A MEETING OF THE SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE WAS HELD ON THE ABOVE DATE IN THE CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS AT 6:05 P.M.
MEMBERS PRESENT: (SIGNED IN)
ROBERT F. WEBER,JR
ROBERT A. FERRI
GENE R. NOURY
LEN RYSZLIEWICZ
LEO LECLERC
KATHY MATUSZEK MARTIN
LINDA CELONA
MAUREEN CHEVRETTE
LEE M. MATTHEWS
ROBERT ZUBA
W.R. PETE DEMEULE
HOMER L. LAFOND, JR.
BOB CANAVAN
MILDRED VEGA
MAUREEN SLOWIK
ROBERT WEBER CHAIRED THE MEETING.
DISCUSSION CENTERED AROUND SEVERAL QUESTIONS POSED BY GENE R. NOURY RELATIVE TO THE OPEN MEETINGS LAWS, COUNCIL MEMBERS SERVING ON THE BOARD AND THE SEPARATION OF POWERS BETWEEN THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL, POSTED AGENDAS, QUORUM AND MINUTES.
CITY SOLICITOR JAMES BRIDEN SPOKE BRIEFLY ON THE OPEN MEETINGS LAW, HE RELATED THAT THE BOARD IS ACTING PROPERLY, AS THEY ARE POSTING MEETING, TAKING MINUTES AS WELL AS TELEVISING THEIR MEETINGS. HE COMMENTED ON THE DUTIES OF THE CITY CLERK WITH RELATION TO TAKING MINUTES, AND ALTHOUGH THE CLERK IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COUNCIL'S MEETINGS THE CHARTER DOES NOT SPECIFICALLY SAY THE CLERK
MUST TAKE THE MINUTES FOR BOARDS THAT ONE OR MORE COUNCIL MEMBERS TAKES PART IN.
BOB CANAVAN COMMENTED ON TAPING THE MEETINGS AND HAVING THE CLERK TRANSCRIBE THEM.
GENE NOURY ASKED WHAT CONSTITUTES A QUORUM.
MR. BRIDEN COMMENTED ON THE MAKEUP OF THE BOARD AND THAT A SIMPLE MAJORITY WOULD CONSTITUTE A QUORUM.
GENE NOURY COMMENTED ON THE ORGANIZATION OF THE COMMITTEE AND ITS MAKEUP AND STATED HIS CONCERNS.
CHAIRMAN WEBER ASKED TO TABLE THIS DISCUSSION UNTIL THE END OF THE MEETING.
GENE NOURY STATED THAT HE WISHED TO DISCUSS THIS MATTER BEFORE THE NEXT MEETING AS HE'S CONCERNED WITH THE BASIC CHECKS AND BALANCES OF THE LEGISLATIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT.
CHAIRMAN WEBER STATED THAT THE BOARD HAS NO AUTHORITY OTHER THAN IN AN ADVISORY CAPACITY AND THAT THE MAYOR HAS SOLE AUTHORITY.
MR. NOURY CONTINUED HIS COMMENTS RELATIVE TO THIS MATTER.
DISCUSSION CONTINUED.
CHAIRMAN WEBER ASKED THAT THIS DISCUSSION BE CONTINUED TO LATER IN THE MEETING AND THAT THE BOARD FOCUS ITSELF AROUND SCHOOL BUILDINGS DISCUSSION. HE ALSO STATED THAT THE BOARD STAY ON THE TOPIC THAT IS ON THE TABLE AND TO KEEP THE DISCUSSION ORDERLY. HE ASKED FOR A SHOW OF HANDS FOR THOSE ON THE BOARD WHO ARE IN AGREEMENT WITH THE PROPOSED ADDITIONS AS RELATED TO THE MIDDLE SCHOOL.
FOR THE RECORD THERE WERE 12 IN AGREEMENT WITH MR. DEMEULE DISSENTING.
MR. DEMEULE MAINTAINED THAT THE COMMITTEE HAS NOT DISCUSSED THE ISSUES LONG ENOUGH TO COME TO A CONSENSUS. DISCUSSION AND COMMENTS CONTINUED ON THIS ISSUE.
