Green Meadow Building Update from the Maynard School Committee

Dear Maynard School and Community Members-


The School Committee wanted to provide an update regarding the Green Meadow building, and some recent developments. As we have all anticipated, a building survey was recently completed in December 2019 by architectural design and structural engineering firm, CBI. The final report was received by our Town Administrator earlier this month, and then circulated to all necessary town governing bodies for review. The report has also been posted publicly for community accessibility and review: GMS CBI Roof/ Building Envelope Study Jan 14 2020. It’s worth highlighting that visual inspections conducted by CBI, regarding the roof and roof decking along the pre-k and kindergarten wing, are indicated as structurally sound, albeit in poor condition and past their useful life in many areas. Additional structural reviews will be needed to further determine load bearing capacity for any new roofing system.  


Based on this report and other considerations, the School Committee has been asked to provide a recommendation to the Board of Selectmen, as to the direction we feel the town should take on behalf of the school district. A School Committee recommendation will be prepared at our upcoming January 30th School Committee Meeting, held at 7pm in the Fowler Library. The Board of Selectmen are then expected to direct the Town Administrator as to how they wish to incorporate the School Committee recommendation into the FY21 budget and beyond.


To assist the School Committee in these important decisions, we have engaged various stakeholders. Some of those steps have included:


  • Interim Superintendent, Mary Jane Rickson, confirming architectural design and structural engineering firm, CBI, will be able to present at the upcoming School Committee meeting on January 30th;

  • Holding discussions within the district’s Budget Subcommittee Meetings, and seeking necessary input from our district administrative team;

  • Holding discussions within the town’s Tri-board Budget Subcommittee Meetings;

  • Engaging Maynard’s Capital Planning Committee; and 

  • Seeking a recommendation from the Green Meadow Future Committee (GMFC). This recommendation, which was deliberated and voted upon at their recent January 23rd meeting, was based upon an in-depth review of the survey report. The GMFC will also be in attendance at the January 30th School Committee Meeting, to share and discuss their recommendation: GMFC Recommendation Memo to SC January 23 2020.

Additionally, this past December, Green Meadow was finally accepted into the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) Core Program, which is a coveted grant that assists towns in building new schools or renovating existing schools within their community. This acceptance was based upon a collaborative effort between the town and the School Committee, in submitting an effective “Statement of Interest” last spring 2019, after several years of being denied. Acceptance into this program, and any “next steps” required as part of committing to this process, will be important considerations for the School Committee and our town to weigh. We look forward to seeing more community engagement regarding this process from the town level. Here is an overview of the MSBA Core Program: https://www.massschoolbuildings.org/Working_With_Us/citizens.  

The School Committee will continue to work collaboratively with the Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee, Capital Planning Committee, GMFC, Town Administrator, and all stakeholders to develop a plan that best addresses the short and long-term vision for Maynard Public Schools. The town’s upcoming Joint Budget Review Meeting on Saturday February 8, 8:30 am at Maynard Library, is an opportunity for the public to hear more about town wide budget considerations. We appreciate your continued engagement, in supporting these developing discussions.

Respectfully,

Maynard School Committee