Nip and Tuck
This is an excerpt from a memo distributed at last night's meeting. You can see all the materials that were given out last night here -- this is a Voters exclusive!:
- Space Program Template 1/11/2007
- Timeline 1/4/2007
- Memo 1/9/2007 Joe Hemes to Scott Brown
- Agenda 1/11/2007 Building Space Needs/Programming Sub-Committee
- Minutes 12/12/2006 Building Space Needs/Programming Sub-Committee
A close reading of the Memo and Template linked above will allow you to draw your own conclusions.
What I gathered from the discussion is that important and distinctive aspects of the design, at least as presented to the community so far, are being scrutinized by the state.
The gathering spaces in the classroom wings have been ruled out for the elementary areas (but retained for now in the areas for older grades). The second stairway ("Why do you have a second stairway so close to the other one?") and the one-holer bathrooms have been questioned. The hall areas are bring trimmed. Read the materials to learn more.
Clearly a lot of this is the ordinary back and forth of moving from sketches to finished plans, which is a process of refinement and negotiation.
We also know that when the SeDoMoCha expansion was at this stage, some in SAD #68 felt that the State took away a lot of what the voters had come to expect in their new school.
posted by PP | 1/12/2007 02:30:00 PM
13 Comments:
It is truly remarkable that more timely information is available here at votersofmsad46 than the District shares with its own constituents.
The fact that we are consistently able to get the information proves that it is available for review by the public.
The fact that it is not published in the local papers, or posted on the District's own website, proves that the the District doesn't want to share the information with the public.
What do you think?
So the plan for the new school is already being downsized.
Shhh don't let anyone know.
For example try to figure out what's happening with music based on these reports published here. Are kids having their lessons on the stage? During lunch?
How much further ahead will we really be compared to what we have now? Maybe someone should look closely at some other areas too.
Maybe music could take over the soon to be vacated superintendent's space?
The process of designing space allocation for a new school is not black and white. The DOE uses nationally accepted "guidelines" for determining classroom size, library size, etc.
No one can site down and absolutely design a new school from these guides.
The process is very much negotiated between the districts architect and the DOE. Like all negotiations, one must ask for more knowing that it will be reduced and when it is all said and done, a project emerges that is right for the local district and for the taxpayers that pay cost.
The lastest size is due to a member of the DOE team being absent for a long portion of this project due to an illnes in his family. When he returned and had a chance to reveiw the work that had been done for our project, he had some changes to make, which is how the process works.
If the DOE did not have this process, districts would be, and have in the past, built "taj mahals" that the rest of us have to pay for. The current process is intened to keep size, and therefore costs, as reasonable as possible.
Regarding "sadly's" comment, this project is actually larger than when it started, not downsizing as you suggest. It is very common for music instruction/practice to occur on a multi-purpose stage, especially in a elememtary/middle school. Due to size of bands and noise generated, the stage ids a good place for that. Likely, classroom instruction for music is held in a regular classroom.
As a side note, the information about the space allocation discussions were handed out to the public at a public meeting. The information has not been a secret as suggested by "sadly".
As mentioned in Mels, article, he got the info from the meeting. I guess "sadly" wasnt there, sadly.
Mike, you eloquently reveal your "insider" credentials in your latest comment, "The lastest size is due to a member of the DOE team being absent for a long portion of this project due to an illnes in his family. When he returned and had a chance to review the work that had been done for our project, he had some changes to make, which is how the process works."
As a professional, you must have access to information. How did you first learn of this particular meeting?
The public should not be required to root-out the time and place of a so-called public meeting.
It seems to me that when the District wants to notify the public about a meeting (for example the recently posponed public hearing on the concept plan) it places posters in virtually all local stores and even has flyers at cash registers and store counters as well as newspaper ads, all to its credit.
Can you show me where anyone was notified in any public way, about the scheduling for this meeting?
Do you really want members of the public to be present at these meetings anyway?
The information with the state was given at the Dec. 2 meeting of the building committee. And YES I was there and you (obviously) were not.
So, the answer to the question then is that in order to find out when the meetings are held, and for what purpose, it is necessary to attend ALL the meetings.
That should make the public feel really welcomed. By the way, when is the next meeting? Where is it publicized?
The next meeting is January 18,2007 at 6:00PM in the ATM room.
It is published in the school web site under New School Project Meeting Calendar. In large letters on that same page it is published that the Public hearing and Straw vote in to be held on February 1, 2007 at 7:00 PM at the Middle School. This was discussed and desided at the last meeting which, I believe, you attended.
Isn't technology great! One of the advantages of electronic communication is the ability to record both the message and the timestamp. For example, anonymous responds,
"The next meeting is January 18,2007 at 6:00PM in the ATM room.
In large letters on that same page it is published that the Public hearing and Straw vote in to be held on February 1, 2007 at 7:00 PM at the Middle School. This was discussed and desided at the last meeting which, I believe, you attended."
1/17/2007 02:27:33 PM
It is particularly evident that "anonymous" must be a very highly placed District employee since the meeting information above was announced on the District's web site at 2:44 PM, which is clearly 16 minutes AFTER the "anonymous" comment. Or is it possible that "anonymous" is a psychic?
This also appears there: "A referendum on the project has been scheduled for Tuesday, March 27 in the four district towns."
I really think the new technology is great!
In answer to your question, am I a Psycic, the answer is no. I asked a computer expert,(he has a masters degree in computers) that the time stamp is NOT always correct. I got my information straight from the website. Signed "not a psycic".
I stand by my statement that the District's site was updated with the meeting information AFTER the comment was received HERE.
With all due respect, you need to post the information before you can claim that it is there. I'm sure that your computer expert can help you alter your timestamp next time, if that's how you want to do business!
Maybe he can show you how to spellcheck too.
What a friend we have in Mike McCormick!
Says he: "All bands play on stages."
"30 million dollars!" I say.
700 plus children that must pass through that cafeteria with stage area each day for lunch. Don't forget breakfast and cleanups.
So when does the band play and the chorus sing? Maybe for their supper!
All those little department rooms, administrative offices...
"It's all for the kids" they say.
I shake my head...
"It's all for the kids" they say.
Sure, the kids whose family get them jobs working for the school.
Is it just me or do you think that everyone who works for this school system is related?
I did not say "all bands play on stage" I said it is not uncommon for that to occur.
I could have gone to explain that it is not uncommon for elementary and middle schools to perform and/or practice and/or take instruction on the stage area. Stages are not generally allowed for primary/middle schools by DOE. But, music is required and needs a place to provide the instruction. So, facilities committees and architects combine that function with a stage and DOE generally allows it.
It is a constructive use of taxpayer dollars. Otherwise would require more square footage at a greater expense. Seems like a prudent use of our dollars.
Regarding Arts last retort of my accused "insider credentials", not it at all Art, I just asked a Board member why the vote was delayed. You could try the same approach and perhaps answer some of your questions.
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