Schoolcom approves high school lease article
Published on June 25th, 2003
STONEHAM, MA - Like a nervous teenager at a high school dance, the School Committee is anxiously waiting to be chosen.
The town's Cable Access Committee is looking for a new home and the Stoneham High School metal shop is one of the sites it is considering. In order to accommodate the needs for the town's cable access station, the right space would be able to house offices and a television studio.
The School Committee is of the opinion that it has what the Cable Access Committee is looking for in the form of the old metal shop at the high school. The former shop area boasts high ceilings, a concrete floor, an entrance that can easily be made handicap accessible, and a garage, many of the features that the town's cable access station needs.
However, the Cable Access Committee also wants a nine year lease and the School Committee must first secure Town Meeting approval before entering into such a long term leasing agreement.
On Thursday, the School Committee voted in favor of sponsoring an article for the warrant which seeks Town Meeting approval on leasing the space. The warrant closes on June 30 and Town Meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 28.
Leasing the site would not only satisfy the town's cable requirements but would also bring needed revenue into the town. Like other spaces that the School Committee has leased, such as the East and North Schools, revenue income has been used to offset the School Department operating budget. Such revenue is helpful in any given year, but with state aid to cities and towns dramatically slashed this year, the income would be even more welcome.
The Cable Access Committee was expected to tour the old metal shop this week. If it likes what it sees, and if Town Meeting gives the OK, a lease agreement would need to be negotiated. The School Department currently receives approximately $9 per square foot in rental revenue from the East and North Schools.
Other sites competing for the cable station's use are Our Place Church at 53 Central Street, office space at 105 Central Street, and the existing site at 41 Montvale Avenue.
Another site the committee was initially interested in was the gymnasium of the old Central School but the School Committee would not consent to tying up that space for nine years and possibly limiting the rental potential for the rest of the building. In addition, the School Committee has alluded to keeping the old Central School on line in the event that it be needed to house Middle School students should the town approve renovation or rebuilding of that building too one day.
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