HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE PUBLIC FORUM

AUGUST 26, 2004

QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, AND RESPONSES

Q: The new SBA law specifies both 25 and 30 years as the maximum borrowing period for financing school construction. Why this inconsistency?

A: Probably because the law was drafted by committee. This will be addressed in the coming months.

Q: When preparing the financial analysis, did the HSBC take into account that SBA has a maximum square footage it will reimburse?

A: Yes, this was taken into account.

Q: What factors will affect the rate of reimbursement that will be awarded under the new SBA?

A: These are spelled out in the new legislation and will be substantially the same as under the old rules. They include square footage per student, community use, and cost per square foot.

Q: I am concerned about access and egress to the High School, as well as the amount of parking planned. How would that change?

A: We have not done traffic studies but are looking for ways to improve this, such as widening the road and including turn lanes. Unfortunately there is not a good alternative for a second entrance to the school.

Q: Why will it be necessary to double the number of parking spaces?

A: Because of the new auditorium, there will be more people at the High School during large performances and meetings. This will result in more cars.

Q: How is Option 3 less disruptive to students attending WHS during the renovation? It the drawings presented, it appears that some of the new buildings encroach on existing buildings.

A: This is the case in several of the versions weíve been studying. We are looking at the cost-benefit trade-offs of a two-step construction strategy and might need to use modulars for a short period of time.

Q: If the final design of Option 3 calls for a two-step construction project, will students be able to use the new spaces sooner?

A: Yes.

Q: Regarding the parking spaces, is there a rule about the maximum amount of coverage that is allowable on a site?

A: Yes, there is a rule, but the site is so large we will be nowhere near the limit.

Q: The SBA rules are confusing. Is there an advantage to beginning construction before June 30, 2006?

A: The answer is unclear. According to the SBA legislation, projects that begin construction before June 30, 2006 would be subject to the old SBA rules. Projects beginning after that would be subject to the new rules, which have not yet been written. Since we donít know what the new rules will be, itís impossible to say which rules would be more advantageous for Wayland.

Q: Does the SBA guarantee that a project will be reimbursed?

A: No, there are no guarantees. Towns cannot apply for reimbursement until the moratorium is lifted in 2007. There are three categories for constructions projects. One, there are projects that have been approved and are currently being funded. Two, there are some 425 projects that have been approved and are on the waiting list to receive funding. These projects will be cleared off the waiting list over the next three years. Three, there are projects such as Waylandís that would have to apply after 2007.

Q: Are we currently being reimbursed for the Middle School project?

A: We are approved and will receive full state reimbursement within three years.

Q: How many projects will the SBA fund each year?

A: The new law provides for about $500 million in grants each year, plus inflation. There will no longer be a waiting list. Projects will only be approved up to the amount of funding available. If a project is not approved the town will be free to apply again the next year. No one knows how many projects will apply in a given year. The $500 million figure was based roughly on history but it is impossible to say what would be a ìtypicalî year.

Q: What are the priorities for being selected for reimbursement?

A: These have not changed, and have to do with such issues as health and safety, code compliance and overcrowding.

Q: Has the likelihood of reimbursement changed?

A: There will now be an annual dollar limit for projects awarded reimbursement.

Q: Do we have an analysis of the effect of this project on the Wayland taxpayer?

A: We are working on this analysis but it is not yet completed.

Q: Have we paid off the Middle School renovation? The 1991 High School renovation?

A: The Townís Annual Report includes a debt schedule that shows this information.

Comment: I am a graduate of WHS and have attended all the schools in Wayland. I appreciate the work that has gone into this project to now. When I attended WHS, I liked the campus style and encourage you to try to preserve it as much as possible, with criss-crossing courtyards and such. I am also concerned about the disruption to the students attending WHS during the construction. Happy, busy kids benefit everyone who lives in town, not just their parents. Please be sure you take care of the kids during the construction. Another concern is access and egress to the buildings. Please be sure the buildings are designed so that you can get out fast in case of an emergency. A secondary entrance to the school should also be investigated. We may not want traffic going through the neighborhoods adjacent to the school, but it will be a good idea to have a locked gate for emergency access, especially with the larger spaces being planned.

Q: Why are the cost figures presented tonight the same as those presented on July 5th, when further work has been done?

A: The cost figures will continue to be refined and revised throughout the remainder of the design project. We have presented a snapshot of the figures the HSBC used to make their decision about a construction option. As the figures are revised, they will be made available to the public during the regular HSBC meetings. Final budget figures will be presented at the end of the design project.

Q: If we expect state reimbursement to be based on a project around $46 million, why didnít we instruct the architect to design a $46 million project?

A: The charge to the HSBC was to take an educationally-based approach to the design, so we did not establish a dollar limit and ìback intoî a design. Also, the state reimburses based on a percentage of a construction project. If the overall project budget were reduced, the reimbursement would also be reduced.

Q: Can we create a template for the tax impact, so that we can plug in different numbers to see what the tax affect would be under various assumptions and scenarios?

A: We are working on this, but are not ready to present figures yet because we are not comfortable with their accuracy. We do not want to present incorrect figures because that is confusing. We are working with other town boards so that we can present the best analysis possible. We will have these figures soon, certainly before the end of the design project and well before any vote would take place.

Q: If we know what the educational program is, why isnít the project budget finalized?

A: The Educational Program Specification just spells out the educational spaces, and does not give a total building design. (It doesnít include corridors or bathrooms, for example.) We wonít have a final figure for total square footage until more design work is completed.

Q: I am concerned that the same two firms presented cost figures for all three options. What was the selection process for choosing these firms? Why didnít we hire additional firms to prepare more cost estimates?

A: The HSBC went through a formal selection process to choose both the architect and project manager, and evaluated many other firms before making a decision. In fact another firm, Dore and Whittier, prepared cost estimates during the Feasibility Study, and their figures are in line with the current budget figures. We didnít hire more firms because the $355,000 budget for this project isnít enough to cover the cost of more designs.

Q: What is the escalation figure shown on the cost slide?

A: Escalation is inflation. Prices are expected to change from today, so costs are typically escalated to the midpoint of construction.

Q: Why are so many of the buildings so close to the river? Will there be any basements?

A: No, there will not be any basements.

Q: It seems that Option 2 would have done more to preserve the campus style of WHS. Why wasnít it chosen over Option 3?

A: The team felt that Option 3 was better overall for the educational program. We considered the prioritization done by the School Administration, where the campus style was third behind health and safety, educational spaces, and extracurricular support. We felt those factors were more important than maintaining the campus style. However we believe Option 3 offers an opportunity for a very attractive design, with many elements of the campus style, and hope to get the best of all worlds.

Q: Have we taken into account wireless technology? Will we need computer labs?

A: We have had some initial technology visioning meetings. We have established a budget for this, though it has been revised and reduced. We will continue to study this during the design.

Q: What were the reasons the HSBC chose Option 3?

A: More detail about the HSBCís deliberation is available in the written minutes of the meetings, as well as in the tapes of the meetings. To summarize, the HSBC favored Option 3 because of the small cost differential and lower risk of new construction vs. renovation, higher quality and better support for the educational program, and the minimal disruption during construction.

Q: How do the projected costs compare to the benchmarks of other school projects?

A: We studied 10 or 11 other construction projects and found that our costs were consistent with those projects. The Field House makes our square footage per student seem high, but not in comparison to other schools with Field Houses.

Q: In 1998 the town placed a restriction on cell towers in Wayland. Be aware of this when you evaluate the use of wireless technology.

A: The technology being evaluated for wireless is different than cell tower technology.