School Building Committee (2020)

School Building Committee (2020) Regular Meeting City Hall Room 335 100 Broadway, Norwich CT 06360 And Virtually via ZOOM Tuesday July 20, 2021 6:30 PM Committee Members Present: Alderman Mark Bettencourt, Alderwoman Stacy Gould, Alderman Joe DeLucia, William Hull, Heather Romanski, Gregory Ballassi, Peter Gauthier, Greg Carabine and Christine DiStasio. Committee Members Absent: Kristen Talley and Gerald Martin. Ex-Officio Members Present: Jamie Bender and Matthew Brown, Norwich Board of Ed. Citizens Present: Bob Sierpinski, Norwich Board of Ed; Bob Castronova, City of Norwich Purchasing Agent; Ronald Paolillo, James Barrett and Gregory Smolley, Drummey Rosane Anderson, Inc. I. Call to Order and Quorum: Alderman Mark Bettencourt called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM. II. Approval of Minutes from Previous Meetings: William Hull made a motion to approve the May 18, 2021 and the May 26, 2021 meeting minutes, with a minor adjustment. Greg Carabine seconded. The chairman called the roll of members present and all were in favor, aside from Heather Romanski who abstained from the vote. The motion passed. III. Kickoff - meeting with DRA representative Jim Barrett and staff: James Barrett thanked the selection team for the opportunity to work in Norwich again, introduced his staff and discussed with members what their idea of a successful school building project would be. James Barrett presented a PowerPoint which showcased 14 existing academic properties managed by the city. Discussion ensued regarding the quality of existing properties. Heather Romanski and Christine DiStasio pinpointed Kelly Middle School as the best existing academic property and discussed which properties showcase the lowest quality status in the city. James Barret explained that the first few months of the study would entail three key areas of research; collection of available information, access to facilities to assess conditions, and the  development of demographic information and enrollment projections. Discussion ensued of types of information that would be collected by the consultant team to help them develop the best end result. Gregory Smolley discussed the various tools that would be used to assess each property and determine how they are utilized to ideally complete the research phase of the study by the end of August. Gregory Smolley continued that the plan would be to discuss findings from the building discoveries and demographic collection at the September School Building Committee meeting. James Barrett stated that their plan for September would be educational and program exercise planning with feedback from teachers and school administration. James Barrett stated the goal would be to establish the first public meeting in the early fall that would be designed to appeal and cater to community attendance. Discussion ensued regarding communications with community members. Gregory Smolley discussed the style that the September meeting would ideally be and the participation required. IV. Discussion of steps going forward and action as needed: Discussion ensued regarding the September scheduled meeting during which the group would discuss the findings of the DRA consultants. Peter Gauthier brought up annual review processes to which Heather Romanski noted that there were school and district improvement plans in place. Discussion ensued. Greg Smolley stated he would be interested in utilizing a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis plan within the district, which could sometimes be more productive than a strategic plan. Heather Romanski stated she would bring the topic up for discussion at the next Board of Education meeting. V. Meeting Schedule adjustments if needed: Heather Romanski made a motion to cancel the August regularly scheduled meeting, William Hull seconded. The chairman called the roll of members present and all were in favor. The motion passed unanimously. VI. Adjournment: William Hull made a motion to adjourn. Heather Romanski seconded. The chairman called the roll of members present and all were in favor. The motion passed unanimously. The committee adjourned at 7:49PM. Respectfully Submitted, Katherine Rose