Superintendent Jonathan Lev speaks at Thursday's School Building Committee meeting.
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The state Department of Environmental Protection says Clarksburg School can continue to use its original well as long as its meet specifications during any renovation.
Officials have been unsure about the continued use of the well since an initial school survey done a decade ago.
Architect Kristian Whitsett of Jones Whitsett Architects told the School Building Committee last week that DEP had informed him that the project could utilize the original well near the administrative wing of the building — as long as any work stays within the footprint of the original building.
"We just have to stay in that footprint, and we can remove and replace to our heart's content so that is great news," he said on Thursday.
The primary wing within the well radius is in bad shape and is a priority in any renovation project of the school.
Whitsett said with this new knowledge, the favored Plan E was modified to include an addition on the primary wing that kicked out to the south, outside of the well zone. Additional space lost would be moved to the other side of the building.
"The addition on the other end just got a little bit larger so they could fit the space that we lost here," he said. "We could squeeze it in on the other side of the building."
Whitsett added that DEP said the well can be used as long as enrollment does not increase and impervious surfaces in the radius are not expanded.
The firm's civil engineers also have mapped out two other possible well locations that would allow for more substantial renovations to the primary wing.
Brian Laroche of Potomac Capital Advisors, the school district's owner's project manager, said it would be optimal to use the current well because the Massachusetts School Building Authority does not reimburse for wells.
"We can reuse the well, which is great because that is an expense we don't want to incur," he said. "We want to minimize costs as much as possible, and I rather not dig a new well. I rather be more efficient."
Whitsett also presented some estimates on how the project will impact property taxes.
At a 50 percent MSBA reimbursement rate, with a 29-year bond at 3.5 percent interest, the town's share of $8.5 million would mean an increase of $450 on the average annual tax bill.
The project would add $2.50 per $1,000 home valuation; the average home valuation in Clarksburg is $174,000.
Whitsett said this number may be offset by potential revenues the town could use to subsidize the project cost such as school choice funds, town solar projects and current debt coming off the books.
Committee members asked that Whitsett back these numbers out because, with many other needs in town, they did not want residents to think they were pouring everything into the school.
"I am skeptical because it is going to look like to the townspeople that we are funneling all of our money away from the infrastructure," Selectman Jeff Levanos said. "When we go to sell it, people are going to ask."
Whitsett thanked the committee for its input but did note his estimates are missing critical numbers needed to dial in a more exact tax rate increase.
"Usually, we do this process much later in the project but we know it is a significant factor here so we are trying to get some answers as soon as possible," he said. "The problem is that many things have not been defined concretely yet."
He said he will have a much better idea once the commission agrees on a schematic design and they can start finalizing plans. This form is due in late June.
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