2026-06-09 - School Committee Richer School Project Forum

0:05Good evening. Today is 6:03 and welcome

0:08to the school committee meeting

0:10regarding the retro school project. Call

0:12this meeting to order. We are being

0:14taped live and pre-recorded or

0:16re-recorded through WMCTV. So, we'll

0:19kick off the meeting with the

0:19superintendent to a quick and

0:21introduction. Then we'll turn over to

0:22Vert.ex and LPA where they get into the

0:24meat and potatoes regarding the project.

0:26Great.

0:26>> So, superintendent, thank you.

0:28>> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Good evening

0:29everybody. Uh great to be here and great

0:31to be discussing such an important topic

0:33uh not only to our school district but

0:35to our community as a whole. Uh in a

0:37moment I'm going to turn the

0:38presentation over to our uh owner's

0:40project manager and our architects that

0:43have been very hard at work with our

0:44school building committee to put

0:45together uh a design that is very future

0:48forward and future focused as it relates

0:51to the educational opportunity and

0:53experience that we are uh eager to bring

0:55forward to our richer school community

0:57but also to our Malboro community as a

0:59whole.

1:01Uh and so um with that um I know this is

1:04not a new topic to anybody here and

1:06probably to those tuning in at home. Uh

1:09but we have spent a lot of time thinking

1:12about the impact uh the richer project

1:14could have not just on the students that

1:17are um attending the richer school but

1:20actually how we can really leverage that

1:22facility to help us uh restructure and

1:24reorganize uh the other elementary

1:27schools as well. Um and so as we walk

1:29through the first few slides, we'll talk

1:30a little bit about uh the why and the

1:32how of that. Uh but we know there is

1:34urgency behind um bringing forward this

1:37project to our community uh not just for

1:40the students of the richer school and

1:42the staff of the richer school.

1:46So uh if you've spent any time in the

1:48building, you're aware that uh there are

1:51lots of uh structural issues that need

1:53to be addressed and richer. Um we have

1:58uh the city has done an incredible job

1:59of investing in its schools. The last

2:01new school uh that was opened was the

2:04Good Now Brothers uh school in I believe

2:06it was 2020. Um and uh they opened with

2:09about 750 students which is about where

2:11their enrollment is now kindergarten

2:13through fifth grade. Um even with the

2:17Good Now Brothers building open with the

2:19enrollment of around 750, our schools

2:22are still at the elementary level uh

2:24pretty much at capacity. Um every space

2:27across each of those uh four buildings

2:31is at um full utilization. Uh so our

2:34libraries are unfortunately not

2:36libraries but are being used as

2:37classrooms. Uh every office space uh is

2:41utilized. Um many are being uh are being

2:45or have been converted to uh pullout

2:47rooms for either special education or uh

2:51for literacy or math intervention. Uh

2:54but certainly being used as spaces than

2:56other um of how they were designed. Um

3:00you also will notice uh very creative

3:02conference rooms as you walk around the

3:04buildings at the end of hallways. Uh you

3:07will notice uh particularly at the

3:08richer school uh library in the

3:10cafeteria. Uh it's the only place to

3:12store the books. Um and I wish I could

3:15say that was unique to the richer

3:17school, but it's not. Um our school

3:19staff at the elementary level have done

3:21an amazing job of utilizing every space

3:23they have, but unfortunately they're not

3:26always used as the spaces were designed

3:28and intended. And so part of bringing

3:31forward a new uh elementary building to

3:33the richer neighborhood and to the

3:35students that we would ultimately u uh

3:38zone and assigned to the richer school

3:40will impact significantly the other

3:43elementary schools. Bringing back spaces

3:45in the other buildings as they were

3:46intended for their original use uh such

3:49as our libraries which would be

3:50tremendous. Uh we have a strong literacy

3:53focus across our district. Um, and it is

3:56a little headscratcher sometimes for

3:58folks to say, "That's weird. We have

4:00such a strong focus on literacy, but we

4:01don't have libraries in our elementary

4:03schools because they're utilized as

4:04classroom space."

4:07Um, there are many challenges, as I

4:09mentioned, um, to the richer school. And

4:12again, I know to many of our folks at

4:14home that are tuning in and to our

4:15friends in the audience, none of this is

4:17probably new information as it relates

4:19to the structural issues. There's a lot

4:21of content here. I won't read all of

4:23these to you. Um but you can see that

4:25the ranges uh range of issues uh stem

4:28from HVAC and accessibility issues to

4:32actual student learning issues as it

4:34relates to the physical space itself. Um

4:37I mentioned a term in the beginning

4:39beginning of um our conversation this

4:41evening that is one of future forward

4:44future focused as it relates to the

4:46teaching and learning spaces. Uh and the

4:48richer school um is far from that. I

4:51will say that the staff do a tremendous

4:53job of utilizing every space they can to

4:55the fullest extent possible. Uh but the

4:58building is dated and needs a

5:00significant amount of work. Um and so we

5:04are very eager to be moving forward with

5:06this project particularly to address the

5:08issues that are outlined here.

