Councilors Michael Burns and William Onyski at Legislative & Ordinance committee. (Photo by Amy Porter)
WESTFIELD – The Legislative & Ordinance committee, chaired by Ward 6 Councilor William Onysk,i has recommended a $900,000 bond order for a feasibility study for the Franklin Avenue Elementary School expansion on a vote of 2 to 0, with Councilor Michael Burns in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting.
Speaking to the bond, Mayor Brian P. Sullivan said the feasibility study is the last step in getting approval for the building project from the Massachusetts School Building Authority. He said the city needs to finance the bond, but will qualify for 67 to 70 percent reimbursement of the costs.
“MSBA over time has been very good about reimbursables,” he said. Sullivan also said they have done a lot of community outreach for the project, and the support is “phenomenal.” He gave credit to Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski, Purchasing Director Tammy Tefft, Chief Financial Officer Ronald R. Rix and the Law Department for getting the city to this point. He said Tefft and Rix met with the MSBA this week to talk about the study.
Tefft said the MSBA was very encouraging to Westfield at the meeting. She said there are still a few steps, including Council approval for the study, and added that reimbursement is now at 69% and they hope to get more. The feasibility study will take place over two years, and the MSBA will walk them through it, and help them choose a project manager and designer.
“Feasibility gets you to where you want to be,” Tefft said.
Tefft said at the end, they will know whether the expansion will include renovation, an addition, or rebuild of the school, and will also have a 25% design.
Onyski asked whether halfway through the project, the MSBA might say no to it. Tefft said the MSBA wouldn’t invite them to do it if they didn’t consider it a viable project.
“There are a lot of steps before this. A lot of districts have been turned down,” Sullivan said.
Rix agreed that they would have been knocked out already. He said the feasibility study works with architects, based on enrollment projections which the MSBA has already done. He said their projections for the school came to 395, while Westfield said 400.
“They were impressed,” Rix said, adding, “We are in really good shape with them. We need the vote to show that the City Council believes this is important.”
Onyski asked whether any other projects could be considered for Westfield. Rix said that one project at a time is an unwritten rule with the MSBA. The next project will be the high school.
“We’ve tried to do the high school every year. We apply ever year, and are denied every year,” said School Committee member Cindy Sullivan, adding that Westfield was the only district in Western Mass to be approved for this next phase.
Tefft said there were 72 building proposals statewide. 40 were brought forward, and 18 were selected. “We were one of them for feasibility,” she said.
In response to a question about reimbursements from Onyski, Tefft said they are monthly. “Every month we get our bills, and at the same time I submit reimbursement.”
Rix said this year is also the final year of payments for the north and south middle school renovations, which were done in 1999 on a twenty year bond.
The recommendation from L&O will go to the City Council at its meeting on Oct. 3. The feasibility study was also referred by the City Council to the Long Range Finance committee chaired by At-large Councilor Dave Flaherty, which met Oct. 2, and will also give a recommendation to the City Council.
