Welcome back! It promises to be a very busy fall for the Wellesley Public Schools and the Town of Wellesley at large. We encourage you to stay informed!
Major progress has been made on the WHS Building Project, with preparations being made for a Special Town Meeting in October. If approved by Town Meeting, the building project will be subject to a town-wide vote in December.
The Advisory Committee is holding a PUBLIC HEARING on the WHS Building Project Plan on Wednesday, September 17, at 7:00pm at Town Hall (this Wednesday). We encourage you to attend and provide your support for this important project.
Fall also marks the beginning of the budget process for the town, as town boards review budget guidelines and begin review of capital and operating budgets for next year. We will keep you informed as the process unfolds.
See more details below.
Thank
you for
your
continued
interest
in the
issues
which
affect
the
Wellesley
Public
Schools.
For
further
information
on
Committee
for
Education
in the
21st
Century
(Committee
21),
please
go to our
website.
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WHS
Building
Project Update
The
School
Building
Committee
has
finalized
a
Project
Plan
which
has
now
been
submitted
to
the
MSBA
for
review. In
tandem,
the
SBC
has
been
preparing
information
for
the
Special
Town
Meeting,
scheduled
to
start
on
October
20.
In
brief,
the
Project
Plan
is
for
a
280,000
square
foot,
one-phase,
all-newly
constructed
facility
on
the
current
high
school
site.
The
total
cost
of
the
project
is
approximately
$135
million,
of
which
the
state
will
pay
$44
million.
Therefore,
the
net
cost
to
the
town
will
be
approximately
$91
million.
Construction
would
commence
in
March
2010,
with
occupation
in
December
2012.
Demolition
and
site
work
would
conclude
by
September
2013. The
short
building
time
frame
(2.8
years)
helps
provide stronger
confidence
that
cost
estimates are
firm
and
that
the
costs
associated
with
the
time
value
of
money
is
minimized.
The
floor
plans
have
been
designed
to
accommodate
the
current
Educational
Program
(academic
curriculum
and
extracurricular
activities)
for
approximately
1600
students.
Exterior
designs
have
been
the
focus
of
much
work
in
recent
weeks
and
will
continue
to
be
refined
over
the
coming
weeks.
There
are
undoubtedly
many
questions
residents
may
have
on
this
project. We
are
developing
a
Q&A
on
the
project
in
an
effort
to
provide
information
on
common
questions;
we
will
forward
you
the
link
when
available.
If you
have
questions
or
concerns
about
the
Project
Plan,
we
encourage
you
to
contact
the
SBC. A project objective
has
always
been
to propose
a project
which
achieves
widespread
community
support.
We
at
Committee
21
are
unanimous
in
our
support
of
the
Project
Plan
and
encourage
your
support.
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PUBLIC
HEARING
Currently,
the
Advisory
Committee
is
reviewing
the
Project
Plan
and
preparing
a
recommendation
to Town
Meeting.
As part
of the
review,
the
Advisory
Committee
will
hold a
PUBLIC
HEARING
on
Wednesday,
September
17th, at
7:00pm
in Town
Hall
(this
Wednesday).
A
Public
Hearing
is
design
to
provide
an
opportunity
for
residents
to
publicly
state
opinions,
express
concerns
and
urge
the
Advisory
Committee
to
consider
specific
issues
as
they
review
proposals
from
Town
Boards. This
is a
forum
for
public
statement; no
responses
are
provided
during
the
hearing.
Comments
can
also
be
submitted
in
by
email
to
the
Advisory
Committee.
Shortly
thereafter,
the
Advisory
Committee
will
prepare
a
comprehensive
review
and
provide
a
recommendation
to
Town
Meeting.
The
Advisory
Committee
Report,
along
with
a
summary
report
by
the
SBC,
PBC
and
SC,
will
be
mailed
to
all
town
residents
in
October.
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Upcoming Meetings
Wed,
Sep 17at
7:00pm
Town Hall
ADVISORY
PUBLIC
HEARING on
the WHS
Building
Project.
PROJECT
REPORTS
A
review
of the
High
School
Project
for the
public
prior to
Special
Town
Meeting;
conducted
by SBC:
Sun, Oct
5 at
3:00pm
Police
Station
Tue, Oct
7 at
9:30am
Wakelin
Room,
Main
Library
Tue, Oct
14 at
7:30pm
Town
Hall
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Committee for Education in the 21st
Century