5:12Uh the enrollment is an important factor

5:15in this equation. Uh we've spent a lot

5:18of time um studying the enrollment

5:21possibilities and uh where we landed was

5:26uh selecting a project that would house

5:28about 950 elementary students. Uh if

5:32that sounds like a very large elementary

5:34school, it is because it is a very large

5:36elementary school. Um but the idea here

5:39is to take the current richer school,

5:41which is about 500 students, and almost

5:44double that. Um, in the creation of this

5:47larger building, we will redistrict

5:50students and create space in the other

5:53three elementary schools. And that was a

5:55major part of this project. And why the

5:57impact is so significant on the

6:00community as a whole is because it will

6:02not just impact the richer community,

6:04but it will actually help create space

6:06across the other elementary schools. Um

6:09and again you can see this idea of

6:11strengthening community pride uh

6:13enhancing the neighborhood appeal. Um if

6:15you have spent any time over near

6:18GoodNow recently it is a it is a

6:20beautiful building um that adds a lot to

6:23the area. Uh property values of course

6:25are impacted by new buildings in a

6:27positive way in terms of increasing the

6:29value um and creating new community

6:32space. And I think that's something

6:34that's really important for our school

6:35building committee. we've spent time

6:37talking about uh is that how do we

6:39utilize this space not just for your

6:41typical bell-to-bell instructional

6:43school day, but how do we actually

6:45create a space that's open uh and

6:47vibrant and available to our community?

6:49And the architects um our architecture

6:52firm has spent a lot of time really

6:54leaning into that idea and bringing

6:56different concepts into the into the

6:58space.

7:03Um again overall this idea of kind of

7:05future focused future forward teaching

7:07and learning. These are some snapshots

7:10of uh some classroom spaces and we'll

7:12see more of these 3D renderings uh in a

7:14few moments as uh I hand the

7:16presentation over to our architects. Um

7:19but the idea is to create these flexible

7:21instructional spaces to really leverage

7:23technology. And I sort of laugh when I

7:25say that because um as soon as we think

7:28we have a plan for technology and AI and

7:30how we're going to integrate that, it's

7:32going to change because the technology

7:34is moving quicker than we can keep pace

7:36uh with. But the idea is to create these

7:38flexible learning spaces that allow us

7:41to stay on the cutting edge to the most

7:43degree possible as it relates to

7:44integrating teaching and learning into

7:47our technology uh and our curricular

7:49work.

7:52Um and I think very important to mention

7:56um the idea of student inclusion and

8:00student support. Um if you had a moment

8:02to tune in to our graduation on Sunday

8:05uh and to our friends that are tuning in

8:07at home uh you may have heard a theme

8:09across many of the uh speeches and

8:12remarks that were given and that theme

8:14was really one of inclusivity and that

8:16malware was a place where all are

8:17welcome and all belong. um we need to

8:20design our buildings in that same

8:24mindset. And so the idea here is to

8:26create multiple spaces throughout the

8:29building where we are really focused on

8:31ensuring that we are meeting the needs

8:33of all students. Uh in this particular

8:35case, we're talking about special

8:36education spaces. We're talking about uh

8:39speech and OT. Um we're talking about uh

8:42mental health and uh clinical spaces for

8:45our counselors to be able to work with

8:47our students. Uh we know that school is

8:49not just reading, writing and math. Uh

8:52but there are multiple other components

8:54involved as we think about the whole

8:55child and how we best meet the needs of

8:57all of our students. So we are looking

8:58at designing a space that will allow us

9:01to do that.

9:05I'll turn it over to Chris Lee from our

9:07architecture firm LPA.

9:09>> Thank you and good evening. There are a

9:12lot of different ways to look at a

9:13building. First table is just one way.

9:16So the summary of the program that's

9:18within you see the different categories.

9:21I'm not going to read them all, but core

9:23academic, special education, etc., etc.

9:26Um, all have a lot of different rooms

9:28that fall beneath them.

9:30Excuse me. And we're looking at

9:32basically a building that is just over

9:34160,000 square feet.

9:37Get rid of this little menu here.

