Carlisle School Building - Frequently Asked Questions

How did the school building project get started?
Actually, it has a pretty long history. Since 2001, the Town has prepared two Feasibility Studies and one Master Plan for its school, but for a variety of reasons had not previously moved foward. The April 2006 Master Plan recommended replacing the Spalding building and addressing unmet educational needs with a new addition to the facilities. The Master Plan is available on the School web site at http://www.carlisle.k12.ma.us/district/business/FacilitiesMasterPlan.pdf

In 2007, the Commonwealth lifted its multi-year funding moratorium on school projects and Carlisle submitted a Statement of Interest (SOI) to indicate our intention of proceeding according to the Master Plan. The SOI was well-received and we have been moved along in the process.
Of the 423 Statements of Interest submitted from school districts throughout the Commonwealth, Carlisle was one of only 49 communities selected to collaborate with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). Since that time Carlisle has progressed to the next stage in the process – Schematic Design. The Town approved funding for the schematic design in May 2009 and entered into a funding agreement with the MSBA in August 2009.

Why do we want to get involved with the MSBA?
The MSBA will reimburse a significant portion of our qualifying expenses but we must follow their process.

Where are we in the MSBA-mandated process?
Presently our architect (HMFH) and Owner’s Project Manager (OPM, Daedalus) are assisting the Town with the schematic design of the project. This design and the associated cost estimate for work will provide the basis for developing a project scope and budget agreement with the MSBA for the balance of the project. We anticipate finalizing the agreement with the MSBA in late 2009 or early 2010.

Who is on the School Building Committee?
The SBC has grown over the last year to meet MSBA requirements for representation by a variety of town interests. Current members include:

Larry Barton
Janne Corneil
Marie Doyle, Superintendent
Bill Fink, School Committee Representative
David Flannery
Bob Pauplis
Bill Risso
Don Rober
Doug Stevenson
Lee Storrs, Chair
Wendell Sykes, School Committee Representative
Ingo Szegvari
Linda Vanaria, Teacher
Robert Wiggins

We approved funding at the May 2009 Town Meeting. What are these funds being used for?
The funds provide preliminary plans for the project, including elevations showing the layout of all buildings on the campus and their interrelationship, floor plans for all new construction, floor plans for all renovated spaces and associated detailed cost estimates.

How was the scope of the new building project developed?
The SBC did a detailed inventory of the existing space and its current use. We then worked with the Superintendent to assess our future educational space needs. This planning was done in the context of both the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks and the MSBA requirements for new school construction and school building compliance. As a result of this work the proposed project addresses the educational and space standards needs for the entire school, Pre-K through Grade 8.

During this entire process, the SBC had three priorities in mind:

Comply with current state educational requirements
Maximize the potential amount of state reimbursement the Town receives
Not exceed the expected capacity of the Town to fund such a project

What is the MSBA approach to planning and funding projects?
The MSBA encourages school districts to remodel, as needed, and to plan for projects that meet expected educational needs for a 15 year period. The MSBA examines the whole campus when evaluating a project and reimbursement request. The MSBA provides funding for new construction, as well as for needed repairs to existing structures. (Note that repairing Spalding does not qualify for MSBA reimbursement – see below.)

How many students will the proposed project accommodate and how much space are we getting?
The MSBA and the SBC have reached agreement that the project addresses our school needs for a projected enrollment of 700 students over the next 15 years. The MSBA is currently assessing the actual square footage of this project pursuant to its guidelines for new project and renovated spaces.

What does the project include and how much will it cost the Town of Carlisle?
The project includes:

Replacing the Spalding Building
Renovating spaces within existing buildings to meet educational and space requirements
Repairs in existing buildings that would be needed in the near future, regardless of this building project

The project is expected to cost a total of $20 million, but with the anticipated 40% reimbursement from the MSBA, Carlisle’s share would be $12 million.

What are the steps to implement the project?
At the end of the Schematic Design phase in the Fall 2009, total project cost estimates will be developed by the architect and independently checked by the OPM. Based on these costs, the total project scope and budget proposal will be developed and agreed upon with the MSBA. The budget proposal will include pricing for the final design and construction. The Town then has 120 days to appropriate the full amount for the final design and construction phase. The final design is then developed and the bidding process for the construction phase begins. HMFH will prepare the Final Design to be used for construction.

How does the reimbursement process work?
For funding reimbursement, all costs for services are paid by the Town to the providers. The Town then submits a monthly payment history to the MSBA and will be reimbursed for 40% by the MSBA.

Why must the Town appropriate the total project costs when we are assured of getting 40% reimbursement on eligible projects?
The MSBA requires each Massachusetts town to achieve voter approval for the total costs (before reimbursement) for all projects submitted for funding. This means that the town must approve the total cost.

Is all of the work eligible for the 40% reimbursement by the MSBA?
The 40% reimbursement is for eligible project costs. Most of our costs are anticipated to eligible.

Some items in the project, although deemed necessary for our school, may not be eligible to be included in MSBA reimbursement. For example, a Choral/Multipurpose Room may not qualify.

