The Special Town Meeting on the Neary School roof and building project studies is just days away. And it appears that some members of the public are still confused about what they’re being asked to decide on Monday night.
There are also misconceptions about the setup for parents.
So here’s my updated overview.
Voters will be asked to approve replacing Neary School’s failing roof, under Article 4.
Before Town Meeting can vote on the roof replacement, they’ll also be asked to approve up to three Articles to fund studies (and documents) for potential school renovation projects. They don’t have to choose between them.
Skip down for more details on the Articles.
Town Meeting logistics
The meeting is scheduled to open at 6:00 pm on Monday, March 2nd at Trottier Middle School.
Town Clerk Jim Hegarty warns that with all the snow this winter, there may be much less parking available at Trottier than usual. Many voters may need to park at Neary School and walk up the hill. (So dress accordingly. And if that’s too much for you, target getting there early or carpooling with someone who can drop you off.)
Prior to voting on any of the Articles, the Select Board and Superintendent will give 12 minute presentation to give an overview of the situation and the Articles. Voters can then make comments and ask questions.
Then motions will be made to tackle one Article at a time.
You can read my post with more details on how Town Meeting works here. You can find the Town’s website here.
(Scroll down for updated details on the 3-room setup that night.)
The Warrant Articles
The studies in Articles 1–3 are each intended to help the Town during the subsequent phase of addressing school building issues. The data and documents (like building schematics) are necessary to get accurate estimates for potential renovation projects.
Funding all three projects would give voters data on a variety of school building projects to compare. After studies are completed, then officials and voters would need narrow down which school renovation(s) they want to pursue.
However, those studies and documents aren’t free. On Monday, voters will need to decide how much they are willing to spend now (impacting next year’s taxes) in order to have more choices down the road.
Passing all three Articles would cost up to $900K. The funding would reduce the “Free Cash” to offset the tax burdens in the next fiscal year. That impacts the budget voters will be asked to approve at Annual Town Meeting in April. (And the Town is currently facing a big tax increase. But stay tuned for a separate post on that.)
The majority of the Select Board (and the unanimous School Committee) are in favor of only funding Article 1, to study two potential renovation scenarios for Neary School (to continue as a two-grade school for another 15 or 30 years.) In both scenarios, the other three Southborough schools would also remain open (for at least another 15 years).
Because the Town already has a lot of data from prior recent studies, this Article is the least expensive — estimated as up to $175,000.
The 4-1 majority of the Select Board believes the Neary project options will offer the most viable scenarios. (And the quickest to get going.) The desire to avoid spending on unneeded studies, is why they don’t support Articles 2&3.
So why are they on the Warrant?
When the board asked voters to approve their prior majority-preferred school building project last spring, voters revolted. Opponents to the proposed “New Neary Project” loudly complained that the the Town hadn’t vetted enough options and given voters choices. (Note, that project was to build a brand new 4 grade school and close Finn School. That scenario is no longer being pursued as one of the possibilities.)
Articles 2 & 3 are offered to appease angry voters by giving them options to fund research into alternative projects.
And they are supported by one Select Board member. Tim Fling (the board’s representative on last summer’s PreK-8 School Building Research Committee) advocates that spending on the potential scenarios may lead to the best project for the long term.
Both of these options are to study scenarios that would result in Neary School eventually being closed. (The Town would still own the building, and have to consider using it for other municipal purposes.)
Article 2 would look at expanding both Trottier & Finn School to add one grade to each. That would cost up to $500K. (It’s possible that after spending up to $160K, the Town would learn that the project isn’t feasible, and the work would end without further spending.)
Article 3 would study a bigger renovation at Finn to add two grades. (Neary students would then move down to Woodward.) Because the study overlaps Article 2, the amount approved for this would depend on whether or not the prior Article is approved.
The Article asks for up to $324K. If Article 2 passes, the amount would be lowered to $244K. (This project could also be cutoff at an earlier phase with less spending if the project is found to not be feasible.)
[Note: My prior coverage goes into more detail on proposed studies under each Article. And you can read the full Warrant here.]
Neary Roof
There is no question that the roof at Neary School is failing and needs to be replaced. You can read more about that here. Under Article 4, the School Committee is asking for money to fund the roof (up to $4.5M).
But they are also tacking on $2M for work they believe will be triggered by replacing the roof. That add-on would be eliminated from the motion if Article 1 passes.
In that case, Article 1would cover research into the triggered requirements. (A future Town Meeting vote would address tackling those costs, potentially as part of a bigger picture renovation project.)
Last night, Select Board members again discussed the possibility that the expensive additional work won’t be automatically be required.
Building Inspector Mark Robideaux confirmed that Assessor Paul Cibelli believes the Neary School building valuation will be increased to $14M. That means that the Town would need to spend over $4.2M on the roof to trigger “full ADA compliance”. The roof contractor’s estimate was a cost of $3.7M. (The $4.5M request is to cover unforeseen costs.)
You can read more about the “trigger” situation in my past recap here.
The School Committee and School administration have posted a lot of materials and explanation’s on their website here. And you can read more coverage and letters to the editor about the meeting here.
Room Setup
During last night’s Select Board meeting, Hegarty sought to clear up a public misconceptions about the upcoming meeting.
He reiterated that voters will be able to fully participate, no matter which room they are in. They will hear and see the presentations, cast votes, and be able to make public comments (seen and heard in other rooms).
Three rooms will be setup. (I originally believed it was two.) The auditorium will be the main hall with overflow in the cafeteria. A separate room, the gym, is meant just for parents with children.
Once voters are sent to those rooms, they won’t be able to switch. (That’s because the “clickers” for electronic voting are assigned by room.)
The gym will have 300 chairs set out, plus some round tables in the back where kids can do homework and play. And families will be allowed to bring in food and eat in there.
Hegarty stressed that parents should not let kids run around unattended. He noted that while every voter is entitled to attend Town Meeting, they aren’t all people “you would trust your children with”.
