In an effort to inform residents about a revised school project that will be on the May 8 ballot, the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional Transitional School Committee is hosting several information sessions in the coming weeks.
The first public session is set for April 12 at 7 p.m. at the high school auditorium. This will be a somewhat formal presentation that will allow for questions from the audience.
More informal, open house style sessions are planned for April 25 and May 2, at both 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. each day in the superintendent’s conference room.
Superintendent Dr. John D. Barry said last night that the informal sessions will allow residents to talk in small settings with himself and members of the school committee about the project.
“People can drop-in and ask anything they want about it,” said Barry. “They can stay for 20 minutes or two minutes and get answers to their questions.”
Committee member Jean McGivney-Burelle said she has also reached out to the community to meet informally to talk about the revised project.
The original project, which encompasses renovations and upgrades at three schools, was estimated to cost $400 in additional yearly taxes for properties valued at $255,000, the median home value in Southwick. The revised project would add just under $230 in annual taxes to the same property for the life of the 25-year bond, which represents about a 40-percent reduction from the original project.
Southwick voters rejected the original project during a special election in January. The project had an original price tag of $72 million, with a guaranteed reimbursement from the state of more than $42 million. The taxpayers of Southwick, Granville and Tolland would pay the remaining $30 million.
In addition to $2.5 million in project cuts made to exterior plans, the schools and town agreed to lower its annual capital borrowing by $250,000 a year. Another component of the reduction in taxes is $800,000 additional reimbursement from the Massachusetts School Building Authority for Green Energy and a lower estimated bond rate. Additionally, a more realistic bond rate of three percent was factored into the revision.
Because Tolland and Granville voters approved the debt exclusion for the project in January, only Southwick voters will have a second opportunity to vote May 8 during the annual town elections.
