[From the Keene Sentinel Letters Page, Friday, March 7, 2008]
To The Sentinel:
The Monadnock Regional School District Facilities Committee, along with the district’s project manager and business manager, have spent the last year working hard on the district’s facilities needs.
The committee has completed a master plan for the middle/high school, followed the school board bidding policies and have completed projects at each of our schools on time and on budget.
This March we are asking our voters to again support maintenance-related articles.
There is one for district-wide special maintenance projects for $400,000 and one for roof replacement for $123,000.
These articles will provide for much-needed maintenance to our schools through out the district.
The roof article will continue the work that was approved last year. Last year’s roof replacement will be started when the weather breaks.
These maintenance articles are a work in progress that starts months before the vote.
After many meetings and discussions with principals and contractors, the project manager and the facilities committee create these articles.
It is always difficult to balance the facilities needs in the district with the overall cost of the warrant.
This year, the maintenance articles have been adjusted to give the voter choices and respect the need for the approval of the operating budget and the teachers’ and support-staff contracts.
These articles as presented have been approved by the district’s budget committee and school board.
It is extremely important that articles 1, 3 and 4 are approved this year.
Everyone knows that our accreditation status at the middle/high school has moved from warnings to probation.
Although one of the biggest issues is the facilities, another major area is the approval of the operating budget and the teachers’ and support-staff contract.
This is the year for the approval of Articles 1, 3 and 4. This will pave the way for the district to accomplish part of the accreditation and will be a major step in helping us with any future building plans.
At this point the master plan is completed and approved.
It gives a comprehensive analysis of the middle/high school. It tells us exactly what is wrong with the school and how to fix it.
We have also asked for a design for a new middle school and renovation of the existing high school. In this way we will have three options to look at. Stay tuned for more information.
Please look at our Web site, www.mrsd.org, and click on the facilities assessment link to review the master plan. Become informed, be part of the process.
The future building plans will need the community’s participation in planning our next steps.
Speak to your school board representative or e-mail me or call me with your thoughts on the next phase of fixing our middle/high school.
Please vote on March 11 and vote “yes.”
KAREN COTA
School Board Representative
Facilities Committee
270 Apple Hill Road
Roxbury
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