School Comm. sets final day of class
Published on April 19th, 2000
STONEHAM, MA - The end is clearly in site for Stoneham public school students for the academic year. Last Thursday, the School Committee designated Mon-day, June 12, 2000, as the last day of school, barring any unforeseen circumstances that would close the schools between now and then, such as a snowstorm.
In other committee news:
• Committee member Mary Pecoraro reported on the outcome of an April 6 meeting regarding contamination at or around the new Central School site. The meeting was well attended, she said, with representatives from the Board of Selectmen, School Committee, School Building Committee and the Parents for Healthy Schools organization on hand, along with Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting and licensed site professional James Luker from the firm of Gale Associates.
Soil samples were reviewed in two areas. With regard to the new school building site and adjacent tot lot, Pecoraro stated all soil samples were below detection limits for contaminants. This, she added, supported earlier findings of the first firm hired by the town to examine the site, Peabody-based Weston and Sampson. (The parents group were reportedly dissatisfied with not being part of the hiring process and therefore pushed for a second firm to test the site).
"...that land is clean and this is what we've known for quite a while anyway," Pecoraro said.
The second area tested was the section of railroad right-of-way behind the new school site. The study focused on various chemicals, many of which, including pesticides, cyanide and PCBs were found below detection limits.
Traces of other chemicals were found in the samples taken but, according to Pecoraro, Luker advised that this finding was not surprising and commonly found along old railroad beds throughout the Boston area.
Arsenic was found in three borings during this recent testing, at various levels of concentration, one of which approached the uppermost concentration limit.
To remedy this, Pecoraro advised that the impacted soil, a 10-foot strip behind the proposed building site on the edge of the railroad right-of-way, will be removed, stockpiled and retested. The cost to remove the contaminated soil will range between $75 and $250 per ton, depending on the level of contamination found.
Superintendent Dr. Joseph Connelly pointed out that this 10-foot strip will be used by the school only during construction for building staging for masonry and brick work on the back wall of the school. He also said that fencing will be erected, in an effort to restrict student access to the area. (This fencing was already planned to protect the wetlands in that area).
This work will result in approximately a one-month delay in the building project. Bids are expected to be opened by mid May.
• Also on Thursday, Connelly had to endure his performance evaluation in public, as required by law. Fortunately, it was a glowing one.
Ninety percent of the items on which he was evaluated, Connelly earned the commendable and exceeds expectations ranking.
Committee member Mary Carey called the evaluation tool very comprehensive and praised Connelly's integrity and honesty.
"In whatever you do...you always have the children right there...I'm very proud to have you as our superintendent."
Member Marie Christie credited Connelly on his work ethic and holding all school department employees accountable to that same ethic.
Craigie stated that of all the accomplishments from her years of service to the School Committee, bringing Connelly on as Stoneham's superintendent is the one of which she is most proud.
Connelly thanked the committee members for their time in the evaluation process and for recognizing his efforts in putting students first.
"That is my absolute first priority," Connelly said. "I'm very pleased you made note of it."
• A traffic accident on Sunday resulted in a power outage at the Middle School and an $850 loss in refrigerated food.
While Boston Edison responded to the problem called in by the school's senior custodian on Sunday, the company only addressed the problem from outside the school. Electrical connections from inside the school required attention from Boston Edison which came on Monday, but the refrigeration was not covered by the school's back-up generator, and the food stored inside was lost.
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