REPORT
OF THE HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE
April
29, 2007
This update describes the work of the High School Building
Committee (HSBC) this year, since the Annual Town Meeting on April 27,
2006. The work of the HSBC, in prior
years, is summarized in the Report of the HSBC published in the January 2005
Special Town Meeting Warrant. It and the
more extensive Preliminary Design Report are both available on the School
Committee web site (www.waylandschoolcommittee.org) and at the Wayland Public
Library.
Over the past year, the HSBC met ten times of a total 47
meetings since January 2004. Four new
HSBC members were appointed as authorized by the May 2006 Special Town
Meeting. The HSBC conducted thorough
reviews and analyses of all past projects and reports. More information on the topics highlighted
below is available on the School Committee web site and at the Wayland Public
Library.
Supplemental
Charge – In April 2006 the Wayland School Committee issued a
supplemental charge to the HSBC. The
charge directed the HSBC to prioritize needs, to consider a range of
approaches, to remediate the facility’s deficiencies cited by the NEASC (New
England Association of Schools and Colleges), to maximize state reimbursement,
to analyze and present a variety of cost alternatives, and to explore
alternative funding sources.
Four
New Members – In October 2006 four new members were
appointed to the 11-member HSBC. The
appointing committee was composed of two members from each of the School
Committee, Board of Selectmen, and Finance Committee. The new appointees are Fred Knight, David
Lash, Jennifer Steel, and Karen Talentino.
Massachusetts
School Building Authority (MSBA)– In May 2006 the MSBA issued draft
regulations. HSBC Chairman Lea Anderson
testified before the MSBA at a hearing in June.
Final regulations were issued In August 2006. The final regulations included two changes
requested by Wayland and many other communities: to allow a community to hire an architect and
project manager before the collaborative Feasibility Study and to extend the
time period between the approval by the state and the local vote from 90 days
to 120 days.
The HSBC reviewed the regulations, which define a five-phase
process. The state and local community
will work together at every step of the new process. The five phases are: identify the problem, verify the problem,
collaborate on a solution, agree on a solution, and implement the agreed upon
solution.
Katherine Craven, Executive Director of the MSBA, met with
the HSBC chairman in February 2007 and State Representative Tom Conroy in March
2007. Ms. Craven continues to be
familiar with the Wayland High School project.
She expects Wayland to be one of the first 13 schools to undergo the
Facilities and Maintenance Assessment, a more detailed analysis of building
conditions performed by an MSBA consultant.
(See MSBA web site for details at www.massschoolbuildings.org/) The MSBA will hire consultants to do
independent enrollment projections and the more detailed analysis of building
conditions. The MSBA will define the
scope of a reimbursable project by determining the enrollment, the square
footage per student, and the cost per square foot.
Statement
of Interest – The Wayland School Committee and Board
of Selectmen submitted a Statement of Interest (SOI) to the Massachusetts
School Building Authority in August 2006.
The SOI is the first step in the application process for state
funding. Schools are asked to document
deficiencies under eight statutory criteria: health and safety, existing severe
overcrowding, loss of accreditation, prevention of future severe overcrowding,
energy conservation and decreased energy costs, short term enrollment growth,
replacement of obsolete buildings, and transition from court ordered racial balance
districts to walk-to districts. Wayland
documented deficiencies in seven of the eight statutory criteria.
Next
Steps – The Wayland School Committee is requesting $300,000 at this
Annual Town Meeting for professional services to enable the HSBC to analyze the
MSBA regulations and develop an application for state funding when the MSBA
asks Wayland to participate. Please see
Article 6: Contract Planning and Design Services for Wayland High SchoolXX
in the 2007 Annual Town Meeting Warrant for details.
It is the intention of the HSBC to define a plan for Wayland
High School that will be widely supported by the taxpayers of Wayland. Building on the consensus that something
needs to be done to improve the high school facility, the HSBC will work closely
with MSBA to secure state funding and with the taxpayers of Wayland to agree on
a project.
Respectfully submitted,
Lea T. Anderson, HSBC Chairman
High School Building Committee Members
Lea Anderson 508-358-2667 leaanders@comcast.net
Josh Bekenstein 508-358-5651 jbekenstein@baincapital.com
Dianne Bladon 508-358-0068 dehbladon@aol.com
Steve Breit 508-358-7966 sbreit@comcast.net
Brian Chase 508-788-1081 abchase@comcast.net
Jim Howard 508-358-2619 howard.james@comcast.net
Fred Knight 508-358-0834 fred@knightway.org
David Lash 508-358-5294 david.lash@comcast.net
Mary Lentz 617-542-4141 mlentz@mccallalmy.com
Joe Lewin 508-653-9952 joelewin@comcast.net
Cindy Lombardo 508-358-5958 sweetlifer@aol.com
Eric Sheffels 508-358-5461 esheffels@aol.com
Jennifer Steel 508-652-1952 jsteel@FraminghamMA.gov
Karen Talentino 508-358-5961 talentino@comcast.net
Steve Tise 508-358-0047 setarch@aol.com