Why replace Spalding? Why not just repair it?
First and foremost, the MSBA has indicated they will not reimburse for renovating wood-framed buildings and Spalding is categorized as wood-framed.

There are a number of other reasons to replace Spalding:

It is a 52 year old structure that has exceeded its intended life.
It has extensive mold and termite damage
There is groundwater coming up through the foundation and into classrooms
A new roof and heating system are needed
In 2007 MSBA rated the building a 4 on a scale of 1 to 4, indicating a building being in the worst condition and in most need of replacement
A separate building creates security issues, forces primary students to leave the building frequently for lunch, music, physical education, etc.
The building is noncompliant with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements
HMFH recommended replacement in 2006 Master plan

What happens to the space currently occupied by Spalding?
Once the new building is constructed, Spalding would be demolished and the area would be landscaped and converted into play space. All of these costs are included in the total $20 million total project.

Are our Carlisle school buildings really “overcrowded”?
Rather than “overcrowded” a better word might be “inappropriate”. That is, while enrollment has declined, educational requirements have changed making some of the current space inappropriate.
For example:

Second grade classrooms are 15% smaller than current state standards
Corey ensemble room is used for classes of 20 students but it was designed for 5-8 students
Choral space at the back Corey auditorium is not wheelchair accessible and is too small for the Middle School choir
Classes that take place in the auditorium are often cancelled so the auditorium can be used for other events
The Physical Therapy room in Spalding is only accessible via a set of stair and does meet ADA requirements.

Isn’t enrollment dropping? Why add new space?
Over the next 15 years, Carlisle’s school population is expected to be relatively steady at around 700. At its lowest point, the school population is expected to dip into the 600s and then return to 700. Having said this, there are still several reasons for the new space – see the question above on overcrowding..

What is the increase in overall square footage for this project?
The current gross square footage of all campus buildings is 125,460 sq ft. It is anticipated that the new addition would be about 30,000 sq ft. After the demolition of Spalding, the anticipated gross square footage of all campus buildings would be 139,200 sq ft – a net change of 13,740 sq ft.

What does this mean for Carlisle taxpayers?
Based on a median priced home with assessed valuation of approximately $800,000, at peak impact, the annual tax increase is expected to be approximately $690. The project will be bonded for 20 years. However, unlike a home mortgage, bond payments do not stay constant. As the principal debt is retired the bond payments decline.

Why not continue to repair Spalding and delay building until the economy improves?
The problems with the Spalding structure are numerous and pervasive as cited above. If we were to proceed with the significant renovations needed, we would be forced to bring the entire building into compliance with a variety of building requirements that it does not currently satisfy. Not only would this be very costly, but as noted above, the MSBA would not reimburse the Town for any of the costs.

But these are uncertain economic times; shouldn’t we wait?
The The School Building Committee has deliberated this issue for some time and recommends moving forward now for several reasons.

MSBA Commitment - The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) has committed to fund 40% of the project including schematic design.

Top of the MSBA Queue – Of 423 school projects put forth to the MSBA, Carlisle is one of only 11 projects moved to this schematic design phase. Given the number of projects vying for a declining pool of state revenue, it will be very difficult for us to find our way back into the MSBA queue if we don’t move forward now.

Spalding Condition - In recent years the Spalding building has had numerous facility issues including mold, roof leaks, termites, boiler break, and water entering classrooms from under the floor slab. So far, the school has managed most of these issues on a short term basis without large capital outlays. However, as a minimum it will be necessary to replace the roofs and possibly the heating system in the next few years. It does not make sense to make these costly repairs if the building will be replaced.

Competitive Market – Currently, bidding on construction projects is very competitive and borrowing costs are at historic lows. Proceeding expeditiously improves our chances of taking advantage of these conditions.

Is space really an issue as long as we are meeting the State-mandated educational goals and have high MCAS scores?
In fact, our children continue to excel despite the condition of our facilities. However, we have been cited for non-compliance with educational standards for primary grades space and security issues, special education spaces, and inadequate science labs for the upper grades.

What are we NOT getting as part of the project?
This project attempts to take into account the school district needs for the next 15 years. It does not include replacing or renovating all campus buildings. Also, there are items on the initial wish list that were eliminated from the project. The SBC has worked closely with Town officials to ensure the School's needs are met for the next 15 years while not exceeding the expected capability of the Town to fund the project.

What is the relationship between funding the Carlisle building project and any future Concord-Carlisle High School (CCHS) building plans?
From the MSBA’s perspective, these are two separate districts with two distinct projects on their own timelines. Each project will move forward on its own.

From a Carlisle taxpayer’s perspective, the CCHS project will require a similar process if the two towns decide to pursue MSBA funding for the high school. CCHS is in the process of selecting an architect to develop a Master Plan for the school.

Glossary

ADA	Americans with Disabilities Act
MCAS	Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment Test
MSBA	Massachusetts School Building Authority
OPM	Owner’s Project Manager
SBC	Carlisle School Building Committee
SOI	Statement of Interest