Maybe it’s just me and maybe I don’t understand math and finance and local government but is anyone else wondering how Sandwich Schools managed to hire and pay an engineering consultant and still got themselves a $35 to $40 million dollar estimate to repair or replace the Henry T. Wing School while at the same time the Sturgis Public Charter School in Hyannis applied for and received a $9.75 million state bond to build a brand new 46,000 s/f, two-story academic building?
According to local papers, the total cost of the Sturgis building project, including a recent land acquisition on Main Street Hyannis, is expected to be less than $15 million all in.
So, is there someone out there in blog land who can provide a little insight and information to this taxpayer as to how and why Sturgis Charter can buy land and build a brand new 46,000 s/f, two-story academic building for less than $15 million all in (with $10 million in state aid) in less than 2 years time all while Sandwich dithers and debates a $40 million fix for Wing School?
Seriously, recalling the great Town Hall rebuild and the damn dam project, why is it that every public works project in Sandwich seems so poorly planned and managed and so ridiculously expensive?
5 comments:
Good question Bob. Thanks for raising it. I don't know the answer. But it is strange.
Well, notwithstanding the rumor out there that Sandwich is a very 'wealthy' community and people are fighting over the scant properties available for sale because of our incredible school system? In my experiences with repairing government owned (anykind, Federal, State doesn't matter) buildings the fault usually begins with the individual/s that bring the engineering team on with a contract. When you tell the designers/planners that you want the school to look like Mashpee High or that you want every physical plant system to be the best, beyond code requirements, I mean we want the Taj Mahal in Sandwich...and you turn them lose with their engineering software and don't forget all repairs MUST keep the building within the proper appearance for the old part of town..so original parts please...none of that modern cost saving stuff, not in our school, after all this IS Sandwich. Don't tell them to consider metal roofing, OMG that ugly stuff in our town that last for hundreads of years and never leaks? I guess my basic point is, unless the person asking for the survey tells the unrestrained planners/engineers that we are so broke we can't fix our leaking pipes...they will give you what you ask for. The dream team delivered, I guarantee you, one heck of a document that fixed every shortcoming in the Wing School and that would keep the school in 'character' for our community. So Bob, I guess I am agreeing with you. It all begins with a 'realistic' plan that WE CAN AFFORD. The same problem will occur with the design of the future Public Safety Building. Someone has to be a watchdog, OK OK a pitbull and question the designs. Can't the windows be done another way? Must the most expensive remedy always be applied? Oh I forgot. Its a school! We rich folk in Sandwich can always get 50% back from the state so why reduce the price of the job and along with it, the profit to the same small group of contractors that always win these bids under the state bidding system. We need a nutcracker in Sandwich. A curmudgeon. Someone (and NO Carl J is busy enough in town), someone who can begin the process with the correct guidance. I wonder if my wife is available? She does wonders with our checkbook. This is a great question you ask Bob....it deserves a lot of thought before we move forward with uncontrolled spending.
As students flee the district, perhaps it is time to seriously consider consolidation and not renovation. The number of students applying to Sturgis Charter has increased substantially according to the numbers we heard at an open house on Tuesday evening. The private schools have also seen a substantial influx in applicants from Sandwich. The tech is also reporting the same -- an increase in applicants from Sandwich. I've spoken to 2 dozen parents just in the past 10 days and all are sending their kids elsewhere for HS. Perhaps it is time to form a planning committee (GOD HELP US ALL) and begin the process of combining schools. By the time Sandwich leaders come up with a plan, Sturgis will be completing it's 5th addition!! It seems our school committee is more concerned with pool cabanas for the elderly, our finance committee has disappeared into thin air and our BOS drags their feet on every controversial subject! What nonsense.
Is it just a coincidence that the public transportation agency CCRTA is starting up a new fixed bus route that ..... wait for it.... ding... will terminate in Hyannis where they already drop off a ton of Sturgis kids using the Sealine? Talk about making it happen.... for some schools.
CCRTA will also bring riders to go shopping.....where you ask?....Mashpee Commons. Taking Sandwich residents out of this town to shop. Says it all doesn't it?
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