Westport in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Sunday, September 18, 2016
photos/EverythingWestport.com except as
noted
Monarch Butterfly Programs
at Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary.
WAHTF seeks applicants for
Chapter 40B Subsidized Housing.
|
School building committee to
pick final plan on Wednesday, September 21st. EverythingWestport.com Sunday, September 18, 2016
Special Correspondent to
EverythingWestport.com WESTPORT
—The die may be cast; it just needs to be pulled from the mold! School Building Committee (SBC)
decided to hold off on voting for one of the options until their next meeting
on Wednesday, September 21st. The
SBC did not take a vote on a final ‘preferred option’ for a new school
facility at their Wednesday, September 14th meeting as planned, instead
spending much of the evening listening to input from parents and residents
about plans for re-building a new middle school.
Inset: School Building Committee
surprised the audience when they voted to postpone their decision on a
preferred building plan until their next scheduled meeting on Wednesday,
September 21st. At the
end of the long night, the SBC decided to hold off on voting for one of the
three or four options for demolishing the closed middle school, cleaning up
the site, and rebuilding a new school elsewhere on the town property off Old
County Road until their next meeting on Wednesday, September 21st. SBC
co-chair Dianne Baron suggested that the committee hold a special session to
vote on the preferred option before their scheduled joint meeting today
(Wednesday) with the Westport School Committee and Board of Selectmen to
endorse that final selection and approve its submission to the Mass. School Building
Authority (MSBA) for consideration of
funding assistance. The
committee agreed that the cost estimates that came with the concept drawings
for preferred options needed more study before a final decision was made, and
postponed the final decision until Wednesday, September 21st. Project
Manager Richard Marx was the center of attention when he presented
preliminary cost estimates for both a stand-alone new middle school, and a
larger facility that would include a new high school building. Two
options for a combined junior/senior high school for grades 5-12, demolition
and disposal of the old middle school, and new access roads came in at $85
million and $90 million. Adding another 20 percent for professional fees,
permitting, furnishings and equipment pushed the total costs to $100 million
and $108 million, Marx indicated. Concept
plans for a grade 5-8 middle school only were tagged with $52 to $55 million
estimates for construction costs, and total costs of $62 to $65 million. A
25-year bond for $60 million would cost taxpayers about $130 per year per
$100,000 in valuation, so a typical $400,000 property would be assessed an
extra $520 per year to finance the debt. A 30-year bond would cut the expense
to $110 per year per $100,000 in property valuation, Marx said. The MSBA has been reimbursing communities between 45 and 49
percent of eligible costs of approved plans for new schools, but does not pay
for amenities such as auditoriums, swimming pools, or athletic fields, it was
noted. The authority has a “pay-as-you-go” reimbursement policy, sending
monthly payments as each stage of the work is completed. Consulting
architect Jonathan Levi was among those advocating for a final option choice
that includes plans for a new high school to replace the 70 year-old Westport
High. “It’s only $20 million more to build a new high school if you use the
same site, because the infrastructure is already there,” he suggested. The MSBA encourages communities to build such combined grade
schools, and is likely to support that option, Levi said. The current high
school is physically inadequate by today’s building standards, and should be
replaced or significantly renovated and upgraded in the next 10-15 years, he
added. Levi
said the age and condition of Westport High dictates that it will soon be
more expensive to maintain and renovate the building that it would cost to
finance a new one. Finance
Committee member Buzzy Baron said, “It’s a no-brainer that we need a new
middle school,” but suggested that the additional cost of a high school
addition could sour taxpayers on the entire project. Resident
Walter Barnes noted that taxpayers are still bearing the costs of a new fire
station, have just approved an $8 million debt exclusion bond for a new
police station, and might be leery about adding more debt. He once again
raised the notion that a school regionalization plan with neighboring
Dartmouth should be considered as an alternative. Superintendent
of Schools Ann-Marie Dargon said Dartmouth does not
have the capacity to take on Westport’s entire high school population, and a
regionalization effort would take years to negotiate and set up. If approved,
it would be even longer for the two towns to coordinate plans for a new
regional high school. “Regionalization
is not, at this time, going to solve our problems here in Westport,” Dargon suggested. School Committee member Mark Carney
agreed that regionalization might be a topic for long-term planning agendas,
but was not an option for addressing immediate building needs. Fellow
member Antonio Viveiros felt the community is being
divided by the fact that almost half of Westport’s high school age students
leave the system for private and vocational school districts. He felt the
town needs to support its schools, which are “the heart and soul of a
community.” “This
project is important for a number of reasons, including bringing this
community back together,” Viveiros said. “For many
reasons, I think a (grades) 5-12 building is the way to go.” Teacher
and coach John Bernier supports new facilities at both the junior high and
high school level. “This is a top-notch school system” and students deserve
the best learning environment that the town can provide, he suggested. His
comments came after one young parent criticized the school district for not
offering enough programs and activities at the high school to keep attracting
students. The
SBC co-chair also noted during the discussion of high school needs that WHS is a Level One school, the highest ranking available,
by state Board of Education standards.
