• Select Committee should not be given more than 90 days to come up with sewage disposal alternative
• No one will be happy with the outcome
• Three speakers pro-new high school
• One "forget about it"
• Year-round school with air-conditioning and siblings "tracked" to assure that vacation schedules meld; re-negotiate teachers contract; field house with underground parking garage (this person said he has 10 month old and 6 year old)
• 1/2 day kindergarten OK as interim--but remember Claire Gold's report!  Also, the "new high school" is actually what O,R&L proposed making out of the old high school;  put what is going to pass on the ballot
• Consider kindergarten at churches;  use Library Community Room for art/music;  St. Francis parking lot a good site for portables?  Re-negotiate teachers contract--maybe teachers could have lunch in their classroom with their class?  Be more creative.
• When will 2000-2001 decision re: kindergarten be made?  (No answer--this was discussed later)
• Portables for kindergarteners not good
• select lesser of evils (i.e. long enough day as opposed to 1/2 day just to stay on campus[?])

The assumptions made were that modified full day was still the best--cited Claire Gold report re: early intervention.  Link here to conclusions of the report:  Conclusions printed here.

DR. T'S TEAM'S ASSUMPTIONS:

1. there will not be more than this year's 5 new portables (in place at the Weston Middle School) allowed
2. current level of service for all grades
3. IF level of service to children must be curtailed, THEN only 4th grade would be exempt.

OPTIONS MUSIC:

• Talent on Tap impacted if music room taken--music in South House Cafeteria (the cafeteria situation is very serious; many comments)
• reduce music to lower grade(s) to serve 4th grade; concerts affected
• maybe use East House cafeteria for music

• art on a cart--reduce level of art service because of lack of adequate space

• not enough space
• classes double booked in South House cafeteria

• reduce k-3 computer use--no computer for k
• satelite stations for music
• computers moved to classrooms

• flexible access to library eliminated (because of 46 minute period for 4th grade)

1. can we go back to WWHD to get more portables? (no answer)
2. we are at a crossroads (self-evident)
3. educators want to move ahead with improving education (good luck)
4. what do we do next year? (same drill as this year)
5. will we look off-campus for kindergarten solution? (already on it)
6. modular construction k-2 at Heady site?
7. is it reasonable to assume that Heady can be used?
8. could we place a lot more pressure on other Boards?
9. we should have had contingency plans (in retrospect)...hard choices

Meeting ran from 7:45pm to 9:30pm.

NEXT BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING JULY 17 at 7:30pm.

2.THE FINAL SCHOOL FACILITIES PLAN (now on hold) TEXT AND DETAILS...
3. MAP OF 100+ ACRE CAMPUS FOUND HERE!

Five members of the Building Committee (two others absent) plus two members additional making up the School Building Committee (Superintendent of Schools and member of the Board of Education) met to discuss trips upcoming to architects' (Jeter, Cook and Jepsen; Tai Soo Kim and Fletcher-Thompson) offices and school buildings they had designed.

Another item on the agenda was a discussion of sewer/septic issue and the Building Committee's role in the future on this topic.  The Chair. was appointed to sit on the new "Select Committee…" that will be studying sewer options over the next 90 days.  A spirited discussion took place about what the impact of a tiny sewer line to just the Schools and Town Hall would be--and if indeed the implications for development density would be almost nil, as some members of the Building Committee purported.  Members of the Building Committee believe that "a tiny sewer line bringing only 60,000+ gallons of effluent from Weston to the Norwalk treatment plant" (as described in Fuss&O'Neill report) thus setting a limit on development) would permit Weston to then say no to affordable housing applications along the route of the sewer.

Members of the public were invited to participate in this meeting, and it was also discussed whether inviting AVALON, affordable housing construction company, to propose an example of how an affordable housing scheme might work for Weston would be a good idea.

Town Hall Meeting Room, May 8, 2000, 7pm to 9:45pm;  May 9, 2000 report from indirect sources;  NOTE: as of June 14, 2000, this process is rolling along, with final three firms being visited plus site visits to examples of their work.

NOTE:  it is the intention of the Building Committee to check out references and projects by these architects;  they may invite firms back for more questions; need to visit examples of work and offices.

First two interviews completed Monday - both firms are interesting yet different...three more architects to be heard from in this round...
The Building Committee and its three new advisory members interviewed Jeter, Cook and Jepson and Tai Soo Kim, 2 of 5 "semi-finalists" for Weston's projected $70 million suggested schools project.  (The "final" decision is to be made by the Board of Selectmen.)
Monday's interview schema was divided into three sections--first the firms gave background about themselves, then they discussed their ideas in response to the RFP and then the Building Committee asked questions.  The same questions were asked of each applicant (unless answers were already provided during earlier parts of the presentation).

