Wayland High School Building Committee

Public Forum October 20, 2009

 

Below is a summary of the questions and comments made by the public at the Forum (not necessarily in order).  The questions have been added to the FAQ pages on the HSBC website.  Click on the links to the FAQ pages that contain the responses.  In addition to the presenters, others who responded to questions included:  Sam Peper, Finance Committee chairperson; Barb Fletcher, School Committee; Dianne Bladon, HSBC; and Gary Burton, Superintendent.

 

Design

http://www.waylandschoolcommittee.org/whs/hsbc/FAQ_Site/Design.html

Since the student enrollment has flattened out, youÕve scaled back the core academic space from the initial vision.  Are we getting all the scope and space we need for a 900-student school?

Will there be a problem with snow loads on the flat roofs?

Where will the new septic system be located?

Is the state giving ÒgreenÓ money for an energy-saving design?

The library is the ÒcoreÓ of the classroom building.  Is it a walk-through space?

How will you control the indoor air quality for interior spaces that lack windows?

Some of the classrooms are facing north.  Can the building be flipped?

Will the class sizes increase if the rooms are bigger?  What if we wanted to save money by building smaller classrooms?

Do you expect we will see the exterior as shown?

 

Enrollment

http://www.waylandschoolcommittee.org/whs/hsbc/FAQ_Site/Enrollment.html

What happens in the future if more space is needed?  Could a second floor be added to the Commons Building?

I see the new building wonÕt be usable until 2012.  They have just closed a school due to declining enrollment.  Have we done enrollment projections?

 

The Need

http://www.waylandschoolcommittee.org/whs/hsbc/FAQ_Site/Need.html

Why couldnÕt repairs be done, instead of new construction?  What about the $7M Turner figure?

 

State Aid

http://www.waylandschoolcommittee.org/whs/hsbc/FAQ_Site/State_Aid.html

Is the state aid a political promise, or will there be something in writing? We have State Treasurer CahillÕs assurances that the $25 million in state aid is there, but are they really good for the money?

If the state backs out and doesnÕt sign the Project Funding Agreement, can we cancel the whole process?

 

Finances

http://www.waylandschoolcommittee.org/whs/hsbc/FAQ_Site/Finances.html

Will there be an unplanned cost overrun?

Will the operating costs of the new building be greater than today? Lincoln-Sudbury faced higher operating costs than expected.

What is the cost of borrowing?

More details on cost are needed on the website.

 

The Vote

http://www.waylandschoolcommittee.org/whs/hsbc/FAQ_Site/The_Vote.html

What will happen if the vote does not pass?  What will you tell the town we have to do?

Why isnÕt the amount on the ballot question?  Has the state given a reason?

 

Construction

http://www.waylandschoolcommittee.org/whs/hsbc/FAQ_Site/Construction.html

The new school wonÕt be ready until 2012.  What will be done to assure the childrenÕs safety during construction?  Will they still have an excellent experience?

Will there be a construction road through the Charena Farms neighborhood?

Will the buses be moved during construction?

On a project this size, thereÕs a risk of change orders.  Have we got a Òclerk of the worksÓ or other arrangement to avoid the Newton or big dig nightmares?  What if the contractor puts in substandard concrete?

IÕm concerned about the stateÕs build process.  In my experience with the Navy we had expensive claims resulting from change orders.  It seems the state has given approval to creeping design.  What will be done to manage the project within the contingency?

Are we confident weÕve done enough test borings to avoid what happened to Newton?

 

Comments

YouÕve done a terrific job for a bunch of volunteers.  My last kid graduated in 2007.  I support it because weÕre here in MetroWest competing with local towns to attract new residents.  We donÕt have a cute main street or a big business district.  Our schools are our main asset.  $453 on average per year for $650K home, thatÕs a big number, but look at the water bill.  They just snuck in $100 and that didnÕt get any discussion.  ThereÕs much more value and impact on our quality of life from a new high school.