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 – HSBC Chairman, Lea Anderson,
called the meeting to order at 8:10 p.m.
MSBA Update –
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, “This
assessment will be instrumental in verifying the deficiencies identified in the
Statement of Interest and for the MSBA’s 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.”
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 Wayland’s 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 Wayland’s 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 – 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 – 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 group’s
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 – 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 – 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 – The HSBC adjourned at 9:4050 p.m.
Observers: Janet Correia, Ben Downs, Sam
Kiefer