What's your take? I call shenanigans. Why not look at other schools? Why not Warwick? What do you think?
NORTHFIELD — Two months after the Pioneer Valley Regional School District’s building and grounds subcommittee approved moving the central offices to Pioneer’s 200 wing, some administrators and School Committee members are having second thoughts.
According to Assistant Superintendent Gail Healy, moving the central offices to rooms 206, 207 and 208 would cost the district over $37,000.
Healy’s figure is based on estimates she received to outfit the three affected rooms with air conditioning, install a doorbell, door release and camera at the nearest side door, install a plug for the photocopier, move the photocopier, construct a sidewalk and stairway to the side door, and purchase dividers to create cubicles within the rooms.
Up until January 2016, the central offices were in three single-story modular buildings behind Pioneer. However, foundation cracks, rust and roof leaks, outdated electrical, communication and alarm systems, and mold in the basements led Pioneer administrators to relocate to the central offices’ current location in a leased 2,806-square-foot space at 168 Main St. in downtown Northfield. The space costs $3,030 a month to lease, a cost that administrators hoped to eliminate after the lease runs out at the end of June.
Initially, rooms 206, 207 and 208 were eyed as a logical new location, until Healy received the cost estimates. However, she and Facilities Director Tim Brandl have two other ideas, which Healy presented to five members of the School Committee and several community members during a tour Thursday.
Healy said 414 could possibly be used as the payroll office and 410 could be a meeting room, dividing Technology Services, Special Education and all other offices between three other rooms. The area also includes a closet, two easily accessible bathrooms and a nearby elevator.
“We’re trying to consolidate to take the least amount of space as possible, but we have to split up the departments,” Healy noted.
According to Healy, moving upstairs would represent a significant savings. The rooms are already air conditioned, leaving only the costs to move the photocopier and purchase dividers. The estimates Healy gathered indicate this move should cost about $1,025.
“The pro of upstairs is it’s less expensive,” she said simply.
Air conditioning represents the primary savings. Healy said portable air conditioners are not possible in rooms 206, 207 and 208, and an estimate she received from Arctic Refrigeration Company of Greenfield puts the cost to install air conditioning at $21,600.
However, there is a third option for which Healy hasn’t sought estimates yet. The third option would involve using the Learning Center located in room 272, which already includes three office spaces and is located next to an outside door. Two additional nearby rooms would also be used.
Some of the three rooms have air conditioning, but others do not. Moving forward, Healy said she would seek estimates for moving to the third space.
School Committee members also asked Healy to develop square footage comparisons for the three spaces. She said the issue will be discussed further at the next building and grounds subcommittee meeting.
