School Board to Ask Architect for More Information on Renovating and Expanding Greenacres School

The Board revisited the question of the Greenacres School at their meeting on Monday March 21. They discussed the two public forums where they gathered community feedback, which leaned heavily toward renovating the existing school and adding six classrooms, instead of building a new school on the field across the street.

All board members weighed in on next steps. Chris Morin said he had heard virtually no support for a new school on the field and therefore supports option B1. Suzanne Seiden said the board needed to decide on the entire scope of the project, even if it were to be phased in. She also said that Greenacres should be the priority for the next bond referendum and that the work that needs to get done at the school should be done. Bill Natbony said, "We've heard from the community. We should be looking at B1. I can't support Option C and don't think we should be spending money on that." Pam Feuhrer voiced support for taking care of as much work as possible at Greenacres. Rublin said, "The forums were helpful. But some of the people who were interested in a new school could not express themselves. Anyone who wants a new school should articulate that." Lee Maude concluded that six board members said that B1 was the right decision for the community, but added, "it may not be the right decision for the children over the next 50 years." She also said that the architect was now planning to put the HVAC in the basement, though there are serious concerns about the condition of the basement.

Dr. Hagerman said that the districts needs a complete list of what was in Option B1 before making a final decision. Chris Morin concluded that the Board was taking option C off the table. Silberfein said he would need to speak to architect Russ Davidson before deciding what should be done. Suzanne Seiden said the Board should provide the building steering committee with the list of the projects that have been done in the district during the last 10-15 years for context and a list of what remains to be done.

After discussion, the Board decided to ask architect Russ Davidson for a more complete list of what was in Option B1 and hold a meeting to review it. Outstanding questions include the cafeteria, renovations to the existing gym, the status of the two second level classrooms, air conditioning and more.