9:40And

9:42what you can see on the far right are

9:44the MSBA guidelines. Um, and those are

9:47just the the minimum areas that the

9:51school board school building authority

9:54um has a formula and they pump out and

9:56they just say these these are the spaces

9:58we think a school should have. And so

10:01while you see that number being 137,000

10:04and about that's just at a basic level

10:07that doesn't say that's going to have

10:09every space a district needs. That's

10:11just an initial consideration of the

10:13spaces.

10:18Taking another look from above kind of a

10:21bird's eye view as we like to say uh you

10:24can see the site plan here. The four

10:26colored spaces are where the existing

10:28school is now. And really, the only

10:30space to build a new building is on the

10:33field that's kind of down the hill.

10:36Again, we're talking about a school

10:38that's going to house 950 students. So,

10:42it's a lot of kids. It is a big

10:43building. It's three stories and we're

10:45utilizing the hill to the best we can.

10:47So, while it is three stories, it's only

10:50going to appear as two stories because

10:52we're engaging into the hillside. Those

10:56colored um you know blocks and squares

11:00and circles represent age appropriate uh

11:03recreation areas. That's the area for um

11:06a field here. So soccer is very popular.

11:08So there's a field there and there are

11:10some different play structures and

11:13basketball area, heartscape area for

11:15different activities for

11:17the students.

11:21This next slide or maybe I should go

11:22back. Um, so there's a couple features

11:24here that I I should also point out. So

11:27the far left, we're expanding the

11:28parking that is up the hill. There's a

11:30little parking now that's going to be

11:31expanded to um fit the total parking

11:35need. There's going to be other parking

11:37in front of the school for about um 20

11:40or so spaces including

11:43visitors and handicap spaces.

11:46We also have a little opportunity to put

11:48some spaces in the back of the building

11:50where the new loading dock is going to

11:51be in a secondary kind of pickup drop

11:54off zone. The large uh magenta uh color

12:00in front of the school is the new drop

12:02off area, the new front of the school.

12:05And so there's going to be a lot of

12:07landscaping and a canopy to help um with

12:10transition from outside to inside.

12:13The orange circle you can see at the top

12:15edge of the building is an outdoor

12:17classroom that can hold about one to two

12:20classroom size worth of students.

12:26On this slide, we'll just talk briefly

12:29about the vehicular circulation

12:32that um that we're anticipating having.

12:36So in the front road off of Foley Road,

12:40we see moving the bus loop kind of right

12:42now comes off of Ripley. So we're seeing

12:44buses uh having better advantage coming

12:48off of Foley and having a little loop

12:50there for about six buses.

12:54We also see that there's an opportunity

12:57around the back of the building to bring

12:59about five buses so that um the arrival

13:04and dismissal can be a little more

13:05expedited because we're talking about a

13:07lot of kids.

13:08>> We live on that road is like we live

13:10right next to school.

13:12>> It's really busy road and if we could

13:14just if we just keep the public comments

13:16to the end people at home can't hear you

13:18as well. So I just want you to be

13:19mindful of that. So thank you.

13:23And then we've seen the blue arrows um

13:26using what is now the the bus loop

13:28that's really the the route for parents

13:30and we can really onboard the site with

13:32the majority of the traffic that we

13:34anticipate having um for the those

13:36parents bringing their kids to and from

13:39school. And so we anticipate that being

13:41about like a 70 car q and we can bet

13:43most of that. We just think that the

13:45flow will be much better uh much better

13:48situation than it is now.

13:52In terms of the building, we'll start on

13:53the on the lowest floor. Again, there's

13:55three floors here. Um, you can see the

13:57the progress we've made, the distinction

13:59between the last phase, which is uh the

14:02PSR, the preferred schematic report is

14:05what that acronym stands for. And then

14:08on the right is the schematic design,

14:10which is the phase that we're really

14:13concluding right now.

14:16and different spaces have settled into

14:18positions that um after a lot of study

14:22seemed to be the best fit for making

14:25sure students in classrooms where they

14:28are the most with staff where they are

14:29the most have the most daylight because

14:31this is a very compact building. So

14:34we're trying to prioritize

14:36those spaces. So the fifth grade while

14:39still on the floor changed from that top

14:41position to the bottom right for

14:43instance. So there's a lot of musical

14:44chairs, if you will, in the planning and

14:47layout of the building. Cafeteria is

14:50also at this level, as well as the music

14:53suite of spaces and other support spaces

14:56to to um

14:59work with and support the fifth grade

15:01neighborhood.

15:04On this main floor is really the middle

15:06floor is the entry level from the poly

15:10road side of the site. You can see the

15:13big arrows, the red arrows. That's the

15:14main entry. So, really just entering the

15:17in the middle of that left edge of this

15:22um of this floor plan.

