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04/21/2020 04:20 PMThe Board of Selectmen (BOS) will likely act to postpone the planned referenda for a $129 million school renewal project and $14 million community center at the vacant Academy School building until at least the first half of next year, due to uncertainty around the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to First Selectman Peggy Lyons.
“I have consulted with the chairs of the Board of Education and the Board of Finance on this matter and they both share my personal view that neither of these projects should be brought to a public vote this year given the current economic uncertainty we face due to this global pandemic,” Lyons said in a release.
Lyons emphasized that while no formal action had been taken to postpone the referenda, the BOS would revisit the timeline at its regular April 27 meeting.
Any changes to the projects as far as substance or specifics have not been discussed formally by the BOS, according to Lyons. She said that she would recommend that later this year the BOS revisit the projects in more depth “to reassess any targeted timelines and/or project scopes to make a final determination.”
For the school renewal plan specifically, Lyons said she would be looking for the Board of Education (BOE) to “weigh in with their recommendations on timing and scope,” as those infrastructure needs will still need to be met soon.
The school renewal project, which was approved by the BOE last September after a lengthy deliberative process through a tri-board group involving members of the BOS, the Board of Finance (BOF), and the BOE, would construct a brand new pre-K to 5 elementary school on Green Hill Road and convert Brown Intermediate to a K to 5, as well as funding numerous improvements to Polson Middle School.
The plan would close both Ryerson and Jeffrey, the town’s two aging elementary schools, as well as the pre-K facility near Town Campus.
The $14 million Academy community center project was created through a collaborative process between a citizens’ committee working with local real estate and project management company Colliers International, submitting a final design to the town late last summer.
Both projects were tentatively scheduled to go to voters the first week of October 2020. That will not happen now, according to Lyons, as the town waits to see the severity of the pandemic’s economic impact.
“I, along with many of my fellow elected officials, recognize that residents have more immediate concerns—focusing on the health, safety, and wellbeing of themselves and their families,” Lyons’s statement read. “It would be insensitive to ask the public to decide on any sizable investment projects which would require significant financial commitments in today’s unsettling environment.”
Academy Community Center Design Committee Chair Bill Stableford said that it was his understanding that a final decision on the postponement would not be made until the April 27 meeting. He said he would have a formal statement on the subject at that meeting.
Madison’s school facilities still require significant upkeep, with the town planning for around $100 million worth of short-term maintenance over the next 10 years, with the renewal plan proposed as a long-term alternative to this.
In the statement, Lyons said she was sensitive to these issues, and that the town would spend “the rest of this year to revisit our options, refine our needs, and rethink our strategy within the context of this new economic climate.”
“The town’s financial position remains strong. This is based more on general economic uncertainty, and the loss of valuable time and attention that would be needed to educate and engage the public in such [an] important project,” Lyons said.
BOE Chair Katie Stein told The Source that the schools had already postponed some planned communications and outreach, which were originally set to begin at the end of March, regarding the schools referendum.
She said that no matter what conclusions are reached, the BOE would work with the BOS and the BOF to determine the best course.
“I’m not sure where the town will be financially once we emerge from this current health crisis,” Stein said. “The BOE stands behind the proposal, and voted unanimously to push it forward in terms of what is the best for our facilities, but we will continue to work in collaboration with the other two boards to determine when and if we move forward.”
Stein said that she saw that the changes and uncertainty created an opportunity for the tri-board to potentially reconvene, though she added it was “far too early” to think about what specifics might come out of those meetings in regards to any readjustments to anything that had been planned so far.
From a practical standpoint, Stein said the pandemic would not have necessarily prevented the schools from carrying out grant-writing or other ancillary work to prepare for the referendum, but with the more urgent and immediate concerns in the town and schools, asking people to think about the referendum right now would be “tone deaf.”
At press time, BOF Chair Jean Fitzgerald had not responded to an email from The Source seeking comment