Westport in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Sunday, December 25, 2016
photos/EverythingWestport.com except as
noted
School price tag reaches $95 million.
|
School price tag reaches $95 million. Westport
boards say school is ago; now the MSBA and the town’s
voters will have their say! EverythingWestport.com Sunday, December 25, 2016 Photos | EverythingWestport.com
Special Correspondent to
EverythingWestport.com WESTPORT –
Unanimous votes from the School Building Committee, Board of Selectmen, and
Westport School Committee on Dec. 21 endorsed the submission of a $95.2
million “preferred option” plan for a new co-located junior and senior high
school off Old County Road to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) for review and approval. Coming with
the state approval would be an expected commitment of an estimated $39.4
million in construction reimbursements for an 185,610 square foot joint
middle school and high school built at the site of the closed Westport Middle
School, contaminated with PCB materials. Construction
costs for the building alone were pegged at $78.7 million, including the late
additions of an extra $2 million for an oversized gymnasium with a second
basketball court, and an estimated $375,000 for the addition of an elevated
indoor walking track in the gym. The
remediation of contaminants and demolition of the building, estimated at $8
million, are part of the $16 million in soft costs – site preparation,
architectural and supervisory expenses, and infrastructure improvements – not
qualifying for state reimbursements. With the
anticipated state aid, the $95.2 million total project estimate would leave
the town with more than $55 million to be financed with the approval of town
meeting and a voter referendum. Westport Jr/Sr
High School architectural plans a go! And they’re
going to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA)
for their review and anticipative approval. Wednesday
night, after a report from the school’s project manager and architect, the
School Building Committee, School Committee and the Board of Selectmen all
voted unanimously to send the project’s plans to Boston. At stake is
millions of dollars of state reimbursement (projected at $39 million) of the
total cost of demolition and construction ($95 million.) Click here to
review latest OPM Monthly Project Report for
all the details. PDF The new Old
County Road school building would add $528 to the yearly tax burden of an
average $400,000 Westport property over a period of 20 years; $468 for a
period of 25 years, $440 for 30 years. The school
project has been amorphous from the start, shaping and reshaping
architectural plans to reduce cost without losing basic functionality. Meeting at
the Westport High media center, the three committees hashed out some minor
tweaks to the conceptual schematic report to be submitted to the MSBA by Janurary 4. One was the
shift to a 16,032 square foot gymnasium space that would accommodate two
basketball courts with spectator seating; another moved guidance office space
into the administrative center at the front of the building. The concept
plan still retains a dragonfly layout, with separate middle school and high
school academic wings sharing a centrally-located cafeteria, auditorium, and
gymnasium. The layout allows both the cafeteria and gymnasium/auditorium area
to be easily accessed for afterschool community events. Project
manager Dan Tavares (pictured below,
left) said that site plans were also changed slightly to eliminate the
use of two small parcels near the library involving disputed boundaries. The
smaller site may require the relocation of a baseball field planned for the
easternmost portion of the property, near the library.
While the MSBA is considering the Westport application for
financial aid, architect Jonathan Levi
(pictured above, right) said his team would be looking for “design
efficiencies to help get the costs back down” as final architectural plans
are developed. “Nothing is
cast in stone until we complete a schematic design,” the next step in the
planning process, Levi explained. “Things are still in flux” until the
concept layout reaches the architectural plan stage, he said. Selectman Tony Vieira (pictured below, extreme
right) one of two board members on the building committee, agreed that
every effort should be made to reduce the overall costs of the construction
project. “I want to reduce the price as much as we can now,” before the
project is put before voters for approval, he said.
A handout
from the building committee estimated a $55 million 20-year bond would cost
the average homeowner about $528 per year; a 30-year bond would drop the
average cost to $440 per year, or $37 per month in extra taxes. While the
design team looks to cut costs with options to reduce space, School Committee
representative Antonio Vivieros felt the planning
process has been moving “in the right direction” in the past month, and has
produced a sensible project that fits the needs of the community. Building Committee Co-Chair, Tracey Priestly
(pictured below, right)
also thought that lots of community input has made the plans “better” even if
they are more expensive than earlier versions. “It’s good that all voices
were heard,” she suggested.
At the
close of general discussion, Building
Committee Co-Chair, Dianne Baron ( pictured above, left) asked her board
for a vote to submit the amended G-9 “preferred option” plans for a grade
5-12 to the state, and she heard unanimous support from the panel. Selectmen
and the school board followed suit with similar unanimous votes without
further discussion. Then, the three committees gathered together to sign the
mandated local “certificate of approval” required for the MSBA
reimbursement request. If the MSBA’s facilities assessment subcommittee approves the
preferred schematic plans, a final vote by the MSBA
board of directors meeting on Wednesday, February 15th will decide on the
reimbursement levels to be provided for the project. Under that timetable, a
full schematic design would be due in May, with Westport voters acting on
funding questions in the fall of 2017. Click on
images to enlarge.
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