001We are live. Sorry. >> Did you get anyone? >> Yeah, there's been I would like to call this special meeting of the board of education facilities committee committee to order. The next special meeting of the board of education facilities committee is on Thursday, March 26 at 8 am. I would like to nominate Dennis Moroni to chair the fac the facilities committee. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Davis second. Are there any other nominations? There are no other nominations. All those in favor of electing Dennis for the position of chair of the facilities committee, please indicate by raising your hand. That is unanimous. Dennis is elected as chair of the facilities committee. Congratulations, Dennis. I will now turn over the responsibility for running the rest of the subcommittee meeting to Dennis as new chair. Excuse
002me. Oh, you took my notes. Um, thank you very much. Um, sorry, can I see your >> Um, so our next our our first item on our agenda is the Middle Sex Middle School facility study next steps. So, I'm not sure who do I throw that to Kevin or looks like you're ready. want to >> I I can speak to the memo that we issued so that we can follow up from the >> well one I if before Kevin um takes over it to me today's conversation is significant because we had uh what I felt was a very good discussion at the board meeting um we identified areas that um were not in the initial conversation with KG&D that really need to be included uh as we move forward to the next steps in in
003considering a project. Um I think the comments about looking at the entire campus, the fields, the space where the senior center used to be, uh and thinking about how we are currently using that space, how we might need to use that space in the future for things that aren't yet clear right now. Thinking about um the entire district's needs in terms of space. uh and looking at that campus and considering how best uh that can maybe help us. You know, I've mentioned in the past and we've discussed that the growth of the population at Oxridge and the growth of the population at the ELP program are continuing and looking at space where that building right now is I believe over 93% capacity um in a very short time. So I think uh the the discussion
004about really looking across the entire campus for opportunities to address needs within the Middle Sex building and population and projecting out future um needs that may come into play and building that into the process. So that being said, Kevin, I'll hand it off to you. I'm not like Lucy pulling the football out. Well, I don't know how much more I can add other than um we were going to ask the EDSP specs to identify a traffic study. Uh Eric and Travis spoke to that at the board meeting that if you're not changing the footprint of the campus significantly, you don't need to do a traffic study. I think we heard comments the other night that we would disagree that, you know, parking is an issue, uh bus queuing, for example, things like that. So, we
005would actually request that that be part of the project. Um the memo speaks to some of the other questions that were raised such as making sure that there was um options for cafeteria enhancements whether that's the recycling or green uh dishwashing options that we were starting to implement at the other schools. Uh Dr. Dr. Bernary, he talked about the athletic fields and if they need to be impacted or not and obviously that special side campus that used to be a school/ senior center at the bottom of the Middle Sex lower field and where we stand with that u just to finish the thought once the specs are finished we would bring it to the board for approval. Uh we don't anticipate that happening until uh later in the spring. Okay, >> questions for committee. Uh
006>> just a question about the scope of this. So the EDS specs will be so doing the full site survey. I think I I agree with that that that you know we're we're doing it. We might as well use that entire or see what can be done with that entire property. But in terms of prioritization, this is my own personal opinion. To me, we the middle school is what needs to be focused on and just being cognizant of the debt load over the town and the new schools. you know, all the schools that we've been doing uh over the past few years. Um to me, I think our pri prioritization should be the middle school and then figuring out how we can rightsize that building and then if we can move Yelp here or whatever,
007that's a secondary prioritization for me. I don't know, but but I agree that doing the site survey for the entire property is is a good idea. >> Katie, >> thank you. Um Kevin, in the traffic um study, will that include the traffic on Edertton since that is the route that the buses take? >> Sure. So the traffic study is is pretty extensive. We had one for all the Henley homes and Royal Schools. They come out, they survey, they count cars, they count buses, they count wait times. It's a very in-depth study and and the report that's generated will help drive the design of what we could possibly do in the future. Okay. Every component will be >> so it won't it won't just be um Middle Sex Road. It will also be Edertton. The um
008>> it it would even have a uh foot traffic component. >> Okay. >> Um they count bicycles and pedestrians and everything else. >> So really from all sides. >> Exactly. Right. >> Okay. >> I'll just add that I live right there and fully supportive of a traffic study. >> Um and thank you. And then I also just wanted to ask about um just about the process of how the board will go through adopting the EDSACs and understanding that they have already begun um but in the finalization what kind of working sessions might happen and also um understanding that you have been heavily involved in the past projects but what kind of conversations with members from the OBC and HR HHR in terms of making sure that we're utilizing that past experience and thinking about whatever
009unknowns there might have been, what I wish I had known before I started kind of process. >> Sure. I I think we've, you know, used that quite a bit whether it was from Oxridge handed over to HHR and, you know, we've kind of had this happen very recently in the past. So, we've got a good deal of expertise. KG&D has been, you know, heavily involved in those processes. So, I think, you know, we're going to head things off at the path, so to speak, well, well ahead of uh, you know, the EDS specs even being drafted. But I think to answer the first question, once the EDS specs are drafted, the board would actually review them before we send it over for uh, a request for a committee. >> So, Eric, what does that look
