WPS Building Committee Sets Agenda

07/28/2007 - Voices:

Primary School Building CommitteeSets Goals, Dates for Renovation Plan

By: Ann Compton


WASHINGTON - The Washington Primary School Building Committee is hard at work. With two meetings accomplished and a site walk on July 25 completed, the group has set goals and dates for future meetings to update the two-year-old renovation plan for Washington Primary School.
At the group's first meeting, July 10, First Selectman Richard Sears outlined the committee's objectives.
They include reviewing the 2006 Master Plan renovations for WPS; examining specific concerns about the plan and evaluating alternatives and costs to accommodate those concerns; preparing an alternative town plan that represents what is "best for Washington;" and submitting a final plan to the Region 12 School District after review by the Boards of Selectmen and Finance, as well as the town's legislative body.
Mr. Sears said the goal of the committee is to accomplish these objectives in time for the planned fall referendum at which voters will choose between the best three-school and single-school options.
Committee members, appointed by the Board of Selectmen, include Mr. Sears, Selectman Mark Lyon, John Quist, Peter Bowman, Phil Markert, Roxanne Kraft, Walter Whitney, Wayne Hileman and John Boyer.
Washington Board of Education members have been asked to participate ex-officio.
At the first committee meeting July 10, Board of Education member Irene Allen encouraged the group to look at the physical condition of the building. She believes the teaching space is too small and outdated.
Mr. Sears noted that the building has to house two classrooms per grade, for a total of 12 with kindergarten.
Board of Finance member Jack Field, also in attendance, pointed out that the old package previously presented was the lowest cost option and "cut too thin."
He added that the committee must examine what must be added to be acceptable to people.
When the committee met again July 17, members reviewed the floor plans for square footage and determined that the classroom space is not the problem, but rather the larger rooms including the gym, cafeteria and library, which must be on the ground floor for kindergartners and first graders.
The music room, currently in the basement, must be brought to ground level also.
There was discussion among the committee members regarding gym use. The WPS gym is also used by the regional middle school. The group agreed that its only use should be as a gym and not a combination gym and cafeteria.
Peter Bowman distributed a document that included a picture of the proposed WPS building, with floor plans for the first and second floors.
It includes the gym for single use, moving the regional office to the second floor of the old high school building, making the first floor of the old high school a library and media center, and creating a cafeteria in what is now the library, where a loading dock and garage already exist.
This plan adds 500 square feet to the kindergarten rooms. Some committee members believe no addition to the present school should be made, although it was agreed that this plan appears to contain all the space needed.
Mr. Sears asked the group to keep three plans in mind - the existing conditions at WPS; the SLAM plan containing the first and second floor plans; and a new plan.
Mr. Sears has set up several committees to research specific areas: the floor plan, the flood plain, state reimbursement, current gym use and the second floor of the "old high school."
Additional meetings of the committee are scheduled on August 14, August 21, August 28, September 11 and September 18. All meetings take place at 7 p.m. in the Land Use Room at Town Hall.