CHAIRMAN WEBER COMMENTED THAT THE COMMITTEE IS DISCUSSING THE NEEDS OF THE SCHOOL BUILDINGS IN THE DISTRICT.
MAYOR MATTHEWS COMMENTED AND STATED THAT THE BOARD MUST COME TO AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEEDS FOR CALCUTT SCHOOL, THE NUMBER OF CLASSROOMS NEEDED, THE POSITION OF THOSE CLASS ROOMS AND IN WHAT PART OF THE BUILDING THEY WILL BE CONSTRUCTED. HE ALSO SPOKE ON THE ELLA RISK AND ROBERTSON SCHOOLS.
DISCUSSION CONTINUED.
MR. DEMEULE CONTINUED TO DISCUSS THE COMMITTEE'S ROLE AND THE LEGALITY OF THE COMMITTEE.
BOB CANAVAN AND MR. DEMEULE EXCHANGED COMMENTS RELATIVE TO THE ENABLING LEGISLATION ON THE SCHOOL BOND.
CHAIRMAN WEBER CALLED THE MEETING TO ORDER AND MOVED THE DISCUSSION TO THE ELLA RISK SCHOOL.
DR. CHEVRETTE COMMENTED ON SCHOOL ENROLLMENT, THE TRAILERS AND SMALLER BUILDINGS ON SCHOOL PROPERTY AND THE USE OF THEM ONCE ADDITIONS WERE MADE TO THE SCHOOLS. SHE STATED THAT THERE WAS A NEED FOR 7 CLASSROOMS TO BE ADDED TO EACH BUILDING.
MAYOR MATTHEWS STATED THE HE WAS DISAPPOINTED WITH THE LAYOUT OF ELLA RISK SCHOOL, THE LACK OF HANDICAP ACCESSIBILITY, WIRING, BATHROOMS ETC. HE SAID AN ADDITION WITHOUT MAJOR RENOVATIONS TO THE INTERIOR OF THIS SCHOOL WILL NOT FLOW WELL. HE STATED THAT ROBERTSON SCHOOL WAS OLD BUT IN BETTER CONDITION WITH FEWER NEED. THE MAYOR PROPOSED THAT THE BOARD SHOULD PUT MONEY IN ONE BUILDING AND USED AS A EXAMPLE THE NORTON SCHOOL IN CUMBERLAND. HE SAID IT WOULD MAKE SENSE TO REBUILD ELLA RISK SCHOOL BECAUSE IT HAS THE MOST LAND AND IS THE BUILDING IN THE MOST NEED. HE PROPOSED THE REMOVAL OF THE TRAILER FROM ROBERTSON SCHOOL AND REPAVE THE PLAYGROUND THERE AS WELL.
DISCUSSIONS CONTINUED ON ROBERTSON AND RISK SCHOOLS.
DR. CHEVRETTE COMMENTED ON THE PROPOSAL. SHE STATED THAT THERE WOULD BE A NEED FOR 24 CLASSROOMS, CAFETERIA AND LIBRARY BUT THAT SHE IS 100% FOR THE PROPOSAL.
THE SCHOOL WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY THE SAME SIZE AS VETERANS.
MEETING RECESSED AT 7:10 P.M.
RECONVENED AT 7:26 P.M.
LEO LECLERC DISTRIBUTED A PROPOSAL AND COMMENTED. HE SPOKE OF LONG RANGE PLANNING FOR THE CITY'S SCHOOLS.
BOB CANAVAN COMMENTED.
MAYOR MATTHEWS COMMENTED ON LEGISLATION BEFORE THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY WHICH MAY MANDATE ALL DAY KINDERGARTEN. HE STATED THAT IF THIS BILL PASSES THERE WILL BE A NEED FOR AT LEAST 5 ADDITIONAL CLASSROOMS, THIS BILL DOES NOT ALLOW FOR ADDITIONAL FINANCING FOR THE NEW SPACE. HE SAID THAT HE AGREES THAT CHILDREN MUST BE REACHED AT AN EARLY AGE, BUT THE FUNDING MUST BE CONSIDERED.
