More funding sought for Belmonte project

SAUGUS – The Belmonte Middle School Building Committee voted unanimously Monday to ask Town Meeting for additional money for asbestos tile replacement and other alternates to the $18.9 million project.The article, which will be drafted by the School Committee, would not exceed 5 percent of the total project cost for a total request of around $950,000 in additional funds.Asbestos tile replacement for the entire school will cost around $826,000, with the Massachusetts School Building Authority reimbursing a portion, if approved.Science Director Frank Woods said during his 30-year career, he?s seen firsthand how bad the tiles are.?The classrooms are in terrible condition especially with the water leak we had,” said Woods. “There are so many loose tiles. We?ve been scratching away at those tiles for years. You either have to abate the building or you?re not going to do it.”Asbestos removal was not part of the original project, but was listed as the first alternate to be completed if additional funds became available during the course of the project.The vote to ask for additional funds was tied to another vote Monday, where the committee approved a slight alteration to the building facade to shave off around $490,000 from the project. The new facade will look the same except it will no longer have the parapets along the roof and metal panels on the back of the gym will be replaced with a coating or stain.?The facade is 98 percent of what was presented to the voters,” said Jim Dowd, project manager for Skanska Builders.Arthur Grabowski was the only committee member to vote against this because he said he can?t support any option that didn?t include asbestos removal, and called leaving the asbestos in the school “short-sighted.”?I?m not going to leave it to an alternate and hope it comes out that way,” said Grabowski. “I think it?s an important enough issue. At the very least I?ll support it in the hallways.”Both votes came a week after Dowd presented more than $3 million in cuts and modifications needed to bring the project under budget. The building facade was the last modification voted on.It was initially decided last week that asbestos tiles would only be replaced in the hallway, but the vote on the facade on Monday removed all asbestos replacement from the project, which will now be put to a vote at Town Meeting in May.The Committee also discussed keeping the eighth-grade students at the middle school during the repair project. It was initially decided that the eighth-graders would be moved to the high school for the 2012-13 school year.Belmonte principal Geoff Bruno said Monday he would prefer if the students remained at the middle school. Dowd said he?s waiting for final approval from the Fire Department before finalizing the decision.Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].