Clarksburg Voters to Decide School Feasibility Funding
 The joint meeting of the Finance Committee and Select Board endorsed a special town meeting warrant to fund a feasibility of study of Clarksburg School. |
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Voters will decide this month on whether to spend up to $250,000 on a feasibility study of school options.
A special town meeting is scheduled to be held on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. at Clarksburg School. The last day to register to vote is Saturday, Oct. 10, by 8 p.m.
Of the funds, $100,000 would come from the school's stabilization account and $150,000 from the town's stabilization account. The money would be used to hire a company to conduct a study of renovation and building options for Clarksburg School.
The Finance Committee on Wednesday endorsed the spending, as well as asking voters to authorize $3,000 toward police cruiser repairs and $14,000 in energy upgrades and building repairs at Town Hall. That money is leftover from $25,000 authorized by town meeting to remove an old underground oil tank and install a new one in Town Hall. The old tank did not require remediation and so came in far under the estimate.
However, the committee, during a joint meeting with the Select Board, wanted assurance that the town would not be on the hook for the feasibility study's bill.
"We've been walking in quicksand for three years," said Chairman Mark Denault. "We worked extremely hard to do that, to put money into the stabilization for the town and now we're being asked to hand it over to the school with no guarantee it would come back."
Denault noted the school's stabilization account was created with the express purpose of funding a feasibility study; only $8,000 has been used to fund a preschool study two years ago.
The town's account, however, has been carefully guarded as Clarksburg worked through several years of administrative and financial difficulties.
"I think the line items should be made whole with the town side first and the school side second," he said.
Superintendent Jonathan Lev agreed, saying, "I think that will more likely make it pass."
The funding split largely reflects the Massachusetts School Building Authority's reimbursement rate of 62 percent, which would be $155,000 of the $250,000. The town will be made whole first, with any further reimbursement falling to the school.
Both the Select Board and committee agreed that they should have facts on hand to provide to taxpayers as the school district begins its pursuit of a new or renovated school.
Preliminary estimates are $10 million to renovate the existing school. Denault noted that at 62 percent reimbursement, the town would be responsible for $3.8 million. Paying that bill would likely require a Proposition 2 1/2 override or a debt exclusion.
Town Administrator Carl McKinney estimated $3.8 million would cost about $150,000 a year, or about $2 on the tax rate. That could be partially offset over 20 years by about $60,000 annually in solar array payments, should those projects being proposed go through. The town could also lengthen the payback period to reduce annual payments.
Denault said he understood the need for a new school but questioned the town's ability to pay for one.
"We can't afford a new school and we can't afford to fix the one we have," he said. "I'm just not sure we're in that position .... I don't know what the options are."
Lev said the school wouldn't get any better over time, and that the state funding is available now.
"We know one option is that the town can't do it itself in the future," he said.
Select Board Chairman Jeffrey Levanos, also chairman of the School Committee, sees a school renovation as an economic development. People had moved to Clarksburg in the past based largely on the school.
"This is a shot to do something for the community that will bring people into the community," he said. "The school's in terrible shape and it's not going to get any better."
In other business:
• The board opened three bids for the Gates Avenue bridge project. This is the third round of bidding.
- Clayton D. Davenport Trucking Inc. of Greenfield: $598,120.50
- A.J. Virgilio Construction Inc. of Westfield: $439,545
- Aqua Line Utility Inc. of East Bridgewater: $638,600
McKinney said he would deliver the bids to the town's engineer, Foresight Services, for recommendations. Bids for the project have come in consistently higher than the town's available $380,000 in Chapter 90 funds.
• Levanos and Select Board member William Schrade (Linda Reardon was absent) also discussed issues with town personnel and a lack of communication between the handful of employees. A problem had arisen last month in which it was apparent the different departments were not speaking to each other.
"Something's got to change," said Schrade. "It's a total frustration coming in here."
Levanos thought Town Hall had moved in a positive direction since when he was first elected. "People don't realize how few people work to keep this town going," he said.
McKinney said he would make a concerted effort to have staff meetings to ensure everyone was communicating.
Tags: bridge project, Clarksburg School, feasibility study, MSBA, school project,
