Upcoming Forums To Discuss New Templeton School

Upcoming Forums To Discuss New Templeton School

Drawing courtesy of Jones Whitsett Architects The proposed exterior of the new Templeton elementary school is shown.


When and where
Sept. 24: public forum at middle school
Sept. 28: selectman/School Committee joint meeting at high school
Sept. 30: open house with planning firm at the high school
Oct. 7: public forum at the middle school
Rebecca Leonard
News Correspondent

TEMPLETON — With the approach of the fall Town Meeting Nov. 9, where residents will vote for the new elementary school to appear on the ballot, the Elementary School Building Committee, School Committee and interim Superintendent of Schools Dr. Stephen Hemman are doing what they can to educate residents on the new building.

The first event that residents are invited to attend is a public forum on Thursday, Sept. 24, in the Safka Auditorium in the middle school at 6:30 p.m.

“It’s important for people to come to it because they need to be there to understand the look of the building, the plans, the effect that having this new school will have on the town, and what will happen if they don’t vote for it,” expressed Mr. Hemman.

Members of Symmes Maini & Mckee Associates will give another presentation on the school and its site plan, interior plans and exterior materials. Residents will be able to ask questions pertaining to anything that crosses their mind. However, the final calculations and tax impact of the construction haven’t been finalized yet.

These calculations will be presented at a joint meeting between the Board of Selectmen, Building Committee, School Committee and the Advisory Board on Monday, Sept. 28, at 6:30 p.m. in the Kiva at the high school.

After the costs are presented, the boards and committees will vote on the costs of the total project to ensure that the numbers are accurate.

A preliminary estimate, according to Phillip Poinelli and Joel Seeley of Symmes Maini & McKee Associates, puts the total cost of the project at $48 million which includes the building construction, site work, fees and expenses, furniture, fixtures, equipment and contingencies.

Of that cost, about $36 million is considered core costs, and 62 percent of that amount will be reimbursed by the Massachusetts School Building Authority – about $22 million making the final total to the town $26 million.

On Wednesday, Sept. 30, the high school will hold its open house and members of Symmes Maini & Mckee will be on hand to explain the presentation and hand out information on the new school.

On Oct. 7 at 6:30 p.m., another open forum will be held for residents who want to attend another or for those who weren’t available to attend the first one.

“Mainly, we’re inviting parents with children who are 5 and under to attend the forum because it’s their children who this will affect the most,” stated Mr. Hemman.

To pay for the new school the town would need a Proposition 2 1/2 debt exclusion tax override, which would need two approvals, both at a town meeting and a separate ballot vote, to pass. Debt exclusions increase taxes for the length of a specific project, and then the taxes go back down to what they otherwise would have been.

This project would create a new, 93,000-square-foot school that would serve 580 students. The current Templeton Center Elementary School was built in 1942 and suffers from structural, electrical and mechanical deficiencies. Baldwinville Elementary School which is another old school with numerous problems, would also be replaced by the new school.