School Board pressing to finish the two final elementary schools
Published on November 21st, 2001
STONEHAM, MA - The School Committee experienced a change of scenery last Thursday night, moving its meeting to the new Central School which opened its doors just one week earlier.
Move was a success
The Nov. 7 opening of the new school involved a carefully orchestrated plan that moved 75 percent of the town's public elementary school students in a matter of days.
In addition to Central School students moving from their old building on William Street to their new school off Pomeworth, Robin Hood and Colonial Park School students relocated to the old Central School just a week later while their buildings prepare for renovation.
School Superintendent Dr. Joseph Connelly called the move a great success and praised the efforts of all those involved including parents, teachers and custodians.
"It was a solid team effort," Connelly said.
School building news
In other building matters, the School Committee is sticking to the contention that it needs more money to complete the elementary school building project.
Request for a Special Town Meeting in February is still in the School Committee's plan but, according to Connelly, the dollar figure to be requested is yet to be finalized and could be more than the $5 million previously estimated.
"At this point, we believe it will be higher," Connelly said.
That exact figure will likely not be known until early February.
The overages, Connelly explained, are largely due to the bid climate, with construction costs soaring higher than expected. In addition, about $1 million of unanticipated costs were incurred in remediation of contaminated soil near the new Central School site.
According to Connelly, designs for the Robin Hood and Colonial Park Schools are currently being finalized. The School Building Committee must then approve the designs and then put the designs out to bid. All this takes time, and evaluation of bids will hopefully take place during the first week of February.
At that point, Connelly said, the School Committee will be able to formulate an actual cost to complete the schools, as designed and approved back in 1997, in order to present its request for the overage to Town Meeting.
If the above schedule holds and if the majority of Town Meeting voters approve funding the project overage, then the two schools could open their doors in September of 2003.
If Town Meeting says that the original $40 million it agreed to in 1997 will have to do, and rejects the request, the School Committee plans to ask again at the Annual Town Meeting in the spring. No other alternatives were discussed.
Connelly addressed what he referred to as "misinformation" circulating in the school yards regarding the status of the remaining building projects.
According to the rumor mill, some people speculate that the Colonial Park School project may not be built.
But Connelly rebuked the rumor, saying, "At this point, the School Committee and the School Building Committee are absolutely firm in moving forward in completing all four projects."
Capital spending
In other money matters, the School Committee discussed expenditure of $90,000 of capital funds appropriated last month by Town Meeting.
In addition to emergency lighting and a medical requirement of air conditioning at the High School, the money is also expected to fund a surveillance system and completion of the sidewalk and curbing project on the High School campus.
Other needs discussed include new carpeting in the High School library and administrative offices as well as in the Middle School.
School Committee Vice Chairwoman Jeanne Craigie emphasized the need for equipment for maintenance of school grounds and ball fields.
"We have staff members who bring their own lawn mowers to cut the fields," she said.
But Connelly said that while some lawn mowers are recommended in the five-year plan for 2002-2003, no major equipment is suggested until the new Robin Hood and Colonial Park Schools, two schools with a lot of land, come on line in 2003-2004.
While the recommended expenditures are all consistent with needs identified in the School Department’s five-year plan, the School Committee's job is to set the priorities for spending each year.
"The five year plan attempts to identify all the capital needs," Connelly explained, but added, "We never get enough money to do everything."
Fine arts in the schools
Fine Arts Program Supervisor Robert Lague summarized his department's activities on Thursday expressing his admiration for the enthusiasm and achievements of his students.
He reminded the School Committee that the Stoneham Drama Club will be performing "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.
"We have a lot of talented students,” Lague said. “We have a lot of talented teachers. The fine arts are active and highly visible in the town of Stoneham."
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