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Falmouth School Board Minutes |
Falmouth School Board
Ad Hoc Advisory Building Committee Minutes
Thursday, October 26, 2006
1. Introductions
The meeting was called to order by Mark Terison at 7:04 p.m. Committee members in attendance were Karen Boffa, Karen Farber, John Flaherty, Dan O’Shea, Teresa Pierce, Judy Schneider, Mark Terison and Penny Wheeler-Abbott. Beppie Cerf, School Board Chair, also attended. A sheet was passed around to obtain contact information of committee members. This information will be available to all members once it is complete. Mark Terison asked Karen Farber if she would be the vice-chair of this committee, and Mrs. Farber agreed.
2. Review the charge from the School Board
Mark Terison read the resolution and charge of this committee from the September 18 School Board Meeting as follows: The Board appoint an ad hoc advisory committee to advise the Board on the following: 1) To consider a solution for our long-range facilities needs; 2) To recommend an architect to assist in fashioning a plan to meet the needs; 3) To keep the Board and the public informed of its progress through regular reports, public meetings and recorded minutes; and 4) To report its advice concerning site, concept, and design to the Board as soon as practicable, following due consultation with the public, and with school staff. Mr. Terison indicated that it was his hope to be finished with this charge in 2007.
3. Establish a meeting schedule
After a brief discussion, it was decided the committee will meet once a month, alternating on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. The schedule agreed upon is as follows:
Wednesday November 15, 2006
Thursday December 14, 2006
Wednesday January 17, 2007
Thursday February 15, 2007
Wednesday March 14, 2007
Thursday April 26, 2007
Wednesday May 16, 2007
Thursday June 21, 2007
The meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m. and will take place at the Lunt School in the “modular” conference room. If school is cancelled for any reason on a meeting date, then there will be no meeting held, and it will be rescheduled as soon as practical.
There was a question whether it would be beneficial to have teacher representation on the committee. John Flaherty indicated that Bonnie Taylor, a teacher at Lunt School, had expressed an interest. The committee unanimously agreed that Bonnie would make a great addition. John will invite Bonnie to the next committee meeting and a motion will be made at the November 28, 2006 School Board Meeting to appoint Bonnie Taylor to the committee.
4. Brief overview of the process
Dan O’Shea passed out several handouts. The first was a 21-step overview for project planning purposes. He indicated that we are between steps 3 and 4 in the process. The first important task is to place ads in newspapers for architect selection. The State gives very helpful and specific information regarding that process. Dan indicated he anticipated the first round of ads (the State requires 2) will be placed by mid-November. There were several questions/comments given regarding the process:
- Mark Terison asked whether the ads should be sent directly to certain architectural firms.
- Another member asked if the school configurations have been decided on.
- Mr. Flaherty indicated that he has heard feedback from staff members that they do not want to have kindergarten separate from the rest of the elementary grades.
- What about new vs. renovate existing buildings.
- It was indicated that the goal was to have no more portables in place after this project is complete.
- Mrs. Farber expressed that fiscal pressure needs to be considered during this process, but it was also pointed out that school buildings are used for many, many years (60 or more in most cases) so it’s important to meet the needs of the district and students up front.
- Dan O’Shea mentioned that he has seen setups with the town library and school being combined in one building.
5. Review NESDEC report
The NESDEC Report (K-12 LONG RANGE SCHOOL FACILITIES PLANNING, FALMOUTH, MAINE – AUGUST 2006) was distributed and discussed. Mark Terison commented that the report highlights 3 options, but that Option II (Build a new Grade 3-5 School at the MS/HS campus) has captured a lot of interest. Mr. Terison stated that the building needs to meet the current educational program. Option III (A K-4 campus with renovations and 2-story additions to Lunt and Plummer-Motz) was also discussed. It was mentioned that the State encourages full-day kindergarten and pre-K planning during this process. Pre-K is included in state funding. Dan O’Shea referred to page 81 in the NESDEC report which provides additional input on the full-day kindergarten/pre-K discussion. The committee agreed that it is important that the stakeholders are involved in this process so their needs are met and they get on board with this project. It was recommended that we identify all options, list advantages/disadvantages and as the committee goes through the process, determine if by consensus one option emerges. Other options besides the 3 in the NESDEC report can be considered. The question was asked, is the mandate for this group just elementary or can we have an impact on the middle school? Beppie Cerf indicated that we are considering alternatives for K-8. There was a brief discussion on if current facilities are renovated, where are the students relocated to. Presumpscot School in Portland was mentioned as a possible option. It was decided that this committee needs to move in 2 important directions – 1) Architect selection and 2) Configuration of our elementary and middle school grades. There will be sub-committees for both. Another question raised is how does the committee keep the community involved and included in the decisions. The committee unanimously agreed that they need to know what the philosophy is of Falmouth Public Schools Leadership Council with respect to the 5th grade. Is it best to keep them at the middle school? Should 5th graders be included once again with lower grades? It was requested that Leadership Council discuss these questions and Dr. Entwistle report back at the November 15 meeting.
6. Establish a subcommittee for architectural/design team hiring process
Dan O’Shea referred to Page 11 in the School Construction Project Workbook. It gives an excellent overview and guidance on the architect selection process including what newspapers MUST be advertised in, at least how many firms (3) to select for interview, sample questions to ask, etc. A committee member questioned whether the architect sub-committee should be looking at other schools that the architect firms have worked on and should they look at a “bare bones” state funding school that has been constructed. It was agreed that once an architect is selected, committee members should tour some schools that the selected architect has designed. It was pointed out that the selected architect needs to be able to work with staff members. The architect sub-committee will consist of the following members:
Dan O’Shea
Judy Schneider
Penny Wheeler-Abbott
Andy Hyland
This sub-committee will handle the first “cut” of architects. The goal is to be interviewing architects some time in December.
7. Adjournment
The decision was made that the meeting minutes would be e-mailed to all committee members and reviewed/approved at the next Ad Hoc Advisory Building Committee meeting. Also agreed upon is that it would be the responsibility of a committee member who does not attend a meeting to pick up any missed paperwork/handouts at the Superintendent’s Office. The meeting adjourned at 8:51 p.m.
Handouts from October 26, 2006 Meeting:
- Overview of Project Planning Process (colored chart)
- October 17, 2005 D.O.E. memorandum regarding “Your Major Capital Construction Project”
- NESDEC “K-12 LONG RANGE SCHOOL FACILITIES PLANNING – AUGUST, 2006”
- School Construction Project Workbook
Next Meeting: November 15, 2006
7:00 p.m. – Lunt School
Last Updated:
11/17/06
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