Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.

Study: Modular addition not feasible at TWB

Date: 9/24/2015

WILBRAHAM – According to a new study by JLS Architects, it would not be feasible to construct a modular addition for a single combined middle school at Thornton W. Burgess (TWB) Middle School.

The district is exploring a combined modular middle school method as a way to solve the short-term effects of the district’s ongoing decline in enrollment.

“The amount of additional space that we would need at TWB to accommodate all of the district’s middle schoolers would require space improvements that would trigger upgrades to the existing building and some of those upgrades are code requirements ... it could be [the Americans with Disabilities Act], it could be local building codes that be triggered,” Superintendent of Schools M. Martin O’Shea said.

He added that TWB’s core spaces, such as its auditorium, kitchen and cafeteria, gymnasium and lockers, and library would not be large enough to handle a combined single middle school comprised of approximately 700 students.   

“The existing septic system could not handle the increased occupancy,” O’Shea noted. “The existing electrical services would not be able to handle the increased demand created by the additional space and the additional occupancy. It’s really a combination of factors.”

Additional modular space could be added at WMS without having to make any changes to the existing building other than hooking up utilities, he said. The core components of WMS have the capacity to handle the increased occupancy and space.

According to information from the district that summarizes the JLS report, TWB would cost $9.5 million to renovate and $26.7 million to complete a consolidated renovation with an add-on. By comparison, WMS would cost $10.4 million to renovate, but $16.7 million to renovate and construct a modular add-on.

One chart lists three options for building a modular addition consisting of four classrooms at Wilbraham Middle School (WMS) consisting of 4,200 square feet. The first method is a wood construction with plywood siding, which would cost $862,000 to purchase. The second option would consist of premium wood construction with cement board siding that would cost $932,000 to purchase, and a third choice to build modular space with steel, concrete flooring, and a half-inch brick veneer for a little more than $1 million.

The district could save between $750,000 to $1 million annually if it closed one of its schools in favor of a single modular middle school, O’Shea said.  

“That would be offset by the temporary cost of modular space,” he noted.

He added that at sometime in the future, the district would need to renovate one of its middle schools.

“Each building has been properly maintained, but neither building has been renovated,” O’Shea said. “Each building still has for the most part the original components. By that I mean the building envelope, the windows, the doors, the air vents, the electrical systems. At some point the needs of these buildings will need to be addressed.”

O’Shea said the district would be in a better position to enter into a Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) building program if both middle schools were combined.

“I think it’s doubtful that the MSBA would participate in the renovation of two middle schools given are enrollment and given that we know educationally we can be in a better position in a single building,” he added.

In order for a modular addition to be built at either school, a change in the regional agreement between Hampden and Wilbraham would need to be approved during potential Town Meeting votes.

At this point, a timeline has not been established to bring the change to the regional agreement before voters of both towns, O’Shea said.

“This initiative only goes as far as the Middle School Task Force allows, the School Committee allows, and ultimately the voters allow,” he added.

O’Shea said his presentation during the School Committee’s Sept. 8 meeting was informational and not directional.

“The study doesn’t determine direction,” he noted. “Direction will be determined by the School Committee and the voters.”