School Phones, Design Projects Approved at Town Meeting

There are some upgrades coming to the town of Wellesley, or designs for some, within the next year.

Article 17 came up during the third night of Town Meeting, which continued discussion of the Town Meeting Warrant. This article was put forward by the School Committee and Board of Selectmen, and both of the motions under it were passed by majority vote. 

The two motions under Article 17 were: 1) to appropriate $811,200 in design funds for a series of repair and upgrade projects around town, and 2) to upgrade the school telephone systems for the Middle School and below with $411,000. 

Repairs and Refits

The roof on the Sprague School is about 89 years old, and reaching the end of its usable life. So too the auditorium at Wellesley Middle School, with its seats clocking in at about 50 years old, officials estimated. 

There are similar stories at the Hunnewell School, and Warren Building. And despite being newer buildings, both the Wellesley Police Department and Fire Department headquarters are starting to show some signs of aging due to their 24-hour, year-round use. 

The first motion under Article 17 was to request over $811,000 for design funds for 10 different projects around town, including those mentioned above. These include roof repairs, concrete and railings at entrances, and HVAC systems. The aim is to have proposals in hand for next spring's Town Meeting.

The article also includes some funding for upgraded security at Wellesley Public Schools, a measure officials say is included after the shooting in Newtown at the end of last year. These upgrades are primarily for security systems, while training and procedures are being worked on with teachers and staff, School Superintendent David Lussier explained.

While each of the facilities projects will be designed individually, Matt King of the Permanent Building Committee explained that after design work is complete, the town can explore bundling the projects together. 

The town is also seeking grants and other methods to pay for the repairs, such as the three Statements of Interest recently submitted to the Mass. School Building Authority.

The motion carried unanimously, after several questions from Town Meeting Members.

Upgrade Calling 

Wellesley Schools' Technology Director Rob Ford explained that the school telephone system is outdated--many of the parts are no longer being made, and require a time-consuming floppy disk backup. While the High School system was updated when the school was rebuilt, the other schools are still connected by copper wire to Verizon. 

An upgraded system would have a central server at the Middle School. Using the fiber optic system in place with the Municipal Light Plant. On the current system, schools have to call each other through Verizon's phone lines, where the upgrade would allow direct school-to-school contact.

Overall, the upgraded system would save the town about $18,000 in calling costs, Ford said. 

With only a few questions for clarification, the motion carried with one no vote.