15:25And so here there's two grades,

15:27kindergarten and first grade. Uh we

15:30heard that um the smallest students want

15:34to kind of be mindful of their travel

15:36speed and and and needs and so they're

15:39on this entry level to to help

15:41accommodate that.

15:44The gym is also on this level. And so

15:46you start to notice maybe a little

15:48pattern that there is a major space on

15:49every floor. On the floor below we have

15:51the cafeteria. On this floor we have the

15:53gym.

15:55And as Dr. Falco mentioned the library

15:57is coming back and it's going to be

15:59located on the top floor. And also on

16:02this floor are the remaining three

16:04grades, second grade, third grade, and

16:07fourth grade.

16:10Um blue spaces you see are our rooms.

16:12There's three of them. And there's also

16:14an ST uh science uh type room, excuse

16:20me. Here are some architectural diagrams

16:24that just use color to help convey how

16:27we're organizing this building. You can

16:29see in that smaller diagram in blue that

16:32ring that donut that represents all the

16:34typical classrooms.

16:37And then purple, green, and red are the

16:40spaces I just described. Cafeteria, gym,

16:43and media center. They're all on

16:44different levels, all at the center of

16:47this basically um square cube of a

16:51building.

16:55We know daylight's important and we know

16:57that uh having a dense building presents

16:59its challenges. So, we've introduced a

17:03feature to help kind of combat what

17:07would normally be the worst part of the

17:08building, the center, the darkest part,

17:11and just bring in and flood it with a

17:13lot of light. And it's it's an atrium

17:15space, and so it's just it's a large

17:18volume that could bring in light from

17:20above and share it with spaces that are

17:22adjacent.

17:24You also can see some of the smaller

17:26circles up there. Um, those are rooms.

17:29We're bringing light in from both above

17:32since we have that opportunity and also

17:33borrow light from those larger volumes

17:36just to make those spaces the best we

17:39can.

17:41And here's another look. You can see the

17:43the same three colored volumes, the gym,

17:46cafeteria, and media center

17:50and their relationship within the

17:51overall massing of the building. Here's

17:55a little video of what we anticipate the

17:58project becoming. So, you can see very

18:00large building over the field. You can

18:04see um the buses and their new loop in

18:07the front off of Foley Road. You see a

18:09few buses

18:11off of the um Prickley Avenue driveways.

18:15complete ring road around the building

18:19and ring road around the um landscape

18:22recess area.

18:25We do anticipate um solar being put on

18:28the roof um probably after very close

18:32after the building's completed. And so

18:33we are tracking

18:35um an easy way to plug in solar as part

18:39of the code requirements actually to

18:41have infrastructure in place for

18:43electrification.

18:46And here are some other views just

18:49looking around the outside at the

18:51different elevations of the building.

18:53Here's that main entrance facade, the

18:55canopy. You see the bus loop in the

18:57foreground. See the parent loop around

19:00the playground recess area beyond and

19:03they all all drop offs will convene to

19:07one central location.

19:10Here's the opposite corner of that same

19:11facade.

19:14The uh roadway starting to uh navigate

19:17downwards

19:19to the south and we're revealing all

19:22three floors of the school.

19:26Here's

19:27the back of the building and the loading

19:29dock and um some of those necessary um

19:33items to run the school facilities and

19:36maintenance. Uh we did extend one of the

19:38stair towers for maintenance and fire

19:41department access. So that's going to be

19:43a little bit taller, but it's going to

19:44be kind of tucked away in the back.

19:48We do have some solar shading devices on

19:51the windows. This is the the south side

19:52and there's a lot of sun exposure. So,

19:55we're just trying to ease the um solar

19:57glare that's going to be um going to

20:00those classrooms.

20:02Taking a peek on the inside. This is

20:04just after the main vestibule coming

20:07into the the school. We have a central

20:10stair

20:11and we have a mural that will probably

20:14be refined and evolve over the next few

20:17phases.

20:19Something that's going to represent uh

20:21the richer school community. Uh this was

20:24inspired by an art piece in the school

20:26actually. It was a pair of hands I

20:28believe or several hands and so there's

20:31uh time to develop some kind of mural

20:35feature

20:36at the front of the building.

20:41We also can see these little wooden

20:43portals. Um we saw different examples

20:45going to different schools in the

20:47Commonwealth of um these portals or this

20:50idea that students can um have a little

20:53space to uh take a rest to uh hang out

20:57to kind of look through if there's a

20:59window on the other side to to observe a

21:02space from a different space

21:05and bring a little playful and notation

21:07of those. Um, you can see some of them

21:09on the right hand side. That's the media

21:11center on the other side of the wall.

21:13And here's that indication of the light

21:15in the atrium that I was mentioning

21:17earlier.

