Swampscott subcommittee discusses school feasibility study

SWAMPSCOTT – The Communications Subcommittee of the Swampscott School Building Committee met Tuesday night to discuss the best way to reach out to Town Meeting members to gain support for a feasibility study for the new elementary school.?We want to reach out and touch every Town Meeting member,” said Communications Committee Chair Glenn Paster Tuesday. “Our job is to educate.”School officials expect the feasibility study to cost somewhere between $300,000-$500,000.Paster explained that the feasibility study will begin a multi-step process that will allow the Massachusetts School Building Authority to build a plan for the new unnamed elementary school now that the Hadley School building at 24 Redington St. has been deemed “deficient” by the state.The new school will be built next to the Stanley School at 10 Whitman Road, which will be demolished when the new school is finished.Paster said the subcommittee?s message is that they want to “retire Hadley with grace.” Pastor said the Hadley School Building will be given to the town to sell the property.Joe Crimmins, chairman of the School Building Committee, said Wednesday that if the town decides to approve the study, he estimates Swampscott could receive a reimbursement of about 30 percent for the new school, though the exact percentage will be determined by the state.?The first step in getting the state to approve a partnership or sharing costs of new school is to conduct a feasibility study, and the town needs to approve the appropriations to fund that feasibility study,” said Crimmins of the process on Wednesday. “If we don?t do it now, it?s possible that it could be many years before the state is willing to share the costs.”Paster said, “If a Town Meeting says no, that?s it – no second chances.”The eight members of the subcommittee decided to divide up the list of the more than 300 Town Meeting members to call to “educate” them on what the feasibility study is and what it will do so they can vote confidently.?We don?t want people to be surprised and have a lot of questions in October,” said Crimmins.Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].