Ceremony opens new Robin Hood
Published on October 8th, 2003
STONEHAM, MA - The new Colonial Park School provided the setting for the last School Committee meeting. Committee members were treated to a tour of the building and an update from the Colonial Park PTO regarding events for the upcoming year.
The dedication ceremonies for the Colonial Park school is still on schedule for October 18, and the Robin Hood dedication went off without a hitch this past Saturday despite the wet conditions outside. The public is invited to the Colonial Park ceremony which is expected to begin at 10 a..m. and last approximately one hour, followed by tours of the new buildings.
Dr. Ellen Bueshel was invited as keynote speaker for the Robin Hood School opening, and former superintendent Bill Hoyt is scheduled to speak at Colonial Park. Stoneham School Superintendent Dr. Joseph Connelly reported that former teachers and administrators as well as local officials have also been invited. The ceremony format is expected to be similar to earlier dedications at South and Central Schools.
"Both of those ceremonies were ideal," Connelly said.
The need for capital improvement for the new elementary schools should remain a nonissue for quite some time, but the same cannot be said for the Middle School and High School, described by Connelly as "very old, tired buildings."
While a request to fund capital needs for these two schools is inevitable, Connelly expresed disappointment that the projects the School Committee was hoping to address must be put on the back burner in lieu of more pressing needs.
Fall Town Meeting, scheduled for October 27, will be requested to fund approximately $530,000 worth of Middle School and High School capital needs. However, instead of upgrading the auditorium, bathrooms, and lockers as planned, the money is being requested for unanticipated improvements.
Stricter adherence to the state's stringent fire codes has resulted in several code violations cited recently by Building Inspector Gene Argiro. The violations require repair and replacement of exterior doors and interior fire doors at the Middle School and High School; repair, removal and replacement of approximately 15,000 square feet of roofing at the Middle School; repair and replacement of damaged and/ or missing ceiling tiles at both schools; and repair and replacement of existing plexiglass windows at both schools.
The $530,000 figure is an approximation of the total cost based on estimates received for each project. Connelly said that the total project cost will likely be less when sent out to bid. Connelly also reported that other violations cited were less serious and could be addressed immediately by school staff.
As expected, the news was not what the School Committee was hoping for.
"With the state of the economy of the town, to expect the School Committee to come up with a half million dollars in less than a month is totally ridiculous," committee member Marie Christie said, questioning why these violations are came to light only recently and are expected to be completed by month's end. "I think it puts a terrible strain on our town"
Connelly assured the committee that building inspectors throughout the state are being more strict with code violations and that Argiro was very open about the urgency of the repairs and the appeals process to the state Board of Appeals should the School Committee need to request additional time to complete repairs.
"He feels it has to be done. He feels because of current conditions and concerns ... he was required to identify these issues this year," Connelly said referring to recent tragedies, such as The Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island.
Connelly also said that the town will likely go out to bond the project funds and that based on preliminary numbers worked up by Town Accountant Ron Florino, payment of the bond in the first, and likely highest, year would fall within the town's tax cap.
"It's not that I don't appreciate the fact that we have to be safe, but I think this is overkill," Christie said.
"World events sometimes cause us to change the way we do things and I think the Building Inspector is just recognizing that," said committee chairman Marc Grimaldi.
Connelly agreed. "Times change and you have to address the more current concerns."
Committee member Dan Moynihan said that Argiro's support of this School Committee warrant article would be important in order to assure the town that this latest request for money is out of the School Committee's hands.
"We know we may have some detractors at Town Meeting who might suggest it's entirely our fault and due to our negligence. I'm sure Mr. Argiro will come to our support to explain why he took this position at this time."
The School Committee voted unanimously to approve the warrant article.
Two overnight trips for Stoneham High School students were approved by the School Committee on Thursday, as one group plans to travel to Quebec City this month, and another has its sights on Costa Rica in the winter.
29 French students and 8 adults are scheduled to travel to Quebec on October 24 and return on October 26. Stoneham High School Principal Tom Ryan assured the committee that the tour company the high school will use is an experienced one and that such trips were made frequently and successfully in the past.
Concern about relations between America and France over the war in Iraq surfaced but Ryan said that is not expected to be a problem for this situation. He has spoken with another high school group that recently made the same trip and had a great experience.
"They are all feeling very positive that a group of high school age children can go have a cultural experience and did not feel any particular animosity."
"Tom and his staff clearly understand that if there were any new developments with domestic terrorism, we'd reconsider approval of this trip," Connelly said. The School Committee approved this trip unanimously.
February vacation in Costa Rica is on the horizon for a smaller group of students who will spend time immersed in Spanish culture.
Christie was the only committee member who voted against the trip.
"I still have a little problem, in this day and age, with sending kids out of the country. I think if we give our ok, it's looked upon as we're sponsoring this trip, and if anything happens, ultimately the School Committee is responsible."
"I think it's the decision of the parent. As the School Committee, we may be sponsoring the trip but we're not authorizing any particular child to go...I think that's all that's asked of us," Moynihan said.
This particular trip was selected with a great deal of thought and investigation, Ryan assured.
"I think this is a fairly reasonable trip since the tourist industry is alive and well," he said, pointing out a recent Boston Globe article on travel in Costa Rica.
Following the September 11 tragedies, all overnight school trips were cancelled for a full year.
"Clearly we would not approve this trip if things in the world suggest it's not the right time to go," Connelly said. He added that this trip should be considered due to the value of the experience to the students.
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