21:19Here's a look at the media center.

21:22Again, this is kind of an island or

21:26doesn't have direct access

21:29to windows, but we have access above.

21:32So, we pop the roof and have what we

21:34call a clear story or just windows.

21:37um up high. That'll bring a lot of light

21:39into the space. It also signifies a

21:41meeting area within the library media

21:43center.

21:46Here's a look at our gymnasium. Also

21:49borrowing light from that room space.

21:55Here's a look at our cafeteria.

21:58Bring light in from both sides. borrowed

22:00light, not direct light, but still we uh

22:04are very generous with the with the

22:06glass to try to get this to be a very

22:08welcoming and um inspiring space to be

22:12in.

22:14Here's a look at what could be an art

22:17room. Um we are anticipating having a

22:20larger skylight, but there is room to

22:22study having multiple skylights to see

22:26what the best configuration is moving

22:28forward. There's some again bar lights

22:31and windows for the media center off to

22:33the left just to help give more

22:35transparency to this room so it's just

22:37not boxed with skylight but there's

22:40additional connections in different

22:43directions.

22:46So I'm going to hand it off to

22:49Thank you. So I'm Chris Everly. I'm the

22:51project executive for Vertex. for the

22:53owner's project manager that was hired

22:55by the city to bring the project to to

22:58you today. Um, at this point, we've been

23:00working on this project since really we

23:03were hired in 2024. And so, um, October

23:08of 24, we're coming up on two years that

23:11have gone into this. And what Chris and

23:14his team have shown you today represents

23:1630% of the development of this building.

23:18And so we're really at a milestone where

23:21we've developed the scope of the

23:23project, the schedule of the project,

23:26and the cost budget of the project. And

23:29so I just want to speak to you a little

23:31bit about schedule and a little bit

23:33about the cost of the project. Here you

23:36can see a sort of overlay of the

23:38schedule. And the choice to move forward

23:41with the richer site means that we're

23:42going to be bringing on a CM should the

23:44project be funded early in um the fall.

23:48and they're going to help us work out

23:50the details of the best way to build

23:52this project so close to how to preserve

23:54safety for the students who will be in

23:56the neighborhood, how to manage the

23:58traffic and the logistics of building in

24:01the neighborhood so that we're good

24:02neighbors as we build the project. Um

24:05they'll work with us as we move towards

24:07an early site package. And while it says

24:10we're going to start that in March,

24:11that's really to make sure that we have

24:13the right preparation so that we can hit

24:16the ground running in the first summer.

24:18That first summer, we're really going to

24:19try and make sure we do all the

24:21preparation we need to to get this

24:22building off on the right foot. So that

24:25by the time that the kids return in the

24:26fall to what is partially a construction

24:29site, we have the right amenities, the

24:31right playgrounds, the right

24:32opportunities to really have the

24:35contractor and the kids coexist. And

24:38everyone involved in projects like these

24:40knows that ultimately while we're

24:41building you a new building, it's really

24:44about the learning that's happening now

24:45and the learning that's going to happen

24:46in the future. That process of building

24:49is going to take about 2 years. And the

24:51hope would be that by the end of 2029

24:55school or the 2829 school year, we'll

24:57have the opportunity to actually be

24:59taking down the existing richer school

25:02and opening the rest of the school in

25:05the fall of 29 when the first students

25:07at the new school will will begin to

25:10enter. There will be some follow-on work

25:13as the demolition process and the site

25:15improvements and managing New England

25:17weathers has to be taken into account,

25:19but that construction will continue in

25:22the same managed way through the end of

25:25um the 29 uh the 29 2030 school year and

25:29you'll ultimately be complete with the

25:31project at the end of that school year.

25:35Um, as we've reported throughout this

25:38process, we've had a progressive

25:40evolution. And one of the things that is

25:42really informed by the great work that

25:44the Lamar Popagano team did um,

25:48illustrating the building is that

25:49they've also built a relatively dense

25:51building and they've done a great job in

25:52refining it over time. So, we've had a

25:55progressive decrease in the project

25:57budget as we've studied this in each of

25:58the milestones as we've figured out

26:00efficient solutions to deliver

26:02education, deal with a fairly

26:05constrained site, but also have the

26:07features that were highlighted by Chris

26:09in his presentation. Ultimately, the pro

26:12total project budget that we arrived at

26:14is $162,544,91.

26:20And that represents um both about

26:23$150,000 in costs that have been

26:26professionally estimated and with the

26:28remaining being contingencies.