Baron
said she feels the school district should do more outreach to the public to
let people know the high quality of education being offered at the high
school, and help counter the negative perceptions about a first-rate school. Whatever
the final preferred option is for the size and scope of a new school
building, the SBC seems settled on the selection of the Old County Road
campus as the best location. A major attraction is getting some MSBA reimbursements for the estimated $8 million in
demolition and disposal costs for removing the old school. The
town’s project manager noted those remediation costs would include removal of
several inches of soil from the area where the school was located, as
carcinogenic PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) from window caulking are known
to have leached into the ground. A major
component of the building plans is to site the new school facility so that up
to a half dozen new playing fields could be developed on the level ground
near the road. The town would have to bear 100 percent of the costs of
developing new athletic fields at the Old County Road site, as the MSBA does not provide any funding for outdoor sports
facilities, it was noted.
Click on images to enlarge. Above: The School Building Committee offered two
proposals: (left) Middle School for grades 5 to 8, and (right) Middle/High
School for grades 5 -12. Both proposed buildings would be located on the
existing Middle School property on Old County Road. Monarch Butterfly Programs at
Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary. EverythingWestport.com Sunday, September 18, 2016 Mass
Audubon Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary is hosting
several programs to boost your knowledge in the Entomology (the study of
insects), including the Monarch butterfly. Monarch Tagging Station on the weekends of September
24th and 25th, and October 1st and 2nd.
Drop
by any time to learn more about the amazing Monarch butterfly, how to
properly handle and tag them, and how to perform additional scientific
investigations aimed at understanding their migration. The Monarch
Tagging Station is free and is supported in part by the Southcoast
Environmental Education Alliance (SEEAL). Please
register on-line at: http://www.massaudubon.org/get-outdoors/program-catalog or call 508.636.2437, as this
is a weather-dependent program. Afterschool Insect Discovery & Monarch Tagging will
occur on Tuesday afternoons September 20th, September 27th and October 4th. Head
on over to Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary at 1280
Horseneck Road, Dartmouth, on Tuesday afternoons this fall to look for
praying mantises, Monarch butterflies and other interesting insects with an
entomologist. Afterschool Insect Discovery & Monarch Tagging will
occur on Tuesday afternoons September 20th, September 27th & October 4th
from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. If
weather conditions agree, they will catch and tag Monarch butterflies as they
make their way along the migratory route to Mexico. Mass
Audubon protects 36,500 acres of land throughout Massachusetts, saving birds
and other wildlife, and making nature accessible to all. As Massachusetts’
largest nature conservation nonprofit, we welcome more than a half million
visitors a year to our wildlife sanctuaries and 20 nature centers. From
inspiring hilltop views to breathtaking coastal landscapes, serene woods, and
working farms, we believe in protecting our state’s natural treasures for
wildlife and for all people–a vision shared in 1896 by our founders, two
extraordinary Boston women. Today, Mass Audubon is a nationally recognized
environmental education leader, offering thousands of camp, school, and adult
programs that get over 225,000 kids and adults outdoors every year. With more
than 125,000 members and supporters, we advocate on Beacon Hill and beyond,
and conduct conservation research to preserve the natural heritage of our
beautiful state for today’s and future generations. They
welcome you to explore a nearby sanctuary, find inspiration, and get
involved. Learn how at massaudubon.org. WAHTF
seeks applicants for Chapter 40B Subsidized Housing.
