���������������������������� MONADNOCK REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

������������������������������������ SCHOOL BOARD MEETING MINUTES

�������������������������������������������������������� February 12, 2008

��������������������������������� Monadnock Middle/High School, Swanzey, NH

 

Present: Karen Cota, Tim Aho, Susan Oerman, James Carnie, Ed Jacod, Kenneth Colby, Colline Dreyfuss, Jane Fortson, Winston Wright, William Felton, Phyllis Peterson, Gene White and Doug Lyman. Absent: Tim Peloquin.

Also present: K. Dassau, Superintendent, D. Hodgdon, Assistant Superintendent and K. Chamber, Business Manager.

 

C. Dreyfuss opened the meeting at 7:00PM. She reminded the Board that it is the job of the Chair to keep the meeting on task. She asked that everyone remain polite.

 

C. Dreyfuss explained that the purpose of the meeting is to have David King of Kaestle Boos (K-B) give a presentation on the Master Plan for the high school. There would be no motions tonight. A motion would be taken under the Facilities Report on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2008.

 

K. Cota commented that they would be looking for the final approval at Tuesday night�s meeting. She explained that the pile of papers at each Board Members seat is to be inserted in the booklets that they have already received.

 

David King explained that K-B had been hired to prepare the Master Plan for the high school. He explained that this process has taken about one year. He gave a power point presentation to the Board. He reviewed the following findings and recommendations for the high school with a middle school, the physical conditions of he site and building, code compliance, service life and educational assessment. He reviewed the site issues that were not satisfactory such as handicapped parking, trash and waste storage, equipment screening and others. He showed the code violations on the plan. He spoke about the most significant problem being the separation between the educational and assembly occupancies. This is due in part to the school being wood. The length of egress travel exceeded 5 classrooms, which would be an issue. The handicapped accessibility issue also with the fixture heights, door hardware, the gym, auditorium and the stage. He gave a list of the building issues which included media center undersized, asbestos in the floor tiles, roof deteriorating, mason cracks and others. There are food services issues such as the deliveries and the trash are in the same area, the exhaust hood, lack of hot and cold food holding equipment, lack of grease trap and others.

 

David King explained that he looked at the curriculum and spoke to the staff. With the facilities and the curriculum in mind he came up with two alternatives. This design addressed the issues. The committee selected one as the preferred plan. This plan would make the middle school and high school more distinct in the separation of the two. The plan would modify the north parking lot. The buses and the parents picking up their children would have different lanes. The plan would expand the back parking, south of the library would have more space and there would be 11 handicapped spaces. There would be a better access road on the west side for emergency egress. The middle school area entrance would be moved to a different place off the front. There would be additional space for the auxiliary, gym, lockers, PE, kitchen space and a 2nd cafeteria. The media room would be expanded. There would be renovations to the auditorium as well as renovations to the music space. The red lines on the map show the areas of demolition and the blue lines show the new areas. The renovations and the major renovations are marked. He explained that the crew would be working around the students and staff and he explained the phases.

 

David King explained the cost estimate, which is $37.873, 000.00. C. Dreyfuss asked if the phases were broken down. D. King commented that he assumed that the District would go through with it and finish. He commented that if you want to do phases you might want a new phase plan. He would recommend the boiler and electrical first. �T. Aho asked if the pumping station was in the $37 million dollar plan. E. Jacod asked if the plan takes into consideration including the 6th graders. D. King explained that it was talked about briefly. To bring them to this plan would be tight. Bringing the 6th graders in this plan is not the ideal situation.

 

D. King explained the bus lane and the parent lane. S. Oerman commented on the nurse�s area being in Phase 3 and the urgency from the NEASC. D. King explained that the issue needs to be discussed and pushed ahead but not in Phase 1. J. Kenyon asked about the population. D. King commented that the more years you go out it is less accurate. The most accurate would be the next 2 years. D. King commented that if you drag the phases out in years the increase in costs could be 30%-40% more. J. Carnie asked if the connection of the sewer for $750,000.00 and the $1.2 million for the water are reflected in the $37 million. D. King commented that there was no decision. They did not include the cost. The costs are estimates. D. King commented that they assumed the present system would be the one that they would have. The connection has not been discussed. He would not recommend that the District do that. J. Carnie asked about the impact of additional space on the existing system. D. King explained that the size of the system is based on the population of the building. It does not say that we have to connect. D. Lyman commented on the distance to the exit not being any different. D. King explained that a viable path was created and a sprinkler system throughout the building. D. King commented that they might have to look at expanding the leech field. T. Aho commented that the tanks in the proposed parking area are not supposed to take the weight of the parking lot. D. King explained that the $47 million is for a new building. We would not have the school on one floor. There would be 2 additional floors. We would construct elsewhere and tear down this building. D. King commented on the heating and cooling system. He said that the costs would probably not decrease but they would be more efficient. J. Carnie asked if the plans from 1993 were looked at and taken into consideration. D. King commented that he recently received the plans. They are very basic plans. The plan was to look at a 2 or 3 grades middle school on a different site. W. Felton thought that was a possibility to renovate and build a middle school. D.King commented that they did discuss it. T. Aho asked the cost for D. King�s services. D.King responded that the cost is $23,000.00 for the Master Plan. T.Aho asked about the test pouring of a dry well. D.King said that it was mentioned but not part of cost. D. Lyman commented that if we decide we are up 2 years to any final cost numbers. The tests would need to be complete. The final cost is 2 years away. D. King explained that the District could use the same figure and will design to that amount. C.Dreyfuss explained that 18 months is built into the number and so is the site testing. K. Cota would be asking for an approval to the information in this book, to approve the Master Plan and the work that Kaestle Boos has done. M.Hoeffer commented about the KMS Plan. A woman asked the figures for hooking up the sewer and water. D. King explained that it was $750,000.00 for sewer and $1.2 million for water.

 

C. Dreyfuss thanked D.King for the presentation.�

 

K. Cota asked if there are any questions that the Board forgot email her and she would get them to D. King.

 

The Board closed the meeting at 8:20 PM.