The following opinion piece was written by Jim Pierce in February of 2011. A more recent Long Range Capital Plan incorporating many similar ideas, but improving on others, was presented to the Board of Selectmen on Nov. 29, 2012 (See Draft Copy here). Related background information is also available through Sandwich Community Television.
The 2012 update to the Long Range Plan is available here.
Cost estimates were presented for making the Wing complex serviceable as a school long term. There are basically three alternatives. The complex can be renovated for $30 million. New construction coupled with renovation would cost $40 million. A whole new school can be built for $50 million. The consultant, who did an excellent job, also pointed out that the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) will reimburse about half the cost. The estimates were escalated because construction cannot begin until 2014.
If one of these paths is followed, the voters of Sandwich will be asked to borrow between $15-25 million to have a fourth school building in place in time for the 2015-2016 school year. The problem is, at least as I see it, Sandwich will not need four school buildings. The voters may have good reason to want a fourth school building. That is distinct from needing one.
The school enrollment as of October 1, 2010 was just over 3400. That is down 800 from the peak in 2002. The classes in the high school today average about 260. The entering kindergarten classes over the next four years, based on 2010 census data, will average about 210. Each of the next four years about 260 students will graduate while 210 are entering kindergarten. Consequently, enrollment goes down 50 students per year.
The 2011-2012 fifth through eighth grades are the classes that will occupy the high school at the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year. Today they number 1080. Every year on average 50 students chose to go to Voke Tech, a charter school or parochial school. If that trend continues, the 2015-2016 high school enrollment will be under 900. Total decline in enrollment is 100 per year or 400 all together. That leaves 3000.
The Forestdale and Oak Ridge schools were each designed to accommodate 780 without resorting to modular classrooms. They have each held over 900. The current high school complex was once operated as a combined middle school and high school with capacity of 1400. Please see the Sandwich Local Comprehensive Plan, Section 5 page 12 to confirm those figures. Adding 780 times 2 plus 1400 yields 2960. Is there an argument for investing $15-25 million to accommodate 40 students?
There are reasons why Sandwich may want four schools. By the 2015-2016 school year the 500 empty seats will be in the high school complex. The bottoms to fill those seats will be in grades K-8. Grades 3 and 4 in 2011-2012 will be grades 7 and 8 in 2015-2016. Today they number 496. Considering space only, by 2015-2016 grades 7-12 would fit in the high school. As a community, do we want to spend $15-25 million to maintain the K-8 structure?
The space in the high school is currently being put to good use. But, is it the best use to fit the needs of the community? I don't think so. The space was designed and built for education not offices. Where might those people go? There are modular classrooms attached to Forestdale and Oak Ridge. Can they be reconditioned as offices for a tiny part of $15-25 million?
That would leave Sandwich with an empty Wing School complex, 140,000 square feet of enclosed, town-owned space. It has plenty of parking. There are kitchen facilities to serve 800 a day. There is also seating and multipurpose space. There is a huge gym with locker rooms. There are multiple well lit rooms of various sizes. There are serious problem with the mechanical systems and accessibility. On the other hand Sandwich needs a senior center, a youth center, expanded library facilities and a unified municipal office complex. That sounds a bit like a community center. Applying creativity and some, probably not all, of that $15-25 million to the empty Wing complex could go a long way toward that community center. Can Sandwich afford a community center project spread out over the next decade?
What about public safety? There seems to be general acceptance that a new public safety building is necessary. The FY'12 budget will include funds to design and estimate the cost of building a joint facility at the intersection of Quaker Meeting House and Cotuit Roads. Can Sandwich do that and maintain the fourth school?
The key is pulling together a Capital Asset Planning body or expanding the CIPC. An amateur like me can come up with a concept in a few hours on a Saturday afternoon. A community group drawn from all the talent in Sandwich should be able to come up with a real workable plan. Or, if we don't trust ourselves, there are always consultants ready to take our money. Should Sandwich plan now while we have time rather than try to deal with all these competing interests in isolation?
At the very least let's ask ourselves some questions. Does Sandwich need four school buildings? Is the fourth school a higher priority than a public safety building? What is the best future use for the Wing complex? Over the next six months, let's get together as a community and make the decisions that will shape Sandwich in 2020.
7 comments:
Save this! In 2020 you can reprint it. Nothing will have changed. Nothing will have been done and folks will be asking the same questions and pretending theyre new insights.
The Truth Maker would comment to Mr. Jim . I thought that we might resond to get a little more interest from the good citizens of our town that have not kept up to date on what is happening in the world of Selecmen.
