share locker rooms, showers, and office space.
- The Field House is likely to be carved
out for privately funded renovation.
- A separate facility would require its
own septic system.
- Is there a risk of losing the potential
donor base if the pool project is pushed out beyond 2009?
- Is there willingness to execute a land
swap before master planning takes place?
There is an advantage to a shared facility.
After much discussion,
the HSBC agreed to do the following:
1. Ask George Metzger for his opinion on
the benefits to the high school project of trading the current pool site for
another portion of the current high school land site.
2. Ask George for his opinion on the
appropriateness of other portions of the current high school land sites for a
pool based on the environmental sensitivity of the high school property and
anticipated need of the high school layout.
Next Steps: Pat Tutwiler, new principal of WHS will be starting
his job in early July. Lea will set
up a meeting with Pat to bring him up to speed on the project. Pat will be invited to the next HSBC
meeting (not yet scheduled) to meet the committee.
The Wayland School
Committee has invited the HSBC to its next meeting on Monday, July 30th
at 7 pm to discuss the charge in light of a more defined MSBA process.
Motion Ð A motion was made by Steve Breit
and seconded by Brian Chase to approve the minutes of HSBC meeting #48 held on
Thursday, May 17, 2007.
Vote Ð The motion was approved
unanimously - 12 in favor, 0 opposed (Fred Knight left before the vote.)
Comments and questions from observers: There were no comments.
Adjournment Ð The HSBC adjourned at 9:4050
p.m.
Observers: Janet Correia, Ben Downs, Sam Kiefer