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| By Natasha Clark Reminder Assistant Editor HAMPDEN The Hampden/Wilbraham Regional School Committee voted to borrow $880, 925 for site design plans for a new Minnechaug Regional High School (MRHS). More specifically, they voted to request to incur debt per Chapter 71, section 16(d). Under section 16(d), after the School Committee notifies the Select Boards of Wilbraham and Hampden of their intent to borrow such funds, the Boards of Selectman have 60 days to call a Town Meeting to express disapproval, if that is the case. If a majority of the voters disapprove of the amount, the School Committee would have to construct another proposal. Superintendent Paul C. Gagliarducci explained that site evaluations and traffic studies need to be done in order to design a new MRHS. Hampden Board of Selectman Chair James D. Smith was present at the meeting and during public comments read aloud his personal position while raising several questions, which the School Committee answered after suspending public comment rules. Smith said that, ultimately, the funding decision is subject to ballot vote, and asked that the Committee place the fate of the design study "in the hands of ballot voters." He noted that the interest is roughly $35,000 a year, and asked which teacher did they plan to lay off in order to make those interest payments. "[We're going to] work together to find a funding mechanism," Gagliarducci replied later. "At this point we hope there will be a revenue stream that we can tap to avoid [something like that]." Wilbraham Town Administrator William Fogarty was also in attendance and said that the Wilbraham Board of Selectman was currently working with the Major Projects Committee, and has not taken favor of, nor against, the issue. He also noted that a joint vote by towns on the issue is not the way to go according to the Wilbraham Board of Selectman. They take the position that the borrowing should be voted on separately by town, and that, in the future, if construction goes forward, that it does not happen unless both communities pass debt exclusion. A debt exclusion allows a town to repay debt on a project by raising property taxes outside the limits of Proposition 2 1/2, but the debt exclusion ends when the debt is repaid. Fogarty said that having the project go forward without debt exclusion could undermine the operating budget for the school district. The other option to the School Committee, which member Lisa Morace was in favor of, was requesting to incur debt under Chapter 17 section 16(n). This option basically sends the School Committee's proposal directly to the public. Voters would go to an election to officially vote on the question. Smith also asked the Committee to defer a decision until their next meeting. "Inaction is not an option," School Committee Chair Scott Chapman explained. "We can not wait anymore ... The longer we wait on this project, the more the bottom line goes up." As one of the representatives of the School Committee who sat in on Building Committee meetings (William Bickley was the other) Marianne Desmond said that the Committee has "engaged in thoughtful consideration" when it comes to this matter. Gagliarducci announced that members of the School Committee will be available to attend meetings of local organizations and boards, if requested, to discuss the project. They also plan to host a public forum in early February. The school district will also have information available on their website, www.hwrsd.org. Update from the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Committee: The Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Committee will host a public fourm for the citizens of Hampden and Wilbraham on Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. at the Minnechaug Regional High School Auditorium. (Snow date to be determined.) The School Committee, Superintendent of Schools, and Building Committee will be making a presentation regarding the status of the Minnechaug project and the upcoming Town Meetings concerning start-up costs for the project. There will be a question and answer period as well. The School Committee encourages all citizens to come hear the presentation and ask questions concerning the future of Minnechaug Regional High School. |