26:32The MSBA puts out this chart as part of

26:34their website. You can actually go to

26:36their website. They feature it right

26:37prominently on the the website and it

26:39gives you the opportunity to see what

26:42schools cost in other parts of the state

26:45for all of the MSBA pro projects that

26:47they've undertaken. We know that the

26:49good now project when it came in was

26:51extremely cost effective in how it was

26:53produced to use the model school program

26:55and you had a really incredible um co

26:59cost per square foot which is what this

27:01table's showing you for that project. We

27:03also know that when we previously

27:05visited with you, the cost per square

27:07foot for the time that we're in was also

27:10the lowest cost per square foot of any

27:12of the projects that are on a similar

27:13timeline. And actually, if you look at

27:16this box, it represents about a year

27:18worth of projects around that same

27:20timeline. And in both cases, with the

27:22good now and today with the richer, we

27:24are looking at the lowest cost project.

27:27And with the conclusion of schematic

27:29design, we've actually improved upon

27:30that. So the $792 per square foot took

27:34the lowest cost MSBA project and

27:36actually made it cheaper, which is a

27:38great achievement for both the uh

27:40frugality and also the quality that

27:43Lamro um Pagano was able to provide to

27:46the city in terms of what you saw in

27:48their presentation, but also the the

27:50cost to taxpayers.

27:53As the MSBA is finalizing the grant, the

27:56grant really factors into how much

27:58reimbursement you get at the end of the

27:59day.

28:01This process is ongoing and will not be

28:04final until June 24th when the MSBA

28:07board finalizes their offer to the city

28:10of Marboro in terms of the total

28:12facilities grant project. So until the

28:1424th, we're talking about the estimates

28:17that we have for what this will be.

28:19Since the project began, they've

28:20actually increased the base

28:22reimbursement rate to the city of

28:23Marboro. That's helped to improve what

28:26the potential reimbursement is. We've

28:29also chosen to move forward with um the

28:32specialized energy code and certain

28:33indoor air quality um requirements which

28:36will give you an extra 4% of

28:38reimbursement. And um the great way that

28:42the maintenance department within the

28:44city of Marorrow maintains your

28:45buildings got you a 1.54

28:48out of two. So in the 75th or the top 25

28:52percentile in terms of your maintenance

28:54score reimbursement enhance. So overall

28:57they're going to give you 78.8% of your

28:59total costs

29:02um for the project as part of the

29:05reimbursement or the the forecast is

29:07that that will be what's coming. Now

29:09that's eligible costs and there are

29:10certain cost caps which are illustrated

29:12on the other side of the screen that are

29:15the structure of the project or of the

29:17grant program for all projects across

29:19the Commonwealth. And then of those

29:21costs up to those caps you'll get 78.8%

29:238% of that.

29:26Now, we also want to talk and I know

29:28that the text size is a little small.

29:30Through the course of developing the

29:31project, we also identified that there

29:33is a persistent problem that occurs on

29:36um McGee and Ripley AB where in heavy

29:39storms every 3 years or so, um you

29:43really get some substantial flooding in

29:44that area. And it was something that we

29:46were made aware of by the DPW. And so we

29:49had Lamaro Pagano bring their uh civil

29:52engineer in and they brought in their

29:53traffic division and they actually

29:55studied how the storm water would work

29:57and they modeled this to come up with

29:59some solutions to that potential

30:01problem. In discussing it, we did

30:04identify that the impact of the new

30:06building itself because we're

30:08introducing a lot of infiltration

30:09systems. It actually isn't the building

30:12itself that will create will add to

30:14that. It's very marginal, less than 10,

30:16I think it was less than 3%. Um, but

30:20it's still a problem that needs to be

30:22solved and it's going to serve as the

30:24parents entrance into the building and

30:26it's also going to be something that the

30:28MSBA cares about because the resiliency

30:31of the building. They're making an

30:32investment in Marboro to build this

30:34building and they want to make sure it's

30:36going to last for that 50-year lifespan

30:38that they're seeking to do. in

30:40discussion with the MSBA because of

30:42their internal rules, they don't want

30:43this to be part of the project budget,

30:45but in discussing it with the school

30:47building committee, the school building

30:48committee felt that we should recommend

30:50that this moves forward anyway, even

30:52though it's not part of the the funding

30:54bill. So, when this went before city

30:56council last night, there's actually two

30:58measures that are included in that vote.

31:00One is to fund the school, and one is

31:03$6.3 million to fund the improvements to

31:06the um

31:09excuse me, the improvements to this uh

31:11storm water issue. The DPW will run that

31:14as a DPW project separate from the

31:17project, but we have identified a

31:19project budget so that this work can

31:21occur concurrently with the school. And

31:23we're recommending that both move

31:25forward, not just because it's the right

31:27thing to do, but also because the MSBA

31:29may decide that they want this

31:30contingent on them funding the school.

