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ADAMS – After years of discussion and uncertainty, the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District is finally moving forward with plans to improve the condition to the town's educational facilities.
According to Superintendent Alfred Skrocki, the state School Building Authority and the town are working together to conduct a feasibility study that would determine "district facility needs," a process that may see a Grades 7 through 12 curriculum at Hoosac Valley High School.
"From the initial information we sent, the SBA identified Adams Memorial Middle School as one of the schools to look at for possibly consideration to move forward," said Skrocki on Friday.
The superintendent said the first step in the process is seeking funds from the town to hire a project manager and a designer to conduct the study and develop a project proposal, which will include schematic drawings.
"It starts with an approval from town meeting," Skrocki said.
The warrant article will request up to $400,000 from Adams and Cheshire residents but the SBA will reimburse the cost at a 68.4 percent rate.
"If the entire $400,000 is required, the district cost of $126,400 (31.6 percent) will be shared by the towns of Adams and Cheshire as required by the regional agreement," read a statement released by the district late last week. "As a result, Adams will be responsible for approximately $89,200 and Cheshire, $37,200. The first year interest for this anticipated amount is included in the FY09 school committee budget. Adams will pay $3,700 and Cheshire will pay $1,500."
Though no plans have been finalized, Skrocki said the district is looking to return middle school to the town and move the seventh and eighth grades to the high school. Because C.T. Plunkett Elementary School is already crowded, the problem of where to place the sixth grade will need to be addressed by the feasibility study.
The middle school building on Columbia Street had previously been used as the elementary school. School officials say the building is cramped, outdated and no longer suitable for middle school programs.
Skrocki was quick to note that moving forward with process for the study does not mean the project has been approved.
"The project scope and budget developed through the study must be approved by the School Building Authority, before the project can be brought back to the towns for a final vote to proceed," the statement read.
Even little movements are notable for the district, said Skrocki, who called the forward momentum "exciting."
"I've been working on this the length of my tenure as superintendent. As a lifelong resident of the community and someone who's gone through the school system, I'm very excited to see the potential of something that could be very rewarding and meeting the needs of Adams and Cheshire students," he said. "There's still a lot that has to happen. There's still a lot of approvals but at least we're taking the first step."
The statement of interest detailing the middle school building's problem areas can be accessed below, or if not supported by the reader's browser, by clicking here.
Read this doc on Scribd: 200806030305 Name of School Adams Middle Massachusetts School Building Authority School District Adams-Cheshire District Contact Alfred Skrocki TEL: 413-743-2939 Name of School Adams Middle Submission Date 3/2/2006 The following Priorities have been included in the Statement of Interest: 1. g Replacement or renovation of a building which is structurally unsound or otherwise in a condition seriously jeopardizing b c d e f the health and safety of school children, where no alternative exists. 2. g Elimination of existing severe overcrowding. c d e f 3. g Prevention of the loss of accreditation. c d e f 4. g Prevention of severe overcrowding expected to result from increased enrollments. c d e f 5. g Replacement, renovation or modernization of the heating system in a schoolhouse to increase energy conservation and b c d e f decrease energy related costs in the schoolhouse. 6. g Short term enrollment growth. c d e f 7. g Replacement of or addition to obsolete buildings in order to provide for a full range of programs consistent with state b c d e f and approved local requirements. 8. g Transition from court-ordered and approved racial balance school districts to walk-to, so-called, or other school c d e f districts. Note Massachusetts School Building Authority 1 Statement of Interest Name of School Adams Middle Priority 1 Please provide a detailed description of the perceived health and safety problems below. Attach copies of orders or citations from state and/or local building and/or health officials. ROOF - The roof is in extremely poor condition. The original roof was installed in 1952 as built-up asphalt. The deck was made of Tectum developed in 1949. This is a material that deteriorates with water penetration, which is evident due to leaking through ceiling tiles and walls. Enclosed is a summary of an inspection of the roof performed by Engineering Design Associates on October 2004, questioning the roof safety. It was also noted that the roof only