CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The School Building Committee is leaning toward one of two new options developed in response to feedback at its last meeting, when the initial plans for a renovated Clarksburg School were proposed.
Proposals E and F pick up on the concerns raised over the size of the primary wing and the need for a gym. The committee appeared heavily in favor of Option E, which included a rebuilt and expanded primary wing, a new kitchen and cafe, and a 4,000 square-foot gym, smaller than the 5,000 square-foot options.
Both those options will join the four prior schemes created by Jones Whitsett Architects along with the firm's review of the current building, the educational plan, preliminary cost estimates, meeting minutes and other information approved for submission to the Massachusetts School Building Authority on Jan. 26.
"It would be helpful for us to let the MSBA know what you're thinking," Brian Laroche of Potomac Capital Advisors, the school district's owner's project manager, said on Monday. "They want an opportunity to look at it and also have an idea what their preferred options are and then we're going to have a conference call later on when we narrow it down to one ...
"Right now it's to see if there's a consensus among the group."
Committee members had liked both Options A and C, which also targeted the deteriorating wooden primary wing on the west side of the school but had larger gyms. Those options topped out at $18.5 million and $20 million, respectively. With the MSBA's 62 percent reimbursement rate, the town could be responsible for $8.75 million to $9.5 million.
Option E came in lower on the town's contribution, at about $8.35 million. Option F was lower still at $7.85 million but does not include a gym.
"You're at 25,000 square feet now, about 35,000 square feet is a nice target," said Laroche of Option E. "It's sufficient, it's not grand, but in my mind, that's kind of the sweet spot in terms of balancing budget and gaining the area that you need."
Architect Margo Jones asked if voters would be more in favor of the project as a whole if there's a recreation area that can be used by the whole town.
"[Option] E gives us a gym and a larger space," said committee member Mary Giron, who works at the school. "And it's not just for community use that we need that larger space. It's for our use. We have concerts and plays and things and there's no room. It's sad to say, but we do them during the day thinking that parents can't get out of work because we can't fit all of the parents here.
"We'd like to be able to do it so everyone can come."
The current gym is 2,500 square feet and does triple duty as cafeteria and auditorium. Town Administrator Carl McKinney recalled when he was attending the school, parents would have to stand along the side of the gym during basketball games and often were hit by the balls because of the tight space.
"I think E gives us what we need on both ends," said Giron. "Maybe not as much space as we want to have, but more space in the classrooms and in the gym."
The difference between having the gym and not is about $500,000.
"If you're going to expand your programming here, you're going to have littler ones here, I think we've got to have something that has an addition over there [on the west wing]," said Principal Tara Barnes.
Superintendent Jonathan Lev said the expansion on the primary wing was necessary if a preschool was to be added, which the town had indicated it wanted.
Both he and McKinney pointed to the preschool — and the school's level 1 status — as being critical to attracting young families into the town.
McKinney also provided some preliminary numbers on how the school project might affect taxpayers by working with a loan of $7.5 million at 3.5 percent over 29 years.
It costs the town about $54,939 per annum for each $1 million it borrows; for every $1 on the tax rate, it raises $114,900. For a $7.5 million loan, it would cost the town $412,047 annually and the owner of an average home valued at $174,000, some $622 a year.
McKinney hoped that some of the cost could be offset by the three private solar arrays that will be paying about $15,000 in tax agreements annually above and beyond the property tax; and the payoffs next year of the capped landfill loan that will free up $20,382 a year and a truck loan of $37,185.
That would bring the annual cost of the school loan down to $309,000 a year should voters approve a Proposition 2 1/2 debt exclusion. The average homeowner would see a cost of $452 a year, or $37 a month.
"If we don't do something for this school through this program now, then we own this, this complete cost," said McKinney. "I would much rather endeavor to borrow less than more. ... we have a Level 1 school. We're one of the few in the county that have a Level 1 school.
"We should embrace it, we should nurture it, and we should do whatever it takes to get it to the place it needs to be."
Jones also updated the committee on the security consultant's findings that — not surprisingly — found the 1970s-era school lacking in such security details as interior and exterior cameras, video management, traffic control, vehicle barriers, electric locks and battery backups and ID badges, and secure windows and doors.
"He's comparing you to Sudbury, Newton, so it's a little unfair," Jones said, adding that any renovation would include security enhancements.
A final option should be determined next month once the MSBA weighs in. After that, more detailed schematics and cost analyses will be made available. Public meetings will also be scheduled for community input.
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