BOB CANAVAN STATED THAT IF ALL THE ADDITIONS WERE DONE TO ELLA RISK SCHOOL THEN MAYBE THERE WOULD BE ADDITIONAL MONEY FOR CAPTAIN HUNT SCHOOL.
DR. CHEVRETTE AGREES WITH THE ALL DAY KINDERGARTEN, BUT ALSO AGREES WITH MAYOR MATTHEWS AS THIS WOULD BE AN UNFUNDED MANDATE. SHE SPOKE OF THE MAYOR'S PLAN FOR ELLA RISK AND ON THE RENOVATIONS. SHE STATED THAT RISK IS THE SCHOOL THAT NEEDS THE MOST IN RENOVATIONS.
MR. LAFOND QUESTIONED THE MAYOR ABOUT GUTTING THE ELLA RISK SCHOOL AND STARTING FROM SCRATCH.
DR. CHEVRETTE STATED THAT IF THE BOARD PROCEEDS WITH THE MAYOR'S PLAN THEN THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT WILL HAVE TO RELOCATE THE STUDENTS WHO ATTEND THAT SCHOOL FOR THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR.
BOARD MEMBERS DISCUSSED POSSIBLE LOCATIONS FOR THESE STUDENTS SUCH AS SCHOOL TRAILERS, THE FORMER HOLY TRINITY SCHOOL AND OTHER COMMUNITIES.
CHAIRMAN WEBER COMMENTED ON THE EARLY LEARNING CENTER, STATE MANDATES, SCHOOL BONDS AND THE REFERENDUM.
MILDRED VEGA COMMENTED ON RULES OF ORDER AND THE RESPECT FROM OTHERS WHEN ONE MEMBER HAS THE FLOOR.
MAYOR MATTHEWS COMMENTED ON DISCUSSIONS THAT TAKE PLACE WHEN SOMEONE IS TALKING AND APOLOGIZED IF ANYONE FOUND THIS OFFENSIVE.
GENE NOURY COMMENTED ON HIS CONCERNS RELATIVE TO THE COUNCIL SERVING ON THE BOARD.
CHAIRMAN WEBER COMMENTED.
MAYOR MATTHEWS STATED THAT THIS BOARD WAS CREATED TO KEEP CHECK AND BALANCE OF THE ISSUES RELATED TO THE SCHOOL. HE SAID HE HOPED EVERYONE WOULD REMAIN A PART OF THE BOARD.
BOB CANAVAN COMMENTED ON CHECK AND BALANCES AND THE RESOLUTION PASSED BY THE COUNCIL.
DISCUSSION CONTINUED REGARDING THE BOARD.
MILDRED VEGA ASKED FOR A COPY OF THE CITY SOLICITOR'S OPINION.
BOB FERRI ASKED WHAT THE STATUS OF THE SEEKONK TRIP TO THE MIDDLE SCHOOL.
MAUREEN CHEVETTE COMMENTED ON SEEKONK MIDDLE SCHOOL AND BURRILLVILLE SCHOOLS.
JOSEPHINE MCLAUGHLIN ASKED THE MAYOR IF IT WAS HIS INTENTION TO TEAR DOWN THE ELLA RISK SCHOOL.
MAYOR MATTHEWS STATED THAT HE HAS NO INTENTIONS. HE COMMENTED THAT IT WAS MENTIONED ON PLACING ALL THE MIDDLE STUDENTS TOGETHER AND THIS IS ONE WAY OF DOING SO INSTEAD OF SPENDING GOOD MONEY AFTER BAD.
MOTION TO ADJOURN WAS MADE BY MAYOR MATTHEWS AND SECONDED BY BOB CANAVAN. ALL AGREED.
SO VOTED.
TRANSCRIBED FROM TAPED MEETING.
____________________________________________
ELIZABETH A. CROWLEY, ACTING CITY CLERK
FOR SCHOOL BUILDING ADVISORY BOARD