DISCONNECT BETWEEN PROPOSED REGIONAL CAPITAL BUDGET AND BUILDING STUDY RECOMMENDATIONS
One suggested improvement from JCJ’s study of the Middle School that is included in the FY21 budget is the partial renovation of this former wood shop space to create a “maker space.” Photo: Toni Cunningham
By Maria Kopicki and Toni Cunningham
A regional schools capital budget for FY21 totaling $672,176 has been proposed by Amherst Schools’ Superintendent, Michael Morris. Of that amount, $425,000 would be provided by the four member towns (Amherst, Pelham, Leverett, and Shutesbury), subject to the four towns’ approval, with the balance coming from a combination of revolving funds/fees and Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds. The CPA requests are for schematic design work for updates to the athletic fields. The cost of construction (currently estimated at between $4 and $6 million), would come from the regional capital budget in the future.
A study of the Middle and High Schools by JCJ Architecture, presented to the Regional School Committee in March 2019, included a number of recommendations for capital improvement projects “to be prioritized by ARPS for execution in the next five years.” The improvements included a new roof, automatic sprinkler systems, fire alarm systems, high-efficiency gas water heaters, emergency generators, and accessibility upgrades for both buildings. Additionally, at the Middle School, improved security for the front entrance and replacement of electrical switch gear was recommended. Apart from a nominal amount for accessibility upgrades ($50,000 vs. the recommended $1.3 million), these capital improvement projects are not included in the proposed FY21 capital budget, and most are left off the 10-year capital plan that was presented last November.
Last year, the towns approved $3 million to replace the Middle School roof but the work was put on hold until the district secures state funding. The District’s application to the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s (MSBA) Accelerated Repair grant program last year was not eligible as funding was restricted to roofs more than 27 years old and the ARMS roof was 25 years old at that time. The deadline to submit an application for this year is February 15 and could reimburse more than half of the total cost.
One suggested improvement from JCJ’s report that is included in the FY21 budget is the partial renovation of the former Middle School woodshop to create a “maker space.” The proposed work, budgeted for $50,000, would entail installing a partition and egress to use approximately a third of the woodshop’s original space. Morris has said that current art staff at the Middle School would develop new courses to be held in the maker space.
$100,000 for engineering and design work for a new HVAC chiller at the Middle School is included in the proposed budget. In the 10-year plan, the replacement chiller was slated for FY22 and estimated at $800,000. Morris explained that the need was due to climate fluctuations in Middle School classrooms. JCJ had not included the need to replace the chiller in their report.
At both the December 2019 and February 2020 Four Towns meetings, Councilor Dorothy Pam advocated for the inclusion of fire alarms and sprinkler systems in the capital budget as soon as possible. The district provided cost estimates of approximately $2.5 million per building, but did not recommend that they be included. Morris said that the buildings were up to code and are not required to possess fire suppression systems because of their age. He noted that the Amherst Fire Department conducts annual inspections of all Amherst schools. A request for these reports is pending.
In its 2019 report, JCJ provided three options for enhancing the security of the Middle School front entrance, ranging in cost from approximately $200,000 to $900,000. None of these options were included in this year’s regional capital budget proposal. Last year, the state awarded $7.2 million in grants to 143 school districts for school security infrastructure. Amherst did not apply for this funding, which provided up to $80,000 to each recipient district. The next round of applications is due to open soon.
Although no money has been included in the FY21 capital budget for either fire suppression or improving front door security at the Middle and High Schools, Amherst officials have cited the inadequacies in both these areas at Wildwood and Fort River elementary schools as part of the argument for why these schools need to be replaced.
The Regional School Committee must vote to recommend the capital spending plan before sending it to the legislative bodies of the four towns for approval. Each town is responsible for a proportion of the total capital spending, based on the value of taxable property (Amherst ~77%, Pelham ~6%, Leverett ~9%, and Shutesbury ~8%).
$100,000 sounds a little much for design work for a replacement AC chiller for the middle school; seems like most of the design had already been done with the original system with new components replacing existing ones. Regardless, a chiller system is probably not the way to go anyway. The split, remote systems that are available today, like the Mitsubishi Citi Multi and similar by other brands, are very efficient, allow simultaneous heating and cooling, have individual room controls, and do not need water piping that is susceptible to freezing/bursting/building water damage. More than one system would be required to cool the entire building, but that is also an advantage; absent an electrical power failure affecting the entire building, the chances of losing air conditioning to the entire building are nil. Contrast that with a chiller system with virtually all the mechanical components subject failure being in one unit.
If the entrances to our schools are not safe this must be fixed immediately. Children need to be protected from intruders. It’s a different world now.