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HOLDEN, Mass. — Currently in the feasibility phase, the renovation/addition project for Mountview Middle School continues to move forward, with the building committee estimating about a year before the need for voter approval for town funding.
In October 2010, Holden formed a school building committee to determine the best course of action for the 40 year old Mountview Middle School building, which was in significant need of work to keep it viable as a 21st century school.
At town meeting in November, voters approved spending up to $625,000 to study options and develop a detailed plan, and since then the committee has been working with the Massachusetts School Building Authority to move forward.
According to Paul Challenger, chair of the building committee, they anticipate the MSBA to cover 53 percent of the cost of the project, which will be worth about $20 million.
"In exchange for their money, the MSBA requires us to follow their very strict guidelines, starting with the composition of the Building Committee," he explained.
The committee consists of: Holden's town manager, Nancy Galkowski; assistant manager Jacquelyn Kelly; Superintendent Thomas Pandsicio; WRSD Business Manager Peter Brennan; Mountview Principal Erik Githmark; school committee representative Margaret Watson; Challenger as a representative from the finance committee, and three citizens with specific skills - Mike Sherman, Chris Luchessi and Dave White.
"Right from the start the State is controlling the project in a very detailed way, and it has resulted in a very talented committee," added Challenger.
With a maximum enrollment of 800 students planned, the committee now has a grasp on the scope of the project, and has begun moving forward with hiring the people who can make it happen.
For instance, Gary Kaczmarek has been approved as the Owner's Project Manager. A lifelong resident of Holden, Kaczmarek has previously worked on the elementary school and public safety building projects,
Furthermore, during the bidding process for an architect, the committee advocated for Lamoureaux Pagano Associates of Shrewsbury "because they worked with Holden on the elementary school project with award winning results, and have since worked on several other projects with the district and many more in Central Mass,” said Challenger.
The MSBA approved of Pagano as the top choice, and authorized the building committee to hire them.
The feasibility phase starts with an in-depth study of how the district teaches middle school students, so in early June the principal and superintendent will meet with LPA to explain the spaces needed to carry out the program of study in place.
"This, combined with state standards, will define what facilities are required, " said Challenger.
Additionally, there will be study of the strengths and weaknesses of the existing building both functionally and mechanically, as well as of the available land "so that we can determine if a renovation project is the best option," he continued. "We will examine other locations on the site for a new building, and also other sites in town for a new building."
The potential options include renovating and adding on to the existing building, building a new school on the existing sight, building a new school on a different site, and renovating another building in town to become a school.
The study will be presented to the MSBA in July, along with a recommendation by the committee of their preferred choice.
If the MSBA approves, the committee will be authorized to prepare a preliminary design for the project.
"We plan on having these preliminary drawings and cost ready estimates ready for MSBA review in August," said Challenger.
The MSBA will vote on the plans in October, and may authorize the board to draw up more detailed schematics, which would allow for a more accurate estimate of project cost.
After filing these in February of 2013, the committee will meet with the MSBA in March, and if approved they will be authorized to return to the Town and request funding for Holden's share of the project at Special Town Meeting.
If approved at town meeting, there will be a ballot vote for the debt exclusion necessary to authorize borrowing the required funds.
"This project will proceed in a very orderly and public manner, and we welcome your input at any time," said Challenger. "We are preparing a website to post as much information as we can."
The Mountview Building Committee holds public meetings at 6 p.m. every second and fourth Tuesday of each month at the Holden Municipal Light Department.
Comments (4)
Looks like it's time to resurrected the handmade, generic NO signs and plant them in front yards so that the community can see once more how we value the education of our students.
How predictable was this response? It happens every time we try to make capital improvements in our town. The attitude seems to be: we've built stuff. Now stop.
Aquitane seems very confused by a straightforward article. The article clearly says that this is the committe that will bring the proposal forward next year. There is no "committee to study whether to form a committee". There is no reference to thinking the money involved is "pocket money". In fact, they are spending the study money to come up with a thoroughly investigated recommendation complete with accurate cost estimates, which I think is great. In the past we voted on projects with only a rough idea of what they would wind up costing, this time we will have a much better idea. And a large pool project was voted down once, then smaller pool was approved. There were not "many, many" attempts at it to "slip through".
Name withheld refers to it as a wish list for our elected officials. Actually, the state recognized it as one of the worst buildings in the state and jumped it to the top of the funding list immediately. Itis not just a local opinion that it needs work.
And it is a great time to be building, as we just saw with the police station, which came in $3 million under budget due to the economy. So this is why we will hear this argument put out there. It's TRUE!
I am glad our officials are taking care of our community and I hope this building gets built soon.
We moved to Holden/Jefferson some thirty years ago because it was a nice, quiet town in easy access of highways and country, and most importantly......a town that was NOT trying to be one of those YUPPIE towns! My, how it has changed over the years! Yes, growth is inevitable, and desirable, but in some cases, not always good!!
Remembering one issue....."the pool".......it is heavily used for a VERY few weeks and then sits idle......it was voted DOWN many, many times, until finally it was slipped through somehow..... and the powers that be got what they wanted. That is only ONE instance, and I'm sure it's not just "our" town this happens in!
Now we look at the amount of money spent to form a committee to "LOOK" at forming the group that might develop an addition that might questionably be too large?? After reading the article it very much sounded like creating a study to study the study to study who might be on the committee..... and then somewhere near the end twenty million dollars is being thrown out - like it's pocket money - in an economy that is maybe just THINKING ABOUT a mild turnaround, (much too soon to tell!) ! I may not have children in the school system, but have never been against improving education!!! However, in my humble opinion, the powers that spend the taxpayers money of this town, have never been reluctant to either spend it "today" or "spend it tomorrow with an override."
'Nuff said.....I pretty much agree with what "Name Withheld" had to say.....
Be prepared folks: Anyone who opposes this for the simple fact that the taxpayers simply cannot afford this, the school needs simple renovations not a $40 million rebuild, etc. will be instantly branded a "hater" by many and accused of wanting our children's futures to deteriorate.
This, at a time when water and sewer rates are poised to be doubled, if not worse.
This at a time when the national economy is utterly abysmal and unemployment remains shockingly high, with tens of millions having simply given up looking for a job and fallen off the statistical compilations. This when the housing market has literally never been worse.
This at a time when gas remains at the highest price it has ever been.
This at a time when home heating oil is going to be through the roof the next couple of years and likely beyond (and a large percentage of homes in Holden use oil and no one should think that we will have merciful winters like we did this past winter)
Be prepared for all the “It’s the cost for the average taxpayer of roughly one cup of coffee per day” exhortations.
Be prepared for the “If we do not build it now it will cost us more in the future” arguments.
It’s time for the folks of Holden to make a choice. We are at a very perilous crossroads: We can continue down the path of spending and spending “debt exclusions” (a fancy term for Prop 2 ½ override), and more and more endless wish lists by our elected officials and others in our employ.
Or, we can start to send a message that we need our Town’s government to start to exercise precisely the same fiscal and economic constraints the sensible people of this Town place on our own families’ budgets.
Choose very, very carefully, because as surely as you will hear over and over “If we do not build this now we may lose out on the state’s contribution in the future, it will cost more if we wait” etc, etc., if you do not choose wisely, you’ve placed your posterity’s futures in dire economic peril, at best.
Speaking of our children….