School Directors Seek Direction on Second Bond Vote

by Amy Kolb Noyes

Wolcott School directors are hoping voters will come to the special
school board meeting this week and provide some feedback on how the
board should proceed following a failed school/library construction bond
vote two weeks ago. Only one community member came to offer his opinion
at the board's regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, October 27.
After fluctuating between deciding to move forward with another bond
vote attempt and pursing temporary space solutions for one year while
revising the project, the school board set a special meeting for
Wednesday evening, November 3 at 6:30 p.m. at the library. The original
plan was to sign a new bond warning at that meeting. However, after
additional discussion, the board decided to actively solicit public
input at that meeting. A bond warning will not be signed at that time.
A review of the voter checklist from the October 19 bond vote showed a
poor turnout of Wolcott School parent voters. School directors discussed
ways of rallying the parent vote, and communicating the urgency of the
school's space needs.
School Director DJ Masi headed up the building committee and has been
working on the addition proposal for the past year. He said the final
proposal included only as many new classrooms as were deemed necessary.
The little community feedback the board received prior to the vote
seemed to suggest, if anything, the plan was "under building." Masi
commented, "I'm of the opinion that there's very little room to make cuts."
Masi said he would like to make any needed adjustments to the proposal,
then bring it up for a second vote fairly quickly. "I'd like to see us
set a pretty aggressive timeline," said Masi, "...because it's only
going to get more expensive. You can be sure of that."
The board also held a lengthy discussion regarding possible construction
schedules. Many unanswered questions were raised. If the bond had
passed, construction would have commenced in the spring of 2005. Should
the next target date be the spring of 2006 to avoid winter construction
costs? If a new bond vote is fast-tracked, how soon could construction
start? What are the alternatives to new construction? How long can the
school continue to house its preschool and kindergarten programs
off-site at the School Street Center? Should the preschool program be
dropped until the space crisis is solved?
Principal Merri Greenia suggested voters were not aware of the major
repairs that would need to be made to the School Street Center, should
the school continue to use the building for preschool and kindergarten.
She commented that space is perceived by many to be ideal for early
education, but the school would have to invest in major repairs if it
were to be used for the long-term.
Greenia recommended the board conduct some analysis of the cost to
revamp the electrical and heating systems and the building envelope. She
noted the old School Street building is vastly inefficient. She
estimated it cost about $7,000 in fuel oil to heat that building last
year. Greenia said she thinks the School Street Center is cute and
homey, but not a good educational space.
"It's a building that's not adequate. That's the bottom line," Greenia
commented.
School Director Jan Roy noted the town will be taking over the School
Street Center once the school is finished using the space. She said the
town is primarily interested in preserving the historic portion of the
structure and has discussed taking down the addition part of the
building. She added it does not make sense to dump money into something
that is going to be torn down.
If a second bond vote is turned down, the school board will face the
decision of whether or not to address the inadequacies of the School
Street Center. Other options the board discussed included leasing one or
two mobile classroom units to be placed at the elementary school site.
The school board investigated that option four years ago, and the
current school board plans to get updated figures on that option.
A third option would be to return all students to the elementary school
building. In a letter to parents in the school's November newsletter,
Greenia said that option would require the school cut the kindergarten
program back to all half days, eliminate the preschool program and
combine the third and sixth grades, which are currently split, back to
one class.
Greenia concluded her letter by stating, "The School Board would like to
hear from you. What do you think is the best solution to the space needs
at Wolcott Elementary? What other information would you like to have to
make a decision? Do you see any other options for the coming year?
Please make your voice heard on this important issue."