 |
 |
 |
8/28/2008
SCITUATE - The School Committee is still waiting for the Town Council to set a date for a Special Town Meeting approved by the General Assembly at which voters will be asked to support a $3.962 million bond to correct building deficiencies at Scituate High School.
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges has cited the deficiencies in placing the accreditation of the high school on probation.
"The School Committee is currently working with the Town Council to secure a date for this meeting," committee chairwoman Pat Archambault told The Valley Breeze & Observer on Monday.
Committee member Ernest Marcure told the newspaper, "The School Committee is waiting to go forward with it. We have a three-year window (the length of the authorization by the Rhode Island Department of Education to complete the project). The council decides when the meeting will be and we sell the idea to the voters."
The project, which in larger and more expensive versions, has been rejected by the voters twice in the last three years.
A whittled down version now seeks authorization to borrow money to build:
* Five new classrooms - three full-sized and two half-sized - to address overcrowding;
* Install a new ventilation system to improve the air quality in the middle school, which shares the complex with the high school;
* Provide appropriate space for special needs students;
* Replace failing roofs at the high school;
* Expand the high school cafeteria to accommodate increased enrollment and to come into compliance with the fire code;
* Provide a new athletic practice field, additional parking and storage.
The first bond request in 2006 for $5 million was defeated with opponents asserting that it was too small in scope.
Subsequently, voters defeated a second request that opponents said was excessive in scope when the price tag grew to $9.5 million to undertake a larger scale project that included major improvements to athletic facilities.
Marcure said he understands that the council is currently engaged in other matters.
"We do have other issues in town," Marcure said. "There is an election coming up and the council is negotiating a new contract with the Providence Water Supply Board (regarding its use of the Scituate Reservoir). There are some pretty important things to take care of."
Marcure said he thinks that a Special Town Meeting and the necessity to hold public information hearings about the project can be accomplished before Dec. 31 when the authorization to undertake the project expires.
"Once it is announced, I think we will have enough time to hold public hearings," he said.
