USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Mendon > Town annual reports of the officers of Mendon, Massachusetts 1953-1957 > Part 22
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28
Wiring Inspector 66
Vocational Education
29
Fire Chief 59
Highway Surveyor 61
Jurors
43
Financial Reports :
Assessors
10
School Reports :
Financial 86
Principal
104
Prize Speaking 114
School Committee 88
Superintendent 92
Marriages 70
Deaths
71
Town Accountant
Town Clerk 9
Town Hall Maint. 11
Treasurer
8
REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
OF
THE BUILDING COMMITTEE
OF THE
TOWN OF MENDON, MASS.
ANNUAL TOWN MEETING MARCH 7, 1958
The Building Committee was established in accordance with the provisions of Article No. 4, voted at the Special Town Meeting of June 10, 1957.
FRANK R. BOYER HAROLD METCALF JOHN L. LUNDVALL ARTHUR A. WIERSMA STANLY W. TUTTLE
MR. GORDON GOOD
declined his appointment. His place was later filled by John L. Lundvall.
Recommendation
The Building Committee recommends that the Town votes ap- proval of Articles No. 18 and No. 19.
No. 18. The additional site will permit the development of the now dormant acreage south of the present school, and will also provide additional parking, playground and driveway area.
No. 19. To provide the means whereby the townspeople will know how much the general contract bid actually is, before voting at the Special Town Meeting rather than relying on an estimate.
The Fifty Percent School Construction Grant
The School Building Committee has been assured that any school building project voted by the Town of Mendon, complying both with the structural standards of the Department of Public Safety and the educational specifications of the School Building Assistance Commission must receive the mandatory 50% school construction grant.
Educational Specifications
We, the Building Committee, noting that the Town of Mendon had voted acceptance of the report of the School Planning Commit- tee, incorporated this planning into the proposed building program. Serving on this Committee were Chester Fitzgerald, Harry York, Gordon Good, Donald Lowell, Carlton Goss and Mrs. Lois Taylor.
"Program of Studies" as set forth by the School Planning Com- mittee has been incorporated into the proposed building program.
Specialty Rooms
Also incorporated in this building program are the several spe- cialty rooms as listed by the School Planning Committee.
Principal's Office Storage Room Library
Teachers Room Remedial Room Multi-Purpose Room
Health Room
Custodian Room Kitchen
2
Site
The purchase of the proposed additional land, also listed by the School Planning Committee, has received the approval of both the School Building Assistance Commission and this committee. Your Building Committee has consummated a conditional purchase and sales agreement in behalf of the Town of Mendon. The condition being, of course, that the voters of Mendon vote the required ap- proval.
Acquisition of this property will, first, allow the development of a new and direct approach to the school from Route 16 to relieve the traffic delay from the North Avenue road. Secondly, it will provide an additional recreational area. Thirdly, it will provide off-street parking for both the school and the proposed multi-pur- pose room which in turn could be used for the many civic and com- munity functions.
School Membership Projections
The question of classroom space proved to be a most formidable problem. Examination of the projection figures as prepared by the School Building Assistance Commission indicate an increase of 51 pupils in the next five years. The Mendon School Department pro- jections visualize an increase of from 93 to 129 pupils for this period. It is noted that former projections by our local school committee have been consistently higher than actual school enrollments. The Building Committee had no choice but to accept the School Building Assistance Commission figures.
Present School Facilities
The representatives of the School Building Assistance Commis- sion verbally advised your Building Committee, that in their opin- ion, the present school facilities available, (both classroom wise and educationally), were neither adaptable for a secondary nor for an elementary level education in the modern school planning concep- tion. However, they did express the opinion that the Town of Men- don would probably not vote to abandon the present school, but would continue to use it.
3
PROPOSAL
Your Building Committee has been reassured (by a most com- petent contractor and building appraisor of many years' experi- ence) that "the front addition of the present school building is of good repair and is structurally sound."
It is proposed that the Town of Mendon shall
1. Erect a free standing addition to the present school
2. Erect six additional classrooms
3. Erect a multi-purpose room
4. Erect such collateral rooms as specified in the "Educational Specifications."
ESTIMATED COST OF BUILDING
General Contract $225,000.00
Site Developement 3,000.00
Architect's Fee 15,960.00
Equipment 25,040.00
Contingency Fund (includes
Clerk of Works Salary) 21,000.00
Total Cost
$290,000.00
State Share at 50% $145,000.00
Town of Mendon Share
$145,000.00
4
1
WENDELL T. PHILLIPS ASSOCIATES
DONALD F. PHILLIPS GEORGE M. LIVINGSTONE, JR. ROLAND E. HIXON ROBERT A TACCONI
Architects MILFORD, MASS.
WENDELL T. PHILLIPS 1912-1955
TELEPHONE 2984
February 25, 1958
School Building Committee Mendon, Massachusetts
Gentlemen:
The following preliminary information is submitted as an aid to your committee in arriving at a solution to your elementary school problem:
The floor area required to provide space facilities for six (6) classrooms, Principal's Office, Teachers' Room, Health Room, Storage Room, Remedial Room, Custodian Room, Library, Multipurpose Room, and Kitchen would be approximately 14,125 square feet. Additional outside covered space at a bus loading area would be approximately 1840 square feet. These areas would be subject to some variation as the plan is developed. Based on the above areas and a square foot cost of $15.00 for the inside area and a square foot cost of $7.50 for the exterior covered areas, a reasonable estimated cost of the building would be $225,000.00 (exclusive of equipment). site work (paving and grass areas) would be approximately $3,000.00 additional.
