DIGHTON – This week, Dighton residents will decide the fate of the immediate future of Dighton Elementary School.
At the upcoming Special Town Meeting on November 14, a warrant article will be presented by the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District, in which the town is requesting $1.36 million from an architect and design firm to conduct a feasibility study for a new elementary school .
This study determines all options regarding the costs for repair, renovation and/or expansion of the more than 70-year-old primary school building, or for building a completely new modern building.
The vote will be the culmination of a year of planning, gathering information and communicating with the public by the district administration, which has slowly gone through an extensive process mandated by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).
The parking lot for DES fills up quickly and poses a problem for many parents when dropping off or picking up children. Photo taken on May 23, 2023
The goal of going through this process is for the project to be approved by the MSBA so that the state will pay a portion of the construction costs, as much as 60%, for whatever option the district may obtain for the substandard and deficient Dighton Elementary School. .
“Right now, we’re really just waiting for the other shoe to drop,” says DR Superintendent William Runey, regarding ongoing problems with overcrowding and the potential failure of decades-old internal building systems (HVAC, plumbing, etc.) that he believes they have reached the point where they can no longer make repairs.
The city will get half of the money back
More than half of the $1.36 million funding request will be reimbursed by the state — 55.6% of the total amount, to be precise, according to Runey, meaning the city will only invest $601,620 in the long term.
The remainder will be reimbursed upon completion of the 18- to 24-month feasibility study, regardless of whether the municipality decides to do anything with the information or not.
The somberly colored corridors of the main building of DES have not been painted for years. Ceilings are predominantly suspended ceilings with an asbestos ceiling tile above. Photo taken on May 23, 2023.
The money does not come from the residents’ pockets
Runey also points out that none of the requested funds come from residents’ property taxes and no tax increase is needed. The money has already been saved in the city’s capital stabilization account.
The inside of the modular trailer facility, consisting of 6 units, is attached and accessed through the main building. DES Director Lynn Dessert said the entire facility is tilted and sinking on one side due to its weight, and is partially on grass and dirt. She added that this modular trailer would only be a temporary solution to DES’s overcrowding problems. Photo taken on May 23, 2023.
“The money is not being taken away from the fire department or any other municipal department,” he added.
Runey explained that over the years, money from the school district’s Excess and Deficiency (E&D) account, a type of reserve account, is returned to the cities of Dighton and Rehoboth.
In Dighton’s case, Runey said the city specifically set aside money to conduct a feasibility study on the elementary school. The Nov. 14 vote is intended to sanction its use by the Dighton Elementary School Building Committee, which was a requirement in the MSBA process.
“We are merely asking for permission to proceed with this feasibility study,” using the money already saved, Runey said.
What is the feasibility study?
“It will be extremely in-depth,” with several viable options to present to the community about the future of Dighton Elementary School, Runey said.
The substandard cafeteria for DES is a major limitation. Only one grade can be processed at a time, resulting in 5 seats, with the first lunch starting at 10:30 am and the last lunch at 1:30 pm. Photo taken on May 23, 2023.
For the option of an entirely new building, the study will provide specifications on spatial needs and educational programming, early design concepts of the proposed school building, cost estimates, and possible locations in the city for a new building.
For repairs and renovations, the feasibility study will conduct systems analyzes to create projections for the remaining life of internal systems, such as HVAC, electrical and plumbing, and to determine whether the building and systems can handle retrofits, and cost estimates for such upgrades. .
The study will also provide cost estimates if the city does nothing, meaning it doesn’t take up the MSBA’s offer and decides to let business continue until something breaks.
“If systems fail, the city will be 100% responsible,” Runey said, explaining that the school district leases the buildings from the communities, meaning Dighton is the landlord of the elementary school.
Overcrowding and decades of wear and tear
The Dighton Elementary School building, built in 1953, is substandard and woefully defective, officials say.
Spaces for classrooms, offices, teachers and storage areas are constantly being annexed, reconfigured and/or redesigned depending on the degree of urgency. Many of the internal systems and structures, such as electrical wiring, plumbing, interior doors and exterior walls, are original to the building.
The necessary upgrades have been done. The roof of the building was replaced in 2016. Other upgrades included replacing all exterior windows in 2018, as well as installing a new boiler and some HVAC distribution, also in 2018.
Some new additions to the main elementary school building came in 1999 in the form of a preschool and kindergarten wing, a library, and a wing with a gymnasium, music room, and additional gymnasiums.
But these newer spaces are still substandard.
The modular facility, consisting of 6 classrooms, was built in 2018 and is located at the rear of the main building. Photo taken on May 23, 2023.
Registrations
Enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year at Dighton Elementary is 474 students. Runey said enrollment is expected to reach 550 within the next decade.
To combat DES overcrowding, the City of Dighton approved $1.1 million in 2018 to purchase six modular trailer units. The units, each representing a classroom, were attached together to create one entire academic facility.
These units were originally proposed as a temporary solution due to the desperation of the situation.
However, the daily occupancy weight of recent years has caused the entire modular space to sink and rest on a slope. This is because half of it rests on asphalt, while the other side lies on earth.
Where and when is the special town meeting
Dighton’s special town meeting will take place on Thursday, November 14, beginning at 7:00 PM in the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School Auditorium.
The funding request for a $1.36 million feasibility study for Dighton Elementary School is Article 6 of the warrant.
This article originally appeared in The Taunton Daily Gazette: Dighton Town Meeting to vote on primary school feasibility study