JETER, COOK & JEPSON (as "AboutTown" heard it)
"We are the only firm large enough to meet the schedule" and "very large project" were their comments on Weston's School Plan (all in one phase).  A YR2002 completion will require three teams, multiple consultants, 35 full time people;  Weston should "maximize reimbursement."  Jeter, Cook said "they don't reinvent the wheel."

In order to meet the schedule Jeter, Cook suggests local review by local building inspector (instead of waiting for the State Department of Education team) and construction of 3-4-5 school first with an eye to using it as "swing space."

QUESTION:  What if the schedule is more spread out?
ANSWER:  It would be better--Jeter, Cook and Jepson do not think building a gym and auditorium can be done in 3 months (didn't indicated which school).
QUESTION:  If you stretch out the project, what will this do to materials costs?
ANSWER:  Based on the present economy, costs can only go up--but reference was inserted at this point to downgrades being made in design standards because of absence of proper, long-term materials (standards for schools become more like those for commercial structures and not public buildings).
QUESTION:  In this tight ("aggressive") schedule, how will there be time to get input from school staff?
ANSWER:  ?
QUESTION:  How about contingencies?
ANSWER:  Not high enough (suggests 10% rather than 5%) in parts of program that involve rehab of older structures.
QUESTION:  Are you planning on retaining consultants for energy conservation?
ANSWER:  Yes
QUESTION:  What is your work schedule like now?
ANSWER:  No problem - they are a big firm (64 years in business).

WORK IN AREA:  North Avenue schools (Staples additions and Middle School), Westport.

TAI SOO KIM (as "About Town" heard it - same questions)
The next firm is a consortium of creative designers and practical implementers.  This firm had been a finalist for the School Plan exercise, contract having gone to O,R&L.  Tai Soo suggested that the one-way road "loop" should be redirected in front of the new 3-4-5 school location to avoid wetland crossing altogether (with intersection at School Road [west end] coming to a "T" and not creating a dangerous traffic situation near Weston Road.

This company has been in business for close to 30 years.  Comments by "business" partner in intro: "Unique, creative solutions" - "Stimulating children's minds" - "Not cookie-cutter work."  A full examination of topos and environmental info as well as traffic solution re-examination was done in this, the "best response" (as the Chair. stated referring to the way Tai Soo had followed the instructions in the RFP).  "Design" partner said, simply, that this type of school construction work demanded "...need to transform the school."  As an example of what was meant by this remark, he pointed to the entrance to both the high school and the middle school - cold, distant, formal stairways...off-putting (my interpretation of his message)."

Tai Soo further stated that there was a need to stretch out the project (altho' they were prepared to do what we wanted) - "don't commit all up front."  "Forty-million dollars for the new elementary plus" some other parts of the project should be all Weston should attempt, according to this architect.

WORK IN AREA:  Cider Mill School (elementary and 3-4-5 total of 1100 students in Wilton)
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WEDNESDAY INTERVIEWS NOT COVERED BY ABOUT  WESTON - BUT TWO RELIABLE SOURCES REPORT THAT  FLETCHER - THOMPSON OF BRIDGEPORT WILL BE INCLUDED IN FINAL "CUT"-- PRELIMINARY THREE CHOICES FOR VISITS ARE (NUMBER MIGHT VERY WELL BE CHANGED/ENLARGED AFTER COMMITTEE VISITS EXAMPLES OF PREVIOUS WORK AND SITES AND OFFICES OF FIRMS NOT FAMILIAR TO BUILDING COMMITTEE):  JETER,COOK & JEPSON;  TAI SOO KIM;  FLETCHER - THOMPSON.

CJNA WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN TO GET EDUCATION SPECIFICATIONS READY FOR JUNE 30 DEADLINE (WITHOUT MEETING THIS DEADLINE NO PROJECT, NO MORE SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION WILL BE ERECTED FOR ONE EXTRA YEAR!!!).

Nine (9) architectural firms repond to RFP and fivemake it through successfully.  Making it to the next level are the architectural firms in red and underlined--the first "cut" by Building Committee was:
1.  Wiles and Associates (Bridgeport)
2.  Fletcher-Thompson (Bridgeport)
3.  DiCarlo & Dahl (Hamden)
4.  Schoenhardt Associates (Simsbury)
5.  Friar Associates (Farmington)
6.  CJNA - Charles J. Nafie & Associates - (New York City)
7.  C.J. Lawlor (West Hartford)
8.  Tai Soo Kim (Hartford)
9.  Jeter, Cook and Jepson (Hartford)
 

On Tuesday, after the Building Committee had met, "About Town" looked through all nine responses to the RFP...all references to price/cost were removed (so that this matter can remain confidential and be negotiated).