The
The $15.00 a square foot cost figure would be repre- sentative of a one story building, no basement, structural steel frame, lightweight roof planking, 20 year bonded tar and gravel roof, exterior walls of face brick backed up with lightweight aggregate blocks, asphalt tile floors on concrete, ceramic tile floor in toilets, interior walls of painted masonry, polished concrete blocks in corridors and multipurpose room, glazed tile walls in toilets, panelled plywood in lobby, and hung acoustical ceilings. Complete heating and ventilating, plumbing and elec- trical systems would also be included in this cost estimate.
Very truly yours, WENDELL T. PHILLIPS ASSOCIATES Donne 7. She's
Donald F. Phillips
DFP:c
5
$290,000 BOND ISSUE 20 years at 3.25% Interest Rate
Prin. Debt
Int. Due
Total
50%State Reimburse.
Yrly. Town Pay.
Debt Balance
Tax Rate per yre
Yrs. 1
$14,500
$9,425.00 $23,925.00
$7,250
$16,675.00
$275,500
$7.76
2
14,500
8,953.75 23,453.75
7,250
16,203.75
261,000
7.55
3
14,500
8,482.50
22,982.50
7,250
15,732.50
246,500
7.33
4
14,500
8,011.25
22,511.25
7,250
15,261.25
232,000
7.10
5
14,500
7,540.00
22,040.00
7,250
14,190.00
217,500
6.89
6
14,500
7,068.75
21,568.75
7,250
14,318.75
203,000
6.67
7
14,500
6,597.50
21,097.50
7,250
13,847.50
188,500
6.44
8
14,500
6,126.25
20,626.25
7,250
13,376.25
174,000
6.22
9
14,500
5,671.25
20,171.25
7,250
12,921.25
159,500
6.01
10
14,500
5,183.75
19,683.75
7,250
12,433.75
145,000
5.78
11
14,500
4,712.50
19,212.50
7,250
11,962.50
130,500
5.56
12
14,500
4,241.25
18,741.25
7,250
11,491.25
116,000
5.34
13
14,500
3,770.00
18,270.00
7,250
11,020.00
101,500
5.13
14
14,500
3,298.75
17,798.75
7,250
10,548.75
87,000
4.91
15
14,500
2,827.50
17,327.50
7,250
10,077.50
72,500
4.68
16
14,500
2,356.25
16,856.25
7,250
9,606.25
58,000
4.42
17
14,500
1,885.00
16,385.00
7,250
9,135.00
43,500
4.24
18
14,500
1,313.75
15,813.75
7,250
8,563.75
29,000
3.98
19
14,500
942.50
15,442.50
7,250
8,192.50
14,500
3.81
20
14,500
471.25
14,971.25
7,250
7,721.25
0
3.59
Why Not A Larger Addition
The Building Committee has curtailed its original larger build- ing program, to build enough to suffice all projected enrollment for a longer period of time, for these three logical reasons:
a. Our present school plant lacks the necessary specialty rooms including the multi-purpose room vital to supply additional area for all the many school classes and functions hitherto ignored.
b. Our Mendon School offers only the required minimum stand- ard elementary curriculum, it has had only limited facilities.
c. Your Building Committee does not advocate spending any more monies than is prudent. Let first things be accom- plished first.
Your Building Committee believes it is far wiser to adopt this modest building program and to demand that the educational stand- ards be improved by the School Committee, rather than to concen- trate solely on a larger building program.
In the upgrading of our elementary system, we automatically upgrade our secondary system. All additional facilities provided for our elementary system are also provided for the secondary system.
We know our proposed addition is comparatively low priced. We know that the operation and maintenance of this new addition is designed to be economical.
We, the Building Committee of Mendon, are proud to present this plan to the voters of Mendon. We are ready, willing and able to improve our educational system if you so manifest it by your vote at the Town Meeting.
7
"Under Chapter No. 645 of the General Laws, there has been established in the Department of Education, but not subject to its control, a temporary commission, to be known as the School Build- ing Assistance Commission, to encourage the establishment of re- gional and consolidated public schools and to provide financial as- sistance to cities and towns in the construction of school buildings."
After the administrator of the School Building Assistance Com- mission was informed of the June 10, 1957 Town of Mendon vote, not favoring the establishment of the regional school district, and realizing that we, members of the School Building Committee, were not going to act or do anything thereto on the secondary phase of the Mendon school system at this time, did then refrain from further regional school dissertation.
However, our local educational leaders, in contrast, have evi- denced a wanton and calloused disregard of our local school vote. They have assumed leadership within a group to discredit the ef- forts and plans of your duly established building committee. They have aligned themselves in persistent regional school planning ac- tivities. Their obvious intent is to thwart the will of the people who placed them in office.
The aftermath of such a conflict of wills (the Town of Mendon vs. the educational leaders) can prove both costly and tragic if build- ing delay ensues.
The school situation is very serious due to the lack of space, building conditions and the resultant curriculum curtailment.
Despite the evidence shown in our neighboring town that the end result of double sessions has disclosed the cheating of the pupils (less educational time being offered) and the cheating of the tax- payers' dollars (more cost for less education), our educational lead- ers do advocate and plan these self-same degrading double sessions. In other words, they would block any form of space addition, seek- ing to alleviate our distressful conditions, despite the vote of the town, which does not conform to their personal wishes and desire.
It is the opinion of your Building Committee that the Town of Mendon has no alternative but to demand that the conflict of divid- ed leadership pitting the educational leaders against the taxpayers be not tolerated and cease immediately.
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34646
BC 50288
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