SPECIAL MEETING
February 20, 2008
Present was Jonathan P. Smith, Ramesh H. Advani, James C. Lehan and Kim Williams, Chairman, Norfolk School Committee and Danielle Rochefort, School Committee member and School Building Committee. Jack Hathaway was absent.
Jonathan Smith called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.
Before the School Committee arrived, the Board discussed and agreed to have a meeting on 3/4 at 7.30-8.30 to meet with the ZBA candidates applying for associate positions. Ramesh will follow up with Marian to have this set up and posted. Ramesh would like to invite the current ZBA chair and any other members to attend this session and stay on for follow up discussion.
The Board discussed the Feasibility Study funding required by the SBAB to be done by the town. There will need to be a warrant article for this at the annual town meeting. The advice received by the School Committee from the SBAB is that we have to fund the whole amount, but then we should expect to get a minimum 50.1% reimbursed by the State SBAB. It could even be as high as 55%, per Danielle. The town meeting vote, if approved, would also have to go for a debt exclusion town wide vote after that. The estimated given ranges from $100-500K but the School Committee will get back to us with what the expected amount should be. The warrant article can be to request approval and the Advisory Board will get the numbers as we get closer. The Selectmen were fully supportive of this study.
Another item discussed was to have a warrant article from the Selectmen to request the formation of a School Building Committee, per the change made at our last town meeting that would serve as the Permanent Building Committee for the school project. It was agreed by the Board and School Committee members present after a discussion, that the proposed committee would consist of 9 members - School Superintendent, Town Administrator, 2 School Committee members, 1 Selectman and 4 members from the community. The School Committee members present will take this back to the School Committee and also get their buy in. The actual appointments would be an item to be discussed after town meeting, assuming it passes and would be done by the Board of Selectmen, who would look for a recommendation from the School Committee.
The Selectmen informed the School Committee members that we were going forward with an annual town meeting warrant article for the engineering work for a new Public Safety building and we would present the entire cost as part of the presentation. Assuming it passes, we will then need a ballot question on that for a town wide vote. The feasibility study question would also be up on the ballot at that same time.
At 8:30 p.m., being no further business, Ramesh Advani moved to adjourn the meeting. Jim Lehan seconded, and it was so voted.
This is a true and accurate report of the Special Meeting of February 20, 2008.
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Ramesh H. Advani, Clerk
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