has a 3-5 year lifespan before major repairs or replacement is required. Estimates are between $900,000 and $950,000 for a new roof. OUTSIDE WALLS – This 1952 brick building has numerous areas that show damage and deterioration of outside walls. One of these areas was inspected and assessed in November, 2004 by Tessier Associates (ENCLOSED) with a conclusion that remedial work is necessary and a potential hazard exists. It was estimated that an initial cost of between $25,000 and $30,000 would be needed to begin repair and investigate with on-site construction forces. Main safety issue is related to falling bricks in many areas of the building. WINDOWS- Windows are original to the building, consisting of metal frames and single pane glass. All are ineffective and need to be replaced. Frost forms on the inside of the windows, metal frames have sharp edges that are dangerous and some are inoperable, all are creating safety issues. The cost to replace windows would be approximately $350,000 estimated by engineer Jack Cox. WALLS AND CEILINGS – Walls and ceilings at all levels have damage due to leaking roof and water penetration apparently due to leaks in the plumbing of the heating system. Safety issues include falling tiles and plaster and air quality issues resulting from water penetration. Schematic drawings developed by Tessier Associates as a project for this building show renovation that would result in a building that would be 95% new, demonstrating the extent of the facilities needs. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM- The electrical system for the school was installed to meet the needs of a 1952 high school program. It is inadequate to meet the current needs of a 2006 middle school operation. ASBESTOS ABATEMENT- The required AHERA inspections have identified numerous areas that have to be addressed in stages related to asbestos abatement. They include all floor tiles, boiler room areas, pipes and crawl spaces. The estimated cost to meet all abatement requirements over the next six years is $500,000. Massachusetts School Building Authority 2 Statement of Interest Name of School Adams Middle Priority 1 Please describe the measures the School District has taken to mitigate the problem(s) described above. ROOF- A urethane foam/silicone membrane was added to the built up roof about fifteen years ago. The urethane is saturated in many areas which have resulted in many leaks and damage to the interior of the building. The roof has lost most of its insulating value. The district is also in a contract with Tremco Roofing to inspect and perform minor repairs on all districts roofs, including this one. Roof repairs, totaling $4,000 were done in 1999. WINDOWS – A total of approximately $28,000 was spent in FY99 and FY00 to repair and re-caulk windows. Insulated shades were also purchased to help keep heat from escaping. The effect of these efforts has been minimal. ASBESTOS – The District follows the three-year AHERA plan in performing required abatement each year. Massachusetts School Building Authority 3 Statement of Interest Name of School Adams Middle Priority 5 Please provide a detailed description of the energy conservation measures that are needed and include an estimation of resultant energy savings as compared to the historic consumption. HV SYSTEM – The heating and ventilation systems are original and in poor condition. The age of the system make it impossible, in some cases, to repair because parts no longer exist. In the gymnasium the heaters are in the ceiling. Their size required that they originally be installed before the roof was put on, making it impossible to remove and replace them. The system is ineffective with heat ranges from the high 80’s in some areas to the 50’s in others, with ineffective operation resulting in unreasonable costs (estimated at an average of over $50,000 for the next five years). Black smoke has, at times permeated the building due to malfunctions of the system. Annual maintenance and repairs amount to over $5,000 and do not fix the problems. Ouellet Plumbing estimates it will cost approximately $1,500,000 to replace the system. Massachusetts School Building Authority 4 Statement of Interest Name of School Adams Middle Priority 5 Please describe the measures the School District has already taken to reduce energy consumption. HV SYSTEM – Approximately $25,000 was spent in FY05 to replace the circulating pumps from the heating system. In FY04, $12,000 was spent to replace the burners for the two boilers. The compressors for the system were already replaced in FY04. Approximately $3,000-$4,000 a year is spent on general maintenance and repair of the heating system. Massachusetts School Building Authority 5 Statement of Interest Name of School Adams Middle Priority 7 Please provide a detailed description of the programs not currently available due to facility constraints, the state or local requirement for such programs and the facility limitations precluding the programs from being offered. CAFETERIA- The cafeteria was built to service an off-campus lunch population of high school students. The square footage is 1,988 sq. ft. compared to a