Board of Education

Middletown Public Schools -Board of Education BOE Facilities Committee Meeting Minutes Wednesday, March 17, 2021 at 5:30 PM The meeting was called to order at 5:37 PM by Chairperson Deborah Cain and was held over Zoom and streamed on YouTube. Present: Deborah Cain (Chairperson), Peter Staye, Marco Gaylord, John Giuliano, Dan Penney, Vinnie Lofreddo – Community Member, David Bauer, Sean King, Jonathan Pulino, Christine Bourne, Ray Linehan from BOE IT and Committee Secretary Leslie Spatola. I. Introductions II. Review of the February 17, 2021 Meeting Minutes Chairperson Cain requested that end of tour time changed to 6:25 PM and start of meeting time to 6:45 PM. A motion was made to accept the minutes with changes by Chairperson Cain and seconded by Mr. King. III. Update of School Enrollment Study Mr. Gaylord received the study from Malone and McBroom and the Board of Education has received both long and short enrollment studies and additional information will follow. Currently working with Jim Miscenti at Adult Education to obtain numbers for Mr. Lofreddo. IV. Update of the 21/22 Plan of Capital Projects for 21/22 Mr. Staye discussed the spreadsheet listing the projects to be funded this coming year. With the exception of a few projects identified as priorities this year, (highlighted in blue) all the projects come from the 5-year capital plan that was developed in 2019. The spreadsheet has been updated to include reference to the amount of state funding anticipated for projects that are eligible for state funding. The total project costs, including the annual allocation to IT for technology and vehicle replacements amount to $2.85 million. There was a brief review of the need to enlarge parking lots at the 310 (Annex) and 311 Hunting Hill (Administration) buildings which are facilities used (in non-pandemic times) for large meetings. V. Status of Beman Middle School Construction The new building is on schedule. Flooring installation has started and will continue for 5 weeks. Cabinetry is in and permanent fiber-optic and electricity are being routed / connected so that the utility poles along the west side of the building can be permanently removed. The old Woodrow Wilson parking lot will be redone and a new lot will be constructed around the new building. Mr. Gaylord presented a drawing of the site and will provide a plan for the new parking areas at the April meeting.  - Page 2 - The dates for moving are closely coordinated with O&G and arrangements have been made to donate all unwanted old furniture to charities within the USA or overseas. Abatements will be done during the April break. Teacher’s materials are planned to be moved as soon as they are no longer needed and there is space available in Beman to store them. VI. Discussion for Snow and Farm Hill Roofing Projects Mr. Gaylord stated that seven proposals have been received from architecture firms and we are waiting for the building committee to be officially seated. Members of the committee will be, John Giuliano, Dan Penney, Christopher Sugar, Vinnie Lofreddo, Megan Carta and David Bauer with the Mayor appointing the leadership of the committee. There will be one architect for both building roofs. Goal is to have the proposals opened and assessed and a firm selected by the end of March if possible. Mr. Gaylord will check with Ms. Linda DeSena at City Hall to see how many people were sworn in already. VII. Finance Facilities Overview Mrs. Bourne thanked Mr. Staye for all the work he has done with projects that totaled $1.67M and went onto state there has been struggles with the hiring of staff including an innovation coach and other well-needed staffing to re-build our roster. Mr. Staye said that this year’s budget has been a challenge especially the continuing search for an HVAC technician and we are now spending far greater for outsourcing that job to contractors. The hiring of the nurses has also been an issue. VIII. Miscellaneous Ms. Cain inquired as to if the high school is ready to be opened up and Mr. Gaylord said there were tents outside every school for the students and 2-tired vaccines have been scheduled. The Park & Recreation department will be dropping tables off for the outdoor seating. Senior Night is planned at the Wadsworth Mansion but no date has been scheduled. Youth Services and The Transition Center joint use of 51 Green Street is going well, with some difficulties dealing with the limited parking that exists. The meeting adjourned at 6:47 PM by Chairperson Deborah Cain and seconded by Mr. King. The next BOE Facilities Committee meeting will be on Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 5:30 PM via Zoom. Minutes recorded by Leslie A. Spatola, Leslie A. Spatola Facilities Committee Recording Secretary