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| By Courtney Llewellyn, Reminder Assistant Editor LONGMEADOW The Select Board and the School Committee in Longmeadow have both approved Statements of Interest that may lead to improvement of the school district's facilities. According to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) Web site, communities across the Commonwealth were invited to express their intent to apply for partial grant funding for potential school projects from the MSBA through a Statement of Interest. The deadline for submitting Statements of Interest is July 31. The purpose of a Statement of Interest is to learn whether school districts believe they have any deficiencies in their facilities. Williams and Glenbrook middle schools and Longmeadow High School are all believed to be in need of serious renovation. "We had to put together a compelling argument for the State so they will review the issues we're facing," said School Committee member Christine Swanson. She went on to explain that this will be a multi-year process, which began with outlining the deficiencies of the schools, which then leads to a state review, and eventually applying for funding to make the necessary repairs. There are eight statutory funding priorities in a Statement of Interest, of which four are believed to be significant issues for Longmeadow. The first priority is the "replacement or renovation of a building which is structurally unsound or otherwise in a condition seriously jeopardizing the health and safety of school children." This is a priority at all three of the aforementioned schools. Longmeadow High School was first built in 1954, and additions were built in 1957, 1963, 1974 and 2000. Most of the major infrastructure systems, like electrical, plumbing, heating and the information technology network were installed during the first few phases of expansion and are now outdated. A variety of large cracks and corrosion in the brickwork are also prevalent throughout the building. Similar issues were discovered at Williams and Glenbrook as well. Two more priorities mentioned on the Statements of Interest are the "replacement, renovation or modernization of the heating system ... to increase energy conservation" and the "replacement or addition to obsolete buildings in order to provide a full range of programs consistent with state and approved local requirements." In Superintendent Jahn Hart's letters to the MSBA, she mentioned the "over-arching problem" of the open classroom layout at Glenbrook and her concern about the "mechanical infrastructure and asbestos flooring" at Williams. A priority that is unique to the high school is the prevention of the loss of accreditation. The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) has had Longmeadow High on warning since May 2002 because of the school's shortcomings. These include poor lighting, extreme fluctuations in room temperatures and the use of former storage rooms as classrooms. Charlie McCarthy, Associate Director of the Commission on Public Secondary Schools at NEASC inspected the high school again earlier this month, but said that the commission "will not consider the results of the latest inspection until the latter part of September." "We indicated what we've already done to alleviate some of these problems on the statements," Hart said. These repairs included the replacement of doors and windows, structural reinforcement, ductwork repair and data network upgrades. After being reviewed by the MSBA, the Longmeadow schools may be invited to submit applications for grant funding based on the information provided in the Statements of Interest. Town Manager Robin Crosbie said she is happy and hopeful about what the outcomes of the Statements of Interest may be. "These schools are aged and need to be updated for the current educational climate," she said. "We hope that this will be the foundation on which we can begin renovating the schools. Our first step is simply getting the State's attention." |