requirement of 3,150 sq. ft. The kitchen is 438 sq. ft. compared to a requirement of 1,419 sq. ft. The walk-in cooler for the kitchen is located outside the building due to lack of space. ROOMS- This 1950’s high school has been retrofitted in an attempt to meet the needs of a 2006 middle school. Only two of the 22 classrooms meet the minimum square footage recommendation of 900 sq. ft. Seven are less than 600 sq. ft. and two are under 500 sq. ft. Non-academic spaces are also considerably smaller than state recommendations. For example, the computer lab is in a space that is 460 sq. ft. (half of a former high school industrial arts space). General music has retrofitted classroom on the auditorium stage and art is in the former girl’s locker room. All of these issues create problems with health and safety. (See enclosed chart or room square footage compared to requirements or recommendations). These conditions have compromised the ability to provide programs that meet state and local requirements. Massachusetts School Building Authority 6 Statement of Interest Name of School Adams Middle Priority 7 Please describe the measures the School District has taken or is planning to take in the immediate future to mitigate the problem(s) described above. CAFETERIA- An outside walk-way was enclosed to add additional seating for the cafeteria in 1993. District contracted with engineer Jack Cox, to develop a plan to enclose the outside freezer. (plans have not been implemented to date.) Massachusetts School Building Authority 7 Statement of Interest Name of School Adams Middle Vote Vote of Municipal Governing Body YES: 0 NO: 0 Date: Vote of School Committee YES: 6 NO: 0 Date: Feb 27 2006 Vote of Regional School Committee YES: NO: Date: Feb 27 2006 Massachusetts School Building Authority 8 Statement of Interest Name of School Adams Middle Form of Vote The following form of vote should be used by both the City Council/Board of Aldermen, Board of Selectmen/equivalent governing body AND the School Committee in voting to approve this Statement of Interest. If a regional school district, the regional school district should use the following form of vote. Resolved: Having convened in an open meeting on ___________________, the _________________________________________________________________ [City Council/Board of Aldermen, Board of Selectmen/Equivalent Governing Body, School Committee] of ___________________________[City/Town/School District], in accordance with its charter, by-laws, and ordinances, has voted to authorize the Superintendent to submit to the Massachusetts School Building Authority the Statement of Interest dated _____________ for the __________________________________[Name of School] located at _____________________________________________________________________[Address] which describes and explains the following deficiencies and the priority category(s) for which _________________________________________[Name of City/Town/District] may be invited to apply to the Massachusetts School Building Authority in the future _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________[Insert a description of the priority(s) checked off on the Statement of Interest and a brief description of the deficiency described therein for each priority]; and hereby further specifically acknowledges that by submitting this Statement of Interest, the Massachusetts School Building Authority in no way guarantees the acceptance or the approval of an application, the awarding of a grant or any other funding commitment from the Massachusetts School Building Authority, or commits the _________________________________ [Name of City/Town/District] to filing an application for funding with the Massachusetts School Building Authority. Massachusetts School Building Authority 9 Statement of Interest Name of School Adams Middle CERTIFICATIONS The undersigned hereby certifies that, to the best of his/her knowledge, information and belief, the statements and information contained in this statement of Interest and attached hereto are true and accurate and that this Statement of Interest has been prepared under the direction of the district school committee and the undersigned is duly authorized to submit this Statement of Interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority. The undersigned also hereby acknowledges and agrees to provide the Massachusetts School Building Authority, upon request by the Authority, any additional information relating to this Statement of Interest that may be required by the Authority. LOCAL CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER/DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT/SCHOOL COMMITTEE CHAIR (E.g., Mayor, Town Manager, Board of Selectmen) Chief Executive Officer School Committee Chair Superintendent of Schools (print name) (print name) (print name) (signature) Date (signature) Date (signature) Date Massachusetts School Building Authority 10 Statement of Interest
The last day for Massachusetts residents to register to vote in the Nov. 4 presidential election is Wednesday, Oct. 15. Out of town that day? Apply for an absentee ballot at your town or city clerk's office.
