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Wednesday, May 27, 2015

New School "ONLY" 22 million

School Option Selected
Preferred design could cost town $22M after MSBA reimbursement

Preliminary floor plans for the future elementary school

Mr. Poinelli said the selected option will cost a little more than $50 million. However, with the 60 percent reimbursement offered by the MSBA, the town and taxpayers will be responsible for only $22 million.
Eryn Dion
News Staff Writer

TEMPLETON With the project slated to go before the Massachusetts School Building Authority in July, the Elementary School Building Committee on Tuesday night selected its preferred design on a new school that will cost the town about $22 million to complete.

The committee reviewed several designs before settling on the three-story, compact building that will more than double the square footage of both Temp­leton Center and Baldwinville Elementary schools.

According to Phil Poinelli, principal with the design firm SMMA, the classrooms at both elementary schools, which range from 650 to 720 square feet, are “significantly undersized” and fall below state regulations for adequate learning space.

“These classrooms are going to be 900 square feet each, which meets the state’s guidelines,” Mr. Poinelli told the committee and members of the public in attendance.

Breaking down the costs, Mr. Poinelli said the selected option will cost a little more than $50 million. However, with the 60 percent reimbursement offered by the MSBA, the town and taxpayers will be responsible for only $22 million. Housing only pre-K through fourth grade in the new school would knock about $2 million off the price tag, but committee members previously agreed that keeping the fifth grade in the middle school was not ideal.

Reviewing the preliminary site designs, Mr. Poinelli said a considerable amount of effort went into figuring out how to orient a new building on the postage-stamp lot between South Road and Wellington Road while minimizing the impact on residents.

“What we tried to do is keep the smaller portions along South Road where there are residences,” Mr. Poinelli said, adding that the three-story portion of the building will sit on the west side of the lot, along Wellington Road. Templeton Center School will remain open during construction, with fences put up to keep students and parents out of areas being used by contractors. After the building is complete, the school will be demolished.




Preliminary floor plans for the future elementary school

Mr. Poinelli said the selected option will cost a little more than $50 million. However, with the 60 percent reimbursement offered by the MSBA, the town and taxpayers will be responsible for only $22 million.


Residents were concerned about traffic volume, which is expected to double around the already cramped area. Mr. Poin­elli said the anticipated increase has been taken into account and separate areas for parent and bus drop-offs will be created to help keep vehicles moving during periods of heavy congestion.

Cemetery and Parks Superintendent Alan Mayo also expressed concern about the recently completed Gladys I. Salame Memorial Playground, which will be relocated closer to the new building. As it is a town playground, Mr. Mayo said he was “more than happy” to work with contractors and the building committee to ensure the playground is safely relocated. School officials said the playground will remain open to the public during school hours.

With the school building committee voting unanimously on its preferred option, the design and cost estimates will be presented to selectmen Wednesday night for their approval. After their vote, the design will be submitted to the MSBA by June 11 in preparation for its board meeting at the end of July.

If the building authority gives the project the green light, engineers will prepare a final schematic design to be presented in November to secure final approval and voters will see the project on the ballot that month.

9 comments:

  1. the big question is how much will it cost me per year in taxes!!!

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  2. Mike what would you think the increase should be?
    22 million for Templeton alone,sounds like a walet strain to me.
    The numbers are not spot on and could go higher or lower. When we get the bids in like the 252 project we may be in sticker shock again.

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  3. I find it hard to believe the people on Wellington Road are going to be happy with this plan. Now their view is going to be the back of the school, and/or a big fence. This road is not big enough for a large amount of traffic, never mind school buses trying to get up or down the road. The very idea of putting this new building on a postage stamp, is just another screw up in the plan to get this school built. The fact that there is 25 acres of town owned land behind the homes on Wellington Road with access from Barre Road is a other piece of land they failed to seriously consider. Bev.

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  5. Show up and Vote NO when it comes time. I do believe we still have another vote coming, correct?

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    Replies
    1. The adoption of this plan by the Selectmen is one of many steps that need to be taken before this project comes before the voters. I believe this project would need town meeting approval as well as a ballot election.

      I believe the next step is bring this proposal before MSBA in June to see if they will approve it. If MSBA approval is granted, then the OPM and architects can get to work with the final proposal for the voters which should include costs and duration of the loan repayment.

      I'm not sure if it is appropriate/legal to bring a borrowing question before the voters when the town does not have a bond rating. How can a town without a bond rating borrow 50 million dollars?

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  6. I thought i would see a green energy school design. Solar or wind some type of energy. No mention of any of this. Does the district have any grant plans in place to shed the cost of power bills?
    No solar projects to offset the energy costs. Why do we pay so much for power from our own turbine at gansett? over 30cents per kilowatt hour is what is posted in the town report. The new solar field on Farnsworth rd was under 7cents we were told.
    Our commission has failed us again and again to get the General manager to be open and put all the financial information in the town report. This only leads to more questions and problems for the town in the future.
    The generation charge in Gardner is only 8 cents. Why do we pay more in Templeton. A rate reduction for us should be in the works and soon. When you look at your electric bill the reason its lower and cheaper is due to the amount you used and not anything the TMLWP has done for you. Demand a lower generation charge.

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  7. Without a Energy resources commission how do we get grants that will benefit the schools and public alike.
    With so much energy produced now in Templeton it's time for a Energy resource commission. The town now has missed out on many grants and other resources. The money you read about other towns get as well could have been ours.
    Why not for Templeton? No one has put the papers in for it.

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