MSBA regulations which affect FHS discussed at conference

Two members of the School Committee attended a MASBO (Massachusetts Association of School Business Officials) conference on school construction projects. The conference was centered on the MSBA (Massachusetts School Building Authority) regulations which will affect the Franklin High project which is in its initial stages. It featured a keynote address by Katherine Craven, the Executive Director of the Authority. She outlined the regulations, policies and procedures which the Town will have to follow in order to get financial assistance with the renovation of Franklin High.

As you know, the School Committee and Town Council endorsed a Statement of Interest which was recently filed with the MSBA, and which identifies the problems at FHS for which the Town is seeking financial assistance from the State.

The conference highlighted the deadlines and issues that all Massachusetts school districts will face under the new program. We urge you to stay tuned as we sort through these issues and move forward with this project.

In the meantime, here are some links to web sites and manuals discussed at the conference:

MSBA (Massachusetts School Building Authority) web site.

Inspector General manual on Designing and Constructing Public Facilities.

CM at Risk as an alternative to the traditional design-bid-build method of building as embodied in Chapter 149.

Salem High School renovation project which is proceeding under the new CM at Risk process.

Masschusetts School Building Authority Regulations 963 CMR 2.00, adopted September 22, 2006.

The Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management which provides professional and comprehensive services to state agencies in the fields of public-building design, construction, maintenance and real estate.

Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts: AGC of Massachusetts is a full service chapter of the National Association. Locally, it works closely with all facets of our industry to develop fair business practices for all participants.

FHS recommendations available online

The FHS presentation and recommendations made on October 10, 2006 by Kaestle Boos Associates, Inc. (KBA) can be viewed online by clicking here.

A similar presentation will be delivered to the Town Council on October 17, 2006.

DPH summary report issued on salmonella

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) has issued an Executive Summary of its report on the salmonella outbreak at Jefferson Elementary School last spring. You may read the report by clicking here.

The state found that oul pellets were the likely cause, but school staff “had no indication that the owl pellets might be unsafe (and) all proper handling procedures were followed by teachers during this project based on the information provided.”

The outbreak in Franklin has led to new DPH guidelines on the “safe handling of owl pellets,” which have been posted on the agency’s web site. Click here to see the report.

In addition, Assistant Superintendent, Maureen Sabolinski and Director of Pupil Personnel Services, Linda Waters will now convene a committee of principals, teachers, school nurses and parents to review the MDPH’s Executive Summary and all Franklin public practices related to student illness, communicable diseases, school emergencies of a medical nature, and science experiments that use any biological materials. This committee will recommend any changes in school practices or School Committee Policy that it deems appropriate.

Message from Community Relations Subcommittee

As you know, for many months now, small groups within the administration and the Franklin High School community have been meeting to discuss what needs to be done at FHS, both academically and structurally. At the same time, our design consultant has been conceptualizing how to accommodate those needs, as well as our projected student enrollments.

At the Oct. 10 meeting of the Franklin School Committee, members voted to submit a Statement of Interest regarding the FHS Building Project to the Massachusetts School Building Assistance Authority .

The Committee’s Statement of Interest is important for four key reasons:

1. It allows the Town to enter the process for partial reimbursement of construction costs. Although the new state procedures and regulations for school building assistance are still under discussion, it is expected that our submission will come under review soon after July 31, 2007. Approving the Statement of Interest costs nothing and does not commit the community to anything; it allows the FHS Building Project to enter the mix of school building projects vying for potential state reimbursement. It also constitutes our request to the State to provide us with a cost and reimbursement estimate for the project.

2. It re-affirms our commitment to the community to address the serious structural, environmental and academic issues at Franklin High School as soon as possible. The design consultant’s report on the building and our own experiences, as well as the experiences of hundreds of students and parents, confirm the sincere need for action at the facility. Submission of the Statement of Interest demonstrates our desire to keep moving toward a solution to the challenges facing Franklin High School.

3. It underscores the need for the greater community to begin
discussing what kind of high school Franklin wants and needs for its students and parents in the future. Each year we wait, the building is subjected to additional stress from another year of age and another year of use. Each month, the marketplace costs of construction rise. Submission of the Statement of Interest signals that Franklin is ready to begin discussing what shape FHS should take to serve the next two or three generations of students, parents, faculty and staff.

4. It allows our consultant to begin developing a range of design
options for addressing the building’s structural and system challenges, creating the appropriate environment for education, athletics and the arts, and the appropriate space configurations for accommodating future enrollment levels. With a range of design solutions, from various renovation schemes to new construction on site, the Committee and the community will be in position to intelligently weigh the various choices and make an informed decision about how best to move forward with the FHS Building Project.

Any guesses or discussion about project costs would be premature at this point in the process. Cost estimates will be developed based on the design options as a next step in the consultant’s program.

For all intents and purposes, submission of the Statement of Interest marks the first step of an unofficial but more public effort to inform and engage the greater Franklin community about the FHS project, including high school faculty and staff, parents (particularly those with children in the elementary and middle school grades), FHS alumni, town officials, civic leaders, various athletic and artistic support groups, etc.

Based on what is known about the state’s new school building assistance procedures and regulations, a formal building committee cannot be appointed at this time. However, the School Committee did discuss creating a special subcommittee of School Committee members to focus on the FHS Building Project until such time as a formal building committee can be created pursuant to the state’s new regulations. It is likely that the creation of that subcommittee will be discussed and acted upon at the full Committee’s Oct. 24th meeting.

Stay tuned for more details in the weeks ahead. Thanks!

MPDH advisory on mosquito-borne diseases

A message from Superintendent of Schools Wayne R. Ogden:

After a conversation with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), we would like to reinforce their safety recommendations with respect to the risk of mosquito-borne diseases. We encourage all parents to employ the personal protection procedures recommended by MDPH in their Public Health Advisory. Their personal protection procedures include:

· Wearing long sleeves, long pants and socks when outdoors at dusk.

· Apply mosquito repellents containing DEET, Picaridin, or Permethrin.

For additional information, go to the MDPH Advisory: “Recreational Activities and the Risk of Mosquito- Borne Diseases”

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