31:33So, we wanted to make everyone aware

31:34that that is an improvement that we we

31:36feel should be made as part of the

31:38school.

31:39So the what they considered last night

31:42was based on this slide right here. And

31:44so you're looking at a a $162.5

31:48million budget, but of that money, 2

31:51million of it was actually appropriated

31:53in 2023 to fund the work that we've all

31:55been doing to get to this point. So

31:57you're actually looking to fund just the

32:00school. The ask is $160.5

32:03million. and that of that the MSBA would

32:07put 103,34,993

32:12based on the current estimates that we

32:13have working with the MSBA. That is a

32:16significant percentage of the overall

32:18cost. I believe it's somewhere around

32:1963%.

32:20And so the total cost, should the MSBA

32:24confirm that on June 24th, would be 57.4

32:28million to bring this beautiful school

32:29that LMRON

32:31has designed for the city of Marboro.

32:34Adding in that storm water mitigation,

32:36the total cost of the city is $63.7

32:40million. And that's a substantial

32:42decrease from what we brought to the

32:44city of Marbor at the PSR stage when we

32:47last discussed this last fall. We did um

32:50work with the mayor's office to

32:52determine the um tax impact of those two

32:56combined projects. And on average over

32:58the 30 years that the bond would be out

33:01there, you'd be looking at $19323

33:05annually to the median home. And that

33:08would be highest in the third year where

33:10it would be $275

33:14um50.

33:16Both of those numbers are decreases from

33:18the numbers that we shared with the um

33:21city council when we met with them in

33:23the fall. And it is a tremendous value

33:26for the work that Lamar Pagano and

33:28Vertex have done with um Marbor Public

33:31Schools to really get to this point that

33:33we can present this to you. There's

33:35still a lot of work to be done should

33:37this be approved and um already we've

33:40provided both um proposals for

33:43Lamaragano and Vert.Ex s that are

33:45factored into those budgets to move that

33:47forward. And as I mentioned, most of

33:49those budgets, over 150 million of the

33:52total budget is based on estimated costs

33:55by professional estimators um or

33:58comparative analysis with similar

34:00schools in Massachusetts. So, we've

34:02really dotted the eyes and crossed the

34:04tees to ensure that we know what this

34:06project will cost and that we've planned

34:08for contingencies for anything that we

34:10don't know. So, with that, I will turn

34:13it over to um the mayor to take any

34:16questions from the public.

34:18>> So, we will open this up for questions.

34:20So, if you have a questions, we'll have

34:21you go up to the podium, state your name

34:24and your address and your question.

34:28So, we will go and going once. If anyone

34:31has any questions, please traffic.

34:34>> If you could please come up to the

34:35podium and state your name and your

34:36address, please. Thank you.

34:38>> You have to push a button or is it all

34:39set?

34:39>> It should be red. No, that's right. It's

34:42right

34:44>> burger 64 road. Uh my question is the

34:47traffic pattern for buses and parents.

34:49Is that settled the way it was shown or

34:52is there still potentially some movement

34:54on how the traffic will flow.

34:56>> So we're still working through that, but

34:57that is by the most ideal situation when

35:00it comes to traffic pattern.

35:04>> Along that one more question. All the

35:05road itself hasn't been paved as part of

35:07the overall pavement project in

35:09neighborhood.

35:10>> Sure.

35:10>> Is that just after the end of this

35:12construction or is that someone

35:14>> we will reevaluate after this project is

35:16done?

35:17>> Okay. Yeah. All right. Yeah. Thank you.

35:18>> You're welcome.

35:22>> Any further questions going once?

35:27Any further questions going twice? I'm

35:30only going to ask three times.

35:33Any further questions? Last and final

35:36from anyone in the audience. School

35:39committee members. We'll open up to

35:40school committee members. Any school

35:42committees have any questions? We've

35:43seen this numerous times. I would hope

35:45all your questions concerns have been

35:47answered already. If not, now's the

35:50time.

35:50>> I I have one question.

35:53>> Um I know you said that you there will

35:56be solar going on the roof later on in

35:59the project. What about on the parking

36:02lot? We talked about that at all?

36:06>> We have not discussed that as a

36:09potential option. It's certainly

36:10something that could be studied as part

36:12of the ongoing. Typically in an MSBA

36:15project, the solar decision is less left

36:17to the municipality because solar is not

36:20something that the MSBA supports. But as

36:23we develop the drawings further, it's

36:25certainly if that is a strong um

36:28indication of what Marorrow is looking

36:29for, it's something that could be

36:31planned for as we develop the uh design,

36:34development, and permitting process to

36:36move the project forward. And even if we

36:40decided not to do it in the initial

36:43construction phase, I I just be

36:46interested in making sure that the

36:49parking lot is set up so that down the

36:52line if we wanted to add it that it

36:54would structurally

36:56>> make sense.