010like for us once we kind of have a draft? Is it um, kind of an asynchronous review that then comes up for adoption at a meeting? Is there any kind of working session? I think I think we could do a number of things um as we build out the plan for the spring for board meetings. We could identify a meeting where this is the discussion and a working session. Um I imagine not having been through this process before that there's a presentation component of the edspecs that there's a document that the board has an opportunity to review. there's robust discussion and then uh whether or not they're ready for adoption at that moment in time. It would happen that but I would I would see as we map out because we're working on that process
011right now the spring meeting schedule that I would coordinate with Kevin Rich KG&D and identify when we think the draft would be available for discussion. >> Thank you. And so I have a question on you know if I think the I think the question is what do we how do we decide what we want to do with the auditorium is I don't know if we if we voted on do we want to have a what size auditorium how do we how do we determine what that is and what that looks like in the future >> that that comes way after a building committee is formed. This is a 20,000 foot view overall broad brush strokes of what we want the project to have. The real nitty-gritty doesn't come until after there's a committee formed and
012we start to get into the design process. You have to have a architect selection. I mean KG&D is is starting the the the blueprint of the whole project but we may not have their vision at the end of it. >> Okay. And then the ed so again and then the edsp specs of so let's say let's say we decide to build an auditorium and then the current auditorium will that be in the edspecs of what we want that to be or is that up to the architects to help us determine what that could be? >> That's right. I mean obviously the the board is going to weigh in on the process and say you know we want to have an auditorium a new auditorium as part of the project. what we do with the existing
013auditorium, the architect will weigh in and say you could do this, you could do this. You they'll give you options. >> And is that will that come to the board or will that go to the building committee? >> Building committee. Okay. >> But the the board could put in the EDS specs something like an auditorium that seats, >> right? >> You know, the full school is like those kind of >> Yeah. >> Right. And then um two more at least two more for me. One is um in our in our study I don't recall seeing anything well maybe we don't need but um one of the concerns when we did Hinley and Royal were some of the classrooms were too small. Are there any concerns with the existing Middle Sex building that there are things
014which we need to revise other than the auditorium or is are we happy with everything else in that building other than the mechanicals? >> Right. And I I think KG&D kind of spoke to it at the presentation, but they they looked at the whole entire campus inside and out. Uh locker rooms, for example, we don't use them anymore. So, it's a space that's just not occupied. What can we do with that space? They looked at offices, meeting rooms, classrooms. The the good news is the addition to middle school was put on in 2001. So yeah, the sizes are very fitting for the you know uh enrollment and the class sizes that we currently have. So I don't think we have >> but if there are spaces that require modifications to size that would be incorporated
015into the space. >> And then I think my my one other one is is the >> looking at the entire campus. Do we have do we have do we have to collaborate with the town in order to review where the senior center is or was in that area or is that allowable in our scope of this work? So that's a good question and I would think it would be very similar to what we had at Holmes at the onset of the HHR project where we actually had a plot of land on the Holmes campus that was a residence and the actions that the committee took was to take possession and ownership of that property in order to build the addition. So I would think that there would be something very similar for middle school if
016needed. >> Okay, >> two questions. >> Yep. Dave, >> just following up on uh Katie and um Sarah's questions, the comment about the scope. I would hope we do the entire thing at once and I hear what you're saying on the edspec, Sarah, but just not peacemeal this and just look at the school, but look at the entire thing because I agree with you. We should do this once and we should do it right. And then in the scope of the traffic study, how I know you said it's broad, they're counting people walking by. They're doing all that. In terms of recommendations, I know at Henley like we changed the cut and we put a entrance onto post road. Are there going to be suggestions like that? Like maybe we have lights or we sync
017lights or you only go northbound at certain times or things like that. Are those proposals we would get from the traffic study? >> That's that's correct. They they would make those recommendations if needed. >> Okay, great. Um that was it. And I guess the only other overarching thing is just thinking back on uh HHR, it was a great project initially proposed as being, you know, cheap and quick. Um it grew significantly and we had EDS specs. Um and there was a lot of thought that maybe we should reconsider that and move forward. We decided to move forward. I hope that whatever process here we try and move forward as quickly and and you know get things done based on the EDS specs, but I just hope we have a chance where there's an offramp. If
018we get to a point we're about to go and we realize things have changed, we have a chance to really reconsider that, Eric. Um, >> make make sure that everybody's fully involved as things develop over time because from now to when we're actually ready to put shovels in the ground is going to be a while and what we think is is now could have a change as long as we have a chance to address that. >> We're on the same page with you on that, Diego. Absolutely. >> Thanks, Eric. Any other questions? Okay. So, our next step will be we're going to we we have nothing to approve. We're going to have the the EDS specs will be delivered sometime in the spring. >> That's right. >> And the board will review and and vote
019on those at that point. >> Yep. >> Okay. Perfect. >> Do the EDS specs come back to us or or to the full board first? >> Um I I imagine it would come to this committee first. Um >> and then it would have to go to the full board for review and approval. >> Perfect. and we'll work on the timing on that. We'll connect with KG and D just to see where they are in the development process and what kind of timing they need with the additional uh guidelines that we've discussed today. >> Perfect. Okay. Any no further questions? Um next next on the agenda is public comment. >> We have no members of public in presence. >> Okay, then I will take a motion to adjurnn. >> So moved. Katie second. All in favor?