The state requires the town
to reach 10% affordable housing, currently at 3.5%. EverythingWestport.com Sunday,
September 18, 2016 The
Westport Affordable Housing Trust Fund (WAHTF) is
seeking applications for grant funding from qualified project proponents to
create new affordable housing in the Town of Westport through the Seed
Housing Funding Program (SEED). Funding will be granted per affordable
housing unit created. A
total of $200,000 has been earmarked to fund this program, part of the
trust’s ongoing initiatives to support the creation of new affordable housing
for Westport residents with the aid of Community Preservation Act housing
funding. The
affordable housing units to be created with SEED funding must be eligible for
inclusion on the Department of Housing and Community Development Chapter 40B Subsidized Housing Inventory. The town's current SHI
is about 3.5 percent, which means a shortage of 417 affordable housing units
to meet the state's Chapter 40B 10 percent goal. “There is a demonstrated need for affordable housing in Westport.” - Westport
Affordable Housing Trust On the
other hand, DHCD has set incremental thresholds for
the production of affordable units in a given year. If 32 or more affordable
housing units are developed in a given year, DHCD
may certify the town's Housing Production Plan as meeting the regional need
for affordable housing for one year. The SEED program seeks to support the
town's goal of meeting DHCD's incremental
thresholds, according to a news release. An
information session on the SEED program will be held at Westport Town Hall at
10 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 7, to provide interested parties with details
about the funding opportunities for qualified developments in Westport. Only
proposals that contain at least 30 percent affordable dwelling units in the
total project will be considered for funding. Complete details on the program
are available through the Westport Housing Assistance Office. Strong
preference will be given to organizations with a demonstrated ability to
develop multi-family housing, to leverage grant resources and to address
Westport's diverse housing needs as stated in the Town of Westport Housing
Production Plan, according to the release. The trust will evaluate the
projects based on target population, environmental considerations, the
community planning and outreach process, and site plan and building design. There
is a demonstrated need for affordable housing in Westport, according to the
trust fund. A family of four earning up to $58,250 per year or an individual
living alone with total earnings up to $40,800 would qualify as low-income
households. Income limits are defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD). About 25 percent of the households in Westport are
considered low- to moderate-income families. It is estimated that more than
1,500 Westport households have applied for social services available to
low-income households. More information is available by visiting affordablehousing.westport-ma.com,
or contacting Housing Specialist Leonardi Aray at 617.270.3912 or email: leonardi@larayarchitects.com.
Above: Ryan Palmer of Westport is a Commonwealth Corps
service member for the next 10 months. A product of the WEP program,
he hopes to inspire local students the way he was while a student in Westport. Submitted photo The Westport River Watershed
Alliance (WRWA) has been named one of 18 Commonwealth Corps Host Site
Partners for the second year. EverythingWestport.com Sunday,
September 18, 2016 Administered
by the Massachusetts Service Alliance, the Commonwealth Corps engages
Massachusetts residents of all ages and backgrounds in service to strengthen
communities, address unmet community needs, and increase volunteerism. One service
position is still available with WRWA, and
applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis, so immediate applications
are encouraged and can be submitted to wep@wrwa.com. The
program has a dual focus: one on members’ impact in their organization and
communities, and the other on members’ own growth and development. The
alliance is hosting one Commonwealth Corps member to help strengthen and
expand its Watershed Education Program, which teaches more than 2,000 local
students in grades K-12 each year about the importance of keeping the
Westport River clean, and the healthy inter-relationship of local waters,
soil, plants, animals and people. It also works with high school volunteers
and encourages family involvement in outreach programs. This
year’s Commonwealth Corps Service Member is Ryan Palmer, a Westport native
who is a product of the Watershed Education Program himself. He recently
graduated from Bridgewater State University with a degree in geography. The WEP helped inspire his interests in the environment and
reasons for wanting to help protect it. He enjoys his time outdoors — either
by kayaking, hiking or stretching out in a hammock, according to a news
release. Palmer said he hopes to inspire local students in the same way he
was inspired while a student in Westport Community Schools. Since
its inception, more than 900 Commonwealth Corps members have served in the
program throughout the state, providing 580,000 hours of service in areas
such as community development, health services, benefits screening,
after-school or summer programs, and volunteer recruitment and management.
Massachusetts is the first state in the country to have a service corps
program focused solely on state residents. “Massachusetts
has a long history of engaging individuals of all ages and backgrounds in
service and volunteerism. The desire to serve and be part of the solution
continues to grow each year,” said Emily Haber, CEO of the Massachusetts
Service Alliance. “We are excited and proud to support these 18 host site
partners whose Commonwealth Corps members will meet pressing local needs and
strengthen our communities as they develop civic and leadership skills that
can last a lifetime.” One
service position is still available with WRWA, and
applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis, so immediate applications
are encouraged and can be submitted to wep@wrwa.com. The
Massachusetts Service Alliance (MSA), established
in 1991, is a private, nonprofit organization that serves as the state
commission on community service and volunteerism. MSA
invests in community-based organizations and institutions that rely on volunteers
and people engaged in service to meet their community’s needs. More
information is available at www.mass-service.org and www.massvolunteers.org. © 2016 Community Events of
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