You have spent countless hours putting in place a needed document call the law range goals. A very worthwhile needed document along with a good aspect of pointing out what our town needs are and not what it may just want.
The above poster does have reasons to doubt the needs part of this goal setting document. After all in the past we have heard it stated many times by even some of the present day selectmen about this long range plan,[not yours] but when it became crunch time they decided to waffle and do the correct thing for the betterment of the whole town.
They became puppets to the individual political connected groups like[you can fill in the names] that have only concerns about what it may do to there little world and how they can control the outcome, rather then how they can make a positive contribution that benefits everyone. It is simple to understand why they want Sandwich to remain in the horse and buggy days and progress into the world before us that needs to be addressed with more common sense and caring about the future Sandwich has before it.
You are on course Mr. Jim as being a forward progessive person, now if we only can get more of your board to take the a similar stance, we all might be better off.
For nearly four years now I have heard the mantra; you can't run a town like a business. Probably that is true. But, there are "business best practices" that can be applied. All successful businesses have a business plan. For a town that might be called a Selectmen's Long Range Plan. For successful businesses, such a plan usually includes a Capital Investment Plan, which for a town might be cleverly disguised as a Long Range Capital Plan. Successful businesses also understand the processes they run to achieve customer satisfaction. For a town that might be disguised as a Governbment Process Map. We should try some of those things ;-)
The Truth Maker would agree on the whole process of any long range plans with a goal. that it is important to include the financial aspect on how it plans to raise the capitol to get the goal acomplished. That has been one of the stumbling blocks over the years here in Sandwich. They put in motion a plan to build whatever, based upon some priority and call it a long range plan. It has a nice ring to it and it gives the appearance that at least for that time frame those selectmen have accomplished some sort of plan that has a good sound bite to it. The only thing missing from the plan is how do we raise the capitol to actually accomplish the goals we set in the long range plan. One thing about setting goals is to assure that what ever plan you choose, that it can be accomplished. At times it may be easy and other times it may be difficult, but non the less the key word here is can we get the job done? that we have put on paper.
For to long we spend a great deal of time selling the idea of a long range goal, that in reality, is no where close to being completed as the funding part is never brought into the discussion to put the final goal to completion.
If the finacial part of the long range plan [long range capitol plan]is not part of the overall picture to get the goals accomplished then all we have is a useless hot air document that has a good sound bite, but lacks any value as a guiding light to any progressive thought process, which may assist the continuing growth our town needs to get done.
TM, the financial part of the plan is there. Unfortunately, the voters don't want to hear it. If you want municipal government services, you are going to have to pay for them. You have to have some level of confidence that South Sandwich Village, Forestdale Village and planned development in the industrail park will produce some revenue. You have to believe that the plans to consolidate the school district will eventually save some money. Given a decade or more of studying things to death then kicking decisions down the road, why would anyone have such confidence? Maybe we'll turn a corner, maybe we wont. Sandwich will still celebrate its 400th birthday. The question is what kind of community will it be in 2039.
The Truth Maker would say to Mr. Jim once again all good points.
The main thing is to convince your fellow board members it is time to get of the pot and do something that will enhance the goals all being discussed to death and being handed off for some one else to find the courage to finaly make the right decesions.
The voters of Sandwich need to be given the opportunity to determine the path of progress or staying in the past.
Will it fly or will it die is part of what needs to be determined when it comes to the new Police and Fire Safety Building and only the voters of Sandwich can make that decision. The trouble is the same political fire fight between different boards have devalued the whole process to what one or two Selectmen announce from the {I know what is best for our town and therefore I will not place such a question before the voters] We will just pass the buck onto the next generation and hope to get relected one more time to show I am a dictator and you do not mess with me.
Just my humble opinion with all of my experience's observed by the indivual that continues to waffle and not let the voters decide for themselves which is what a democracy is all about.
I don't know where this quote came from. "The problem is that the rational are full of doubt while the passionate are full of confidence." There is nothing wrong with passion. But, it can overrule reason. That's how we ended up with 7 billion people on the planet ;-)
None of my fellow public officials are deliberately being obstructive. But, the information will never be perfect and will never seem sufficient. So, the easy choice will always be "study it some more."
Perfect information is greatly overrated. In the words of my favorite 20th century philosopher, Yogi Bera, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it." At first that seems an absurdity. But, think about it. If you take the wrong fork, you will soon find out. At worst you back track. More likely there will be a cross street over to the right path.
Trust the voters! They are thinking rational adults. These are not life and death decisions. The worst decision when you come to that fork it to sit and dither.
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