36:58>> Yeah, we can certainly bring that um

37:00into the next phases. I think hearing

37:02that now it's easy to plan and get some

37:04of that infrastructure in while we're

37:06digging everything up, putting it in. so

37:08we're not tearing up

37:09>> playgrounds and driveways. So, we'll

37:12take note of that and

37:14>> um try to plan accordingly.

37:15>> Thank you.

37:18>> Anything for Yes,

37:20>> sorry, just two things. I think we

37:22talked about it before, but just rather

37:24say it um relative to the cafeteria area

37:27which often would be utilized for like

37:29auditorium kind of space. I'm assuming

37:32um acoustic aspect is being thought of

37:35in that space.

37:38Yes, absolutely. We've done many of

37:40these cafeterias that are used for

37:42assemblies and performances and so uh we

37:45have systems allowed for right now.

37:48>> Perfect. So,

37:50>> and then um second, I know we had had

37:52some discussions around the the

37:54playground spaces um and age specific,

37:57but I'm also assuming um thinking about

37:59the special education classrooms that we

38:01probably would need specific um place

38:05playcapes to make sure that we were kind

38:07of addressing those needs too, which I

38:09think you have in place. We've talked

38:11about it a couple times.

38:12>> So, we have the the general area is kind

38:14of carved out, but we haven't picked

38:15anything out yet. And so we'll be coming

38:17back and having meetings to and make

38:19sure we bring um and engaging the

38:22different folks to make sure that all

38:23the different pieces and all the

38:24students are accounted for.

38:26>> Great. Thank you.

38:27>> You're welcome.

38:29>> Anything else? Calling once, twice.

38:33No. Okay. So, I'd like to remind you

38:35also this is all still in the works. So,

38:38you the MSBA still needs to approve this

38:41project. So, we're doing all this work,

38:44which is I want to say thank you to LPA

38:46and Vert.Ex for all their hard work. We

38:48have a building committee that's been

38:50doing their due diligence. We meet

38:52pretty regularly, you know, like once a

38:54week, if not once a month, and it's it's

38:56very it's been a lot um since October of

39:002024. So, um this is all leading up to

39:03the MSBA vote on June 24th. I will

39:06update with you all that this bond as

39:09Chris had mentioned from Vert.Ex that

39:11this is in front of city council to

39:12approve the bonds for both the school

39:15and the storm water. However, they will

39:17not approve that until after June 24th.

39:21So, it has was on the agenda for Monday

39:23night. It's in finance. So, once the

39:25June 24th happens with MSBA, then city

39:27council will have another meeting with

39:29Vert.Ex and LPA to go over the same

39:31content, but we'll go over numbers a

39:33little bit more specifically. Um, so

39:36that will be coming up probably

39:39somewhere between

39:42third week of June, fourth, first week

39:44of July. So be on the lookout for the

39:46finance meeting for that. That's where

39:48we'll get more in depth with numbers and

39:50the approval. I would also like to know

39:52I know there's some neighbors here that

39:53live in the area. Um, obviously being

39:55your city councelor for Ward 3, you all

39:58have been through a lot with Apex and

40:00everything else. I have not forgotten

40:02that. Um, so it's been very

40:04conscientious to make sure that the

40:06neighbors are being looked after and

40:08taken care of with the construction. Um,

40:11this school needs to happen and

40:13unfortunately you guys been through a

40:14lot the last nine years that I've been

40:16um, in public government. Um, so I just

40:19want to make sure that I hear you. I I

40:21know your concerns and I'm always

40:23available to listen to those concerns so

40:25I can really that back to the actual

40:28developer and construction. We actually

40:31going with a at a risk um construction

40:34crew which is very sensitive to the

40:36needs of neighborhood and working very

40:38closely with the school. So that was

40:40already approved. Um so we are trying to

40:42do our best to look after all aspects

40:45not just the students but also the

40:46neighbors that live in that area. Um we

40:49all need to live, work and play

40:50together. So I understand that and I'm

40:52receptive to that. So I just want to

40:54make sure that you guys are are are

40:57heard at the end of the day. Having said

41:00that, everything will come down to June

41:0124th and then we can move on with the

41:03project. Anything else? If not, I will

41:06ask for um a motion to adjurnn.

41:10>> Move to adjurnn.

41:11>> Motion to adjourns on the table and

41:12seconded. All in favor, we adjourned.

41:15Thank you everyone for coming up and uh

41:18good luck to June 24th. Thank you.