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Group presents 'Plan B' to School Committee

Reminder graphic courtesy of Concerned Citizens of Wilbraham
By Natasha Clark

Reminder Assistant Editor



WILBRAHAM The Concerned Citizens of Wilbraham have produced an alternative proposal for the future of Minnechaug Regional High School titled Plan B.

The document, prepared in April, suggests that a new high school is not needed, and that Plan B is a "sensible renovation" option. It lists the roof, windows, all heating and ventilation (HVAC), all asbestos, and a six-inch hot water line, as things seriously needing replacement and offers estimates of costs pertaining to the average Wilbraham household without state participation. With estimated costs of replacements and inflation, Plan B estimates the total cost to be around $9,129,000.

Plan B came under fire at the Sept. 12 Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Committee meeting when Minnechaug Facility Committee Co-Chair John Lovejoy read a letter in response to the plan during the public comment portion of the meeting.

"Plan B is riddled with errors too numerous to detail at this point. Suffice it to say that items 1-4 are patently false and would never pass muster under the new MSBA (Massachusetts School Building Authority) regulations and/or the I.G.'s (Inspector General) numerous requirements," read Lovejoy. "Though the visual presentation of Plan B portrays a sense of professional authenticity, it is perforce pernicious.

"The public needs to be both alerted and warned that this document is deceptive, inaccurate and a discredit to the many fine people who are members of the Concerned Citizens."

Concerned Citizen President Robert Page argued otherwise. He said he received his figures from previous HWRSD business managers Richard Scortino and Stephen Nembirkow.

He said that he and fellow Concerned Citizen members found "some things that we felt were flawed in the study [done by Dore & Whittier Architects, Inc.] and we felt that the costs illustrated for renovation were excessive, and we felt there were a number of things that didn't need doing," Page said.

"Our information is from an informed source who is very knowledgeable, and they informed me that fixing the roof, replacing all the windows and the HVAC does not trigger the 30 percent codes."

"People have accused this [plan] of being erroneous and that the MSBA wouldn't stand for this. The msba wouldn't be involved since we're not exceeding the triggers and the inspector general would not be involved. All we would have to be concerned with is how we pay for this. If you take state money, then you take state regulations," Page added.

Lovejoy believes the document has "wildly inaccurate figures."

"Its message offers promise where there is none, it pledges a high school on the cheap which is totally unrealistic," he read. "And it appears to guarantee simplicity in a situation which is truly complex and at best enormously complicated."